The Seattle University volleyball team took advantage of several mistakes by Alaska Fairbanks, notching nine service aces while making only three attack errors in the third game to sweep the Nanooks, 3-0 (30-26, 30-28, 30-27) Thursday night in GNAC action at the Connolly Center.
Setter Jamie Mellies (, ) distributed the offense well, as Nikole Thompson (, ) led with 11 kills, with Libby Graff (, ) earning nine kills, Kelly Benson (, ) notching eight kills, and Janet Beckerman () contributing six kills off the bench. Graff led the Redhawks with four service aces, while Thompson had three and Josie Christiansen (Coquille, ) picked up two aces.
Defensively, Emily Deleissegues (Aromas, ) led the way with 21 defensive digs, with Thompson earning 12 and Donnelle Nicaise () notching eight digs. At the net, Beckerman led the way with four blocks, while Graff and Christiansen had two total blocks each.
Alaska Fairbanks (9-11, 3-9 GNAC) was led by Megan Thigpen, who finished with 11 kills, three service aces, and 13 digs. Erica Gage had nine kills and four total blocks, while Korlyn Bolster earned eight kills and three total blocks. Alexa Sherman notched 37 assists, 12 digs, and three blocks, and Jessica King led the Nanooks with 16 defensive digs, but struggled offensively, finishing with twice as many errors (ten) as kills (five).
Neither team performed well in the first two games, each hitting below .050 before the intermission. After the ten-minute break, the offense for both teams improved, as Alaska Fairbanks earned 19 kills while hitting .143, and Seattle finished with 13 kills and a .238 hitting percentage in the third game.
(9-11, 6-6 GNAC) will look to sweep the schools as it hosts Alaska Anchorage Saturday night, Oct. 20, at the beginning at 7 p.m. The Redhawks defeated the Seawolves in , 3-1, on Sept. 20.