ANCHORAGE – Sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss had 18 kills and 14 digs to power a huge Alaska Anchorage comeback Saturday as the No. 14-ranked Seawolves earned an 18-25, 18-25, 25-15, 25-15, 15-11 win over No. 19 Arkansas Fort Smith to claim the SpringHill Suites Invitational title at the Alaska Airlines Center.

UAA (6-1) also got 47 assists and 13 digs from senior Morgan Hooe and 23 digs from sophomore libero Kyla Militante-Amper, who each made the all-tournament team.

The Lions (3-1) – the two-time defending NCAA Div. II South Central Region champions – were led by 17 kills from Kennedi Coleman and 36 digs from fellow all-tourney selection Emily Tripp, but the visitors could not capitalize on a 2-sets-to-none advantage.

After getting out-hit .197 to .114 in the first two sets, the Seawolves flipped the script in the next two frames, out-hitting the Lions .333 to .026. Both teams struggled to a negative attack percentage in the fifth set, but the Seawolves got three kills from outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson and two huge solo blocks by senior Erin Braun – including on match point – to pull out the win.

“Our backs were against the wall and we didn't have a choice but to fight,” Hooe said in the postmatch press conference. “We talked about, 'we can either roll over and let them win, or we can give them everything we've got.' And we did, so that's why we came out on top.”

The final set was tied 11-11 before freshman Vanessa Hayes connected on a quick feed from Hooe to retake the lead. Coleman's attack on the next point glanced off the antenna, and the Lions' senior star was blocked on her final two attempts, first by freshman Diana Fa'amausili and then by Braun to clinch it.

Swiss's 18 kills were the most by a Seawolf thus far in 2016 as the former Dimond High star committed just two errors and hit .302. She added 14 digs for her second double-double of the year, while Hooe had 13 digs.

Johnson and Braun delivered 11 kills apiece, Fa'amausili added eight, and Hayes had a season-best six spikes. Braun had three solos among her seven total blocks, and Hayes was in on six block assists.

The victory made UAA the only unbeaten squad in the 5-team, round-robin format, while UAFS finished runner-up with its only loss in four matches. It marks the Seawolves' third straight and seventh overall title in their own tournament, which celebrated its 20th edition.

UAA heads south next week to finish its non-conference schedule with four key contests at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase in Rohnert Park, Calif., including a rematch of last season's NCAA West Regional semifinal match against nationally ranked Cal State Bernardino (Thur., Sept. 8, 7 pm ADT).

NOTES: UAA's other SpringHill Suites Invitational titles came in 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2015 … the Seawolves improved to 19-30 against ranked teams under 9th-year head coach Chris Green … Hooe's 47 assists were seven more than her previous season high … Braun earned her 75th victory in Green & Gold while Hooe earned her 73rd, moving the duo up to fifth and sixth place on the UAA program's career list.

MATCH 9: Rollins 3, Stanislaus State 0
Shannon McDonough and Sam Schlesman combined for 23 kills to lead a red-hot Rollins hitting performance in a 25-22, 25-15, 25-16 sweep of Stanislaus State in both teams' SpringHill Suites Invitational finale Saturday.

The Tars (2-2) got 15 kills on 22 swings from McDonough and eight kills on 12 swings from Schlesman as the duo committed just one attack error. Setter Cassidy Cason's 31 assists led to a .361 team hitting percentage, while Rachel Sawyer added 10 kills and six digs, who finished third in the five-team, round-robin tournament.

The Warriors (1-3) were paced by 11 kills from outside hitter Victoria Larsen, plus 26 assists and nine digs from setter Maddi Seidl.

2016 SpringHill Suites Invitational All-Tournament Team
Blair Ehrlich, Stanislaus State
Rebecca Wilson, Rollins
Kyla Militante-Amper, Alaska Anchorage
Kennedi Coleman, Arkansas Fort Smith
Leah Swiss, Alaska Anchorage
Emily Tripp, Arkansas Fort Smith
Most Outstanding Player: Morgan Hooe, Alaska Anchorage

Final Round-Robin Standings
Team               W L  SW SL
Alaska Anchorage   4 0  12  2
Arkansas Ft. Smith 3 1  11  4
Rollins            2 2   6  7
Stanislaus State   1 3   4  9
Westminster        0 4   1 12