The Rewind: UAA volleyball team’s surge continues; Wolverines split with Wisconsin

Welcome back to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports.

Last week featured several notable individual and team performances across the Alaska sports landscape at the high school and professional levels, as well as some developments on the college front. The 2025 high school hockey and wrestling seasons raged on with strong showings from perennial and emerging contenders. On the college scene, University of Alaska Anchorage athletics had a dominant weekend across multiple sports. Outside the state, several Alaskans had impressive performances and career achievements worth recognizing and celebrating in their respective arenas.

Headlines and highlights

The biggest tournament of the 2025 high school wrestling regular season took place in the Mat-Su last weekend and saw South Anchorage finish with the most points in the both the boys varsity and junior varsity division and the fifth-most in the girls division. Across the three, the Wolverines had a dozen finalists, including four first-place finishers.

“I thought the team competed well throughout the entire weekend,” head coach Randy Hanson said. “We never really discussed winning the tournament as the goal, but we were more focused on competing hard, scoring points, and competing well on Saturday morning, which we did. The team is fired up to use this weekend’s feedback to continue to improve the last month of the season, and now it’s back to work.”

Switching from the mat to the rink, the South hockey team continued its undefeated start to the season by taking down a pair of perennial contenders in close games on back-to-back days. After rallying past Chugiak to win 3-2 in regulation last Tuesday, the Wolverines turned around and beat reigning state champion West Anchorage for the second time this season on Wednesday in a 4-3 overtime thriller. Both game-winning goals came courtesy of underclassmen, with sophomore Devin Berg completing the comeback against the Mustangs and freshman Ryder Rocheleau delivering the dagger versus the Eagles.

“We practice hard, we play hard and have that depth,” head coach Daniel Ramsey said. “We’re trying to do what we can do to win our hockey games.”

[South hockey pulls off late rally against Chugiak to remain undefeated]

On the college sports scene, it was another busy week for UAA teams with all but one being on the road. The volleyball team carried forward the momentum of earlier home wins by extending its winning streak to four in a row, notching two more last week on the road. After beating Northwest Nazarene in four sets on Thursday, the Seawolves went the distance and bested league-leading Central Washington in a five-set upset on Saturday night.

“I’m really proud of the confidence we played with tonight,” UAA head coach Stacie Meisner said in a statement. “Central is big and very physical, but we didn’t shy away from that and kept grinding away with big swings. It was once again a full team effort, with big contributions from Tia, Lee and Bella offensively.”

Leading the Seawolves on the court with a pair of double doubles across both games was senior outside hitter Tia Allen. She led the team with 14 kills and tied for the lead in digs with 20 against the Nighthawks, and then finished second in kills with 20 and had 14 digs against the Wildcats.

“Tia really anchored our team last week with both her attacking and defending,” Meisner said. “She knows when to be aggressive and use her power, and when to place the ball with tips for a kill. She is a consistent presence on the court, and as one of our captains has done a tremendous job both on and off the court all season long.”

The UAA men’s basketball team turned in a pair of impressive victories as the host and winner of the Alaska/Hawaii Challenge. In the first game Saturday night in the auxiliary gym at the Alaska Airlines Center, while the 4A high school volleyball state championship was wrapping up, the Seawolves were grinding out a 70-65 win over Hawaii Pacific. They turned around Sunday evening and edged past Chaminade 57-53 to claim the title. Junior forward Sylas Williams reached double figures in scoring in both games, including a season-high 22 points against the Silverswords in Game 2.

“I loved the way we guarded for 40 minutes,” head coach Rusty Osborne said in a statement. “Guys were locked in, and that was the difference. We made it hard for them to score 5-on-5. Offensively, we’re still learning and developing chemistry after having Sylas and Jeremiah (Coleman) out for so long. We will get better as we get more practice with everyone healthy, but for now I’m very proud of our resilience both nights when our opponents made runs.”

In women’s hoops action, the Seawolves also squared off with a pair of foes from the 50th state: Instead of playing at home, the games took place on the road — and the Green and Gold still emerged victorious in both matchups. Freshman guard Mylee Anderson of Wasilla led the team in scoring against Hawaii Pacific with 21 points and sophomore guard Mahaila Harrison posted the most against Chaminade with 24, and both totals were the second-highest for each player in the team’s first four games.

