ANCHORAGE (Oct. 17) – Senior
Lee Ivakina led an Alaska Anchorage comeback with 15 kills, but it wasn't enough Saturday as No. 21 Central Washington hung on for a 25-10, 25-19, 23-25, 28-26 victory in a battle of Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball contenders at the Alaska Airlines Center.
The Seawolves (14-7, 7-4 GNAC) also got 31 assists and 12 digs from senior setter
Hannah Trotter and seven kills on .462 hitting from senior
Bella Burney, but could not overcome a .283 to .118 disparity in hitting percentage.
The Wildcats (13-4, 9-2) were led by 20 kills from rightside hitter Corinne Westby and 18 kills on .654 hitting from middle blocker Kailey Willsey, extending their winning streak to nine matches and retaining a share of first place alongside Seattle Pacific.
"I'm proud of the fight we showed after getting outplayed in the first two sets," said UAA head coach
Morgan Hooe, whose team played in front of a season-high crowd of 2,757. "Our fans made it a terrific atmosphere and I think our team fed off that energy, but credit to a very good Central team in a hard-fought match."
Looking to avenge last month's 3-0 loss in Ellensburg, the Seawolves appeared to be on the ropes in the rematch, facing a two-set disadvantage and a 13-6 deficit in the third set. A kill by Ivakina and two straight aces from Trotter got the hosts rolling, though, and Ivakina would make it 21-21 with back-to-back kills. Tied 23-23, UAA claimed the frame when Wildcats outside hitter Ellie Marble hit it long, and Ivakina came through with her 11th kill of the set.
The momentum continued into set four as
Kyana Gabriel made it 14-7 with one of her eight kills, and Burney connected for a 20-12 lead. A service error and three straight Wildcat kills tightened things up and eventually led to a 21-21 tie, however, and the visitors earned match point at 24-23.
Martina Riba and Gabriel teamed to block that opportunity and UAA earned a set point of its own at 25-24, but the Wildcats responded and closed the match with consecutive kills by Marble and Willsey – the final one coming after a marathon rally.
Ivakina added 11 digs to claim her eighth double-double this season, while senior libero
Elena Hansen made a team-high 15 digs.
Riba led the Seawolves with five block assists, and sophomore
Mary Nahinu connected for a career-high four aces in the loss.
The Seawolves travel for a pair of matches next week, starting with a Thursday 6 pm ADT showdown against nationally ranked Simon Fraser in Burnaby, British Columbia. Find links to live video and stats at GoSeawolves.com.
