UAA's Allen earns GNAC weekly award

Portland, Oregon (Nov. 17) - UAA senior Tia Allen was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) Offensive Player of the Week for volleyball Monday after leading her team to a pair of impressive road victories.

An outside hitter from Clayton, Washington, Allen averaged 3.78 kills per set on .300 hitting and 4.33 points per set in a four-set win at Northwest Nazarene and a five-set victory over league-leading Central Washington. In addition to her offensive numbers, she averaged 3.78 digs, made seven blocks and went 39 of 40 in serve-receive.

On Thursday, Allen had 14 kills, two assists and 20 digs to help the Seawolves repel an NNU upset bid. Two nights later, she tallied 20 kills on .333 hitting, two assists, three blocks and 14 digs as UAA outlasted regionally ranked CWU 15-12 in the fifth set. Eight of her kills came in the fourth set against the defending GNAC champs as the Seawolves stayed alive with a 25-22 decision in that frame.

"Tia really anchored our team last week with both her attacking and defending," said UAA coach Stacie Meisner. "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."

This marks the first career weekly honor for Allen and the third this year for a Seawolf, joining two-time defensive honoree Madison Galloway.

Still alive for the GNAC title and ranked No. 3 in the West Region, the Seawolves (21-5, 12-4 GNAC) host their regular-season finales this week against Montana State Billings (Thursday, 7 p.m.) and Seattle Pacific (Saturday, noon) at the Alaska Airlines Center. Find tickets and more at GoSeawolves.com.