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#11 UAA fends off 'Cats, clinches tie for GNAC crown

Women's Volleyball UAA Media Relations

#11 UAA fends off 'Cats, clinches tie for GNAC crown

ANCHORAGE – Senior setter Morgan Hooe delivered 40 assists, seven kills and 13 digs Saturday as the 11th-ranked Alaska Anchorage volleyball team clinched at least a tie for its second consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title with a 21-25, 26-24, 25-18, 25-20 victory over Central Washington.

The Seawolves (27-2, 17-1 GNAC) were led by 15 kills and five blocks from freshman right-side hitter Diana Fa'amausili as they sent an Alaska Airlines Center crowd of 2,257 – the second-largest in program history and the largest NCAA Div. II crowd in the nation this year – home happy.

Ranked No. 1 in the West Region, UAA also got 13 kills and 17 digs from sophomore outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson to improve its chances of hosting the NCAA West Regional Championships in December.

The Wildcats (15-11, 11-7) – ranked No. 7 in the West – got 15 kills and 11 digs from outside hitter Shelby Mauritson, but the visitors from Ellensburg were outhit .201 to .112, with offensive leader Kiah Jones limited to seven kills on -.089 hitting.

“I'm so proud of this group for the resiliency they've shown all year,” said Chris Green, who becomes the first head coach in program history to lead UAA to consecutive league titles. “Morgan and Erin (Braun) have been so consistent and so confident throughout their careers. This was a perfect way for them to go out on Senior Night.”

After dropping the first set, the Seawolves were in danger of going down in the second when Central's Erin Little blasted a kill to make it 24-23. Green called timeout, however, and Fa'amausili answered with a kill to tie it. UAA took the lead on an unconventional play, with Johnson feeding Leah Swiss for the go-ahead kill, and Central's Jordan Deming hit straight into a Seawolf triple-block by Fa'amausili, Swiss and Braun to knot the match at a set apiece.

The Seawolves dominated the third frame with a .312 to .027 hitting advantage and led throughout most of the fourth set. The Wildcats crept within 21-19 on a kill by Deming, but Swiss blasted consecutive kills for a 23-19 lead, and the former Dimond High star delivered again on match point.

Braun finished with eight kills and four block assists, while sophomore libero Kyla Militante-Amper made a match-high 26 digs, breaking UAA's single-season record with her final dig of the night.

The Seawolves can clinch the outright GNAC title with a win in either of their last two matches – Thursday at Seattle Pacific or next Saturday at Saint Martin's – or a Western Washington loss.

Should the Seawolves hold on to the No. 1 ranking in the West after the regular season ends next week, they would likely host the regional playoffs for the second straight year, on the first weekend of December (exact dates TBD).

NOTES: UAA equaled the school record for victories set by last year's 27-3 club … the Seawolves improved to 11-1 against fellow regionally ranked foes this year … already the two winningest players in program history, Braun and Hooe will become the first Seawolves to play in four straight NCAA Tournaments … Militante-Amper's 605 digs have surpassed the record 604 by Jen Szczerbinski from 1990 … Militante-Amper is also on pace to break the season record for digs per set (currently at 5.87 dps), and she moved into 10th place on the career list, now with 1,016.

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Players Mentioned

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

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