Box Score SEATTLE - Seattle Pacific hit .343 as a team, led by
Madi Cavell's match-high 12 kills, to lead it to a 3-0 (25-14, 25-18, 25-14) Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball victory against Alaska Thursday night at Brougham Pavilion.
Cavell hit .370 (12-2-27) on the night while
Jackie Arnold and
Lexi Biondi contributed seven and a math-high six block assists for the Falcons (15-10, 11-6 GNAC), while
Lexi Biondi had five kills and four blocks. Both
Nikki Lowell and
Sara Biondi tallied five blocks apiece and
Kendall Langdon made 19 assists for the hosts.
The Nanooks (4-24, 3-14 GNAC) got a team-best 10 kills from sophomore outside hitter
Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) as the nation's sixth-leading player in kills extended her double-figure kill streak to 12 matches and upped her season total to 26 with at least 10 or more. With her kills total tonight, she is now at 720 terminations in 2013, which is five kills away from fourth on the program's single-season record list, which is held by head coach
Mallory Larranaga (425). She also moved into the 10th spot all-time on the program's career kills list at 734, surpassing
Angel Fairbanks (728).
Harthun also made one solo block and a pair of block assists while Freshman middle blocker
Cassidy Brewer (East Wenatchee, Wash./Business Administration) added five kills and a team-best with a team-best .444 hitting clip (5-1-9). Freshman setter
Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/General Studies) had four kills and 17 assists while rookie middle blocker
Lilah Hudson (Seattle, Wash./Wildlife Biology & Conservation) had a career-best four blocks in the freshman's return to her hometown.
Alaska struggled offensively, being limited to a -.013 attack percentage while committing 24 errors. SPU out blocked Alaska 23.5-to-5 and made 11 service aces to the 'Nooks' two.
In the opening set, the Falcons jumped out to a 6-1 lead. Alaska cut it back to two numerous times with the last being at 9-7 but leading 14-10, SPU scored seven of the next nine to grab a 21-12 advantage. The Falcons would go on to take the first 25-14, closing it out with a kill and two Alaska errors.
The second stayed close early with Alaska notching kills by Camp and Harthun to square it at 8-8. After teams traded two points each, the Falcons took a 13-10 lead on an Alaska service blunder, an attack error and a service ace of their own. Alaska bounced back, scoring the next four, capped off by kills from Brewer and Hudson to claim a 14-13 lead. Tied at 16-16, SPU scored three straight to go up 19-16 but the Nanooks scored the following two to climb to within one. A kill by Lowell sparked SPU as it would score the next six points to win the second 25-18.
Into the third, teams traded points and it was tied at 7-7. SPU opened it up with a 6-0 surge, which included three Alaska errors and a pair of aces to go up 13-7. Alaska never drew closer than five down the stretch as SPU finished the sweep with a 25-14 decision in the third.
Alaska closes out the 2013 campaign Saturday evening at Montana State Billings. First serve is set for 5 p.m. (MST).
