SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Freshman Maggie Schlueter sparked a monumental 1st-set comeback and sophomore Eve Stephens delivered 15 kills Thursday to lead Alaska Anchorage to a 26-24, 25-19, 19-25, 25-19 victory over previously unbeaten Cal State San Marcos in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase at The Den.

The Seawolves (3-2) also got 13 kills from senior outside hitter Vanessa Hayes and seven total blocks from junior middle blocker Kayla McGlathery as they outhit their California Collegiate Athletic Association foes .188 to .105 and outblocked them 12-3.

The Cougars (5-1) were led by eight kills on .438 hitting from Kassy Doering and a match-high 28 digs from libero Grecia Cordero-Barr, but could not capitalize on a 24-16 lead in the opening frame.

"That was a truly amazing comeback," said UAA head coach Chris Green, whose team avoided suffering consecutive losses for the first time since the end of the 2017 campaign. "Maggie caught fire with her serve, and we kept feeding off San Marcos's mistakes. I was even more pleased with the maturity we displayed throughout the rest of the match, especially the way we took control at the end of sets two and four."

UAA would need comebacks in all of its set wins, but none as big as the opening one. A Cordero-Barr ace gave San Marcos a 19-11 lead, and Madison Turner blasted a kill to put her team ahead 24-16. A bad set by Cordero-Barr gave the Seawolves the serve, however, and Schlueter took advantage. The freshman from Georgetown, Texas, served the first of her four aces, and a kill by setter Ellen Floyd led to the first of two quick Cougar timeouts. A Hayes kills was followed by another ace and three blocks assists by the combo of McGlathery and Floyd, pulling UAA ahead 25-24. The Great Northwest Athletic Conference's service aces leader entering the match, Schlueter then capped the rally with another ace.

An early 11-8 deficit in the second set was erased quickly as junior middle blocker Vera Pluharova ripped four of her five kills over the remainder of the frame, including set point.  

After struggling with .000 hitting in the third set, UAA recovered in the fourth. Despite trailing 7-4 early, the Seawolves took the lead for good at 13-12 on a Cougar attack error, followed by a kill from freshman outside hitter Hannah Pembroke. A block by Pembroke and McGlathery led to a San Marcos timeout at 17-14, and UAA took command with a 4-0 run that included two more Pembroke kills, making it 21-16. Hayes, the team's lone senior, would earn the kill on match point.

Stephens recorded her third double-double in five matches as the Colony High product also had 10 digs and a pair of aces. Floyd finished with 39 assists, four kills, two aces, three blocks and 13 digs, while Pembroke had six kills. Junior libero Anjoilyn Vreeland led UAA with 16 digs.

The Seawolves face another major test later Thursday when they play defending CCAA champion and nationally 2nd-ranked Cal State San Bernardino at 7 p.m. ADT. Find live video and stats links at GoSeawolves.com.