Box score, play-by-play (HTML)
 
ELLESBURG, Wash. – After falling behind by two games, Seattle Pacific nearly came all the way back to force matters to a fifth before Central Washington seized the moment on Saturday at Nicolson Pavilion.
 
With the three final sets closely contested, the Wildcats came from behind in the final set to win 25-16, 28-26, 19-25, 25-23.
 
Gabby Oddo finished with a match-high 19 kills, including eight in the third set, and Hailey Gaines contributed a career-high 16 for the Falcons (7-8, 5.3 GNAC), who dropped their second Great Northwest Athletic Conference match in a row.
 
Central Washington (13-2, 7-1 GNAC) won its fifth straight, thanks to the 17 kills of Madison Weg.
 
"Central is always really good, and they're always consistent," Falcons head coach Abbie Wright said. "But I was proud of how our players executed some new things tonight. It's tough to turn around after 24 hours and be good agai after losing a hard match in five games.
 
"I was proud of our tenacity today. It was unfortunate that the cards didn't fall our way this week."
 
After winning the third game, SPU was ahead 20-18, in the fourth before Central quickly turned the tables. The Wildcats reeled off four unanswered points – two off combined blocks from Weg and Bridgette Webb – to go in front, 22-20.
 
The Falcons managed to draw even at 23-all. But Central's Makala Swart came up with two kills to end the match. First, she hit off the block, then finished it off a quick set with a strike down the line. 
 
Following the intermission, Oddo fueled the Falcons' resurgence. They led from the outset, and Jaeden Hooker connected on three key kills, punctuated by a dink to reach game point.
 
Weg started the afternoon on fire, slamming six kills on her first seven attempts as Central, hitting .286, pulled away from a 10-all tie to win the opener easily.
 
"A lot of the first game was our unforced errors – we fell a little behind the eight-ball," Wright said. "Then we got back into it, and it was close the whole way out. It was frustrating we couldn't get over the hump, because after the first game, we executed really nice."
 
Seattle Pacific had its chances to square the match in the second set, with Amanda Ganete serving an ace to reach game point, 25-24. Again, Weg rose up. A kill and a block assist left it tied at 26-26, and her ace gave the 'Cats the lead for good.

BY THE NUMBERS
-- It was the 75^th meeting between the Falcons and Wildcats, the most in SPU annals.
-- Oddo's 19 kills matched her season high. She added 10 digs for her fourth consecutive double-double. She has eight this season.
-- Gaines' 16 kills was her second straight career high. She had 15 in Thursday's five-game loss at Northwest Nazarene. She hit .387 on Saturday,
-- The Falcons' 54 kills is their second-highest total this season.
-- Ganete's 25 digs was her third-highest total. Earlier this week she moved up to No. 4 in career digs and now has 1,423.
-- Setter Symone Tran's 48 assists gave her 107 for the week, following a season-high 59 at Northwest Nazarene.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons return home to host Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday night at Brougham Pavilion, where they have won four in a row.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.
 
Central Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 1
 
Game scores – 16-25, 26-28, 25-19, 23-25
 
Service aces – SPU 3 (Oddo 2), CWU 3 (3 players with 1).
Kills – SPU 54 (Gabby Oddo 19, Hailey Gaines 16, Shaun Crespi 8),  CWU 58 (Madison Weg 17, Shelby Mauritson, Makala Swart 10).
Assists – SPU 51 (Symone Tran 42), CWU 57 (Gabrielle Aihara 48).
Digs – SPU 66 (Amanda Ganete 25), CWU 76 (Kyla Morgan 27, Aihara 15).
Block assists / solo – SPU 20 / 0 solo (Shaun Crespi 7 / 0 solo), CWU 16 / 3 solo (Bridgette Webb 2 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 54-29-172—.145 (Gaines 16-4-31—.387), CWU 58-27-163—.190 (Webb 8-2-14—.429).
Attendance – 391.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 7-8, 5-3 GNAC.  Central Washington 13-2, 7-1 GNAC.

Next match
Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific
Thur., Oct. 4, 7:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.