ANCHORAGE ? Rhea Cardwell smashed 28 kills and was among three Seawolves to record double-doubles, but the Alaska Anchorage volleyball team came up agonizingly short Saturday in its upset bid against 24th-ranked Western Oregon at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
Led by 20 kills and 25 digs from do-it-all senior Stacey Bennett, the visitors scored the final three points of the match for a 23-25, 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 15-12 victory to stay in first place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference by one match.
The Seawolves (13-13, 5-8 GNAC) equaled their season-high as a team with 71 kills and easily posted their most digs this year with 119, but it was Western Oregon's 13-8 blocking advantage that would prove most critical on the stat sheet.
UAA jumped to an 8-3 lead in the final set and led 10-6 when Joanna Johnson ripped one of her 16 kills. But the Wolves (18-2, 11-1) of Monmouth, Ore., had an answer with four straight points.
The teams split the next four points before WOU's Lisa Martini (7 kills, 7 blocks) found an opening for a kill and then served aces on the next two points to claim the match for her team.
Cardwell, who ranks sixth in NCAA Div. II with 4.22 kills per set, improved her average Saturday, coming one shy of her career high. The Prineville, Ore., native also had 19 digs to earn her 14th double-double of the season.
Seniors Rachel Kidwell (13 kills, career-high 31 digs) and Johnson (16 kills, 11 digs) also had strong statistical outings, while sophomore Cortney Lundberg overcame a slow start to wind up with 11 kills.
Junior libero Stacie Meisner made a career- and UAA season-high 32 digs along the back row.
Junior setter Calli Scott set yet another personal-best for the Seawolves with 62 assists, to go along with her 15 digs.
The Seawolves return to the WFSC on Saturday, Nov. 8 for their home finale when they home Montana State Billings. That match will begin at 7 p.m. AST and feature a short ?senior night' ceremony beforehand.
