BURNABY, B.C. – The SFU Red Leafs volleyball team swept the Alaska Nanooks 3-0 (25-17, 25-15, 25-16) Thursday in front of an energetic and fun crowd of 625 at the West Gym in Burnaby, B.C.
The attendees, many of whom were participants in
SFU Recreation's Rec Fest earlier in the day, provided an electric atmosphere for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchup. In return, the Red Leafs gave the fans plenty to cheer about in their first home appearance of the 2023 NCAA volleyball season.
Junior opposite
Brooke Dexter (Anchorage, Alaska) knocked down 14 kills to pace SFU, while
Kalyn Hartmann (Langley, B.C.) led the Red Leafs' defence at the net with a solo block and four block assists. The senior middle also tied for second on the team with eight kills (with just one error for a .467 attack percentage). Junior outside hitter
Jocelyn Sherman of Victoria, B.C., also had eight kills.
Sophomore
Eva Person had an outstanding all-around match. The setter from Brentwood Bay, B.C., distributed 25 assists, served a team-best five aces, had 12 digs and contributed four block assists. Freshman libero
Macyn Unger (Prince George, B.C.) led SFU with 13 digs.
"Our team did a great job of executing our game plan tonight, especially from the service line," said SFU head coach
Gina Schmidt, whose team had eight aces on Thursday. "We were able to get Alaska out of system a lot and that allowed our block and defence to earn us points in transition. After three weeks on the road, I know our team appreciated playing at home in front of such a great crowd. Their encouragement and support helped energize us from start to finish."
SFU trailed 6-3 early in the opening set, but overturned the deficit with six points in a row, capped off by a pair of aces from senior outside hitter
Hanna Kolof (Vancouver) that made it 9-6. The Red Leafs stayed ahead the rest of the set, stretching their lead to 15-10 on back-to-back Dexter kills. SFU then got consecutive combination blocks – the first from Hartmann and Person, and the second by Hartmann and Kolof – to go in front 20-12, before clinching the set.
Alaska led early again in the second set, 9-7, but couldn't hold off Canada's NCAA team. A Person ace finished off a 9-2 run that pushed the home side ahead 16-11. Person ended the set with a kill on a setter's dump.
The Red Leafs dominated the third set, and was not behind at any point. A pair of Person aces forced an Alaska timeout with the hosts up 13-5. The Nanooks responded by taking the next five points, but SFU claimed five of the next six to restore the big gap. Dexter hit another ace to increase the Red Leafs' advantage to 20-12. Then fittingly, Person recorded another two aces to conclude the match.
SFU finished the night with an attack percentage of .267 while Alaska's percentage was .045. The Nanooks got nine kills from Karli Nielson while Cynphany Henderson led her team in assists (13) and digs (10).
The Red Leafs host Alaska Anchorage Saturday at the West Gym, with the opening serve scheduled for 7 p.m. Both teams received votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Poll released on Monday.
Fans can still purchase SFU volleyball season tickets here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-red-leafs-season-passes-men-womens-soccer-and-volleyball-tickets-680344246957
Single-game tickets for Saturday's contest can be bought here:
https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/sfu-volleyball-vs-university-of-alaska-anchorage-tickets-679568566877
For the latest information on SFU Athletics, visit
athletics.sfu.ca. You can also find us on social media at @SFU_Athletics.
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