ANCHORAGE, ALALSKA - Seattle Pacific opened with several extended scoring runs but could not sustain the momentum Saturday afternoon, falling to Alaska Anchorage 3-1 (25-17, 25-17, 24-26, 25-15).
 
FROM THE COACH
"Proud of our team's season," head coach Jason Rhine said. "They have stuck together through the ups and downs of wins and losses and continued to learn and grow. Tonight, we bounced back from a rough start and battled well for a large part of the match. In the end, Anchorage did a good job of adjusting throughout the match and being resilient on defense."
 
"It was great to see us match their intensity defensively and fun to see our team playing hard all the way to the end," Rhine added. "We are very grateful for the group we have this year, and we are excited to continue to build together in the future."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
·      SPU opened the match aggressively, ripping off a 7-1 run early in the first set behind strong serving and disciplined serving pressure.
·      Maintaining that energy, the Falcons followed with a 5-0 surge, fueled by clean transitions and block touches, to take a commanding lead.
·      To close out the opening frame, they capped off the set with a 6-2 run, never giving their opponent an opportunity to rally.
·      In the second set, the Falcons answered a tight mid-game stretch with a 10-2 run, the kind of sustained offensive burst that made the difference. A pair of aces and well-timed blocks broke open the set, and SPU secured it with a 4-0 finishing run.
·      The third set was more of the same. SPU responded to early pressure with a 6-0 swing, anchored by crisp first-ball contact and a high-side serve that unsettled their opponents.
·      They followed that with another 5-1 run, closing out the match decisively as their offense stayed balanced and unselfish down the stretch.
 
FROM THE BOX
·      Megan Omlid led SPU with 16 kills.
·      Joslyn Greff added 11 kills, showing a strong presence in the Falcon attack.
·      On the service line, Makayla Hickman recorded 2 aces, helping spark some of SPU's momentum swings.
·      At the net, Madelyn Benjamin tallied 4 blocks, with Sophia Chambers not far behind (3), keeping pressure on UAA's hitters.
·      In the back row, Christina Lopez tallied 23 digs, anchoring SPU's defense during key moments.
 
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