Sports

Zanders, Hooe fuel UAA in season-opening volleyball victory

With a big day of competition coming up Friday, the UAA volleyball team got ready Thursday with a season-opening display of resiliency.

The Seawolves overcame a first-set loss at the Alaska Airlines Center to claim a four-set victory over Azusa Pacific of California, 22-25, 25-20, 26-24, 25-20.

Katelynn Zanders began her senior season with a match-high 17 kills, including one that came with the third set tied 24-24, putting the Seawolves at set-point, 25-24. Erin Braun followed with one of her four kills to finish the set.

The match kicked off UAA's three-day SpringHill Suites Invitational, a four-team round robin tournament that includes two teams ranked in Division II's top 25.

The Seawolves face both ranked teams Friday, the tournament's busiest day with five matches on tap beginning at 9 a.m.

UAA takes on 23rd-ranked Rockhurst of Kansas City, Missouri, at 2 p.m. and meets 5th-ranked Nebraska Kearney at 7 p.m.

The Seawolves built some confidence by rallying past Azusa Pacific, a Pac West Conference team from California that went 14-15 last season.

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The Cougars started the match on fire. Their .414 first-set attack percentage featured 16 kills and four errors on 29 attacks, but they weren't able to sustain that excellence beyond the first set. They hit .000 in the second, .069 in the third and .094 in the fourth and finished the match with 40 kills and 23 hitting errors.

UAA hit .217 for the match, with 52 kills and 24 errors. Caitlin Hanson, a senior middle blocker, had 10 kills and four errors on 19 attempts for a .316 percentage, and junior setter Morgan Hooe had five kills and zero errors on 11 attempts for a team-best .455 percentage.

Hooe put up 36 assists and had a hand in five blocks for UAA, which outblocked the visitors 12-8.

Leah Swiss, a redshirt freshman, shined in her return to the court. She furnished eight kills, nine digs, four aces and two solo blocks.

Julia Mackey and Mikayla Sweet each had 11 digs for the Seawolves, and Mackey added eight kills.

UAA, 21-6 last season and the preseason pick to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, plays twice Friday and wraps up tournament play Saturday at 7:30 p.m., when it meets West Region foe Cal Poly Pomona.

SpringHills Suites Invitational

Alaska Airlines Center

Friday's matches

9 a.m. — Rockhurst (0-0) vs Cal Poly Pomona (0-0)

11 a.m. — Nebraska Kearney (0-0) vs Azusa Pacific (0-1)

2 p.m. — Rockhurst vs UAA (1-0)

4 p.m. — Azusa Pacific vs Cal Poly Pomona

7 p.m. — Nebraska Kearney vs UAA

Saturday's matches

9:30 a.m. — Azusa Pacific vs Rockhurst

11:30 a.m. — Nebraska Kearney vs Cal Poly Pomona

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5 p.m. — Rockhurst vs Nebraska Kearney

7:30 pm — Cal Poly Pomona vs UAA

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