Volleyball

Central dropped out of the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA) Top-25 poll, despite picking up a pair of victories in three-set sweeps against Saint Martin’s University (SMU) and Seattle Pacific University (SPU) last week.

The Wildcats took care of business against the lighter part of their remaining schedule, out-scoring SMU and SPU, a combined 6-29 in GNAC play, 150-98.

Led by sophomore middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse, the Wildcats held on to their national lead in blocks per set by recording 13 blocks in the two games.

Over the two games, senior outside hitter Linden Firethorne led Central in kills with 20, and senior setter Catie Fry led the team in assists with 60.

The Wildcats entered this week at 15-3 in GNAC play tied for second in the conference with Western Washington University (WWU) and one game behind the University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA).

Central took on Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) on the road on Tuesday and lost dropping three-straight sets. The women tried to make a run, leading late in the third set, but were unable to hold on to their lead.

The loss dropped Central a game and a half behind conference leading UAA, and put them in a tie for third with NNU.

Central will now have win their next game, and hope for two losses by UAA and one loss by WWU, to claim a share of the GNAC championship.

They close the season tonight, in Nicholson Pavilion, against Montana State University-Billings at 7 p.m.

Football

The Wildcats sent their seniors out on a high-note, with a fourth-quarter comeback victory against Dixie State University (DSU), 34-28 last Saturday.

After DSU scored on a one-yard touchdown run to start the fourth quarter, giving them a 28-19 lead, Central answered with a three-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Justin Lane to sophomore tight end Kyle Self, which pulled the Wildcats within two points of DSU, 28-26.

DSU committed two penalties to start the ensuing drive and were forced to a three-and-out by Central’s defense.

The Wildcats got the ball back and marched down the field on a 13-play 75-yard drive, taking 8:36 off the clock, capped by a four-yard touchdown run by freshman running back Christian Cummings. Central scored on the two-point conversion, giving them a 34-28 lead, with less than two minutes to go in the game.

Central leaned on Cummings and fellow freshman running back Quincy Carter, who combined for 197 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries.

Lane threw for 239 yards, putting him at 2,001 passing yards on the season, making him the only GNAC quarterback to throw 2,000 yards this season.

Central ended their season at 5-5 overall and 3-3 in GNAC play, placing them third in the conference.

Men’s basketball

The Wildcats won their first game of the season, defeating Simon Fraser University (SFU) 94-82 in Burnaby, Canada.

Central led most of the way, despite shooting 13 out of 29 from the free-throw line. The Wildcats did most of their damage in the post, outscoring SFU 62-34 in the paint.

Senior forward Joseph Stroud led the Wildcats with an all-around effort, scoring 22 points, grabbing seven rebounds and blocking four shots.

Two other seniors had big nights for Central. Senior guard Devin Matthews contributed 19 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, while fellow senior guard Gary Jacobs dropped 17 points and had three steals.

This is the team’s second-straight win on the road to open the season.

Central will travel to Seattle to take on the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Friday and Brigham Young University-Hawaii (BYUH) on Saturday at a neutral court.

Central has faced BYUH the last three seasons, going 2-1 against the Seasiders.

The Wildcats will take on Walla Walla University for their first home game of the year on Saturday, Nov. 28.

Women’s basketball

Central’s women took down San Francisco State University (SFSU) and Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) in back-to-back home victories last weekend to kick-off their regular season.

The women relied on a balanced attack to overcome earlier turnovers and physical play from SFSU, notching a 20-point victory 59-39.

The Wildcats relied on a balanced scoring-attack, as all 12 players scored.

Senior forward Alexis Berrysmith was a presence in the middle with four blocks, seven rebounds and nine points.

Central held the SFSU Gators to just 10 out of 63 shooting from the floor and didn’t allow a field goal for the first seven minutes of the game.

“Defensively anytime you hold a team under 40, you have a good chance to win,” head coach Jeff Harada said.

In the second game of the weekend, Central held on to beat HPU 51-49.

Central was able to build a 14-point lead early, which HPU cut to four by the end of the first quarter. Central never trailed in the game, but it stayed close throughout.

Senior forward Jasmine Parker put the team on her back, scoring a game high of 21 points on 10 out of 14 shots and added three blocks.

Sophomore guard Jasmin Edwards stuffed the stat sheet for the Wildcats over the weekend, averaging 6.5 points, nine assists, six rebounds, and 2.5 steals.

The 2-0 start is Central’s first since the 2012-2013 season.

Central travels to California this week to take on Notre Dame de Namur University on Friday and the Academy of Art on Saturday.

The Wildcats come back home to face Whitworth University on Wednesday, Nov. 25 and NNU on Tuesday, Dec. 1.