The CWU volleyball team has had an impressive season so far with a 16-5 record. After a four game road stretch, which included three losses, the Wildcats were hoping to bounce back. They did just that on Oct. 18 when the team hosted the Concordia University Cavaliers and won 3-1 sets.

Currently, the Wildcats are third in the GNAC standings. Head coach Mario Andaya said he is happy with the team’s current position, but that the team has to make sure to stay in the upper third of the GNAC standings as the season moves forward.

The Wildcats look forward to playing more home games as they’ve been on the road the past couple of weeks, and the fatigue is catching up to them. The last four games of the season before the NCAA tournament will be played at home.

“It’s going to be good to play at home, sleep in our own beds and focus on our conference opponents,” Andaya said.

Senior outside hitter Shelby Mauritson played the role of closer, smashing home 7 kills in the final set against Concordia. Mauritson finished with 18 kills, 2 blocks and 1 ace. Mauritson said the team keeps improving every day and that they try to fix even the smallest problems during practice.

“I think we need to stay competitive in practice and really strive to work on a little part of your game, so we don’t plateau and we keep getting better,” Mauritson said.

Mauritson hopes to finish strong this season, especially with their final four games being at home with the fans. As a senior, Mauritson is sad to be leaving CWU after this season, but she’s striving to make it as far as possible in the NCAA tournament so she can leave without any regrets.

“I want to make it past the first round for sure,” Mauritson said. “I want to play the best that we have in the past four years that I’ve been here.”

Andaya hopes to improve some areas in the team before they officially head into the NCAA tournament. Andaya also adds that at the current point in the season, the Wildcats will be playing conference teams a second time, so improvements will help the team be unpredictable.     

“If we could focus on the serve and pass game, that’s real important,” Andaya said. “We got to make sure defensively we are playing a lot better than we have been.”

Senior middle blocker Sarah Joffs finished with 14 kills and 3 blocks when the team recently faced Concordia. According to Joffs, the team has been working hard to accomplish their goals this season. The team’s trust and communication is getting better each week and Joffs feels it’s going to be a great change of pace playing with a home court advantage. She explains that the atmosphere at home is completely different and adds that the home gym is where they practice every day.

As a senior, Joffs hopes that her last season with the Wildcats will involve her and her teammates going beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament.

“It’s a bittersweet moment,” Joffs said. “I’ve been working for it for the last four and a half years, so it’s really exciting to see where it takes us.”