Scoreboard

#7 Seawolves overcome Clan's upset bid for 20th straight

Women's Volleyball UAA Media Relations

#7 Seawolves overcome Clan's upset bid for 20th straight

ANCHORAGE – Alaska Anchorage hitters Chrisalyn Johnson and Diana Fa'amausili ripped 13 kills apiece Thursday to help the 7th-ranked Seawolf volleyball team overcome an upset bid by Simon Fraser with a 25-15, 25-9, 20-25, 23-25, 15-8 victory at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Sophomore Leah Swiss added 10 kills, 14 digs and four aces for the Seawolves (21-1, 11-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference), who extended their program-record winning streak to 20 and stayed unbeaten in 14 all-time meetings against Simon Fraser.

The Clan (14-5, 7-4) got a match-high 18 kills from outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney and 33 assists from libero Alison McKay, but the Canadians could not complete a potentially epic comeback.

After totally controlling the first two sets, UAA seemed on its way to the sweep with a 19-14 lead in the third. The Clan answered with four straight points, however, and finished the frame on an 11-1 run, capped by a kill from Nicole Chevrier.

History repeated itself in the fourth, with UAA surrendering a 19-15 edge. Tied 23-23, Chevrier smacked another kill and Pinkney finished it off for the visitors when she put away an overpass off the serve.

The action stayed close early in the fifth set, with SFU earning an 8-7 lead before the teams switched sides. The Clan would not score again, though, as Johnson tied it with a kill, beginning an 8-0 UAA run to end the match. Senior setter Morgan Hooe earned three of her five aces while serving the final seven points, and Fa'amausili and fellow freshman Vanessa Hayes combined on the match-point block.

Hooe finished with 41 assists and 13 digs, while sophomore libero Kyla Militante-Amper made a career-high 31 digs along the back row. Hayes had six kills on team-best .294 hitting, and Erin Braun notched six kills and a match-high seven block assists.

The Seawolves' 15 aces were their second-most this year and helped offset their 13 service errors. UAA's 95 digs were also its most this year.

Johnson added a career-high 20 digs to record her third straight 'double-double,' while Fa'amausili matched her career high in kills. Swiss's double-double marked her team-high eighth this season.

The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center for three matches over a six-day span, beginning with Saturday's 7 p.m. showdown against second-place and 19th-ranked Western Washington (13-6, 9-2).

NOTES: The Seawolves played their first 5-setter in GNAC action this year and their first since beating No. 15 Cal State San Bernardino in five on Sept. 8 … UAA had never gone five sets against SFU, taking 39 of the first 41 sets in the all-time series … Fa'amausili reached double-digit kills for the fourth straight time.

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Players Mentioned

Erin Braun

#15 Erin Braun

MB
6' 0"
Freshman
Morgan Hooe

#2 Morgan Hooe

S
5' 6"
Freshman
Leah Swiss

#7 Leah Swiss

OH
6' 0"
Freshman
Chrisalyn Johnson

#9 Chrisalyn Johnson

OH
5' 9"
Freshman
Kyla Militante-Amper

#3 Kyla Militante-Amper

L/S
5' 3"
Freshman
Diana Fa

#17 Diana Fa'amausili

RS
5' 11"
Freshman
Vanessa Hayes

#18 Vanessa Hayes

MB
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Erin Braun

#15 Erin Braun

6' 0"
Freshman
MB
Morgan Hooe

#2 Morgan Hooe

5' 6"
Freshman
S
Leah Swiss

#7 Leah Swiss

6' 0"
Freshman
OH
Chrisalyn Johnson

#9 Chrisalyn Johnson

5' 9"
Freshman
OH
Kyla Militante-Amper

#3 Kyla Militante-Amper

5' 3"
Freshman
L/S
Diana Fa

#17 Diana Fa'amausili

5' 11"
Freshman
RS
Vanessa Hayes

#18 Vanessa Hayes

5' 11"
Freshman
MB