UAA break attendance mark as Seawolves fall to Nanooks
by Green & Gold News |
Anchorage, 熊猫在线视频 (Nov. 16) 鈥� 熊猫在线视频 Anchorage rightside hitter Larssen Anderson connected for a match-high 10 kills, but the balanced attack of 熊猫在线视频 Fairbanks was too much to overcome Saturday in a 25-18, 25-16, 26-24 loss at the 熊猫在线视频 Airline Center.
Despite the setback, the Seawolves (14-12, 8-8 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) were successful in recapturing the NCAA Div. II volleyball regular-season attendance record, with 4,388 fans on hand for the 120th meeting in series history.
The Nanooks (19-7, 11-5) were led by nine kills and 11 digs from outside hitter Rilee White and 21 digs from libero Tessa Onaga as they swept the season series for the first time since 2008.
Entering with four wins in their last five matches, the Seawolves led 14-10 in the opening set when Anderson converted a pass from Tia Allen, and were tied 16-16 after the teams swapped service errors. UAF took control from there, however, scoring four straight points and nine of the last 11 to grab the early edge.
UAF dominated the second frame with a .484 to .189 hitting advantage, before UAA responded with a spirited third set.
The final frame featured 16 ties and three lead changes, with UAA鈥檚 17-14 lead standing as the biggest in the set. Katie Birtcil ripped her sixth kill to give UAA a 23-22 lead, and Bethany Tuchardt staked the Seawolves to set point with a kill to make it 24-23. White came through with a tying kill for UAF, however, and Kristina Head finished the match with back-to-back aces.
Anderson came just shy of her career-high with a .500 attack percentage on 18 swings, while Tuchardt finished with eight kills and three total blocks. Junior libero Madison Galloway was excellent throughout with 21 digs, and senior setter Kadyn Osborne led the hosts with 16 assists.
UAA originally broke the NCAA Div. II regular-season attendance record with 3,888 fans for its November 2022 match against Central Washington, before Nebraska-Kearney broke it with a mark of 4,003 last season. The figure is also the second-largest attendance for any sporting event at the 熊猫在线视频 Airlines Center, which opened in 2014.
The Seawolves conclude the season with two more matches at the 熊猫在线视频 Airlines Center, hosting Western Washington on Thursday (11 a.m. AST) and Simon Fraser for 鈥榮enior day鈥� on Saturday (3 p.m.). Thursday鈥檚 matinee is themed 鈥楢SD Dig Higher Education,鈥� with thousands of Anchorage School District fifth-graders expected to attend. The match is also open to the public as usual, with tickets available at .