Saturday, December 3, 2016

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Leah Swiss and Erin Braun combined for 31 kills and top-seeded Alaska Anchorage rallied for the final four points of the match to earn the NCAA Div. II West Regional Volleyball Championships crown with a 19-25, 27-25, 25-21, 25-23 victory over 3rd-seeded Western Washington at a rowdy Alaska Airlines Center on Saturday night.

The nationally 9th-ranked Seawolves (32-2) also got 10 kills – including two kills in the final three rallies – and a career-high 24 digs from sophomore outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in program history.

The nationally 16th-ranked Vikings (23-8) were led by 14 kills from Arielle Turner, plus 11 kills, 28 digs and three aces from fellow all-tournament selection Abby Phelps, but the defending West Region champions could not close out a fourth set in which they led 23-21.

Having handed UAA its lone Great Northwest Athletic Conference loss on Oct. 22 in a 3-2 (20-18) thriller on the same court, the Vikings came out strong and held a 7-4 lead when the match took a sudden turn. Going for a dig, Seawolf setter Morgan Hooe – the West Region and GNAC Player of the Year – suffered a leg injury on the play and hobbled off the court, getting an ovation from the crowd of 2,710.

Western Washington used the absence to its advantage, holding the match close until winning the last five points to close out the 25-21 victory.

After the Vikings clinched the first set, they held a 4-3 edge in the second when Hooe reentered the match with a soft brace over her knee. The senior provided an emotional boost that helped her team fight off one set point and knot the contest when WWU committed back-to-back errors on the final two rallies.

The Seawolves rolled their momentum into a 19-9 start to the third set, but the Vikings would not go easily, winning 11 of the next 13 points to draw within 21-20. Following a UAA timeout, Swiss and Johnson ripped consecutive kills, and Swiss converted again on set point for a 2-1 lead.

UAA pulled ahead 14-10 in the third, only to see the Vikings push back again. Western Washington went on an 11-4 surge, capped by two straight kills from Joelle Buckner. Another of Buckner’s seven kills made it 23-21, but Buckner hit the ensuing serve wide, opening the door for the hosts.

Johnson provided the tying kill on a feed from libero Kyla Militante-Amper, and Hooe dropped a soft ace in front of Aubrey Buckner for the lead. The Seawolves then used an unconventional tandem on match point when right-side hitter Diana Fa’amausili made a perfect desperation set to Johnson on the left pin, and the former local Dimond High star’s attack deflected off the fingertips of a Viking defender to end it.

UAA also got a big lift along the back from libero Kyla Militante-Amper, who tied the program’s former single-match digs record with 39. The Oregon native had made a school-record 43 digs in UAA’s home loss to WWU in October. Meanwhile, Hooe still finished with 39 assists, 13 digs, three kills and two aces, earning a ride on her teammates’ shoulders during the postmatch celebration.

Brette Boesel added 30 assists and nine digs for Western Washington, which lost its first match at the Alaska Airlines Center dating back to the building's opening in 2014. Kayleigh Harper was big at the net again for WWU with nine blocks to go along with nine kills.

Up next for the Seawolves is the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight national quarterfinals in Sioux Falls, S.D., Dec. 8-10. For the first time this year, the NCAA is re-seeding the Elite Eight field, with those matchups being announced at 6 a.m. AST on Monday.

2016 NCAA Div. II West Regional All-Tournament Team
Kendra Bodine, Northwest Nazarene, OH, Jr.
Erin Braun, Alaska Anchorage, OH, So.
Hailey Cook, Northwest Nazarene, S, Jr.
Jayann DeHoog, Cal State San Bernardino, S, So.
Diana Fa’amausili, Alaska Anchorage, MB, Fr.
Madi Farrell, Northwest Nazarene, MB, Jr.
Kayleigh Harper, Western Washington, MB, So.
Morgan Hooe, Alaska Anchorage, S, Sr.
Lauren Nicholson, Cal State San Bernardino, MB, Jr.
Abby Phelps, Western Washington, OH, So.
Leah Swiss, Alaska Anchorage, MB, So.
Arielle Turner, Western Washington, OH, Jr.