Seawolves slam Saints in Lacey

LACEY, Wash. (Sept. 22) - Freshman Sarah Johnson had 12 kills and eight digs to lead a balanced Alaska Anchorage attack Saturday, helping the Seawolf volleyball team to its first road victory of the season, 25-10, 25-22, 25-15, over Saint Martin's at Marcus Pavilion.

The Seawolves (8-4, 3-1 GNAC) also got impressive performances from front-row players Jodi Huddleston and Maureen Sabado, who combined for 15 kills on .361 hitting and eight block assists.

The Saints (3-4, 1-1) were led by seven kills from outside hitter Telissa Tua, but the home club was out-hit .269 to .046 and outblocked 8-3.

UAA took control from the outset as sophomore defensive specialist Jordan Bush matched her career-high with three service aces in an opening-set romp.

Saint Martin's rallied for four straight points late in the second set to tie it 22-22, but the Saints committed a service error, followed immediately by an ace from UAA's Kimya Jafroudi and a clinching kill by Johnson.

UAA carried its momentum into the third and ran away for its first road win in three tries this year.

Jafroudi finished with 33 assists to match her season average of 11.00 per set, along with eight digs and a pair of kills. Huddleston, a junior middle blocker, had eight kills and five block assists, and Sabado added seven kills and three block assists.

Bush and junior libero Siobhan Johansen paced the back-row defense with 12 digs apiece.

The Seawolves return to action at home next week when they host Alaska Fairbanks (2-8, 0-4) at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.