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#24 UAA fends off SFU, remains in GNAC hunt

Women's Volleyball UAA Media Relations

#24 UAA fends off SFU, remains in GNAC hunt

ANCHORAGE – Outside hitter Katelynn Zanders smashed 17 kills and middle blocker Kayla McGlathery added 12 kills and four blocks Thursday to boost 24th-ranked Alaska Anchorage to a 25-13, 25-20, 23-25, 25-17 victory over Simon Fraser at the Alaska Airlines Center.

With the victory, the Seawolves (21-4, 15-2 GNAC) clinched second place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and assured themselves of the best winning percentage in program history. UAA can earn a share of the GNAC title with a win in Saturday's regular-season finale against Western Washington and a loss by league leader Northwest Nazarene (23-2, 16-1) at Central Washington. NNU has already wrapped up the league's automatic NCAA Tournament bid thanks to its season sweep of UAA.

Simon Fraser (16-9, 10-7) got 12 kills and five digs from outside hitter Kelsey Robinson and 10 kills on .450 hitting from middle blocker Madeline Hait as the visitors from Burnaby, British Columbia, remained winless in 10 matches all-time against UAA.

UAA – ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Div. II West Region – blitzed the Clan with .414 hitting in the opening set as junior right-side hitter Julia Mackey collected four of her seven kills and two of her four block assists.

In the second, the Seawolves broke an 11-11 tie with a 4-1 run and held on with an impressive defensive effort, limiting SFU to a -.029 attack percentage in the frame.

SFU fought back in the third, however, erasing a late 23-22 deficit with three straight kills from Mackenzie Dunham, Amanda Renkema and Jessica Young to extend the match.

UAA would never trail in the fourth as McGlathery smashed six kills on .667 hitting and fellow sophomore middle blocker Erin Braun had five kills on .714 hitting. For the night, McGlathery connected at a .435 rate (12 kills-2 errors-23 attacks), while Braun hit a match-high .444 (9-1-18).

Sophomore setter Morgan Hooe delivered 38 assists and 13 digs as the Seawolves won all the major statistical categories, including advantages of 9-4 in blocks and 8-1 in aces. Senior libero Quinn Barker made a match-high 20 digs to reach that plateau for the 10th time this year.

The only blemish on the evening was the loss of middle/right-side hitter Caitlin McInerney to an injury late in the third set. The junior from Laramie, Wyo., had five kills and a pair of blocks before going down.

Saturday's clash with 15th-ranked Western Washington (20-6, 16-4) is set for a 7:30 p.m. first serve, with 'Senior Night' festivities preceding the match. The Vikings come in as the No. 3-ranked team in the West Region.

The announcement of the NCAA Tournament field will be made Sunday at 6 p.m. AST on ncaa.com.


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Players Mentioned

Julia Mackey

#6 Julia Mackey

RS
5' 11"
Freshman
Katelynn Zanders

#14 Katelynn Zanders

OH
5' 9"
Freshman
Quinn Barker

#1 Quinn Barker

L
5' 4"
Junior
Erin Braun

#15 Erin Braun

MB
6' 0"
Freshman
Caitlin Hanson

#8 Caitlin Hanson

MB/RS
5' 11"
Sophomore
Morgan Hooe

#2 Morgan Hooe

S
5' 6"
Freshman
Kayla McGlathery

#12 Kayla McGlathery

MB
6' 0"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Julia Mackey

#6 Julia Mackey

5' 11"
Freshman
RS
Katelynn Zanders

#14 Katelynn Zanders

5' 9"
Freshman
OH
Quinn Barker

#1 Quinn Barker

5' 4"
Junior
L
Erin Braun

#15 Erin Braun

6' 0"
Freshman
MB
Caitlin Hanson

#8 Caitlin Hanson

5' 11"
Sophomore
MB/RS
Morgan Hooe

#2 Morgan Hooe

5' 6"
Freshman
S
Kayla McGlathery

#12 Kayla McGlathery

6' 0"
Sophomore
MB