“I’m proud of each one of our players and how they handled business on our first road trip together,” head coach Matt Thune said in a statement. “Anytime you can get a win on the road you have to celebrate it. We didn’t play our best tonight, yet we were still effective and that’s an encouraging sign to us as a coaching staff.”

After narrowly dropping the first in a two-game road series against Bentley University 2-1 on Friday, the UAA hockey team bounced back the following night with a 3-2 win. The Seawolves led 1-0 entering the third period when both teams traded a pair of goals, with freshmen forwards Judah Makway and Ty Spencer each recording the first of their respective collegiate careers. The Seawolves’ first goal of Game 2 was scored by senior captain Conor Cole, who also scored their lone goal in Game 1.

[With momentum from Denver win, UAA hockey team hits East Coast for 6 games in 10 days]

The Anchorage Wolverines were at home for the second week in a row to host the Wisconsin Windigo for a two-game series. They lost a 4-3 shootout thriller Friday night and bounced back Saturday by scoring four straight unanswered goals after falling behind 1-0. Leading the team in goals across the series was forward Luc Bydal, with three for the second weekend in a row, including one worthy of a Sports Center highlight. He increased his team-leading total for the season to 17.

“It was a good weekend for us getting 3 of a possible 4 points,” head coach Mike Aikens said. “I thought we were good on Friday having outshot and outchanced the Windigo, but Saturday was by far our most complete game of the season. We have been on a good run getting 14 of the last 18 possible points, but we will need a good week of preparation to be ready to face a good Fairbanks team on the road.”

[Anchorage Wolverines continue to make strides despite falling to Windigo in shootout thriller]

Alaska stars shining Outside

Anchorage’s Jeremy Swayman picked up his seventh and eighth wins of the season between the pipes for the Boston Bruins last week. In a 5-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs last Tuesday, he made 30 saves on 33 shots. The former South standout followed it up by stopping 26-of-28 shots in a 3-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday.

Anchorage’s Daishen Nix helped the Rio Grande Valley Vipers go 1-1 against the Texas Legends in the NBA G-League last week with a pair of double-digit scoring performances. In a 119-110 loss, he led the team with 26 points and three steals to go along with five assists. On Saturday in a 133-126 bounce-back win, he recorded 15 points, five rebounds and three assists.

Anchorage’s Sayvia Sellers helped the University of Washington women’s basketball team pull away conference rival Utah in the second half of a 72-61 win this past Saturday. The former Anchorage Christian star both led the Huskies and tied her single-game career-high with 30 points to go along with two steals, two blocks and four rebounds, which cemented her case for Big Ten Conference Player of the Week honors.

Wasilla’s Layla Hays recorded 14 points in back-to-back games last week for the University of Iowa women’s basketball team. In a 100-58 blowout win over Drake last Thursday, she had her first career double-double with a career-high 10 rebounds. The former Wasilla star nearly repeated the feat with 14 points, seven rebounds and the first two blocks of her career in a 74-41 trouncing of the University of Northern Iowa on Sunday.

Palmer’s Hallie Clark recorded her first career double-digit scoring performance for the Colorado Mesa University in an 85-70 loss to West Texas A&M University last Friday. The former Colony star tied for the team lead with 14 points, which included going 3-of-5 from behind the arc, and she also led the Mavs with four assists.

A pair of Alaskans squared off on the hardwood when Brayden Maldonado and the Seattle University men’s basketball team blew out Isaiah Moses and Eastern Washington 94-67 last Wednesday. Maldonado of Bettye Davis East Anchorage led the Redhawks with 26 points while Davis, of Dimond fame, finished second on the Eagles with 12 points.

Anchorage’s Alani Makihele helped the University of Nevada, Las Vegas football team establish a two-game winning streak in a 29-26 win over Utah State University on Saturday. The former star offensive lineman for West led the blocking effort from his guard spot that paved the way for a ninth straight outing of 25-plus points and over 400 yards of total offense.

