Sept. 18, 2014 Box Score
Postgame Interview - Kayla Erickson
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Middle blocker
Kayla Erickson (Sr., Gig Harbor/Peninsula) had a match-high 12 kills with just two errors on 21 attempts for a .476 attack percentage as nationally ranked Western Washington University cruised to a 25-17,25-13,25-14, victory over University of Alaska Fairbanks in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match Thursday at Sam Carver Gymnasium on the WWU campus.
The Vikings, No.10 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll, improved to 8-3 overall and 1-1 in the GNAC in bouncing back from five-set loss to Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday.
UAF fell to 0-10 overall and 0-2 in the GNAC, suffering its seventh consecutive three-set sweep. San Harthun and Brooke Matttice each had seven kills for the Nanooks.
After trailing 3-2 in the opening set, WWU responded with an 8-4 charge to take an 11-6 lead. The Nanooks twice pulled to within two, the last time at 16-14, but the Vikings scored the next five points to put the set away.
WWU pulled away from a 10-10 tie in the second set with an 11-1 rally, and was never seriously threatened after opening up a 7-2 lead in the final frame.
Arielle Turner (R-Fr., Leavenworth/Cascade) and Jennica McPherson (Jr., Seattle/Kennedy) each had nine kills for the Vikings.
Libero Samantha Hutchinson (Sr., University Place/Curtis), the NCAA II leader in digs, had 19 Thursday. She now has 1,978 for her career and should become the second Viking to reach the 2,000 milestone Saturday, Sept. 20 (7 p.m.) when WWU completes its three-match home stand against Simon Fraser.
