Wildcats defeat Seawolves in battle of GNAC contenders

Anchorage (Oct. 16) - Senior outside hitter Tia Allen had 10 kills and 17 digs, but the UAA volleyball team could not get going offensively Thursday, falling 25-17, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21 to Central Washington at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves (14-4, 5-3 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) also got 10 kills and four block assists from junior middle blocker Bella Burney as they were outhit .206 to .139.

The Wildcats (11-4, 7-1) were led by 17 kills and 11 digs from outside hitter Ellie Marble, helping the defending GNAC champs to a sixth straight win and into a first-place tie with Western Washington.

"We didn't play our best volleyball tonight, and Central was able to take advantage of our mistakes," said UAA head coach Stacie Meisner. "We will regroup and get ready for another tough team coming in Saturday, and hopefully our fans will come out in full force to support us on our Pack the House night."

Coming off a road victory over No. 7 Simon Fraser, the Seawolves were not able to get any momentum going in the opening set, falling behind 7-1 and 15-8. Consecutive kills by Burney made it 18-16, but Ella Bines smashed three straight kills to help the Wildcats end on a 6-0 run.

Central took early control of the second set, too, snapping a 7-7 tie and sparking a 10-2 run with a kill by middle blocker Mackenize Godden.

UAA finally hit its stride in the third set, outhitting the visitors .233 to .176 in a frame that featured 14 ties. The teams traded points for ties at 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23, before the Seawolves called timeout. Bines hit long to give UAA set point, and Marble was blocked by Emma Beck on Martina Riba for the clincher.

The Seawolves were unable to recover from another slow start in the fourth set, though, as Central jumped to a 4-1 advantage and never relinquished it.

Allen's double-double was her 10th this season. The senior transfer from Saint Martin's also served one ace, making her the 12th player in GNAC history with at least 1,000 kills, 1,000 digs and 100 aces.

Senior libero Madison Galloway made 22 digs to move into sixth place on UAA's career list, now with 1,235.

Junior Lee Ivakina had eight kills, 13 digs and four assists, and Beck added seven kills and four block assists.

Freshman setter Johana Malikova had 24 assists and 11 digs, while sophomore Hannah Trotter added 12 assists, eight digs and three kills off the bench.

The Seawolves complete the first half of GNAC round-robin play Saturday when they host Northwest Nazarene at 7 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Center. The match will be UAA's annual 'Pack the House' event, presented by Marathon Petroleum. All tickets are $5, along with multiple giveaways, and an Alaska Airlines round-trip ticket for the fan with the best game-day sign.