Sept. 13, 2007

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Outside hitter Jaime Anderson (Sr., SeaTac/Mount Rainier) had a match-high 16 kills as Western Washington University swept University of Alaska Fairbanks, 30-26, 30-24, 30-16 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match Thursday on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings improved to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in GNAC play. It was their first home conference match of the season.

Alaska Fairbanks, which is off to its best start in school history, fell to 7-3 overall and 1-1 in the GNAC as it had a two-match winning streak snapped. The Nanooks had played their last five matches at home, winning four of them. Megan Thigpen led Alaska Fairbanks with 12 kills along with 11 digs.

The Vikings jumped to a 12-2 lead in the opening game, but the Nanooks rallied to tie the game at 18-18 and were down just 27-26 before Western closed out the game with three straight points. Outside hitter Emily Castro (Sr., Bellingham/Meridian) had seven kills in the game for the Vikings.

Neither team led by more than two points in the second game until Western scored four consecutive points to grab a 22-18 lead, and the margin never was under three after that.

In the final game, Western broke from a 9-9 tie with eight straight points, then closed out the match by scoring six of the last seven points.

Castro and middle blocker Angie Alvord (Jr., Laurel/Meridian) each had 12 kills for Western, with Alvord getting six in seven attempts in the third game. Alvord also had match-highs of seven blocks and three service aces.

Western libero Courtney Schneider had a match-high 21 digs, her 60th consecutive double-digit dig contest. Schneider extended her school and GNAC record career total to 2,106, which ranks 14th all-time in NCAA Division II.

Western, which is 66-6 (.917) on its home floor since 2000, hosts Alaska Anchorage (4-4, 0-2) in a GNAC contest Saturday (7 p.m.).