ANCHORAGE – Senior Tara Melton and freshman Eve Stephens combined for 27 kills to lead hot-hitting Alaska Anchorage to a 25-22, 25-13, 25-20 volleyball sweep of Montana State Billings on Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (16-4, 9-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got 15 kills from Stephens and 12 kills on .647 hitting from Melton to sweep the season series and avenge last year's home loss to the Yellowjackets.

MSUB (9-12, 3-9) got six kills from Riley Moore and five kills and 12 digs from outside hitter Maddi Vigil, but the visitors were outhit .366 to .136 and outdug 62-40.

“We worked a lot on our connection this week between our setters and hitters, and it paid off tonight,” said Melton, who notched the second-best attack percentage of her career, committing just one error on 17 attacks.

Trailing 19-16 in the first set, UAA swung the momentum permanently with a 5-0 run, highlighted by a block and a kill by junior outside hitter Vanessa Boyer. The Yellowjackets pulled within 22-21 on a kill from Skylar Reed before UAA answered with consecutive kills by Vera Pluharova and Stephens. Eavan Taylor kept MSUB alive with one of her five kills, but Stephens clinched it with a no-doubt smash on the ensuing point.

After trailing briefly at 4-3 in the second, the Seawolves got a pair of kills from Melton during an 8-1 surge. With the frame already under control, senior outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson converted a kill with her left hand to make it 23-11 and become the ninth player in 39 year of UAA volleyball history with at least 1,000 kills.

Johnson finished with eight kills and 13 digs, while fellow senior Taylor Noga reached a similar milestone with her 1,000th career dig. The former East Anchorage High star had a match-high 17 digs.

Stephens and Johnson snapped a 16-16 tie with back-to-back kills late in the third set, and Melton followed with two more to make it 20-16. After the Yellowjackets drew within 22-19, UAA setter Ellen Floyd fed Boyer for her ninth kill, then clinched it with kills of her own on two of the last three rallies.

Floyd dished an impressive 46 assists in the sweep, helping the Seawolves to their second-best hitting percentage of the season.

Pluharova – who came in hitting .500 in her last five matches – reached the .500 mark again with seven kills and just one error on 12 attacks.

UAA also got a career-high 11 digs from freshman defensive specialist Talia Leauanae, who reached double figures for the first time.

The Seawolves improved to 49-11 in the all-time series against their second-most common opponent, boosted by 17 wins in the last 18 contests.

UAA returns to the Alaska Airlines Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. to face nationally 6th-ranked and league-leading Western Washington, which brings a 17-match winning streak north. Call 907-786-1562 or visit GoSeawolves.com or AlaskaAirlinesCenter.com for tickets.