THIS WEEK IN ALASKA ANCHORAGE VOLLEYBALL...
 
Thur., Sept. 22 – 7 pm ADT – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
#10 Western Washington (8-3, 3-0 GNAC) at #14 Alaska Anchorage (14-1, 4-0 GNAC)
&
Sat., Sept. 24 – 7 pm ADT – Alaska Airlines Center – Anchorage, Alaska
Simon Fraser (5-7, 2-1 GNAC [9/15 @UAF]) at #14 Alaska Anchorage
 
TICKETS: GoSeawolves.com
LIVE VIDEO: youtube.com/c/UAASeawolves
LIVE STATS: GoSeawolves.com/sidearmstats/wvball
SOCIAL MEDIA: Check the @UAAVolleyball Twitter feed for in-match updates
 
UAA PROBABLE STARTERS (2022 stats)
S—Ellen Floyd, 5-10, Sr. (10.48 aps, .193 att%, 2.50 dps, 0.44 bps, 0.37 ace/set)
RS—Eve Stephens, 6-1, Sr. (4.58 kps, .393 att%, 2.40 dps, 0.67 bps, 0.69 ace/set)
OH—Lisa Jaunet, 5-10, Sr. (3.02 kps, .258 att%, 0.79 dps)
OH—Nicole Blue, 5-9, So. (2.15 kps, .282 att%, 1.12 dps, 0.35 bps)
MB—Isabel Evans, 6-3, So. (1.27 kps, .365 att%, 0.90 bps)
MB—Leilani Elder, 5-10, So. (1.22 kps, .266 att%, 0.94 bps)
L—Talia Leauanae, 5-8, Sr. (3.98 dps, 0.40 ace/set, 0.63 aps)
 
GNAC GIANTS CLASH: Winners of six straight and atop the GNAC standings by half a match, the 14th-ranked Alaska Anchorage volleyball team returns to the Alaska Airlines Center for its most anticipated week of the home schedule, facing arch-rival Western Washington and fellow 2021 NCAA Tournament squad Simon Fraser.
 
SCOUTING REPORT: Coming off an NCAA semifinals appearance in 2021, league preseason favorite and defending champion Western Washington brings a 21-match GNAC win streak into Thursday's showdown ... the 10th-ranked Vikings suffered all three of their losses against top-10 teams at the Colorado Premier tournament Sept. 2-3, including 5-set setbacks to Concordia-St. Paul and West Florida ... WWU is led by reigning GNAC Player of the Year Gabby Gunterman (2.74 kps, .113 att%, 2.69 dps) and all-league setter Malia Aleaga (10.61 aps) ... another 2021 NCAA Tourney squad, Simon Fraser suffered its first league loss at the hands of WWU last week ... the Red Leafs had one common non-conference opponent with UAA, losing 3-0 at Point Loma on Sept. 3 ... the NCAA's lone Canadian program is led by Brooke Dexter (2.86 kps, .310 att%, 0.55 bps) and Jocelyn Sherman (2.33 kps, .182 att%, 2.09 dps).
 
THE SERIES...
vs WWU: WWU leads 38-19 overall, 21-10 in Anchorage
Streak: WWU 2
Last: WWU 3-1 (11/8/21 at WWU)
Notes: WWU has won seven of the last nine ... last year the Vikings earned their first road sweep of UAA since 2012 ... nine of the last 10 matches have gone four or five sets, including UAA's NCAA Regional finals victory in 2016 and WWU's NCAA First Round victory in 2017 ... there have been six 5-setters and only two sweeps among the last 18 meetings ... the road team has won 13 of the last 20 meetings ... the Seawolves are 12-17 against WWU under Chris Green (since 2008) and 11-29 in GNAC meetings (since 2001) ... WWU won 17 straight from 2001-08 … teams have met every year since 2000 … series started in 1980.
 
vs SFU: UAA leads 19-3 overall, 9-2 at UAA
Streak: SFU 1
Last: SFU 3-1 (10/28/21 at UAA)
Notes: The visiting team has won the last four matches, including a 3-1 SFU victory at the Alaska Airlines Center last season ... UAA won the first 15 matches in series history ... seven of the last nine meetings have gone four or five sets ... SFU joined the GNAC in 2010.
 
STROLLIN' THE POLLS: The Seawolves remained in the AVCA Div. II Top 25 poll for the fourth straight week, remaining at No. 14 in Monday's poll ... UAA is one of two GNAC teams in the rankings, along with No. 10 Western Washington, while Central Washington and non-conference foe Point Loma are among teams receiving votes.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEK: The Seawolves successfully began their GNAC road slate and extended their winning streak to six matches with victories at Montana State Billings (25-16, 25-17, 25-17) and Seattle Pacific (25-21, 25-17, 16-25, 24-26, 15-12) last week ... on Thursday, Sr. RS Eve Stephens blasted 15 kills on .538 hitting and So. OH Nicole Blue had 9 kills on .444 hitting as UAA handled MSUB for the seventh time in a row ... Sr. S Ellen Floyd tallied 26 assists to help the Seawolves outhit the 'Jackets .359 to .105 ... on Saturday, Stephens registered 20 kills, 3 aces and tied her season-high 5 total blocks as UAA avenged last year's loss in Seattle ... Blue was hot again with 7 kills on .500 hitting, while So. MB Leilani Elder (8 block assists), So. MB Isabel Evans (6 block assists) and Sr. OH Lisa Jaunet (5 block assists) had career highs and helped UAA register a season-best 15 blocks.
 
