Volleyball | 11/13/2010 9:56:32 PM

Box Score [Box score]

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The Western Oregon volleyball team faced off with Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (Nov. 13) with third place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference on the line. The Wolves started strong but in the end they fell in four sets, 25-27, 25-14, 25-21 and 25-14.

The win gave the Seawolves (18-8, 13-5 GNAC) sole possession of third place and hope for a berth in the NCAA Division II West Regional, which will be announced tomorrow. The Wolves (14-9, 12-6 GNAC) end the season alone in fourth place in the conference, one game ahead of Central Washington.

Danielle Reese led Western Oregon with 12 kills while Samantha Ward added eight. Jorden Burrows had a match-high 30 assists and also posted the best hitting percentage for the Wolves with a .444 mark, as she had five kills and just one error in nine swings. She also posted 12 digs for her fifth double-double of the season. Becky Blees came through with a career-high 10 blocks and Megan Triggs notched 20 digs.

Western Oregon was hurt by 30 hitting errors, as UAA won the hitting percentage battle .248 to .076.

"It was a very intense match but I thought the hitting errors were the biggest difference," said Western Oregon head coach Brad Saindon. "It is just so hard to win both matches on this trip to Alaska, but I thought we had a chance."

Things looked good for the Wolves early on as they were able to take the first set 27-25. In the frame, Reese had seven blocks and WOU recorded six of its 10 blocks.

However, Western Oregon was unable to sustain early momentum as Alaska Anchorage answered back with a 25-14 win in the second set. In the third set, WOU fell behind by seven points early (10-3) but battled back to tie the set at 18-18. UAA then responded by winning the next three points and five of the next six to propel itself to win the set and go up 2-1 in the match. In the fourth set, the Wolves could just never get any traction as they fell behind 17-4 before eventually losing 25-14.

"There was way too many ebbs and flows in this match, and too often we found ourselves on the ebb side," noted Saindon.

"All in all this was a great year for this group," Saindon continued. "I am so proud of this team and I love this team all and I will not forget this year. It was a great season for Wolves volleyball."

The win for Alaska Anchorage also avenged a loss earlier in the season for the Seawolves, when WOU upset the then ranked No. 23 Seawolves in four sets in the GNAC opener for both teams.

"To finish fourth, as young as we are, is a great accomplishment and the future is bright, but I am really going to miss Jorden and Steph," Saindon concluded.

Western Oregon was picked to finish seventh in the GNAC in the preseason coaches poll.