Volleyball opens season with wild win over Findlay
September 5, 2012
Jamie Foland
474-6807
The Alaska women's volleyball team opened 2012 the right way, rallying back to take a 3-2 victory against Findlay in front of 487 boisterous fans at the Flint Hills Resources Nanook Classic on Friday night at the Patty Center.
The Nanooks (1-0) defeated the Oilers (0-1) by set scores of 25-21, 17-25, 23-25, 25-15 and 15-11. The win marked the first time since the 2007 season that Alaska opened the year with a win.
Freshman outside hitter Sam Harthun turned in a tie for the match-high with 14 terminations to go with 11 digs, while junior outside hitter Keri Knight had 10 kills and 13 digs and senior outside hitter Reilly Stevens contributed 10 kills as wel. Freshman setter Katlyn Mataya was the force to get the offense rolling as she tallied a match-best 42 assists while senior libero Allison Oddy led the defensive effort with 17 digs.
As a team, Alaska shot .161 to Findlay's .148, despite both teams combining for 54 errors. The 'Nooks made eight service aces while the Oilers had five and the visitors led on the block with nine blocked shots, to Alaska's six. Sophomore middle blocker Morgan Tebbs was in on five of the nine, including three solo.
For Findlay, Danielle Taflinger tied Harthun with 14 kills and also was a force defensively, collecting seven assisted blocks, to lead all players. Mackenzie Vorst also shot well, with11 kills to go with her 10 digs. Amanda Calhoun had a solid effort in the setter position, falling one shy of Mataya with 41 assists and Becca Shoemaker finished the night with a match-best 24 digs.
In the opening set, both sides battled to a 14-14 tie, but Alaska struck with three straight to claim a 17-14 advantage. Findlay got to within two on a pair of occasions, but with the score at 21-19, the Nanooks took advantage of a UF service error and ace of their own to put them up four. Teams traded points thereafter and Alaska, which shot .281 in the set, took the opening frame 25-21.
Both squads kept it tight early in the second, but Findlay broke the 4-4 deadlock with a 5-1 run due in large part to three Alaska errors and an ace. The 'Nooks struggled offensively with only a .028 shooting percentage, while the Oilers hit .200. With Alaska's lack of rhythm, Findlay stretched the lead to 15-9 and the home team never got closer than five the rest of the set.
Findlay took a 7-3 lead into the third but Alaska answered back with a 6-2 run to tie it at 9-9. Findlay regained a lead as big as four at 18-14, but Alaska fought back to tie it at 23. UF shut the door and took a 2-1 match lead with kills by Taflinger and Vorst.
With the fourth tied at 6-6, Alaska took over with six straight on three kills and three UF errors to grab a 12-6 advantage. The Nanooks shot .167 in the set, while limiting the Oilers to a -.103 shooting percentage, the lowest set average of the night. Alaska eventually doubled the lead at 20-10 and cruised on to a 25-15 win to set up the race to 15.
In the final set, the near 500 fans stood on their feet making for an euphoric atmosphere. The frame was tied 6-6, but Alaska used three UF errors to spark a 5-1 run to hold an 11-7 lead. The Oilers got to within two at 12-10, but a pair of errors put the 'Nooks at match point. After Findlay stayed alive with a Taflinger kill, the ensuing serve by Maggie Naayers went into the net to end the match.
The Nanooks return to the court tomorrow for a pair of matches as they face Notre Dame de Namur (0-1) at 1 p.m. and Cal State East Bay (1-0) at 7 p.m. in the final match of the Nanook Classic. Earlier Friday, East Bay swept NDNU in the opening match of the tournament, 3-0 (25-21, 25-17, 25-21).