Coming into the trip with a four-game winning streak, Seattle Pacific University’s women’s volleyball team made its way to Alaska. They played against the University of Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Oct. 31, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday, Nov. 2, where they encountered defeat in both games.
A frightening and intense match against Alaska Anchorage ended with a sweeping loss of three straight sets for SPU.
The first set ended 25-19. Seattle Pacific fell behind six points early on, giving UAA an advantage. They were equally matched until the end of the set, where the Seawolves pushed through with five points, making the score 23-17. The drastic change in the team’s energy led to small mistakes and cost them the first set.
In the second set, Anchorage took a four-point lead, which caused SPU to play catch up. Most of SPU’s points in the set were from hitting and service errors by UAA. They had a few three-point breakthroughs but lost the set 25-20.
In the last set, Seattle Pacific rallied from a 14-7 deficit to make it 14-13, with kills starting with freshman outside hitter Eva LaRochelle to a kill from sophomore opposite hitter Coco Barnett set by sophomore Sofia Chambers. The teams traded points until SPU scored six straight, leading 22-18. At game point (24-20), Alaska Anchorage fought back, tying the score and eventually winning the set 26-24.
The Falcons had a day to cover ground and put together missing pieces before they faced Alaska Fairbanks at the Patty Center. Throughout the match, SPU and UAF went back and forth winning sets. Seattle Pacific put up counters, ending with a score of 3-2. The night still ended on a good note with some Falcons breaking individual and Great Northwest Athletic Conference records.
Alaska Fairbanks won the first set 25-23, setting the tone for the match, but Seattle Pacific bounced back to take the second set 25-23. Both teams battled fiercely, trading points and exchanging long rallies. The Falcons secured the set with a kill from fifth-year middle blocker Hanna Hair, followed by an attack error from Fairbanks.
Alaska Fairbanks took the lead once again, winning the third set 25-21. Towards the end, they created a gap between points large enough to claim the set. SPU was not ready to accept defeat, taking the win for the fourth set.
Through grit and determination, the Falcons were able to prolong their game. The fourth set ended with a score of 25-19. They started the set off rocky, falling behind five points until they slowly started building a lead. Confidence radiated from them. When a point was earned, celebration occurred and encouragement was always shown.
The final set, played to 15 points, was closely contested, with both teams having an equal chance to take the game. However, Alaska Fairbanks dominated down the stretch closing out the set 15-11.
Seattle Pacific returns from Alaska with a blow to their streak but a great record-breaking win for Hannah Hair. Throughout her five years at SPU, she has earned the new GNAC record for career blocks, a record that has not been touched since 2019. Hair currently holds the record at 598.
SPU’s women’s volleyball team is currently ranked sixth with a conference record of 6-7 and an overall record of 6-15. They will play Simon Fraser University on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m. and Western Washington University on Saturday, Nov. 9, at 1 p.m. Both games will be home games in Royal Brougham Pavilion.