TEAM NOTES: The Seawolves' .302 team attack percentage ranks second in the nation, along with top-50 ranks in aces per set (25th, 2.29), kills per set (42nd, 13.15) and assists per set (43rd, 12.19) ... UAA leads the GNAC in attack percentage and is second in kills, assists and aces per set ... at 14-1, UAA has matched the 2015 and 2016 teams for the best 15-match record in program history ... UAA's 8-0 record marked its third-longest unbeaten streak to begin a season ... the -.033 attack percentage allowed against Hawaii Hilo was UAA's best defensive mark since holding Concord to -.082 hitting on Sept. 6, 2019, while the -.022 allowed vs. WOU was UAA's third-lowest in 20 years of GNAC play ... UAA's .488 attack pct. against Emmanuel and the .427 mark against Lubbock Christian rank as the program's 2nd- and 5th-best hitting percentages since the rally-scoring era began in 2001 ... the Seawolves are just one victory from claiming their 15th consecutive winning season, hoping to extend the program record that began with Chris Green's arrival at UAA in 2008 ... UAA is also on program-best streaks with 12 straight winning conference records and 12 straight top-4 GNAC finishes ... the Seawolves are 87-19 (.821) at the Alaska Airlines Center since its opening in Sept. 2014 and 134-31 (.812) at home since 2009; UAA has never lost three straight matches at the Alaska Airlines Center ... the Seawolves are 23-18 against AVCA Top 25 teams since 2014 and 32-45 overall vs. ranked opponents under Green; prior to Green's arrival, UAA had lost 32 straight to ranked foes.
 
EVE OF DESTRUCTION: A three-time unanimous All-GNAC performer and two-time AVCA Second Team All-American, Sr. RS Eve Stephens continues to rack up record-setting numbers, now standing as the GNAC's all-time leader in both points (1,981) and kills (1,665) ... the active career kills leader in NCAA Div. II, Stephens was named the AVCA National Player of the Week for her MVP effort at the Ice Block Classic in Fairbanks, while her three GNAC player-of-the-week honors have boosted her to a GNAC-record-tying 10 for her career ... after producing 35 kills and seven aces last week, she holds national ranks of 3rd in points per set (5.68), 9th in kills per set (4.58) and 10th in aces per set (0.69), making her the only D-II player in the top 25 in all three categories ... the Palmer (Colony HS) product has 35 double-doubles for her career, having led the GNAC in both kills and points per set in 2019 and 2020-21 ... having claimed UAA's all-time points record last week, Stephens also holds program career ranks of 2nd in kills (26 shy of record), 2nd in kills per set (3.82), 5th in attack pct. (.292), 5th in aces (132), 7th in block assists (314), 9th in total blocks (341) and 7th in victories (86) ... a star in the classroom as well, she is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 and 2021 Third Team Academic All-America honoree.
 
PLAY SOME FLOYD: A two-time All-GNAC selection and 2019 AVCA honorable mention All-American, Sr. S Ellen Floyd has led UAA to the second-best team attack percentage (.302) in NCAA Div. II thus far, while ranking 28th individually with 10.48 assists per set ... the co-MVP of the Seawolf Invitational, she holds GNAC ranks of 3rd in assists per set, 20th in aces per set (0.37) and 19th in digs per set (2.50) ... having already broken the UAA career records for assists (4,269) and aces (186), Floyd has her sights on both GNAC marks, currently at No. 3 on those lists; she needs just two more aces to tie SPU's Alyssa Given (188 aces, 2004-07) for second ... the Florida native has produced at least 30 assists in 10 of 15 matches, helping UAA hit no lower than .225 all but twice ... Floyd's 64 assists against Florida Southern were the most by a Seawolf since 2004, and she has produced double-digit digs in five matches ... on UAA's career lists, Floyd currently sits 1st in assists and aces, 3rd in assists average (9.68 aps), 3rd in aces per set (0.42), 7th in digs (1,151) and 6th in victories (88) ... with a 3.86 GPA in accounting, Floyd earned her third straight GNAC All-Academic nod last year and joined Eve Stephens to give UAA two of the eight selections to the CoSIDA Academic All-District 8 Team.
 
