BURNABY, B.C. – The SFU Red Leafs volleyball team completed their perfect home weekend on Saturday night, reeling off a dominant 3-0 over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves (25-21, 25-21, 25-20) at the West Gym.
SFU's offence was led by its trio of veteran outside hitters.
Jocelyn Sherman of Victoria, B.C., and
Brooke Dexter (Anchorage, Alaska) paced the Red Leafs (8-4, 3-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) with 11 kills each, while
Hanna Kolof (Vancouver) notched 10 kills. Sherman added three aces and three block assists. Sophomore
Eva Person (Brentwood Bay, B.C.) had a 28-assist match, and rookie
Macyn Unger (Prince George, B.C.) recorded 20 digs.
Kalyn Hartmann (Langley, B.C.) and
Ezawa Malish (Coquitlam, B.C.) also had three block assists.
Outside hitter Nicole Blue led the Seawolves (9-9, 1-2) with 11 kills.
"We worked hard, and everyone pitched in and did their jobs well," said Dexter, who is from Anchorage. "It was great to have such a nice turnout for our first two home games. It helps us so much.
"I love playing Anchorage, it is my favourite game every year. They always have such a strong team, and I have a great relationship with their coach. I have a lot of respect for their program but nothing feels better than beating them."
After excellent back-and-forth action that led to the Red Leafs holding just a 20-19 lead in the opening frame, SFU's offence created just a bit of separation on a kill from
Sophie Lachapelle (Kelowna, B.C.) and an attacking error from the Seawolves.
Sherman and Kolof came up big late, posting back-to-back smashes to seal the first set by that 25-21 count.
After SFU went up 12-10 midway through the second, they never really allowed the Seawolves to get back off the mat. Leading by as many as five points in the latter stages of the frame, Canada's NCAA team polished off the stanza on a Dexter strike.
The Red Leafs went back to their late-set excellence to close out the contest. Knotted up 19-19 in the final set, Sherman had an impressive kill before teaming up with Malish on a massive block to put SFU up by two. After the teams traded a pair of errors, Dexter picked the biggest moments to really make her mark. The junior reeled off three straight kills to close out the Seawolves and complete the sweep.
SFU had an attack percentage of .286, compared to Alaska Anchorage's .190. The home side also had a 5-1 advantage in aces.
The Red Leafs welcome the Western Washington Vikings to West Gym next week, as first serve is set for 7 p.m. on September 30.
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
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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