Anchorage’s Landon Drumm had a monster final game for the Arapahoe High School varsity football team in a 78-28 loss to Fairview last Friday. The former South star wideout recorded a team-leading 13 catches for 236 receiving yards.

Fast Forward

Prep

Hockey

South vs. Chugiak at Ben Boeke, Saturday at 1:45 p.m.

The Wolverines and Mustangs will meet again for the second week in a row for a CIC matinee clash this weekend.

College

Volleyball

UAA vs. Seattle Pacific at the Alaska Airlines Center, Saturday at noon

The Seawolves will close out the regular season with a pair of home games this week. They have a chance to claim the GNAC title and the No. 3 spot in the West Region if they can extend their winning streak by beating Montana State Billings on Thursday night and the Falcons in the finale.

Women’s basketball

ASRC/ConocoPhillips Great Alaska Shootout at the Alaska Airlines Center

The Seawolves have a busy week ahead of them with a Tuesday night home game against Hawaii Hilo. They will then close it out with their annual tournament, in which they’ll be hosting three NCAA Division I programs, including Bowling Green, whose head coach is Palmer’s own Fred Chmiel.

Men’s basketball

UAA vs. Northwest University at the Alaska Airlines Center, Saturday at 3 p.m.

The Seawolves will continue their four-week homestand with a two-game series against the Eagles this weekend. The second game takes place on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Last week’s results

High school

Hockey

Tuesday

Monroe Catholic 9, Tri-Valley 4

West Valley 7, Lathrop 1

Wasilla 5, Colony 2

South 3, Chugiak 2

West 10, Bartlett 1

Wednesday

South 4, West 3 (OT)

Eagle River 4, Service 3

Thursday

West Valley 1, Chugiak 0

Service 11, Bartlett 0

Friday

North Pole 4, Chugiak 1

Wasilla 3, Houston 2

Kenai Central 3, Eagle River 2

West 6, Dimond 2

Kodiak 4, Homer 2

Monroe Catholic 9, Delta 2

Saturday

Kodiak 4, Homer 1

West Valley 4, Chugiak 3

Soldotna 2, Eagle River 1

Wrestling

Lancer Smith Memorial Wrestling Tournament

Saturday

Semifinals

Girls - 235: Allison Coffey (26-2), South over Araya Andres (22-2), Homer (Dec 6-0)

Girls - 235: Ari O`Domin (10-0), Bristol Bay over Honey Herron (11-6), Bethel (F 1:21)

Girls - 185: Thalia Martinez (24-0), Lathrop over Honey Rexford (5-1), SWDP (TF 15-0 (1:54)

Girls - 185:Phoebe Lang (16-2), Homer over Lillian Muller (21-8), Service (F 4:27)

Girls - 165: Kenya-Marie Bruno (10-1), East over Infinity-Ann Asiata-Higa (29-2), Soldotna (MD 15-6)

Girls - 165: Katara Lepule (13-0), Soldotna over McKinley Hafen (15-8), Wasilla (F 1:44)

Girls - 152: Savannah Stout (23-1), South over Nyana Tidwell (24-6), North Pole (TF 17-1 (3:44)

Girls - 152: Desiree Moore (20-1), North Pole over Alice Balash (23-3), Lathrop (F 3:58)

Girls - 145: Malila Miller (18-0), Service over Calyse Clark (18-4), Dimond (F 5:52)

Girls - 145: Kaari Storrs (10-0), Eagle River over Eliza Anders (17-4), WVHS (F 3:55)

Girls - 138: Jane Douglas (19-1), Dimond over Braylynn Young (20-6), NIK (F 3:56)

Girls - 132: Ida Lester (5-0), New Halen over Taryn Wright (22-5), Wasilla (F 5:03)

Girls - 138: Brynlee Lutz (30-0), Wasilla over Cailynn Belgarde (22-6), Colony (F 1:32)

Girls - 132: Saoirse Cook (19-4), Homer over Solveig Finstad (21-6), Lathrop (Dec 3-1)

Girls - 126: Sienna Mickelson (17-3), Kodiak over Alora Wassily (17-2), Dill (Dec 6-5)

