Box Score
ELLENSBURG, Wash. -- Sophomore outside hitter Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) notched her third double-double of the season and senior outside hitter Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Management) posted double-digit kills, but the Alaska Nanooks women's volleyball team was swept 3-0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-21) Saturday by Central Washington in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match.
Harthun had 13 kills and 10 digs for the Nanooks (2-13, 1-3 GNAC), who hit .232 -- their third-highest percentage of the year. Knight tallied 11 kills and hit .333 in the match. It was her fifth straight match with at least seven kills. Freshman setter Katelyn Camp had her fifth 30-assist match of the season with 30 helpers, and junior libero Tessa Butterfield (Grass Valley, Calif./Justice) led the defense with 15.
The Wildcats (6-6, 2-2 GNAC) were led by Erin Smith with 12 kills and a .385. Catie Fry guided the offense with 39 assists. Central Washington had seven service aces and topped the Nanooks with 54 digs, including three players who had double-digit digs.
The match started out even, with no team taking more than a two-point lead through the set's first 30 points. But with the set tied 14-14, the Wildcats would go on an 11-3 run to win 25-17 and take a 1-0 match advantage.
Alaska stayed close in the second set, never falling behind by more than four points, but never led after holding early leads of 1-0 and 2-1. After falling behind by four at 19-15, the Nanooks went on a 6-2 run to tie the set at 21-21, only to see the Wildcats finish off the set win and take a 2-0 match lead with a 4-1 run and a 25-22 set victory.
Alaska actually took an early 4-1 lead in the third set, but Central Washington came right back to tie it at 5-5. The teams would stay within two for the next 12 points, but the Wildcats would once again go on a run to separate themselves, this time going on a quick 6-1 run en route to a 25-21 set win to close out the sweep.
The Nanooks return home Thursday for a three-match GNAC home stand. Western Oregon will be the first team to visit the Patty Center during the home stand, with Thursday's match starting at 7 p.m.
