NAMPA, Idaho (Sept. 19) – Sophomore outside hitter
Trinity Byrne recorded her first career double-double, but a strong fourth set was not enough for the Alaska Anchorage volleyball team Saturday as Northwest Nazarene prevailed 25-14, 25-20, 12-25, 25-19 at the Johnson Sport Center.
The Seawolves (9-5, 2-2 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got career-bests from three different players in the loss, with Byrne – an Idaho native – registering 10 kills and 10 digs. Junior rightside hitter
Emma Beck had eight kills on career-high .667 hitting, while freshman
Patri Ferran had highs in kills (6) and digs (5), along with her first solo block.
The Nighthawks (7-4, 1-3) were led by 14 kills from Abby Black, while Jenna Holm contributed on half of her team's 12 blocks, helping the hosts snap a four-match losing streak in the series.
"NNU played well, and we did not play up to our capabilities this weekend as a team," said UAA head coach
Morgan Hooe. "We have a lot of things to correct and two extremely good opponents at home next week, so we'll need to refocus quickly."
After tough hitting performances in sets one and two, the Seawolves sent the match to a fourth set with a .520 to .000 advantage in set three. Byrne had four kills on five swings in the third, while junior outside hitter
Kyana Gabriel had three kills on six swings.
UAA's momentum did not carry over to the fourth set, though, as NNU led 4-0 and 8-1 to take control and lead comfortably throughout.
Gabriel had eight kills and nine digs after missing the last two matches, and senior middle blocker
Bella Burney added six kills and three total blocks.
Hannah Trotter led UAA with 22 assists.
The result marked the 10th straight time UAA and NNU played at least four sets.
The Seawolves return to the Alaska Airlines Center to host Western Washington on Thursday and nationally ranked Simon Fraser on Saturday. Both matches start at 7 pm, with tickets and live links available at GoSeawolves.com. On Thursday, kids 12-and-under get in free with the purchase of an accompanying adult ticket, courtesy of Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