Girls - 126: Kourtney Barnes (19-1), Wrangell over Rowan Peck (12-5), Soldotna (MD 8-0)

Girls - 120:Pagan Lester (5-0), New Halen over Braelyn Troxell (24-3), Colony (Dec 4-0)

Girls - 120: Valarie McAnelly (28-0), Soldotna over Christabelle Minke (22-3), Homer (F 5:13)

Girls - 114: Jaelynn Colby (6-0), North Pole over Hayden Vanderpool (15-2), Colony (F 3:46)

Girls - 114: Mia Hannevold (22-0), Soldotna over Julia Dunlap (27-5), South (F 0:26)

Girls - 107: Nixie Schooler (22-0), Juneau-Douglas over Claire Dyment (19-5), Bethel (F 3:29)

Girls - 107: Brooklyn Duelfer (21-1), South over Jade Sherry (25-4), SWDP (F 2:50)

Girls - 100: Grace Loutzenhiser (15-0), Colony over Taylor Cooley (19-10), Wasilla (F 3:08)

Girls - 100: Naomi Keller (30-1), Soldotna over Bryndi Beck (5-1), Valdez (F 2:42)

Boys - 285: Lucas Griffin (17-0), South over Jackson Weller (12-3), Colony (F 3:03)

Boys - 215: James Stickler (19-0), Haines over Rodney Mcneel (20-3), Soldotna (TF 19-3 (5:23)

Boys - 189: Thor Nelson (23-1), Colony over Hunter Terbeek (12-6), SWDP (MD 15-2)

Boys - 171: Laramie Gibson (27-1), Soldotna over Luke Roderick (19-5), Colony (ID 5:16)

Boys - 285: Jaxon Runnels (16-3), SWDP over Daven Nysta (22-1), DIM (Dec 13-7)

Boys - 160: Richard Dunlavey (20-6), Chugiak over Daniel Steffensen (17-2), Chugiak (Dec 12-6)

Boys - 215: Gage Runnels (18-0), SWDP over Cody Barnes (15-4), Wrangell (F 3:27)

Boys - 189: Zane Gerlach (25-0), South over Braden Ott (16-4), Eagle River (F 1:53)

Boys - 171: Clayton McGuire (27-0), South over Bohdan Porter (23-3), South (TF 18-3 (4:00)

Boys - 152: Shane Ostermiller (18-1), South over Hayden Reuter (23-5), SWDP (Dec 5-1)

Boys - 160: Jacob Morris (15-0), South over Wallace Evans (18-6), SWDP (F 2:16)

Boys - 152: Michael Dickinson (26-0), Soldotna over Jed Davis (19-5), Juneau-Douglas (F 3:39)

Boys - 145: Ezekiel Bolton (13-2), SWDP over Levi Shivers (17-1), South (Dec 4-2)

Boys - 145: Jackson Carney (18-0), Wrangell over Corbin Lutz (22-7), Wasilla (MD 11-1)

Boys - 140: Carson Cobb (24-4), Soldotna over Benson Mishler (19-2), South (Dec 6-3)

Boys - 140: Michael Roschi (15-0), Eagle River over Alejandro Sanchez (17-3), Seward (TF 16-1 (4:27)

Boys - 135: Frank Rodriguez (19-0), SWDP over Trestin Houck (20-1), Mountain City Christian (F 1:13)

Boys - 135: Sam Henry (27-0), Soldotna over Shaw Gerondale (21-3), South (F 4:40)

Boys - 130: Titus Watts (18-2), Soldotna over Ridge Conant (21-2), Seward (F 1:47)

Boys - 125: Max Francisco (17-2), East over Gusty Tunguing IV (16-3), Koli (F 5:54)

Boys - 130: Kaden Costigan (20-0), South over Quenten Halverson (15-4), SWDP (MD 10-1)

Boys - 119: Landon Hill (19-1), Juneau-Douglas over Hayden May (28-2), West Valley (Dec 10-3)

Boys - 125: Hudson Morris (22-2), Soldotna over Camden Messmer (19-4), Juneau-Douglas (TF 20-4 (6:00)

Boys - 119: Mason Ekle (21-0), South over August Reigh (16-3), Dill (F 3:59)

