SEATTLE -- The energy that had been there for portions of each match was there all night long for the Seattle Pacific volleyball team on Thursday.
The result: A three-game sweep of Alaska Anchorage that ended a six-match losing streak.
Nikki Finley hammered 21 kills, and Sarah Risser added 15 as the Falcons swept their way back into the win column by downing the Seawolves in Brougham Pavilion, 25-22, 29-27, 25-20.
“It was the energy and just the determination. We finally had a real fire in us from start to finish,” said SPU coach Chris Johnson, whose team raised its overall record to 4-15 and its GNAC mark to 2-8. “We've had it at times in parts of matches, but never that consistently.
"They were playing with confidence right from the start."
The outcome reversed an earlier three-game SPU loss in Anchorage and dropped the Seawolves to 12-11 overall, 4-6 in the GNAC.
“It was all our attitude,” said Falcons junior Cortney Weedman (Scottsdale, Ariz.), who had 22 assists, as did sophomore Joelle Perez (Vancouver, Wash., Heritage HS). “We came out just wanting to sweep them. We had a ton of energy, and that's what we needed. That's seriously all we needed.”
The three-game sweep was the second of the season for Seattle Pacific, which beat Cal State Dominguez Hills in three at the Triton Invitational in San Diego on Sept. 5.
The Falcons' last win came Sept. 25 at home in four games against Saint Martin's.
“We went out and did what we were doing in practice, but we finally put it in a game,” said senior Torii Mount (Gresham, Ore.) “So hopefully, we can figure out how to keep it that way.”
The Falcons were down 14-12 in Game 1, then ran off seven straight points for a 19-14 lead, getting two of the last three points on block assists by junior Robin De Jong (Goleta, Calif.) and freshman Paige Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.), and one on a kill by Finley (Highlands Ranch, Colo.).
Anchorage eventually got within two at 24-22, but Seattle Pacific closed it out on a crosscourt kill by Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.).
The Seawolves had two chances to close out Game 2, up 24-23 and 25-24, but SPU fought off both. Then, tied at 27-27, an Anchorage attack attempt was called out off a Seawolf player, giving the Falcons a 28-27 edge. The clinching point for Seattle Pacific came on an Alaska Anchorage attack error.
SPU raced to a 4-0 lead in the third game and stretched to as many as nine at 20-11. The Seawolves never got closer than two points, the last time at 9-7.
“I thought if we could get out to a fast start, we could put them away right now, especially the way the second game ended,” SPU coach Johnson said. “We didn't break down and panic or start making bad errors when we lost a couple points in a row. We stayed focused and confident in our abilities, and that makes a difference.”
Finley hit at a season-high .432 clip for the Falcons, getting her 21 kills on 44 total attacks, with only two errors. Seattle Pacific as a whole hit .244, while Anchorage hit just .129.
Freshman Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash., Shorecrest HS) came up with 15 digs, pushing her season total to 385. She started the night averaging 5.69 digs per game, fourth-best in the country in Division II.
De Jong had seven blocks for SPU, and Hoffman came up with six.
Alaska Anchorage's Rhea Cardwell, who leads the GNAC in total attacks and kills, finished with just nine kills on 35 swings. Joanna Johnson led the Seawolves with 10 kills.
Seattle Pacific returns to the court in Brougham Pavilion on Saturday at 7 p.m. against Alaska Fairbanks.
NCAA Volleyball
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Brougham Pavilion, Seattle, Wash.
Seattle Pacific 3, Alaska Anchorage 0
Game scores -- 25-22, 29-27, 25-20.
Service aces -- UAA: Joanna Johnson 1, Rhea Cardwell 1, Rachel Kidwell 1. SPU: Cortney Weedman 1, Sarah Risser 1.
Kills -- UAA: Johnson 10, Cardwell 9. SPU: Nikki Finley 21, Risser 15.
Assists -- UAA: Calli Scott 25. SPU: Weedman 22, Joelle Perez 22.
Blocks -- UAA: Scott 2, Courtney Lundberg 2, Ashley Bates 2. SPU: Robin De Jong 7, Paige Hoffman 6, Kylie Johnson 4.
Digs -- UAA: Stacie Meisner 16, Scott 10, Cardwell 10. SPU: Anna Herold 15, Finley 10, Risser 8.
Attendance -- 112.
Records --
Seattle Pacific 4-15, 2-8 GNAC.
Alaska Anchorage 12-11, 4-6 GNAC.
