Box Score
FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanook volleyball team took on Seattle Pacific Thursday night and dropped a 3-0 contest at the Patty Center. The Falcons used 13 kills from Sarah Risser and hit .237 as a team to bring home the victory. Seattle Pacific took set one 25-17 and won games two and three 25-15 and 27-25, respectively.
Despite eight digs from senior outside hitter
Heather Lyons (Anchorage, AK) the Nanooks could not complete the comeback in the opening set. With the score 17-15, in favor of the visitor, Seattle Pacific used a 7-2 run to close out the set and take a 1-0 lead.
Seattle Pacific out hit the Nanooks .368-.171 and only committed three errors in the second stanza to double-up heading into the intermission. The Falcons jumped out on the Nanooks early with a 5-1 lead, but the Nanooks stormed back and used a 6-2 run to tie the score at seven. Seattle Pacific took the lead for good when a
Jessica Hill (Colorado Springs, CO) service error sparked an 8-0 run en route to the win.
The third set was tightly contested with seven ties, but saw the Nanooks fall short, 27-25. Even though they trailed 16-10 mid-way through the set, the Blue and Gold mounted a 9-3 run that evened the tally at 19. The teams battled to a 25-25 tie before a Sarah Risser kill would give Seattle Pacific the advantage that led to the set and match victory.
Hill registered 10 kills and two digs, while hitting a team-best .222 for Alaska. Junior middle blocker
Erica Gage (Palo Alto, CA) had a game-high six blocks and Lyons had ten digs in the backcourt.
Senior setter
Alexa Sherman (Calabasas, CA) had a match-high 28 assists to go with five digs and three kills. With her 28 assists Sherman surpassed the 3,500-assist mark for her career, brining her career total to 3,508 assists with one match remaining.
Seattle Pacific was paced by Risser who had a match-high 13 kills along with nine digs. Anna Herold led the Falcons and the match with 13 digs while Courtney Weedman and Shelby Swanson dished out 20 and 15 assists, respectively. SPU recorded nine service aces and four errors, while Alaska's two aces and five errors helped tip the scales in the Falcons favor.
Alaska concludes the 2009 campaign this Saturday at 5 p.m., when they host Northwest Nazarene at the Patty Center. Prior to the first serve, the Nanooks will honor the five-member senior class in their final collegiate match.
