Nov. 1, 2014

Box Score

ELLENSBURG, Wash. - Western Washington University suffered back-to-back losses for the first time this season as it fell to Central Washington University, 25-16, 23-25, 22-25, 25-18, 15-9, in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match on Saturday, Nov.1, at Nicholson Pavilion on the CWU campus.

The Vikings, who had a seven-match winning streak snapped in a sweep at GNAC-leading Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, fell to 17-6 overall and 10-4 in GNAC play. They were rated No.9 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll.

Central, which won for the 11th time in 12 home matches this season, improved to 17-6 overall and 10-5 in GNAC play with its third straight win. The Wildcats were led by Linden Firethorne with 21 kills and Kaitlin Quirk with 11 kills and a match-high nine blocks.

Kayla Erickson (Sr., Gig Harbor/Peninsula) had a match-high 22 kills and five blocks for WWU. Rachel Roeder (Jr., Sammamish/Issaquah) had 18 kills and Samantha Hutchinson (Sr., University Place/Curtis) contributed a match-high 39 kills as she went over the 2,300 mark in career kills (2,331).

Central won the first set with an 8-1 closing burst. The Wildcats led 19-14 in the second set, which had 10 ties and five lead changes, but WWU scored 11 of the last 15 points to tie the match at 1-1.

The Vikings held an 18-13 advantage in the third set, only to have Central score nine straight points to go in front 22-20. But WWU scored five of the last seven points to take a two games to one lead.

WWU got out to a 9-4 lead in the fourth set, but Central scored 13 straight points as it tied the match at two games apiece.

Central went out to a 10-5 lead in the decisive fifth set, and the Vikings never got closer than three after that.

WWU returns home for its final two matches of the season at Sam Carver Gymnasium, entertaining Saint Martin's on Thursday, Nov. 6 (7 p.m.), and Western Oregon on Saturday, Nov. 8 (7 p.m.), in GNAC counters.