MONMOUTH, Ore. – Junior Alisha Bettinson matched a career high with 22 kills and notched another double-double with 13 digs, while four other Wolves had 10 or more digs, as Western Oregon battled back in the deciding fifth set to defeat Central Washington on Saturday night in the New P.E. Building.
 
The Wolves improved to 4-5 on the season and evened its GNAC record to 1-1. CWU fell to 5-5 and 1-1 in league after playing its second consecutive five-setter.
 
Bettinson hit .210 just nine errors in a match-high 62 attempts to go with two service aces. In the double-doubles department, sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz recorded 58 assists and 10 digs. Mehciz added one solo block and five block assists. Amanda Short had a career-high 18 kills while Mariella Vandenkooy hit .294 for the match with 13 kills. Christie Colasurdo had 26 digs, Libbie Hoene added 17 digs and Sheila Limas De La Cruz posted 15 kills. Katherine Huntington had a solid night from the middle with five kills on seven attempts for a .714 hitting percentage. The Wolves hit .220 for the match.
 
The teams tested each other out early in the first set, playing to a 13-all score. WOU scored six of the next seven points on three kills and three Wildcat errors to lead 19-14. The WOU lead got as high as six before CWU rallied with a pair of two-point spurts trimming the advantage to 23-19. Bettinson put down a Limas De La Cruz assist while Vandenkooy and Sydney Blankinship combined on a block for the 25^th points. The Wolves out-hit CWU .211 to .122 with Bettinson's six kills leading the way,
 
Set two saw a 6-0 run by the Wolves immediately countered with a 7-0 run from the Wildcats. WOU had two point advantage at 14-12, but a 9-4 Central Washington run put the Wildcats ahead by a set-best five at 23-18. Facing set point, WOU sparked a 3-0 rally with a Blankinship kill and two Wildcat errors. However, a final kill gave Central the set win, 25-22.  Short led WOU with six kills in the second, while Colasurdo had seven digs, as the Wolves were outhit .182 to .098.
 
The Wolves never trailed in the third set to take a 2-1 lead in the match. Even at 8-all, the Wolves reeled off three points with a Short kill, a Colasurdo ace and a swinging spike from Vandenkooy for an 11-8 lead. CWU would knot things back up at 17-all before Western scored six of the next seven points to take back momentum. Bettinson had the final two WOU kills to take the set 25-22. Short, Vandenkooy and Bettinson each had five kills as WOU hit .300 to best the Wildcats' .275 mark.
 
WOU took an early 8-2 lead in an attempt to win the match in four sets. The lead held at five points, 16-11, before the Wildcats roared back to bring the set even with five straight points. Errors hurt WOU from the court and service line as CWU forced a deciding set holding off the Wolves, 25-23. Bettinson had five kills while Short and Huntington added three kills each. CWU hit 50 points better for the set - .295 to .245.
 
WOU trailed early in the fifth set, but mounted a furious comeback. Central Washington led at the change-over, 8-5, and increased it to 10-5 before WOU head coach Tommy Gott called a timeout. The break was exactly what Western Oregon needed since the home club took eight of the next nine points to take a 13-11 lead. Short had a pair of kills in a 4-0 run while Vandenkooy had the only kill in another 4-0 run dotted with three CWU errors. The Wildcats tied it up for a final time at 13-all. Vandenkooy put down a kill for the 14^th point and the Wolves closed things out when a bad CWU set forced a shot into the net to wrap up the 15-13 win. Vandenkooy and Bettinson each had three kills in the fifth, as the Wolves out-hit CWU in the deciding set .261 to .138.
 
Western Oregon will hit the road for the first time in league action next week with visits to Seattle Pacific on Sept. 22 and Saint Martin's on Sept. 24. Live video and stats links for both road matches are available on WOUWolves.com/Live.