UAA Volleyball competes in the Alaska Airlines Center (Photo Courtesy UAA Athletics)
Days before the first game of the season, Christopher Green, head coach of the UAA Volleyball team, said there was still a lot to improve on.
Despite this, the UAA women’s volleyball team handily defeated the Alumni team in their annual exhibition match, held Saturday, Aug. 13. The seawolves swept their predecessors in three victories; 25-19, 25-13 and 25-18. This performance was driven by seniors Eve Stephens and Ellen Floyd, according to the breakdown from Seawolf Athletics.
Green said the team this year has a good balance of returning experience and new players ready to contribute. He said that the exhibition match would be “a good test.”
Even before the exhibition, Green had his eyes on the first school the team was challenging; Hawaii Pacific University in Honolulu. “We take each match one at a time, so our first match against HPU is the most exciting for me right now,” Green said
Those matches in Hawaii were indeed exciting, as the Seawolf Volleyball team brought home three consecutive sweeps after a weekend of competition. Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii Hilo both fell in The Shark Tank, while Chaminade was defeated at McCabe Gymnasium, also in Honolulu. All three sweeps happened within a single 24-hour period, according to Seawolf Athletics.
The weekend of Campus Kickoff, UAA will be hosting teams from Georgia, California, Texas, Fairbanks and Pennsylvania for the Seawolf Invitational. During the event, which runs from Thursday, Aug. 25 to Saturday, Aug. 27, games will be played almost constantly at the Alaska Airlines Center. There are five games scheduled for both Friday and Saturday.
Seawolves will be competing against Lubbock Christian at 7 p.m. Thursday, Emmanuel at 9:30 a.m. Friday, Point Loma at 7:30 p.m. Friday, and Pittsburg State at 7 p.m. Saturday.
Green said the tournament “will be a big challenge for our team.” He hopes to see UAA well represented in the stands.”I think all the athletic teams bring a sense of pride and unity to our campus.” He especially wants to see the young female athletes in the wider Anchorage community come out and experience the team, hoping they’ll “find inspiration in our volleyball players.”
Home games are held in the Alaska Airlines Center, and Green wants to remind UAA students they get in free with their wolf cards. The team is looking to “pack the house” during their Nov. 12 game against Central Washington, in an attempt to break the NCAA attendance record.
More information about the volleyball team, their roster and their schedule can be found at goseawolves.com
Reach reporter Jake Dye at editor@thenorthernlight.org
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