BURNABY, B.C. – SFU opposite
Brooke Dexter (Anchorage, Alaska) put on a show in her hometown Thursday, recording 18 kills on .368 hitting to lead the Red Leafs to a 3-1 (26-24, 16-25, 25-16, 25-22) victory in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match-up at Alaska Anchorage.
Thursday's result at the Alaska Airlines Center gave SFU (12-6, 7-3 GNAC) the season sweep of the Seawolves for the first time since joining the GNAC in 2010. The Red Leafs beat UAA 3-0 last month at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C. SFU also moved into sole possession of second place in the league standings.
The Red Leafs got a number of excellent performances aside from Dexter: 16 kills from junior outside hitter
Jocelyn Sherman (Victoria, B.C.), 41 assists from sophomore setter
Eva Person (Brentwood Bay, B.C.) and 23 digs from freshman libero
Macyn Unger (Prince George, B.C.). Sophomore middle
Ezawa Malish (Coquitlam, B.C.) recorded six block assists. Both Dexter and Sherman served three aces to lead SFU, which had a 10-6 advantage in aces. The Red Leafs were also bolstered by members of the SFU cross country teams in the crowd. The runners are in Anchorage to race the conference championships on Saturday.
The opening set featured 22 ties and eight lead changes and needed extra points. The largest gap between the teams was two points – at 4-2 and 5-3 in favour of the Seawolves. Down 21-20, the Red Leafs won the next two points on a kill by junior opposite
Sophie Lachapelle (Kelowna, B.C.) and a service ace by senior outside hitter
Hanna Kolof (Vancouver). The teams traded points and SFU led 24-23, but a service error allowed UAA to save the set point. The Red Leafs rebounded with a Sherman kill. She then clinched the set by serving an ace.
SFU used a 5-0 run to build an 11-5 advantage in the second set, however, it ended with the Seawolves going on a big 17-3 surge to even the match.
The Red Leafs rebounded in Set 3, as a pair of kills from both Dexter and Sherman in the early stages staked Canada's NCAA team to a 10-5 edge. UAA took the next four points, but SFU replied with a 6-1 run to go ahead 16-11. The Red Leafs built on their lead, as Dexter served up a couple of aces as part of 5-0 stretch that made the score 22-13. Malish finished the set with a kill. SFU outhit the home team .323 to .156 in the third frame.
The Seawolves were in front 15-14 in the fourth set but the Red Leafs won the next four points on a Sherman kill, an attack error and two blocks (Malish-Person and Malish-Sherman). A Dexter kill later in the set stretched the gap to 22-18. UAA closed to 23-22 but kills from senior middle
Kalyn Hartmann (Langley, B.C.) and Sherman closed out the match.
It was the first time this season SFU had a GNAC league contest go beyond three sets.
The team will head to Fairbanks to play the Alaska Nanooks on Saturday afternoon.
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