Boys - 112: Coleman LeClair (24-1), Soldotna over Matthew Shockley (21-5), Juneau-Douglas (Dec 9-5)

Boys - 112: Canyon May (27-1), West Valley over Benjamin Balluta (5-1), Mt. Edgecumbe (F 3:18)

Boys - 103: Manny Novelli (23-1), South over Colter Campbell (19-2), East (TF 16-1 (5:22)

Boys - 103: Peyton Cobb (18-1), Soldotna over Kooper Matteson (21-2), North Pole (F 5:37)

Finals

Girls - 165: Kenya-Marie Bruno (11-1), East over Katara Lepule (13-1), Soldotna (F 3:24)

Girls - 152: Desiree Moore (21-1), North Pole over Savannah Stout (23-2), South (F 4:00)

Girls - 145: Kaari Storrs (11-0), Eagle River over Malila Miller (18-1), Service (F 1:24)

Girls - 138: Brynlee Lutz (31-0), Wasilla over Jane Douglas (19-2), Dimond (F 2:39)

Girls - 132: Saoirse Cook (20-4), Homer over Ida Lester (5-1), New Halen (MD 12-0)

Girls - 126: Kourtney Barnes (20-1), Wrangell over Sienna Mickelson (17-4), Kodiak (F 5:24)

Girls - 120: Valarie McAnelly (29-0), Soldotna over Pagan Lester (5-1), New Halen (MD 11-1)

Girls - 114: Mia Hannevold (23-0), Soldotna over Jaelynn Colby (6-1), North Pole (F 1:58)

Girls - 107: Nixie Schooler (23-0), Juneau-Douglas over Brooklyn Duelfer (21-2), South (F 2:26)

Girls - 100: Naomi Keller (31-1), Soldotna over Grace Loutzenhiser (15-1), Colony (F 4:42)

Girls - 235: Ari O`Domin (11-0), Bristol Bay over Allison Coffey (26-3), South (F 2:43)

Girls - 185: Thalia Martinez (25-0), Lathrop over Phoebe Lang (16-3), Homer (F 3:21)

Varsity - 171: Clayton McGuire (28-0), South over Laramie Gibson (27-2), Soldotna (MD 14-4)

Varsity - 160: Jacob Morris (16-0), South over Richard Dunlavey (20-7), Chugiak (F 1:27)

Varsity - 152: Michael Dickinson (27-0), Soldotna over Shane Ostermiller (18-2), South (Dec 10-5)

Varsity - 145: Jackson Carney (19-0), Wrangell over Ezekiel Bolton (13-3), SWDP (F 5:37)

Varsity - 140: Michael Roschi (16-0), Eagle River over Carson Cobb (24-5), Soldotna (F 3:12)

Varsity - 135: Sam Henry (28-0), Soldotna over Frank Rodriguez (19-1), SWDP (Dec 1-0)

Varsity - 130: Titus Watts (19-2), Soldotna over Kaden Costigan (20-1), South (F 5:41)

Varsity - 125: Max Francisco (18-2), East over Hudson Morris (22-3), Soldotna (Dec 6-2)

Varsity - 119: Landon Hill (20-1), Juneau-Dougla over Mason Ekle (21-1), South (Dec 7-4)

Varsity - 112: Canyon May (28-1), West Valley over Coleman LeClair (24-2), Soldotna (F 3:31)

Varsity - 103: Manny Novelli (24-1), South over Peyton Cobb (18-2), Soldotna (F 3:17)

Varsity - 285: Jaxon Runnels (17-3), SWDP over Lucas Griffin (17-1), South (Dec 5-0)

Varsity - 215: Gage Runnels (19-0), SWDP over James Stickler (19-1), Haines (TF 21-2 (5:33)

Varsity - 189: Zane Gerlach (26-0), South over Thor Nelson (23-2), Colony (TF 19-4 (2:38)

Volleyball

Tuesday

Susitna Valley 3, Birchwood Christian 0 (25-15, 25-20, 25-12)

Thursday

Service 3, Soldotna 0 (25-13, 25-23, 26-24)

Kenai Central 3, Sitka 0 (25-19, 25-21, 25-21)

