ANCHORAGE – Right-side hitters Julia Mackey and Maureen Sabado powered a dominating hitting performance Saturday as the Alaska Anchorage volleyball team won its sixth in a row with a 25-14, 25-18, 25-20 sweep of Saint Martin's at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
The Seawolves (12-6, 6-0 GNAC) were led by Mackey's 11 kills on .391 hitting, plus seven kills on career-high .500 hitting from Sabado to extend the program's best-ever start in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.
The Saints (5-12, 1-4) got 11 kills from outside hitter Kristyn Ross, but the visitors from Lacey, Wash., were out-hit .367 to .126 and outblocked 8-4, falling for the 11th straight time against UAA.
All four of UAA's kills leaders hit over .300, with sophomore Katelynn Zanders notching 10 kills (.333) and junior Brooke Pottle finishing with eight kills (.318) and 10 digs. Mackey, a sophomore from Fairbanks (West Valley HS) reached double figures in kills for the sixth straight match and added three block assists, taking advantage of 21 assists from senior setter Siobhan Johansen and 14 assists from freshman setter Morgan Hooe.
Junior libero Quinn Barker tied Pottle for match-high honors with 10 digs, and senior middle blocker Jodi Huddleston had five block assists.
The Seawolves never trailed in the first set and used a 9-2 run midway through the second set to take control. SMU hung tight in the third set, tying it 17-17 on an ace by Ross and staying within a point at 21-20 when Brooke Good's serve fell in for another ace. UAA rallied for the last four points, however, getting a kill from Sabado to start the surge and another from Zanders on match point.
UAA remains one of two unbeaten teams in GNAC play, along with No. 9 Western Washington (11-1, 4-0). WWU hosts UAA on Oct. 17 in Bellingham, Wash., following the Seawolves' lone match next week, Saturday, Oct. 12 at Alaska Fairbanks (3-14, 2-4).
NOTES: UAA's 11-match win streak against SMU is its longest against any league opponent in the GNAC era (since 2001) … Zanders reached double figures in kills for the 11th time this season … Johansen had five digs to move into 17th place on UAA's career list, now with 861, and tied Starr Burgan (2000-03) for 19th place in matches played with her 98th appearance.
