Box score, play-by-play
 
SEATTLE – Opponents don't always know who from Seattle Pacific is going to hammer the volleyball at them.
 
But they usually know exactly who's going to set up the attack.
 
Shelby Swanson had 32 assists to climb three places on the Great Northwest Athletic Conference career list in that department, and Lindsey Wodrich put down 12 kills on Thursday night as 24^th-ranked Seattle Pacific powered past Alaska Fairbanks for its fourth consecutive sweep.
 
Scores in Royal Brougham Pavilion were 25-10, 25-13, 25-15.             
 





The Falcons (18-5, 12-2 GNAC) retained their hold on first place by half a match in front of Alaska Anchorage (11-2) heading into Saturday's showdown against the Seawolves at 3 p.m. in Brougham. Anchorage swept Montana State Billings on the road on Thursday.
 
The sweep was the fourth straight for SPU, which now is on a season-high-five match winning streak.
 
The 32 assists for junior setter Swanson (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) give her 2,421 for her career. That moved her from 18^th at the start of the night to 15^th. Swanson needs just 25 more assists on Saturday against Anchorage to take over the No. 14 spot on the list.
 
She had no idea she was moving up that quickly.
 
“I purposely don't track my assists because it messes with my head,” said Swanson, who came into the match ranking 13^th in all of NCAA Division II with an average of 11.16 assists per game. “It's mostly because of the rest of the team. If a setter has good numbers, it's because of her passers and hitters.”
 
SPU coach Chris Johnson gave Swanson much more credit than she gave herself.
 
“She knows when to set which hitter, and she takes instruction and direction very well during a match,” Johnson said. “If we see something we like that's going on, or we want more sets to go to a specific player or spot on the net, she implements that right away.
 
“Our hitters have really benefitted from her performances.”
 
Senior outside hitter Wodrich (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) pushed her career kills total to 942 with the dozen that she had on Thursday. Wodrich also hit a season-high .440 (12 kills and just one error on 25 attacks).
 
Sophomore middle blocker Nikki Lowell (Claremont, Calif.) tied her career high with seven block assists and also hammered five kills. Senior middle blocker Angie Pricco (Brier, Wash./Blanchet HS) played an error-free match with six kills on 11 swings for a .545 hitting percentage. Senior libero Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) came up with 24 digs.
 
The Falcons led from start to finish in Games 1 and 2, then split the first four points of Game 3 with Fairbanks (2-19, 2-11 GNAC) before running off four straight for a 6-2 lead, and stayed in front the rest of the way.
 
SPU's defense put the clamps on Fairbanks middle blocker Casey Tidwell, who had 14 kills and hit .619 against the Falcons in Alaska on Oct. 1. Tidwell wound up with no kills and hit -.286 on Thursday. The Falcons limited Fairbanks to -.037 hitting as a team, the second time this season they've kept an opponent to negative hitting.
 
On its own side, Seattle Pacific hit .344 with 36 kills and a season-low five errors on 90 attacks.
 
Now, the Falcons can turn their attention to Anchorage, which beat them in four games on Sept. 29 in Alaska.
 
“It feels like our team chemistry is clicking right now and we're just playing better together,” Swanson said. “I just feel like the team dynamic has improved so much.”
 
Added Johnson, “I think we're a better than we were the first, and I'm sure (the Seawolves) are better, too. Our girls will be mentally prepared. We just have to make sure we execute physically.”

Saturday's match will be Senior Day, honoring Wodrich, Herold, Pricco and outside hitter Paige Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.).
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
 
(No. 24) Seattle Pacific 3, Alaska Fairbanks 0
 
Game scores – 25-10, 25-13, 25-15.
 
Service aces – UAF 2 (2 players with 1), SPU 3 (3 players with 1).
Kills – UAF 21 (Keri Knight 7), SPU 36 (Lindsey Wodrich 12).
Assists – UAF 20 (Becky Martin 20), SPU 33 (Shelby Swanson 32).
Digs – UAF 46 (Allison Oddy 9, Jordyn Montgomery 9), SPU 55 (Anna Herold 24, Paige Hoffman 11).
Blocks (total / solo) – UAF 0, SPU 21 / 1 solo (Nikki Lowell 7 / 0 solo, Hoffman 4 / 0 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – UAF 21-25-108--  -.037 (Knight 7-2-19--.263), SPU 36-5-90--.344 (Cailin Fellows 4-0-7--.571, Angie Pricco 6-0-11--.545, Wodrich 12-1-25--.440).
Attendance – 83.
 
Records – Seattle Pacific 18-5, 12-2 GNAC. Alaska Fairbanks 2-19, 2-11 GNAC.
 
Next match – Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, Saturday, Brougham Pavilion, 3:00 p.m.