Ellensburg, Wash - The Central Washington University volleyball team took on MSU Denver in the home opener on Friday night. It was the Wildcats who raced past the Roadrunners by a score of 3-1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-16, 25-20).

The Roadrunners (0-2) jumped out to a fast start on the Wildcats (1-0), taking the first set 25-19. It changed quickly, with the Wildcats bursting out to an 11-3 lead in the second set. They carried that momentum to a 25-12. The third set was a mirror image of the one prior, as the Wildcats experienced another 11-3 early lead. The final score of the third set was 25-16. The Roadrunners battled back into the fourth set after trailing 11-5. The night ended with an emphatic kill from Sarah Joffs, giving the Wildcats the fourth and final set 25-20. 

"MSU Denver did a good job of coming at us right away, and our rhythm wasn't quite there," head coach Mario Andaya said. "We stayed the course and did what we've been doing the last couple of weeks in practice." 

Defense ruled the night for the Wildcats. As a team, the Wildcats held the Roadrunners to a .119 hitting percentage. Kyla Morgan and Madison Weg had more than 20 digs on the evening. Morgan led the way with 25, as Weg picked up 21. The Wildcats had 18 blocks with Julia Mellander leading the team with 6. 

A trio of Wildcats experienced double figures in kills on Friday night. It was Makala Swart's coming out party, as she led all players with 15 kills, adding 11 digs to her night. Shelby Maruitson was solid, racking up 13 kills while coming up with 19 digs. Weg rounded out the bunch, converting on 11 attacks. Gabrielle Aihara made the offense go, accumulating 37 assists for the Wildcats. 

"Makala going to do some nice things for us this year." Andaya said. "We want her to get used to the big moments. This is the first time starting at home for her. Shelby has been through the grind. They are going to come through for us. As long as everyone can play the role we need them to, we'll have some good nights." 

The Wildcats are back in action twice tomorrow. They'll take on Fresno Pacific at 2:00 p.m. followed by a match with USC San Bernardino at 7:00 p.m.