Monday, October 24, 2022

PORTLAND, Ore. –  Simon Fraser started its week doing something that no other GNAC team has been able to accomplish this season; beating Alaska Anchorage. The Red Leafs took down the No. 9 Seawolves in four sets at home on Thursday en route to sweeping the week with a three-set win over Alaska on Saturday and earning GNAC Team of the Week honors.

Simon Fraser snapped Alaska Anchorage’s 13-match winning streak on Thursday, handing the Seawolves their first loss since Sept. 2 in four sets. The Red Leafs came out of the gates strong, battling toe-to-toe with their nationally-ranked opponents. They showed their grit late in the frame, staving off a seven-point run by the Seawolves to take the first set 25-23. Alaska Anchorage came back and evened the score in the second set, taking their own 25-23 win after the set was tied nine times.

In the third frame, the Red Leafs bounced right back, rattling off seven straight points to open the set. Riding the momentum of its start, SFU was able to continue chipping away at the Seawolves, taking the set 25-22, the largest scoring margin of the night.

In contrast, the final set was full of back-and-fourth runs. The lead changed four times after Simon Fraser took the initial advantage with a four-point run to start the set. The frame was punctuated by the Red Leafs scoring five points in a row to turn around a four-point deficit and bring the score to 17-16 in their favor on the way to sealing the victory with another 25-23 set win.

Sophomore outside hitter Jocelyn Sherman led the way against the Seawolves, racking up 12 kills, 14 digs, six aces and two assists. Junior Kalyn Hartmann also provided firepower for the Red Leafs, tallying 13 kills to go with her .440 attack percentage.

Simon Fraser ended its week on Saturday by completing its sweep of the Alaska schools with a three-set victory over the Nanooks. It was a largely dominant win for the Red Leafs, taking the first set 25-18, the second set 25-23 and the third set 25-14. Sophomore right-side hitter Brooke Dexter led the way on Saturday. Dexter put up 13 kills to go along with seven digs, five blocks, an ace and a .357 hitting percentage.

Simon Fraser head coach Gina Schmidt feels that the team’s hard work has been rewarded by the week’s results and points to multiple players stepping up as a strength for the Red Leafs.

“Our team has been working hard all season and it was nice to be rewarded for that effort with the wins this weekend,” Schmidt said. “We had contributions from many different players at pivotal moments throughout the two matches so it really was a full team effort.”

Simon Fraser hits the road this week to face Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.