Nov. 10, 2007

By Bob Eley
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

ANCHORAGE, AK- The Alaska Nanooks couldn't have picked a much better way to end the college volleyball season.

Leading their final match of the season 2-1, the Nanooks found themselves in a 28-21 hole in Game 4, but they rallied to post a 31-29 victory and claim a season sweep of the University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Saturday night in Anchorage.

"That has to be one of the highlights of the season," a jubilant Alaska coach Phil Shoemaker said via telephone following the match. "As far as leadership, grit, determination and heady performances under pressure down the stretch it was pretty incredible."

Trailing 28-21 in the final game, the Nanooks reeled off seven straight points to tie the match.

The rally began with a pair of Erica Gage kills and a setting error by the Seawolves to make it 28-24. After an Anchorage timeout, Jessica Hill recorded a kill, there were two Anchorage attack errors and a service ace by Megan Thigpen knotted things up at 28 apiece.

Anchorage went ahead 29-28 on a Rhea Cardwell kill, but Hill put the ball down to tie it up at 29. Hill and Korlyn Bolster blocked a kill attempt by Cardwell to give the Nanooks the lead and Miranda Trudeau completed the comeback with an ace.

"It was just good play by everyone down the stretch," Shoemaker said of the Nanooks' 30-28, 26-30, 30-26, 31-29 win. "Jessica Hill had a big block there at the end and Miranda made a couple of real tough serves."

Shoemaker put in setter Alexa Sherman when the Nanooks were trailing 28-21 and he said that made a big difference.

"We were just hoping to get better production out of our middles," Shoemaker said. "We needed more middle offense and she gave us that. It was a big lift and there were some great plays down the stretch."

The win snapped a nine-match losing streak and enabled the Nanooks to finish the season with a 10-16 overall record and a 4-14 mark in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. It marked the first time the Nanooks have swept the Seawolves since the 2000 season. Alaska beat UAA in three straight games to kick off the GNAC season on Sept. 8 at the Patty Center.

UAA losts its 12th in a row to finish 5-19, 1-17.

"This was much needed in terms of mental health and a good way to close out the season, no doubt," Shoemaker said. "We wanted to send the seniors out with smiles on their faces."

The Nanooks certainly did that as Jessica King and Jenna Jones finished their four seasons with Alaska on a winning note.

"Both had good games for us," Shoemaker said.

King, who was playing with a dislocated thumb, finished with 13 kills, 10 digs and an ace, while Jones had a kill, eight digs and two service aces.

The Nanooks had several outstanding performances along the way Saturday night.

Thigpen led the way with 17 kills, 21 digs and three service aces. Hill finished with 14 kills 10 digs and two block assists. Korlyn Bolster had 12 kills and four block assists, while Hannah Armstrong picked up 11 digs and Sedra Zlock had 10.

"We had solid performances all the way across the board tonight," Shoemaker said.

With the season now over, the Nanooks can revel in their victory until the two teams meet again in 2008.

"It's always good to beat them," Shoemaker said. "The manner in which it was done was certainly good for us and painful for them."