Inside the excitement: Spike out cancer

On Oct. 15, UAA’s Seawolves defeated Northwest Nazarene University’s (NNU) Nighthawks 3-0 during Pink Night – an annual volleyball game that raises awareness of breast cancer. This victory is the fourth game won consecutively, adding to the Seawolves’ winning streak. 

The crowd wore pink in support of the Pink Night theme, and their energy filled the Alaska Airlines Center through “U-A-A” cheers and disappointed boos at referees’ calls throughout the night.

The second and third sets of the game started unsteadily, but the team managed to pull it together and move as a unit. The Seawolves won all three 25-point sets with a lead of five points or more. 

Bella Burney was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s (GNAC) defensive player of the week. She scored a total of nine kills and defended UAA’s court with a total of six blocks. 

Hannah Trotter tied her career-high record with a total of five block assists. 

Kyana Gabriel had a total of 14 kills this game and Emma Beck extended the lead in the second set with a total of five kills. 

The Seawolves secured ten aces during the match. Libero and defensive specialist Mary Nahinu reached a season record with a total of three aces and three points.

The Seawolves’ defensive passing kept the game alive as Lee Ivankina led the game with 12 digs.

As UAA’s Seawolves outhit and outblocked NNU’s Nighthawks, the rest of the UAA team on the sidelines supported the Seawolves through cheering and dancing. 

In a game recap by Nate Sagan, first-year head coach Morgan Hooe said that the team performed some of their best serves during this game, which helped keep NNU's offense out of balance. 

Assistant coaches Tia Allen, Austin Osborne and Averee Reynolds provided support and guidance for the team throughout the night. 

The night closed with a dance-off and ended Pink Night with one final celebration.