Box Score
Highlights
Press Conference
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Sophomore outside hitter Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) and senior outside hitter Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Management) both had double-digit kills Saturday, but it was not enough to overcome a balanced attack from Seattle Pacific, as the Falcons swept the Nanooks 3-0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-14) in a Great Northwest Athletic match at the Patty Center.
Harthun had her second double-double of the season with 13 kills and 11 digs, and Knight notched 10 kills while hitting .250 for Alaska (2-11, 1-1 GNAC). Freshman setter Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/General Studies) tallied 25 assists and added two kills and a dig.
Seattle Pacific (5-5, 1-1 GNAC) hit an impressive .452 as a team with only four total errors. Three Falcons had at least nine kills, and two Falcons split the setting duties instead of using a typical, one main setter. Ellie Britt led all players with 15 kills and hit .500 for the match. Madi Cavell collected 10 kills with no errors and Nikki Lowell contributed nine. Sara Biondi and Kendall Langdon had 17 assists each.
The early part of the first set was quite clean, with both teams attacking error-free for the first 17 points of the set. But after a short 4-0 run by the Falcons gave them an 11-6 lead, the Nanooks would commit three errors in four points, giving the Falcons a 14-7 advantage en route to a 25-16 first set win.
The second set was neck and neck for the first 20 points of the frame, with no team leading by more than two points all the way up to an 11-9 SPU lead. But that lead was in the midst of an 11-4 mid-set run by the Falcons which put them up 20-13.
Alaska was not done yet in that second set, however. After trailing by eight at 22-14, the Nanooks went on a 7-1 run to cut the deficit to two-points again at 23-21. The run was highlighted by four straight kills from Harthun that brought the Nanooks within three at 23-20, forcing a timeout from the Falcons.
Errors came back to haunt the Nanooks in the third and final set. Four straight errors by Alaska gave Seattle Pacific an 8-1 lead. That lead would stand through the rest of the set, as the Nanooks would not get closer than six points the rest of the way, clinching the match with a 25-14 victory.
Alaska plays its first GNAC road matches of the season next week when it travels to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. The Nanooks face the Crusaders at 5 p.m. AKDT Thursday in Nampa, Idaho, then face the Wildcats in Ellensburg, Wash., at 6 p.m. AKDT Saturday night.