Chugiak 3, South 2 (25-22, 17-25, 25-19, 17-25, 15-13)

Valdez 3, Nome-Beltz 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-22)

Dimond 3, Juneau-Douglas 0 (25-11, 25-17, 25-21)

Monroe Catholic 3, Barrow 2 (25-19, 19-25, 25-15, 19-25, 15-13)

Nikiski 3, Kotzebue 0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-9)

Colony 3, Lathrop 0 (25-6, 25-22, 25-16)

Chugiak 3, Service 0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-12)

Kenai 3, Valdez 2 (12-25, 17-25, 25-22, 25-20, 15-11)

Colony 3, Dimond 1 (25-21, 22-25, 25-21, 25-21)

Nikiski 3 Monroe Catholic 2 (21-25, 25-16, 24-26, 25-19, 16-15)

Friday

Nome-Beltz 3, Sitka 1 (25-17, 13-25, 25-16, 25-11)

South 3, Soldotna 0 (25-7, 25-16, 25-12)

Juneau-Douglas 3, Lathrop 1 (25-18, 23-25, 25-22, 25-16)

Barrow 3, Kotzebue 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-17)

Dimond 3, South 1 (25-15, 15-25, 26-24, 25-18)

Monroe Catholic 3, Nome-Beltz 0 (25-21, 25-19, 25-18)

James C Isabell 3, Gambell 2 (25-18, 20-25, 25-15, 16-25, 15-10)

Valdez 3, Barrow 2 (25-19, 25-22, 23-25, 21-25,15-11)

Service 3, Juneau-Douglas 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19)

Kenai Central 3, Nikiski 1 (25-15, 25-19, 15-25, 25-22)

Colony 3, Chugiak 0 (25-22, 25-22, 25-21)

White Mountain 3, Koyuk Malimiut 0 (25-12, 25-14, 25-21)

Dimond 3, Service 1 (25-15, 26-28, 25-19, 25-20)

Valdez 3, Monroe Catholic 1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-17, 25-23)

Shaktoolik 3, White Mountain 1 (25-13, 10-25, 25-11, 25-19)

Saturday

Kalskag 2, Tuluksak 0 (25-21, 25-22)

Unalakleet 3, Tukurngailnguq 0 (25-16, 25-12, 25-9)

James C Isabell 3, Gambell 0 (25-14, 25-18, 27-25)

Nikiski 3, Valdez 2 (20-25, 25-15, 25-21, 20-25, 15-13)

Cook Inlet Academy 3, Birchwood Christian 0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-5)

Unalakleet 3, Hogarth Kingeekuk Sr. Memorial 0 (25-12, 25-21, 25-13)

Dimond 3, Chugiak 2 (24-26, 25-22, 20-25, 25-22, 15-13)

Kenai 3, Nikiski 2 (14-25, 18-25, 25-21, 25-16, 15-7)

Dimond 3, Colony 2 (25-21, 25-19, 11-25, 23-25, 15-10)

Dimond 1, Colony 0 (30-20)

College

Volleyball

Thursday

UAA 3, Northwest Nazarene 1 (25-16, 28-26, 22-25, 25-20)

UAF 3, Central Washington 2 (15-25, 29-31, 25-20, 25-23, 15-13)

Saturday

UAF 3, Northwest Nazarene 1 (25-16, 25-22, 20-25, 25-15)

UAA 3, Central Washington 2 (22-25, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 15-12)

Hockey

Friday

Bentley 2, UAA 1

Saturday

UAA 3, Bentley 2

Women’s basketball

Friday

UAA 78, Hawaii Pacific 49

Hawaii 98, UAF 76

Saturday

UAA 88, Chaminade 59

Sunday

The Master’s University 104, UAF 72

Men’s basketball

Saturday

Chaminade 102, UAF 86

UAA 70, Hawaii Pacific 65

Sunday

Hawaii Pacific 86, UAF 85 (OT)

UAA 57, Chaminade 53

NAHL

Friday

Wisconsin Windigo 4, Anchorage Wolverines 3, OT/SO

Saturday

Anchorage Wolverines 4, Wisconsin Windigo 1