FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Aug. 25) – Senior outside hitter Nicole Blue ripped a career-high 18 kills, but the 14th-ranked Alaska Anchorage volleyball team could not complete a comeback attempt Friday, falling 25-19, 25-18, 22-25, 25-22 to Chaminade in the season opener at the Patty Center.

The defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Seawolves also got 11 kills from Bethany Tuchardt and 10 kills from fellow newcomer Larssen Anderson as they lost despite outhitting the Silverswords .252 to .241.

Chaminade (2-0) was led by 15 kills and three aces from outside hitter Mahala Kaapuni as the defending Pacific West Conference champs excelled in the service game, delivering 12 aces and committing just three errors, compared to UAA's 6/10 ratio.

"We got off to a slow start but really began to settle in and show our true potential in the final two sets," said UAA head coach Stacie Meisner. "We got a couple huge aces from Sydney Johnson that gave us momentum in the third set, but we have to sustain that success in the serving game in order to give ourselves a chance."

After hitting .162 through the first two sets, the Seawolves connected at a .412 rate (15 kills, 1 error, 34 attacks) in the third, grabbing an early 9-4 lead. Coming off a redshirt season, Johnson delivered two straight aces to retake the advantage at 19-18, and Tuchardt added a kill during a 5-1 run that made it 23-19. After three straight points by the Silverswords, Meisner called timeout and her team responded with consecutive kills by Blue to win the frame.

UAA was in position to send it the distance as Blue banged two more kills late in the fourth to help grab a 22-21 edge, but the 'Swords used a timeout to stem the momentum and answered with a 4-0 run to close the match.

An Preseason All-GNAC Team pick, Blue surpassed her previous career high of 16 kills, set against Saint Martin's in the spring 2021 pandemic season. The team's lone senior hit an impressive .385 and picked up a double-double with 12 digs.

Junior setter Makana Eleneki had career highs of 29 assists and 11 digs in her first career start, while Johnson's three aces were also personal best.

The Seawolves continue their opening weekend tonight with a 7 p.m. match against Hawaii Hilo (1-0). Surf to GoSeawolves.com for links to live video and stats.