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#19 Vikings end #7 Seawolves' streak at 20 in 5-set thriller

Women's Volleyball UAA Media Relations

#19 Vikings end #7 Seawolves' streak at 20 in 5-set thriller

ANCHORAGE – Sophomore libero Kyla Militante-Amper made a school-record 43 digs but it wasn't enough for the 7th-ranked Alaska Anchorage volleyball team Saturday as 19th-ranked Western Washington escaped with a 25-22, 21-25, 26-24, 18-25, 20-18 victory at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The largest NCAA Div. II volleyball crowd in the nation this year – 1,762 – watched another epic showdown between the two Great Northwest Athletic Conference leaders, highlighted by a fifth set that featured 13 ties and seven lead changes.

The Seawolves (21-2, 11-1 GNAC) got career-highs of 22 kills from sophomore Chrisalyn Johnson, 17 kills from freshman Diana Fa'amausili and 59 assists from senior Morgan Hooe as their school-record 20-match winning streak came to a halt.

The Vikings (14-6, 10-2) were led by 14 kills, 16 digs and four total blocks from outside hitter Abby Phelps, who smashed an unassisted kill off a Seawolf overpass on match point. Michaela Hall added 10 kills and seven total blocks, and Joelle Buckner had five kills and 28 digs to help WWU to its ninth consecutive win.

After splitting the first two sets, UAA nearly completed a big comeback in the third, erasing a 23-19 deficit with a 5-0 run. Two consecutive Seawolf errors stopped the momentum, however, and Phelps gave her team a 2-1 lead with a kill on a feed from setter Kristina Tribley.

UAA got even in the fourth by outhitting the visitors .171 to -.111 in the frame, setting up the fifth 5-setter in the last eight meetings between the programs.

WWU started the fifth with a 4-1 lead, but that would be the largest for either team. After tying it 5-5, the Seawolves surged ahead 11-9 on a block by Fa'amausili and Erin Braun. The Vikings got back-to-back kills from Phelps to tie it, and WWU earned the first shot at match point when Kayleigh Harper and Phelps teamed for a block to make it 14-13. After a Viking attack error, the set would be tied three more times, with Leah Swiss's 13th kill making it 18-18.

The Vikings would rise up on the final two points, with Buckner knocking a kill off the Seawolf block, and Phelps delivering on the final rally.

“I'm really proud of the grit and determination we showed tonight,” said Hooe, the Seawolves' all-conference setter. “Aside from me and Erin (Braun), we're a very young team, so it was a good learning experience for us. I think we'll be stronger in the long run after a match like this.”

The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center for two matches next week, starting with Tuesday's 7 p.m. first serve against intrastate rival Alaska Fairbanks. Call 907-786-1562 or visit GoSeawolves.com for ticket information.

NOTES: The Seawolves' old single-match digs record was 39, set by Seawolf Hall of Famer Jen Szczerbinski on Oct. 19, 1990 against Chaminade … the road team has won the last eight meetings in the UAA-WWU series … including its three wins in the 2015 NCAA Div. II West Regional Championships, WWU improved to 6-0 all-time at the Alaska Airlines Center, which opened in 2014 … Fa'amausili racked up career-high kills for the second match in a row, hitting a team-best .382 percentage Saturday … Swiss had 13 kills and 12 digs for her ninth double-double this year, while Johnson added 17 digs to record her fourth straight double-double.

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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

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