FAIRBANKS, Alaska (Sept. 8) – Senior outside hitter Nicole Blue had 15 kills and 11 digs to lead a balanced effort for 21st-ranked Alaska Anchorage, but the Seawolves could not overcome a 30-kill performance from Lander star Katie Miller in a 24-26, 25-19, 23-25, 25-18, 15-13 volleyball setback at the Patty Center.

UAA (5-5) also got a career-high 21 digs from junior libero Reilly Plumhoff and put five players in double-figure kills, including career bests of 11 from junior middle blocker Isabel Evans and 10 from freshman rightside hitter Bella Burney.

Lander (5-2) – which went 21-10 and reached the NCAA Southeast Regional Second Round in 2022 – saw Miller strike for three of her 30 kills in the fifth set as the Greenwood, S.C., squad outhit the Seawolves .226 to .203 and outblocked them 13-9. The sophomore outside hitter finished with a .333 attack percentage on 60 swings, along with 11 digs.

"That was a frustrating ending because we fought so hard to win that third set and we had our chances in the fifth, but some very close plays went Lander's way, and I give them credit for a gritty win," said UAA head coach Stacie Meisner. "We have two more difficult matches against West Region opponents tomorrow, so we've got to learn from this and refocus quickly."

After seeing Lander surge from down 22-16 to tie the opening set, UAA got a kill from Burney and two by Blue in the final four rallies to snag the early lead.

The Bearcats controlled the second set and seemed poised for a 2-1 lead at 23-19 in the third, but a Burney kill and two more by Blue would tie it and force a Lander timeout. Burney followed with her first career ace, and Evans and Makana Eleneki combined to block Lander's Christina Aguayo on set point.

UAA tied the fourth at 14-14 on one of 10 kills from Leilani Elder, but Miller responded with three straight kills to start a 5-0, set-deciding run.

Land used a 4-0 run to claim a 10-6 lead in the fifth, and although UAA would slice the deficit to one on five occasions, the Bearcats answered each time. After Blue made it 14-13 with a kill, Aguayo and Blondie Penaflor combined to block Evans on a ball that landed inches inside the line on UAA's side of the court.

Blue also went 24 of 24 on serve receptions as she collected her fifth double-double of the season, while sophomore defensive specialist Madison Galloway went 17 of 17 on serve receptions, made a career-high 20 digs, and had two aces with no errors on 19 serves.

Bethany Tuchardt provided 11 kills, and Elder led the Seawolves with five block assists.

Eleneki finished with 32 assists and eight digs, while setting partner Kadyn Osborne had three kills and a career-high 21 assists.

The Seawolves take the same court Saturday at 10 a.m. against Stanislaus State and 4 p.m. against Biola in the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic. Surf to GoSeawolves.com for links to live video and stats.