SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. – Sophomore
Eve Stephens ripped 16 kills and junior
Vera Pluharova recorded eight blocks Saturday to pace Alaska Anchorage to a 25-21, 25-21, 25-21 sweep of Point Loma in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase at The Den.
The Seawolves (5-3) also got 31 assists from sophomore setter
Ellen Floyd and 13 digs from junior libero
Anjoilyn Vreeland as they finished 3-1 in Showcase play, suffering their only loss Thursday against nationally 2nd-ranked Cal State San Bernardino.
The Sea Lions (4-3) were led by 12 kills from Madelynn Fox and 14 digs from Courtney Dyer, but the Pacific West Conference club was outblocked 13-5 and out-aced 8-3.
"That was our most complete match thus far," said UAA head coach
Chris Green. "Our block was big today, especially Vera, who really took control of the middle defensively. We're pleased to be coming out of here with three wins, but it won't mean much unless we keep improving, with GNAC play starting next week."
The Seawolves got off to a fast start, taking eight of the first nine points and cruising to a first-set win despite a late 8-0 run by the Sea Lions.
After eight ties, UAA took the lead for good in set 2 with a 3-0 run to make it 14-11, capped by a pair of aces from senior
Vanessa Hayes. PLNU stayed close until Hayes and Pluharova collected kills during a four-point UAA surge that made it 22-17, and Stephens smashed a kill on set point.
A 17-14 lead evaporated in the third set with a five-point PLNU run, but Pluharova put away a free ball at the net, followed by a block from Stephens and
Kayla McGlathery. A huge block by freshman
Hannah Pembroke gave UAA the lead, and the Sea Lions managed their only remaining points on Seawolf service errors.
Maggie Schlueter's ace made the score 24-21, and Stephens blasted a kill down the middle to give UAA its second straight-sets victory of the season.
Hayes finished with eight kills on .300 hitting and four aces, while Pluharova had a near-perfect day with six kills on nine attacks and no errors. Stephens – who had 41 of UAA's 102 attacks – also added five block assists and three digs.
UAA begins Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Thursday when it faces Seattle Pacific at 6 p.m. ADT at SPU's Brougham Pavilion. That match – and every GNAC contest all season – can be seen live at gnac.tv.
