Sports - Local Colleges

POSTED: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2009

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: WWU sweeps Alaska Fairbanks

Outside hitter Megan Amundson had a team-high 15 kills and a .364 attack percentage and middle blocker Emily Jepsen added 13 kills on .480 hitting and a match-high six blocks as Western Washington University swept University of Alaska Fairbanks, 25-22, 25-22, 25-21, on Thursday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match in Fairbanks, Alaska.

The Vikings, who have won four straight matches, equaling their season high, improved to 15-7 overall and remained in third place at 8-3 in GNAC action. They are one-half match behind Alaska Anchorage and Seattle Pacific, which are tied for first at 8-2.

Seattle Pacific won 3-1 at Western Oregon on Thursday, and Alaska Anchorage was victorious in four sets over Central Washington.

Alaska Fairbanks dropped to 8-12 overall and 2-7 in GNAC play with its fifth straight loss. The Nanooks, who were swept by Western on Sept. 26 at Bellingham, are now 4-4 at home.

"I was really pleased with the way we were able to finish out sets from 20 points on," Western coach Diane Flick said in a press release. "Our defense was huge for us."

The Vikings held Alaska Fairbanks to .087 and .098 hitting, respectively, in the first two sets and .150 in the third for a combined .110.

Western trailed 20-19 in each of the first two sets, but closed both of them out with 6-2 runs. Tied at 19-19 in the third set, the Vikings scored six of the last eight points to end the match.

Western, which avenged a five-set loss at Fairbanks last year, holds a 28-6 series advantage over Alaska Fairbanks.