Box Score

        Box score, play-by-play (PDF)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons are doing many things right to stay in the point. They're just not winning the point – or at least not enough of them.
 
Madi Cavell had 10 kills for SPU on Saturday night and Brianna Leenders moved into the program's No. 3 spot for career digs, but 23rd-ranked Central Washington scored a three-game sweep of the Falcons in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.
 
Scores in Nicholson Pavilion were 25-20, 25-13, 25-19.
 
The Falcons (10-7, 4-5 GNAC) lost their second straight, having fallen in three games on Thursday at Northwest Nazarene. They've come up short in five of their past six.
 
"We're just making too many mistakes, and a lot of them are mental errors," SPU coach Chris Johnson said. "We did a lot of things well in a lot of long rallies. But they end on our errors.
 
"We're not forcing the other team to win the points and earn those rallies."

 

Along with her 10 kills, senior outside hitter Cavell (Keizer, Ore.) had one block assist, giving her 10.5 points and lifting her career total to 998.5. She'll have a chance to go for her 1,000^th point when the Falcons return to Brougham Pavilion for their only two October home matches.
 
SPU plays host to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday at 7:00 p.m. to begin the second half of the conference schedule. Alaska Fairbanks visits on Saturday night at 7.


 

Senior libero Leenders (Gresham, Ore.) had 11 digs, giving her 1,405 for her career. That pushed her past Leilani Kamahoahoa, who accumulated 1,397 from 1998-2001. The only two players now ahead of Leenders are Anna Herold (2,316 from 2008-11) and Torii Mount (1,552 from 2005-08).

Cavell was the only SPU player in double-figure kills on Saturday. Hannah Lautenbach had seven.
 
The Falcons got off to a quick start against Central (12-5, 5-4 GNAC), build a 7-3 lead in Game 1. But the Wildcats went on an 11-2 run to take command at 14-9.
 
Central Washington led all the way in the second game after scoring the first three points. SPU had a 5-2 lead in the third game, and was still up 12-11 when the Wildcats ran off six in a row and went in front to stay.
 
Senior setter Sara Biondi (Sacramento, Calif.) had 18 assists for Seattle Pacific.
 
The Falcons hit just .082 for the match with 33 kills and 23 errors on 122 attacks. Central's .267 average was forged with 43 kills and just 12 errors on 116 swings.
 
"There are things that are completely within our control that we're not doing well enough," Johnson said. "We just have to do better at what we're doing.
 
"I reminded our team that this is the same team that beat Cal State L.A. in three games (in September), and they're leading the CCAA," Johnson said. "We've gotta get back to that."

 

The seven kills for freshman middle blocker Lautenbach (Portland, Ore.) were just one short of her career high. She also had three block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Maddi Hommes (Lynden, Wash. / Lynden HS) had four kills, two block assists, and hit .300.

 
"Hannah and Maddi did a great job tonight," Johnson said. "That helped. We really had our middles pretty well established."
 

NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Central Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 0
 
Game scores – 25-20, 25-13, 25-16.
 
Service aces – SPU 0, CWU 5 (Lauren Herseth 2).
Kills – SPU 33 (Madi Cavell 10), CWU 43 (Kiah Jones 11).
Assists – SPU 31 (Sara Biondi 18), CWU 39 (Catie Fry 34).
Digs – SPU 50 (Brianna Leenders 11), CWU 61 (Kaely Kight 22).
Block assists / solo – SPU 10 / 1 solo (Jessica Miller 2 / 1 solo, Hannah Lautenbach 3 / 0 solo), CWU 14 / 3 solo (Julie Hulbert 4 / 1 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attempts) – SPU 33-23-122--.082 (Maddi Hommes 4-1-10--.300, Sara Biondi 5-2-11--.273), CWU 43-12-116--.267 (Jordan Deming 8-1-14--.500).
Attendance – 306.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 10-7, 4-5 GNAC. Central Washington 12-5, 5-4 GNAC.
 
Next match – Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, Thursday, Oct. 16, Brougham Pavilion, 7:00 p.m.