Box score (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – During the course of the volleyball season, every team is going to have "one of those nights."
 
For the Seattle Pacific Falcons, that was Thursday.
 
Maddie Batiste had 10 kills, but SPU had a combined 34 errors – 24 on the attack, 10 on the serve – as Alaska Anchorage scored a three-game sweep of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener in Brougham Pavilion.
 
Scores were 25-18, 25-15, 25-11.
 
"We had a lot of errors, and we're just figuring out how to play well for a longer period of time – end of story," Falcons head coach Abbie Wright said. "We're young, and adjusting to a veteran team (such as Anchorage) is something we have to be better at."
 
Except for early SPU leads in Game 1 (3-0) and Game 3 (2-0), the night belonged to the Seawolves (6-3, 1-0 GNAC). They put four straight points on the board in the opener to stretch a 9-8 lead to 13-8.
 
The Falcons (3-6, 0-1 GNAC) fell behind early in Game 2, but got within 16-12. UAA then ran off six points in a row. Likewise in the third game, Seattle Pacific was in it, down just 13-9. The Seawolves took care of that with a 7-0 run for a 20-9 advantage.
 
"Sometimes when you're starting out, it's hard to keep your confidence for a long period of time," Wright said. "(Against) teams like this, you have to play hard and confident when things aren't going your way."
 
While SPU struggled on offense, hitting just .052 (29 kills-24 errors-97 attacks), Anchorage didn't seem to miss. The Seawolves made just five attack errors on 80 swings and had 35 kills for a .375 percentage. They hit in the .400s in Game 2 (.429 on 14 kills-2 errors-28 attacks) and again in Game 3 (12-1-23).
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- Both teams had just one player in double-digit kills: Maddie Batiste for SPU (10), and Vanessa Hayes for Anchorage (11).
-- The Falcons are 8-11 all-time in GNAC openers, 3-4 when those openers are a home.
-- Senior setter Taylor Alicuben recorded her 200^th career dig on Thursday. She had four, giving her 201
-- Alicuben (10) and freshman setter Lindsey Lambert (13) were both in double-digit assists.
-- Senior libero Mallie Donohoe led Seattle Pacific with 15 digs.
-- The Falcons did not record any double-doubles, just the second time his season that has happened.
-- Alaska Anchorage has won its last eight visits to Brougham, a streak that started in 2012.
 
UP NEXT
SPU will return to the court on Saturday against Alaska Fairbanks at 2:00 p.m. The Falcons and Nanooks have battled to five games the past two years here. UAF swept Saint Martin's in Lacey on Thursday, 25-14, 25-14, 25-20.
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
Alaska Anchorage 3, Seattle Pacific 0
 
Game scores – 25-18, 25-15, 25-11.
 
Service aces – UAA 5 (Schlueter 3), SPU 1 (Oddo 1).
Kills – UAA 35 (Hayes 11), SPU 29 (Batiste 10).
Assists – UAA 34 (Floyd 29), SPU 28 (Lambert 13, Alicuben 10).
Digs – UAA 39 (Floyd 10), SPU 38 (Donohoe 15).
Block assists / solo – UAA 16 / 0 solo (Pluharova 6 / 0 solo), SPU 2 / 0 solo (Gould 1 / 0 solo, Dunham 1 / 0 solo).
Hitting – UAA 35-5-80—.375 (McGlathery 6-0-8—.750), SPU 29-24-97—.052 (Stegemoller 5-2-15—.200.
Attendance – 101.
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 3-6, 0-1 GNAC.  Alaska Anchorage 6-3, 1-0 GNAC.
 
Next match
Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.