Box score (PDF)

ELLENSBURG, Wash. – For the first two games on Thursday night, the Seattle Pacific Falcons hung tough with Central Washington.
 
The host Wildcats took it up a notch after that.
 
Maddie Batiste had nine kills, and Gabi Stegemoller got her hands on eight blocks for SPU, but Central posted a three-game sweep of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match in Nicholson Pavilion.
 
Scores were 25-20, 25-22, 25-12.
 
The Wildcats (7-4, 2-1 GNAC), who aren't in the top 25 but are receiving votes in the national poll, finished with 15 more kills than SPU, 44-29. They got 14 of those in Game 3, with nine that came during an 18-5 run to take them from a 7-7 tie to the end of the match.
 
"The first two games for sure, we had some great moments; we were hustling," SPU coach Abbie Wright said. "The third game was about sustaining it, and that's part of the learning process for us."
 
Seattle Pacific (3-8, 0-3 GNAC) scrambled back from two big deficits to get within range in Game 1. Down 10-3 after a six-point Central surge, the Falcons closed it to three at 15-12. The Wildcats tried to put it away again, going up, 20-13, only to see SPU again cut it to three at 22-19. That was as close as it got.
 
SPU had a solid stretch of play to begin Game 2, taking two-point leads on three occasions, the last time at 10-8. Central Washington ran off eight of the next nine points for a 16-11 lead. But again, Seattle Pacific came back, getting as close as 23-21 and 24-22 before CWU got the final point.
 
"That first game, we took a little bit to settle in, then the second game, we were right there, and then a few minor things didn't go our way," Wright said. "We're right there. It's just making a few more plays at key moments."
 
Added senior outside hitter Gabby Oddo, who had six kills, "We were going with the scouting report, doing what we were supposed to be doing, blocking well, and using our eyes pretty well. We had some breakdowns at a point where it was crucial to get the ball, and fell through a couple times
 
"But," Oddo said, "we're slowly and steadily getting better and better as the matches go on."

UP NEXT
The Falcons head to Idaho to take on Northwest Nazarene on Saturday in Nampa. The first serve is at noon Pacific time.


NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Sept. 26, 2019
Nicholson Pavilion / Ellensburg, Wash.

Central Washington 3, Seattle Pacific 0

Game scores  – 25-20, 25-22, 25-12.

Service aces – SPU 1 (Donohoe 1), CWU 2 (2 players with 1).
Kills – SPU 28 (Batiste 9), CWU 48 (Swart 9, Fa'aumasili 9).
Assists – SPU 25 (Lambert 16), CWU 46 (Aihara 44).
Digs – SPU 44 (Donohoe 12, Batiste 10), CWU 61 (Remsberg 12, Kaufman 12).
Block assists / solo – SPU 18 / 0 solo (Stegemoller 8 / 0 solo), CWU 10 / 0 solo (Mellander 3 / 0 solo, Fa'amausili 3 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 28-15-111–.117 (Oddo 6-2-29–.138), CWU 48-20-121–.131 (Webb 9-1-14–.571).
Attendance – 617.

Records
Seattle Pacific 3-8, 0-3 GNAC.  Central Washington 7-4, 2-1 GNAC.

Next match
Seattle Pacific at Northwest Nazarene
Saturday, Noon PDT
Johnson Sports Center / Nampa, Idaho