ANCHORAGE – Senior setter Ellen Floyd delivered 35 assists and a career-high nine kills Saturday to help the 9th-ranked Alaska Anchorage volleyball team overcome a slow start for an 18-25, 25-19, 25-20, 25-15 victory over Alaska Fairbanks at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (23-2, 13-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 19 kills from senior rightside hitter Eve Stephens as they maintained a one-match advantage over Western Washington in the GNAC standings with four matches remaining for each team.

The Nanooks (15-11, 5-9) were led by 11 kills from rightside hitter Ella Bines, but the visitors could not continue their momentum after outhitting UAA .381 to .043 in the opening set.

"We looked flat in the first set, which was unusual for us, but I'm pleased with the execution we displayed over the last three sets," said UAA coach Chris Green, whose team is aiming for its first GNAC title since repeating in 2015 and 2016. "Ellen was at her best today in terms of deciding when to set and when to take her opportunities for kills, and our block really got going and helped us put things away in the final set."

Despite their early struggles, the Seawolves managed to right their ship and outhit the Nanooks .295 to .077 over the last three frames, including a .476 to .037 advantage in the fourth.

After ending the second set with a 13-8 run and claiming an early 12-5 edge in the third, the Seawolves were forced to fight off a big UAF comeback. The Nanooks tied it 17-17 and trailed just 21-20 when Bines smashed a kill, but that was as close as they would get. Stephens and Lisa Jaunet answered with back-to-back kills, and Stephens delivered again on set point following an attack error by UAF's Rilee White.

The Seawolves opened the fourth with an 8-1 surge and never let the Nanooks closer than 15-12. Lisa Jaunet and Isabel Evans combined on three blocks as UAA closed the match on a 10-3 run, capped by Stephens's final kill of the day.

Jaunet finished with nine kills and sophomore middle blocker Leilani Elder had seven kills and five total blocks – including a career-high three solos – while Evans finished with four block assists.

Meanwhile, Floyd was efficient with her nine kills, doing it on just 13 attempts for a .538 hitting percentage. The All-America candidate added seven digs and a pair of block assists.

Senior libero Talia Leauanae and freshman defensive specialist Madison Galloway tallied 11 digs apiece, while Leauanae also had three aces, no service errors, and was credited with her first kill of the season and just the third of her career (in 401 sets/111 matches).

UAA returns to action against fellow playoff contenders Northwest Nazarene (Thur., 7 p.m.) and Central Washington (Sat., 7 p.m.) for its regular-season home finales at the Alaska Airlines Center. Surf to GoSeawolves.com for tickets, including advance sales of half-price tickets for Saturday, when UAA is attempting to set the NCAA Div. II Volleyball regular-season attendance record. In addition to discounted tickets, the Nov. 5 match will see two lucky fans win trips on Alaska Airlines, a $500 UAA student tuition giveaway, and the first 1,000 fans receive a free Seawolf drawstring backpack. Click here for complete information.