Box Score #11 Wayne State 3 #8 Central Missouri 1

            #11 Wayne State College used a balanced attack as the Wildcats defeated #8 Central Missouri 25-20, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18 in the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional Volleyball Tournament played at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.  WSC improves to 25-7 on the year and now advances to Friday's 5 p.m. semi-final match against 26-5 Southwest Minnesota State while Central Missouri ends the year at 30-5.
            The Wildcats led from start to finish in the first set, jumping out to an early 7-2 lead on the Jennies.  After pushing the lead to seven at 14-7, Central Missouri rallied and got within three at 18-15 to force a Wildcat timeout.  But WSC was able to finish the set strong and post a 25-20 victory.
            Wayne State trailed for a good share of the second set until mounting a big rally to pull away for a 25-19 win.  The 'Cats were down 13-8, but fought back to force a 16-16 tie on a Katie Hughes kill.  WSC then scored the next four points on a block by Hughes and Alyssa Frauendorfer, a Michaela Mestl service ace, a Frauendorfer kill and another block by Frauendorfer and Leisa McClintock to take a 20-16 lead.  Frauendorfer later sealed the set win with back-to-back service aces for the Wildcats.
            The third set was a reversal as WSC led most of the set until Central Missouri rallied to extend the match with a 25-21 win.  The 'Cats held a 17-12 lead before the Jennies scored nine consecutive points to take a 21-17 lead fueled the comeback for UCM.
            Wayne State regained the momentum in the fourth set, building an early 12-5 lead.  After Central Missouri got as close as four at 12-8, WSC put the set out of reach with three straight kills from Elizabeth Gebhardt along with a block by Mestl and Frauendorfer as the Wildcats pulled away for a 25-18 win to finish the match with a 3-1 win.
            Wayne State finished the match with a .173 attack percentage, recording 50 kills on 196 attacks and 16 errors.  Central Missouri hit .149 with 55 kills, 25 errors and 201 attacks.  UCM held a 123-111 edge in digs, but WSC had a 9-4 advantage in blocks over the Jennies and produced seven service aces to just three by UCM.  Central Missouri also had 10 service errors, three more than the Wildcats.
            Senior outside hitter Katie Hughes led a balanced Wildcat attack with a match-high 14 kills and 18 digs for her 18^th double-double of the season.  Junior outside hitter Michaela Mestl also recorded a double-double, her 13^th of the year, with 12 kills and a season-high 28 digs. 
            Alyssa Frauendorfer and Elizabeth Gebhardt each recorded nine kills in the win while Frauendorfer posted a team-high five blocks.  Senior libero Courtney VanGroningen was credited with 27 digs while senior setter Leisa McClintock accounted for 41 set assists and 19 digs.  
            Wayne State meets fellow NSIC rival and #3 seed Southwest Minnesota State (26-5) Friday evening in a 5 p.m. Central Regional semi-final contest at the Gangelhoff Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.