Box score, play-by-play
FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- Seems there wasn't much spark in the gym for Thursday night's volleyball match between Seattle Pacific and homestanding Alaska Fairbanks.
Not a problem. The Falcons brought plenty of their own.
Sarah Risser had 13 kills , and Anna Herold set a single-season school record for digs for the second straight year as Seattle Pacific swept past the Nanooks and kept its NCAA tournament hopes alive.
Scores of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference contest at The Patty Center were 25-17, 25-15, 27-25.
“It was kind of a low-energy match. But we did a good job of keeping our spirits up,” Falcons coach Chris Johnson said. “It seemed kind of slow-paced, but we felt like we were in control. We did a good job of keeping our composure and playing error-free down the stretch.”
SPU (17-10, 11-4 GNAC) is No. 7 in the West Region rankings that came out on Thursday. The top eight teams in the West at the conclusion of the regular season qualify. This year's tournament bracket and pairings will be announced on Sunday at 6 p.m. PST on ncaa.com.
In addition to staying in the hunt for an NCAA berth, the Falcons were hoping to claim at least share of the conference title, as well. But Alaska Anchorage wrapped up the crown on Thursday with a three-game sweep of Northwest Nazarene.
The Seawolves host Seattle Pacific in the regular-season finale on Saturday.
Sophomore libero Herold (Bothell, Wash/Shorecrest HS) had 13 digs for the match, giving her 586 for the season. That broke the record of 579 which she set last year as a freshman.
“To break those records is very significant,” Johnson said. “It's a testament to her work ethic and how good she is at the game.”
Herold is No. 17 in all of Division II this week in digs per game at 5.43. In fact, if the career high-tying 41 digs she got on Monday against Central Washington were factored in (national leaders were compiled before SPU and Central finished their suspended match on Monday night), Herold would have been up to No. 12 at 5.55.
“She's a big reason why we have the best defense in the league right now,” Johnson said. “She's one of the best in the country at what she does -- and she's only a sophomore."
Seattle Pacific led for all but a moment of Game 1, when Fairbanks edged in front at 6-5. The Falcons ran off the next four points and never trailed again.
The second game was knotted at 8-8 when SPU went on a 7-0 surge, with Herold serving on the last six of those points: a service ace, a kill by sophomore middle blocker Amber Johnson (Mount Vernon, Wash./Mount Vernon HS), a kill by senior middle blocker Jessica Bettencourt (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.), a kill by sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Wodrich (Richland, Wash./Richland HS), a Fairbanks error, and one more kill by Wodrich, making it 15-8.
Then in the third game, the Falcons had a 16-10 lead, sparked in part by three straight Wodrich service aces. But the Nanooks (11-15, 5-10 GNAC) got back into a 19-19 tie and kept it close the rest of the way, though they never did take the lead.
Alaska Fairbanks, which suffered its third straight sweep, fought off Seattle Pacific match points at 24-23 and 25-24. The Falcons then got the final two points, the first on a kill by junior outside hitter Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) to make it 26-25, and the clincher on a Nanooks attack error.
Herold wasn't the only Falcon exceeding a milestone on Thursday. Senior setter Cortney Weedman picked up 20 assists, pushing her past the 1,000 mark in just two years at SPU. Weedman, who transferred to SPU from UC Colorado Springs prior to last season, now has 1,007, with 620 of those this season.
SPU hit .237 for the match and limited Fairbanks to just .128 hitting. Amber Johnson hit .412 for the Falcons, with eight kills and just one error on 17 swings, and also had a team-high four blocks. Wodrich finished with four service aces to go along with seven kills, and freshman setter Shelby Swanson (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) earned 15 assists.
NCAA Women's Volleyball
Thursday, November 12, 2009
The Patty Center/Fairbanks, Alaska
Seattle Pacific 3, Alaska Fairbanks 0
Game scores -- 25-17, 25-15, 27-25.
Service aces -- SPU: Lindsey Wodrich 4, Cortney Weedman 2. UAF: Two players with 1.
Kills -- SPU: Sarah Riser 13, Amber Johnson 8, Paige Hoffman 7, Wodrich 7. UAF: Jessica Hill 10, Megan Thigpen 9.
Blocks -- SPU: A. Johnson 4. UAF: Erica Gage 6.
Assists -- SPU: Weedman 20, Shelby Swanson 15. UAF: Alexa Sherman 28.
Digs -- SPU: Anna Herold 13. UAF: Heather Lyons 10.
Hitting -- SPU .237 (43 kills, 16 errors 114 attacks), UAF .128 (32 kills, 18 errors, 109 attacks).
Attendance -- 242.
Records
Seattle Pacific 17-10, 11-4 GNAC.
Alaska Fairbanks 11-15, 5-10 GNAC.
Next match -- Seattle Pacific at Alaska Anchorage, Saturday, 8 p.m. PST.
