Burney's big night propels GNAC-opening victory at SPU

Seattle (Sept. 18) - Junior rightside hitter Bella Burney blasted a career-high 13 kills and the UAA volleyball team got another double-double from senior outside hitter Tia Allen to earn a 25-19, 17-25, 25-19, 25-20 victory over Seattle Pacific on Thursday night at Brougham Pavilion.

The Seawolves (10-1, 1-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) got 14 kills and 11 digs from Allen, while freshman rightside hitter Emma Beck had 10 kills in the league opener for both teams.

The Falcons (5-4, 0-1) were led by Joslyn Greff's match-high 15 kills, along with 16 digs from libero Christina Lopez.

"We've known Bella was capable of this kind of performance for some time, so it was awesome to see it come to fruition tonight," said UAA head coach Stacie Meisner. "Our team showed resilience again, getting better in the later stages of sets, and putting away a quality opponent."

Playing its first true road match of the season, UAA jumped on top with a strong finish to the opening set. After consecutive kills from Greff made it 18-18, the Seawolves took advantage of four straight Falcons errors, and went ahead 24-18 on a kill by setter Hannah Trotter and an ace from Madison Galloway. Two rallies later, sophomore middle blocker Martina Riba notched one of her seven kills to claim the set.

The Falcons outhit the Seawolves .250 to .044 in the second set to knot the match, and the teams stood tied 16-16 in the third set. Nursing a 19-18 advantage, UAA got consecutive kills from Allen, Burney and Allen again to spark the winning surge as the visitors won six of the last seven rallies.

UAA trailed 12-8 in the fourth set before a well-timed timeout from Meisner helped turn the tide. Allen ripped a kill into the middle of the court to regain momentum on the ensuing point, and UAA claimed the lead for good on an SPU service error that made it 15-14. Lee Ivakina's ace stretched the Seawolves' largest lead to 22-16, and Riba finished off the victory with kills for points 24 and 25.

Burney, from nearby Tumwater, Wash., did not commit an attack error on 24 swings as her .542 hitting percentage was also a career-high and UAA season-best mark.

Allen matched Ivakina with her fifth double-double this season, along with three assists and three blocks, while Galloway had 11 digs, two aces and five assists.

Trotter and freshman Johana Malikova shared setting duties, producing 19 assists apiece and combining for 13 digs.

The Seawolves stay on the road to face Montana State Billings at 11 a.m. ADT Saturday, before returning home for their Sept. 25 GNAC home opener against Western Oregon at the Alaska Airlines Center. Find live video ($) and stats links to all UAA contests at GoSeawolves.com.