SENIOR STRENGTH: One of three Seawolves in her fifth year in Green & Gold, Sr. L Talia Leauanae is producing her finest campaign to date ... the Hawaiian has posted double-digit digs in 12 of 15 matches, including a UAA season-high 25  against Florida Southern and 22 in the sweep of Black Hills State ... she also delivered 4 aces with no service errors  in wins over both Point Loma and Arkansas-Fort Smith ... Leauanae holds GNAC ranks of 4th in digs per set (3.98) and 13th in aces per set (0.40) ... on UAA's career lists, she stands 4th in total digs (1,245) and 11th in digs per set (3.40) ... a former JC transfer, Sr. OH Lisa Jaunet appears twice as comfortable in her second season in Green & Gold ... the St. Denis, France, native has had at least seven kills in each match and double figures in six contests, producing 10 on .563 hitting against Lubbock Christian, eight on career-best .667 hitting against Emmanuel and a career-high 25 to to lead the comeback win over Point Loma ... in the GNAC stats, Jaunet ranks 5th in kills per set (3.02), 14th in points per set (3.14) and 20th in attack pct. (.258).
 
MORE 'WOLF BITES: Third-year sophomore OH Nicole Blue has also shown marked improvement from her 2021 production, ripping at least five kills in 14 of 15 matches and hitting at least .300 on eight occasions ... the Southern Californian helped spark the comeback against Point Loma with 13 kills on .313 hitting, and she had a combined 16 kills on .469 hitting in last week's wins at MSUB and SPU ... she also ranks second among Seawolves with a .964 reception percentage and ranks 15th in the GNAC with her .282 attack pct. ... another pair of sophomores have taken over in the middle this year, with returnee Leilani Elder and JC transfer Isabel Evans combining for 2.49 kills per set on .323 hitting and 1.84 blocks per set ... Elder has tallied four or more kills on seven occasions and multiple blocks in all 11 of her appearances, including a career-high 8 block assists at SPU ... meanwhile, Evans has recorded at least .250 hitting in 10 of 15 matches since transfering from Williston State College, including five .500-plus efforts ... the Montanan hit a  UAA season-best .714 with 10 kills against Florida Southern, .600 in the win over Hawaii Pacific and .667 in the sweep of No. 25 Chaminade ... So. DS Reilly Plumhoff had three aces last week to rise to 16th in the GNAC with 0.38 aces per set ... the Dimond High product also leads the Seawolves with a .967 reception pct.
 
GREEN MACHINE: Having led UAA to an unprecedented 14 straight winning seasons and with more than 750 combined victories at the JC and D-II levels, UAA head coach Chris Green (300-114, .725) has established himself as the most successful coach in program history and one of the top mentors in the NCAA Div. II ranks, earning five GNAC Coach of the Year awards ('09, '13, '15, '16, '19) ... the 2016 AVCA D-II National Coach of the Year and 3-time AVCA D-II West Region Coach of the Year (2009, '15, '16), Green has led UAA to NCAA Tournament berths in 10 of the last 12 full seasons, capturing No. 1 seeds in 2015 and 2016, and piloting the Seawolves to the national title match in 2016 ... in the 28 years before Green's arrival, the Seawolves made just two NCAA appearances ... UAA has won at a .768 clip (209-63) since the start of the 2013 campaign, including .814 (127-29) in league play ... Green's UAA teams have produced nine All-Americans, five GNAC Players of the Year, six GNAC Newcomers of the Year and five GNAC Freshmen of the Year ... hired in Feb. 2008 as the sixth coach in UAA Volleyball history, Green spent the previous nine seasons (1999-07) as the head coach at Western Nebraska Community College, where he built a powerhouse program ... among his list of accomplishments at WNCC were a 453-55 record, the 2007 NJCAA Div. I national championship, 2006 NJCAA runner-up, and four straight 'Final 4' berths ...  the Cougars finished in the top 10 at the national tournament in all of Green's seasons, producing a total of 10 first-team and six second-team All-America certificates ... in 2011, he was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame.
 
2022 Individual Honors
ELLEN FLOYD
Seawolf Invitational co-Most Outstanding Player
Preseason All-GNAC Team
LISA JAUNET
Seawolf Invitational All-Tournament Team
EVE STEPHENS
GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, Sept. 12-18
AVCA D-II National Player of the Week, Aug. 30-Sept. 5
GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, Aug. 29-Sept. 4
Ice Block Classic MVP
Seawolf Invitational co-Most Outstanding Player
GNAC Offensive Player of the Week, Aug. 15-21
Preseason All-GNAC Team
 
UAA School Records Broken/Tied in 2022
INDIVIDUAL
Career
Most Points — 1,981 by Eve Stephens, 2018-current (old record: 1,973 by Jen Szczerbinski, 1988-90, 1992)
Most Assists — 4,269 by Ellen Floyd, 2018-current (old record: 3,920 by Morgan Hooe, 2013-16)
Most Aces — 186 by Ellen Floyd, 2018-current (extends record set in 2021)
TEAM
Match
Highest Attack Pct. vs. Non-Conference Opponent, Rally-Scoring Era (since 2001) — .488 (46-4-86) vs Emmanuel, Ga., 8/26 (old record: .444 vs Concord, 9/6/19)
Fewest Blocks Allowed — 0 at Hawaii Pacific, Aug. 19 (ties record last accomplished vs. Northwest Nazarene, 10/9/21)