Scoreboard

#15 Vikings outlast #24 Seawolves in five

Women's Volleyball UAA Media Relations

#15 Vikings outlast #24 Seawolves in five

ANCHORAGE – Led by 23 kills from outside hitter Kelsey Moore, 15th-ranked Western Washington scored the final two points of the match to win a classic volleyball slugfest over 24th-ranked Alaska Anchorage, 23-25, 25-22, 25-23, 13-25, 17-15 on Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The host Seawolves (21-5, 15-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got double-doubles from three players as their four-match win streak ended in the regular-season finale. Junior right-side hitter Julia Mackey had 14 kills and 20 digs and junior outside hitter Katelynn Zanders finished with 14 kills and 18 digs, topping the 1,000 career kills mark.

UAA, ranked No. 2 in the NCAA Div. II West Region, lost for the first time this season when outhitting its opponent, taking the hitting battle .209 to .167 against the Vikings (21-6, 14-4), who came in ranked No. 3 in the region.

Both teams are expected to earn at-large invitations when the NCAA Tournament field is announced Sunday at 6 p.m. AST on ncaa.com.

After taught contests in the first three sets, the Seawolves took control of the fourth and sent it the distance by outhitting the Vikings .303 to -.075 in the frame.

But the fifth set followed the previous pattern, featuring eight ties and a pair of lead changes. UAA took an 8-5 lead before the teams switched sides, and senior outside hitter Brooke Pottle made it 10-7 for the Seawolves with one of her 10 kills. After a Zanders smash made it 12-10, the Vikings answered with three straight points, going ahead on a kill by Joellee Buckner.

Buckner gave WWU its first match point two rallies later with her 12th and final kill, only to see UAA's Erin Braun rip a kill through the middle. Another Pottle kill kept UAA alive and tied the set at 15-15, but the Vikings closed things out on consecutive kills from Moore and middle blocker Kayla Erickson.

WWU's win avenged a 5-set loss to UAA on Sept. 16 in Bellingham and marked the fourth straight victory for the visiting team in the series.

UAA setter Morgan Hooe dished 51 assists and made 15 digs, while sophomore middle blocker Kayla McGlathery tallied 13 kills on match-best .458 hitting, along with seven block assists. Pottle had 10 kills and 21 digs, and senior libero Quinn Barker led the Seawolves with 25 digs in the final home match for both players.

The announced attendance 1,038 marked the fourth crowd of 1,000-plus this season – UAA's first in the new Alaska Airlines Center.

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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
Morgan Hooe

#2 Morgan Hooe

S
5' 6"
Freshman
Brooke Pottle

#13 Brooke Pottle

OH
5' 8"
Junior
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
Morgan Hooe

#2 Morgan Hooe

5' 6"
Freshman
S
Brooke Pottle

#13 Brooke Pottle

5' 8"
Junior
OH
Kayla McGlathery

#12 Kayla McGlathery

6' 0"
Sophomore
MB