After the best season in school history, UAA's volleyball team faces a tough 2016 schedule that features strong tournament opponents.
The Seawolves last season went 27-3, won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II tournament. UAA has gone 159-69 (.697 winning percentage) in coach Chris Green's eight seasons, and has been to the NCAAs three straight seasons and six of the last seven.
UAA's SpringHill Suites Invitational, Sept. 1-3 at the Alaska Airlines Center, includes Arkansas Fort Smith, which last season went 29-4. The field also features Stanislaus State (16-11), Rollins (11-19) and Westminster (7-20).
The West Region Crossover in Sonoma, California, on Sept. 8-10 will deliver a formidable field that includes all three of UAA's NCAA-tournament opponents the previous two seasons — Cal State San Bernardino (28-6), Sonoma State (26-4) and Dixie State (19-11). Also in the field is Cal Baptist (21-7).
A season-opening trip to Hawaii in late August features three opponents coming off winning seasons — Chaminade (19-9), BYU-Hawaii (15-13) and Hawaii Pacific (15-13).
UAA will play a 20-match schedule in the GNAC.
The Seawolves last season led Division II in attendance with an average of 1,481 fans per match. They drew more than 2,000 fans three times, including a program-record 2,627 for a first-round NCAA regional win over Dixie State.
The Seawolves last season opened with a school-record 14 straight wins and later reeled off a 12-match winning streak to give them two of the three longest winning streaks in program history.
2016 UAA Volleyball Schedule
Home matches at Alaska Airlines Center in CAPS
* Denotes GNAC match
August: 20 – vs. ALUMNI. 25 – at BYU-Hawaii. 26 – at Chaminade. 27 – at Hawaii-Pacific.
September: (1-3) SpringHill Suites Invitational, 1 – vs. WESTMINSTER. 2 – vs. ROLLINS and vs. STANISLAUS STATE. 3 – vs. ARKANSAS FORT SMITH. (8-10) at West Region Crossover (Sonoma, Calif.), 8 – vs. Cal State San Bernardino. 9 – vs. Dixie State. 10 – vs. Cal Baptist, vs. Sonoma State. 15 – vs. SAINT MARTIN'S*. 17 – vs. SEATTLE PACIFIC*. 22 – at Western Washington*; 24 – at Simon Fraser*. 27 – at UAF*.
October: 1 -- at Montana State-Billings*. 6 – vs. WESTERN OREGON*. 8 – vs. CONCORDIA*. 13 – at Central Washington*. 15 – at Northwest Nazarene*. 20 – vs. SIMON FRASER*. 22 – vs. WESTERN WASHINGTON*. 25 – vs. UAF*. 27 – vs. MONTANA STATE-BILLINGS*.
November: 4 – at Concordia*. 5 – at Western Oregon*. 10 – vs. NORTHWEST NAZARENE*. 12 – vs. CENTRAL WASHINGTON*. 17 – at Seattle Pacific*. 29 – at Saint Martin's*.
December: 1-3 – NCAA Division II West Regional, site TBA. 8-10 – NCAA Elite Eight, Sioux Falls, S.D.