Alaska sports notebook: UAA volleyball dominates in first GNAC win, Dimond volleyball continues to roll

Sep. 12—After having its multi-match winning streak snapped on the road last week, the University of Alaska Anchorage volleyball team bounced back with a vengeance on Thursday night at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Seawolves swept Seattle Pacific in three straight sets to pick up their first Great Northwest Athletic Conference win of the season. They notched a pair of double-doubles as senior outside hitter Lee Ivakina topped the team with 11 kills and 13 digs, while senior setter Hannah Trotter led the team with 27 assists and finished third in digs with 10.

"It was another great team effort tonight, with everyone stepping up to contribute," UAA head coach Morgan Hooe said in a statement. "Hannah did well again at distributing the ball to our attackers, and Patri Ferran (5 kills) had a nice breakout match."

In the Interior, the University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team accomplished a similar feat on the same night with a three-set sweep of Montana State Billings at home. The Nanooks were able to do so without a single player reaching double figures in kills. Freshman Cori Leavitt and redshirt sophomore Haylee Lyons tied for the team lead with eight apiece.

On the prep volleyball scene, reigning 4A state champion Dimond cruised to a fifth straight three-set sweep Wednesday night to remain undefeated against in-state competition. The Lynx successfully defended their home court against Bartlett, winning each set by 12 or more points. The Golden Bears were led in kills by senior Ailafo Fautanu with 10, junior libero Evie McKenna led the team with a dozen digs and senior setter Puao Asailevai logged the most assists with 20.

In high school flag football action, perennial contender North Pole increased its winning streak to six in a row with a pair of blowout road victories over Mat-Su Borough School District programs. On Thursday, the Patriots defeated Wasilla 34-13 thanks in large part to three players eclipsing 100 all-purpose yards. Senior running back Jade Skipps led the team with 306 yards she compiled by scoring a trio of touchdowns, including a 77-yard run late in the fourth quarter during which the stadium lights went out as she crossed the 30-yard line.

Second on the team was junior Jordi Darby with 170 all-purpose yards that included a pair of touchdowns and 63 receiving yards, and she also scored on both a two-point and a one-point conversion. Senior Taimane Skipps was a force on both sides of the ball with 128 all-purpose yards, throwing a touchdown, recording two interceptions and leading the team with eight flag pulls.

Anchorage's Brandon Pili helped the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks kick off their title-defending season on a high note Wednesday night in a 13-10 win over the New England Patriots. The former Dimond High standout and fourth-year pro logged nine combined snaps, with six coming on defense and three on special teams.