Complete Box Score

SEATTLE (Sept. 24) – Seattle Pacific overwhelmed Alaska Fairbanks with a relentless attack as the Falcons smashed their way to an easy 3-0 sweep of the Nanooks in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball contest Saturday night at Brougham Pavilion.

The Falcons (5-0 GNAC, 11-3), ranked No. 18 in NCAA II, recorded 52 kills and just eight errors and finished with an astonishing .440 hitting percentage as a team en route to a 30-22, 30-13, 30-13 victory. Coupled with Central Washington’s victory over Seattle University tonight, SPU captured sole possession of second place in the conference as one of just two undefeated teams. Seattle U. is in first at 6-0, and Central dropped to 4-1.

Alyssa Given (So., 5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame), who has been red hot in leading SPU in kills the past four matches, led all players with 13 kills. She did not commit a single error and finished with a .591 hitting percentage. Angie Wodrich (So., 5-10, Richland, Wa.) was also in double figures with 11 kills and hit .526 to go along with 10 digs and three blocks.

It was quick work for the Falcons, who trailed just once in the entire match when the Nanooks (1-5 GNAC, 1-9) scored the first point of Game 2. SPU, however, scored seven straight and pulled ahead 13-2. In Game 3, Seattle Pacific scored the first six points and later scored 10 straight points to build a 28-10 lead before closing out the match on a kill by Whitney Dibble (Jr., 6-1, Reno, Nv./Galena).

Dibble finished with five kills and three blocks. Rachel Biornstad (So., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) added eight kills, five digs and three blocks. Shelby Gihring (Jr., 5-10, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) came on in Game 3 to record six kills on .750 hitting.

April Blanford led the Nanooks with 10 kills. Katrina Jensen and Crystal Wheelock finished with seven kills apiece.

Fairbanks finished with just 28 kills to SPU’s 52. UAF also committed 24 errors. The Falcons held the Nanooks to a .035 hitting percentage, and four UAF players hit in negative figures. The Falcons also had a 50-33 advantage in digs.

The Falcons travel to Ellensburg, Wa. to take on ninth-ranked Central Washington in a key GNAC matchup on Thursday at 7:00 p.m.

Seattle Pacific def. Alaska Fairbanks 30-22,30-13,30-13
Alaska Fairbanks (1-5, 1-9) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Blandford,April 10-1-1; Wheelock,Crystal 7-1-0; Jensen,Katrina 7-0-2; Jones,Jenna 2-0-1; Bolster,Korlyn 1-0-0; Zlock,Sedra 1-0-0; Totals 28-2-2.0. (Assists) - Stenehjem,Kayleen 16. (Dig leaders) - Jones,Jenna 12; Wheelock,Crystal 7
Seattle Pacific (5-0, 11-3) (Kills-aces-blocks) - Given,Alyssa 13-2-0; Wodrich,Angie 11-1-3; Biornstad,Rachel 8-1-3; Gihring,Shelby 6-0-0; Myers,Chelsey 5-0-2; Dibble,Whitney 5-0-3; Soules,Natalie 2-0-0; Von Moos,Jenna 2-1-2; Totals 52-5-6.5. (Assists) - Von Moos,Jenna 41. (Dig leaders) - Mount,Torii 14; Wodrich,Angie 10; Von Moos,Jenna 9
Site: Seattle Pacific (Royal Brougham). Date: Sep 24, 2005. Attend: 153. Time: 1:19. Referees: Clayton Wong, Robyn Filimaua.