BURNABY, B.C. – The SFU Red Leafs fell 3-0 to Central Washington on Thursday night, as the No. 20-ranked Wildcats took the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball contest by set scores of 25-22, 25-20, and 25-19.
Brooke Dexter (Anchorage, Alaska) had another very strong offensive showing, with a team-high 15 kills on a .389 attack rate, adding a couple of aces and six digs. Overall, the Red Leafs hit .150 as a unit, and the Wildcats came to the West Gym with a deep rotation of attackers.
"I felt we executed our offence well enough, through those first two sets," assessed Red Leafs head coach
Gina Schmidt. "But we weren't able to slow them down. We went shot-for-shot for the most part. Going down the stretch, it was just a matter of them [the Wildcats] making a few great plays when they needed it, and we just weren't able to."
SFU kept the Wildcats within striking distance throughout the majority of the opening frame, and back-to-back kills from seniors
Kalyn Hartmann (Langley, B.C.) and
Hanna Kolof (Vancouver) had them equal at 19-19.
A combination block by Hartmann and sophomore setter
Eva Person (Brentwood Bay, B.C.) completed a 5-1 run that put the Red Leafs up 21-20. However, three straight SFU attack errors allowed the Wildcats to take control at 24-21, before a fourth Red Leafs attacking error sealed it at 25-22.
The second and third sets played out similarly, with the Red Leafs playing the Wildcats tightly in the early stages before CWU pulled away with little runs in key moments. The Wildcats got offensive contributions from all over their lineup. Ellie Marble led CWU with 13 kills, while Kylie Thorne (9), Morgan Halady (6), and Scottie Ellsworth (6) chipped in with timely offence as the visitors kept SFU from launching a comeback.
Despite on-court results, SFU still saw a win on Thursday night. As part of the program's Unity Night, SFU logo rainbow socks were given away to fans in attendance, and the SAAC helped fundraise for a variety of LGBTQIA+ causes.
SFU will be celebrating its graduating class Saturday on Senior Night. The Red Leafs' senior class, comprised of middle Hartmann, libero
Kalissa Beltran (Surrey, B.C.), outside hitter Kolof, middle
Kohl Peters (Surrey, B.C.) and outside hitter
Camryn Vosloh (Blaine, Washington), will be honoured before the first serve against the visiting Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks at 5 p.m.
Tickets for the Red Leafs season finale are available online at
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/senior-night-sfu-volleyball-vs-northwest-nazarene-university-tickets-679630933417?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
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