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Seawolves knock off #25 WWU on road

Women's Volleyball UAA Media Relations

Seawolves knock off #25 WWU on road

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Robyn Burton had another huge performance with 12 kills and 10 total blocks to lead the Alaska Anchorage volleyball team to a 27-25, 25-21, 21-25, 25-18 upset of 25th-ranked Western Washington on Saturday night at Carver Gymnasium.

The Seawolves (8-5, 4-1 GNAC) also got a season-high 51 assists from junior setter Kimya Jafroudi, who helped the visitors to a .448 attack percentage in the clinching fourth set.  Senior outside hitter Jackie Matthisen had 18 kills and 10 digs, while junior right-side hitter Ariel Austin had 13 kills in her first game back from an injury.

Outside hitter Marlayna Geary led the hosts with a match-high 19 kills and 14 digs, but the Vikings (7-3, 5-1) could not convert early advantages in the first and second sets and saw their 13-match home winning streak come to an end.

UAA trailed 9-4 in the first set before scrapping back to tie it at 18. The Vikings earned a set point at 25-24, but Matthisen responded with her fifth kill for the equalizer. Geary was then blocked by Austin and Miranda Doing, and Austin converted a kill to give the Seawolves the early advantage.

Doing then came up big in the second set, helping UAA recover from a 13-8 deficit with four timely kills. The junior middle blocker rallied the Seawolves within striking distance at 21-18, before Burton and Matthisen took over, combining for four kills and two blocks in a 7-point run that silenced the raucous crowd of 938.

WWU retained its lead throughout the third set, but UAA finally got off to a good start in the fourth, grabbing a 13-9 lead on a Burton kill midway through. The Vikings crept within two points on three occasions and trailed 21-18 when a Burton block and two straight Matthisen kills quickly led to match point, with Geary hitting the ball wide.

The Seawolves' win was just their second in 13 all-time visits to Bellingham, but the second in the last three seasons.  It was the teams' first meeting since the first round of the 2010 NCAA Tournament, when WWU handed UAA a 3-1 loss.

Burton, a sophomore middle blocker from Eagle River, matched her career-high in total blocks and earned her second career double-double with another standout performance. The GNAC's attack percentage leader hit four points better than her average coming in, converting at a .409 clip (12 kills-3 errors-22 attacks).

Matthisen, meanwhile, reached the 900-kill mark for her career as she hit .364 (18-2-44) and earned three total blocks. Doing had seven kills on .545 hitting and four block assists, and Austin converted at a .364 clip after missing the last two matches with a knee strain.

Sophomore libero Quincy Haught paced the back-row defense with 15 digs, while the Seawolves' 15 team blocks were four more than their previous season-high.

UAA's victory gives sole possession of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference lead to their next opponent, 15th-ranked Seattle Pacific.  The Seawolves and Falcons (9-3, 4-0) will meet Thursday night at 7 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.


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Players Mentioned

Jackie Matthisen

#RS Jackie Matthisen

MB/OH
5' 11"
Sophomore
Robyn Burton

#4 Robyn Burton

MB
5' 11"
Freshman
Quincy Haught

#7 Quincy Haught

DS
5' 7"
Freshman
Ariel Austin

#5 Ariel Austin

RS
6' 0"
Junior
Miranda Doing

#14 Miranda Doing

MB
5' 11"
Junior
Kimya Jafroudi

#11 Kimya Jafroudi

S
5' 7"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Jackie Matthisen

#RS Jackie Matthisen

5' 11"
Sophomore
MB/OH
Robyn Burton

#4 Robyn Burton

5' 11"
Freshman
MB
Quincy Haught

#7 Quincy Haught

5' 7"
Freshman
DS
Ariel Austin

#5 Ariel Austin

6' 0"
Junior
RS
Miranda Doing

#14 Miranda Doing

5' 11"
Junior
MB
Kimya Jafroudi

#11 Kimya Jafroudi

5' 7"
Junior
S