ANCHORAGE – Senior rightside hitter Eve Stephens delivered 22 kills and a career-high 20 digs Thursday to help Alaska Anchorage rally past Northwest Nazarene 24-26, 25-17, 25-22, 25-22 in a battle of regionally ranked NCAA Div. II West Region volleyball teams at the Alaska Airlines Center.

Ranked No. 6 nationally and No. 1 in the West Region, the Seawolves (24-2, 14-1 GNAC) also got 20 digs and a career-high six aces from senior libero Talia Leauanae, while senior setter Ellen Floyd had 37 assists, 15 digs and two aces.

The Nighthawks (16-8, 9-7) – ranked No. 8 in the West – were led by 11 kills and six block assists from rightside hitter Miya Koch.

"I thought our serving game was good tonight, and that's what allowed us to finally get some momentum in the final sets," said UAA head coach Chris Green, whose team stayed one match ahead of regionally second-ranked Western Washington in the race for the GNAC title, with three contests remaining for each club. "Even when we weren't getting aces, we were making it difficult for them to get into their offense."

Needing a big win to boost its playoff hopes, NNU controlled action for much of the opening set, outhitting the hosts .250 to .121. The Seawolves rallied to earn a chance at set point at 24-23, but two straight attack errors and an ace by NNU's Maren Dent gave the frame to the visitors from Idaho.

Trailing 12-10 in the second, the Seawolves flipped the momentum on a kill by Lisa Jaunet, followed by eight straight points on Floyd's serve. Stephens had three kills during the surge, including a pair off of Nighthawk overpasses.

The third set was another thriller, featuring 10 ties and four lead changes. After UAA led 10-7 early, the score would stay within one or two points until the final rally. NNU's Oliva Wright banged one of her 10 kills to tie it 22-22, but the Seawolves responded with consecutive kills from middle blockers Isabel Evans and Leilani Elder, and Nighthawk outside hitter Natalie Sullivan hit the ball long on set point.

The Seawolves never trailed in the fourth, though NNU was able to shave a 16-7 deficit to 24-22 in the late going. After a UAA timeout, sophomore Nicole Blue converted a kill off a broken play to end it, giving the Seawolves their second four-set win over the Nighthawks this year.

Stephens hit .305 and added two assists and two block assists. The two-time All-American and GNAC Player of the Year candidate topped her career-high 19 kills, achieved in last month's victory at NNU.

Jaunet had eight kills, Blue and Evans tallied seven apiece, and Elder finished with six kills and a team-high four total blocks. Freshman defensive specialist Madison Galloway had 10 digs and three assists.

The Seawolves play their regular-season home finale Saturday (7 p.m.) against regionally sixth-ranked Central Washington (15-9, 10-6 GNAC), when UAA is attempting to set the NCAA Div. II Volleyball regular-season attendance record. The evening will feature several giveaways, including two 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 tickets and complete information.