Oct. 23, 2010
Box Score
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Outside hitter Megan Amundson (Sr., Stanwood) had a double-double with a match-high 10 kills and 12 digs and middle blocker Emily Jepsen (Jr., Kennewick/Kamiakin) served seven aces as nationally ranked Western Washington University posted a three-set sweep of University of Alaska Fairbanks by identical scores of 25-14 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match Saturday at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.
The Vikings, ranked No.17 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll and No.3 in the West Region, improved to 15-2 overall and remained tied for first place in the GNAC at 12-1.
The win was the seventh straight for Western, which has won its last 21 sets. The Vikings are 6-0 at home this season, all sweeps.
Alaska Fairbanks dropped to 5-13 overall and 3-9 in GNAC action with its eighth loss in nine matches.
Amundson had just two errors in 17 attempts for an attack percentage of .471. She also served two aces.
Marlayna Geary (So., Tacoma/Bellarmine Prep) notched eight kills for the Vikings, with Bailey Jones (So., Mukilteo/Kamiak), Kathryn Mertens (Sr., Olympia) and Jepsen each having six.
Libero Allison Gotz (Sr., Bothell/Archbishop Murphy) had a match-high 13 digs and setter Kari Rice (Sr., Toppenish/Eisenhower) had 32 assists.
Western got off to a 9-2 lead in the first set and finished it on consecutive kills by Jones, Mertens, Jepsen and Amundson.
In set two, the Vikings led by just one point, 10-9, before pulling away and scoring the last five points. Three aces by Jepsen helped Western to a 16-6 lead in the third and final set.
The Vikings, who had 12 aces, finished with a .295 hitting percentage, while holding Alaska Fairbanks to .053.
Western has now won its last six meetings with the Nanooks. The Vikings hold a 30-6 series advantage, winning 19 of 20 confrontations over the last 10 seasons.
Western next entertains Simon Fraser ion Saturday, Oct. 30 (7 p.m.), in a GNAC counter.
