Box Score
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, Oct. 15, 2011 – Behind a season-high attack percentage, Alaska Anchorage picked up a 3-0 victory against Alaska in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball matchup Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Sports Center.
The Seawolves improved their record to 12-7 overall and 8-2 in conference play, while the Nanooks dropped their fourth straight to fall to 2-16 on the year and 2-8 in the GNAC.
“At times it was competitive but obviously not often enough,” Head Coach
Phil Shoemaker said. “We made too many errors, our serve-receive passing wasn't really strong and our defense was not strong enough against their attack.”
UAA turned in its strongest offensive performance of the season with a hitting percentage of .412 (40-7-80).
Robyn Burton and
Jackie Matthisen led the way with 13 kills each. Burton hit .765 (13-0-17), while Matthisen was .370 (13-3-27) on the attack.
Kimya Jafroudi chipped in 37 assists, also a match high.
“We did not put up an effective block [against the UAA attack],” Shoemaker said. “Anchorage, physically, has an advantage and they used it well. We certainly could have responded better than we did. If you're not blocking against a team that's as physically strong as they are, you're going to have problems.”
For Alaska, junior middle blocker
Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif./Manhattan College) had a team-high eight kills to go with her .467 (8-1-15) attack percentage. The Nanooks struggled from the offensive end, however, hitting just .115 (29-19-87) as a team.
“[Casey] had a really good match,” Shoemaker said. “It's kind of becoming her habit, so that's nice to see. She had eight kills on 15 swings with just one error which is outstanding.”
The Seawolves jumped out to an early 7-2 lead in the opening set, but the Nanooks kept it close, closing to within three at 10-7. The teams went back and forth and leading 13-9, the home team went on a 7-1 run to grab a comfortable 20-10 lead. Alaska never drew closer than eight as UAA took the set 25-16.
In the second, Alaska lead early, but a 3-0 run by Anchorage gave the Seawolves a 6-4 lead. The Nanooks kept fighting and a service ace by freshman setter
Becky Martin (Cochrane, Alberta/Bow Valley) tied the set at 9-9. Teams traded points, but three in a row by Alaska gave it a 15-13 advantage. The lead stretched to 19-15, but UAA got to within a point at 19-18 with a string of three in a row. The Nanooks led 21-19, but the Seawolves went on a 5-0 run to cling to set point at 24-21. After a kill by senior right side
Karlee Skalla (Las Vegas, Nev./Orange Coast CC), she committed an error on the following serve to give Anchorage a two-set advantage.
Leading 7-5 in the third frame, UAA went on a 6-1 run to hold a 13-6 advantage. The Nanooks scored three of the next four points to trim the deficit to 14-9, but were unable to draw closer the rest of the way. The Seawolves closed out the match with five in a row to clinch the match with a 25-13 decision. UAA shot the lights out in the final set, holding an attack percentage of .524 and committing just one error.
The Nanooks return home to the Patty Center next week with a pair of conference contests. They host Simon Fraser on Thursday at 7 p.m. before wrapping up with Western Washington Saturday at 3 p.m.
