The Rewind: UAA volleyball finishes season with sweeps, women’s basketball takes 3rd at Shootout, UAF’s Kramer finishes 2nd at XC Nationals

Welcome to The Rewind, a weekly digest that puts a spotlight on the biggest stories and best performances from Alaska’s world of sports.

This past week featured several notable individual and team performances across the Alaska sports landscape at the high school, collegiate and professional levels. This past week in the 2024 high school hockey season saw the reigning Division I state champs stay undefeated. On the college scene, the University of Alaska Anchorage and University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball and hockey programs notched back-to-back victories and a Nanooks endurance runner shined at nationals. Outside the state, several Alaskans had impressive performances and career achievements worth recognizing and celebrating.

Headlines and highlights

The only two unbeaten boys prep hockey teams in the state kept their unblemished records intact this past week as West Valley shut out Wasilla 4-0 and defending Division I champion West bested rival Chugiak 4-2 this past Thursday. The Eagles used an explosive second period in which they outscored the Mustangs 3-2 after taking a 1-0 lead in the first.

It was a busy week on the college scene in Alaska with the annual Great Alaska Shootout, the end of the volleyball regular season, men’s hockey and basketball and the NCAA Division II national cross-country championships.

After finishing one game below .500 last year, the UAA volleyball team secured a winning record for the first time under head coach Stacie Meisner with a pair of victories to close out the program’s 2024 campaign. The Seawolves swept both of their final two opponents in three straight sets starting with Western Washington on Thursday and playoff-bound Simon Fraser on Senior Day on Saturday.

“Simon is a great team, this year especially,” Meisner said. “We knew that we had to play some of our best volleyball this week against Western and today against Simon and we were able to do that.”

[UAA volleyball closes out 2024 season with sweep of Simon Fraser]

While UAA wasn’t able to punch its ticket to the postseason, UAF secured a regional tournament bid with a pair of victories over the same opponents. The Nanooks bested the Red Leafs in four sets on Thursday and swept the Vikings on Saturday. Hitter Rilee White and middle blocker Kristina Head earned GNAC Offensive and Defensive Player of the Week honors for their tremendous contributions.

This marked the first weekly honor of White’s career and it comes after she broke the GNAC aces record, overtaking UAA’s Ellen Floyd’s career mark of 213 by finishing the regular season with four aces against Simon Fraser.

“Rilee is a fantastic all-around athlete, and she excels in every aspect of the game,” UAF head coach Brian Scott said in a statement. “We rely on her to handle the pressures of passing well to set up an offense, score points at the net and service line, and to make defensive plays. She does it all extremely well and is the humblest athlete in her accomplishments.”

Head led all players in the conference in blocks last week with 13, including two solos which earned her the first weekly honor of her career.

“Kris is such a great leader on this team, and it shows whenever she steps on the court,” Scott stated. “She scores in so many different ways in her play. It can come from her attack or the service line, as well as with blocking and frequently saving points in her one rotation of defense. She always finds ways to contribute.”

Both UAA basketball programs were back in action at the Alaska Airlines Center last weekend with the men’s program notching a record-breaking sweep of Portland Bible and the women’s program breaking even in a pair of games against Division I opponents at the Great Alaska Shootout.

On the men’s side, the Seawolves broke the 39-year-old school record for field-goal percentage with a mark of .724 after making 42 of 58 shots in a 93-30 blowout of the Arrows on Saturday afternoon. The following afternoon, they broke the program record for fewest points allowed while recording the fourth-largest margin of victory in a 101-27 shellacking.

The women’s team bounced back from blowing a 20-point halftime lead in an overtime loss to Division I Troy on Friday night in the opening round of the Great Alaska Shootout by taking third place with a 68-52 victory over Vermont on Saturday.

“After losing to a team like Troy yesterday when we were up by 20 and then coming back and winning today, there are a lot of emotions for sure,” UAA senior point guard Emilia Long said. “It’s a great feeling after winning today, but it’s also kind of disappointing knowing we could’ve won yesterday and maybe win a (tournament) championship.”

[UAA women’s basketball bounces back from heartbreak to take 3rd in Great Alaska Shootout]

Seawolves hockey hosted Lake Superior State for a two-game series over the weekend and skated to a 4-4 tie in overtime on Saturday but came up short Sunday in a 4-2 loss. The team’s leading goal scorer was freshman forward Ryan Johnson, who logged a pair in the stalemate and a third in the second game.

The NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships took place in Sacramento, California, over the weekend and UAF’s Kendall Kramer capped off her illustrious collegiate endurance running career with a runner-up finish. The former West Valley standout covered the six-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 30 seconds, and her teammate Rosie Fordham finished in a career-best eighth place as both Nanooks earned All-American honors. UAF finished 13th as a team and Kramer’s second place finish marked both a career best and the highest in program history.

The Anchorage Wolverines had their five-game winning streak snapped in their first road series in over a month when they traveled to take on the Fairbanks Ice Dogs over the weekend and fell in both games. The Wolverines were shut out 4-0 on Friday night and lost 4-1 on Saturday with their lone goal of the series coming from forward Jakub Bednarik in the first period of the second game before getting outscored 3-0 the rest of the way.

Alaska stars shining Outside

Anchorage’s Obed Vargas helped lead the Seattle Sounders to a 2-1 victory over the Los Angeles FC in the MLS Western Conference semifinals Saturday. He played a vital role in forcing an equalizing own goal off of Maxime Chanot to tie the game 1-1, and the Sounders went on to win in extra time to advance to the next round of the playoffs.

Anchorage’s Tyree Wilson had his best game of his second season in the NFL on Sunday in the Las Vegas Raiders’ 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. The 2023 first-rounder recorded his third sack this season and recorded a sack in back-to-back games for the first time in his career against a stout pass-protecting offensive line. He also finished with a season-high four total tackles, including a single-game career-high of two for a loss and a quarterback hit.

Fairbanks’ Daishen Nix helped the Iowa Wolves bounce back from their first loss of the season by dropping 20 points in a 140-122 win over the Motor City Cruise on Wednesday in the third week of the NBA’s G-League. The two-way contract player for the Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate also recorded a double-double in last Monday’s loss with 13 points and 10 assists.

Anchorage’s Jeremy Swayman bounced back from allowing five goals in his last time in net as the starting goalkeeper for the Boston Bruins to make 19 saves on 20 shots Saturday in a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

“Really awesome to see the guys in front of me paying attention to details at both ends of the ice and getting rewarded for it,” Swayman said. “I just want to do my job one save at a time and just get good reads and put myself in position to get the first save and a chance to make a second save as well.”

Anchorage’s Sayvia Sellers recorded a career-high 24 points in the University of Washington women’s basketball team’s 68-67 loss to LSU on Monday. The former Anchorage Christian School star and two-time Gatorade Player of the Year led the Huskies in scoring by reaching 20-plus points for the third time this season. She went 4-of-8 from behind the arc and recorded two steals, four rebounds, a block and an assist.

Anchorage’s Mikayla Johnson recorded a season-high 13 points for the University of Pittsburgh women’s basketball team in an 80-45 win over Delaware State University on Wednesday. The former Bartlett standout got to start the game and finished with seven rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal.

(If you know of an Alaska athlete who has achieved a standout performance or reached a noteworthy milestone on the Outside, email sports@adn.com or jreed@adn.com with the details.)

Fast Forward

Prep

Hockey

West v. Dimond at Ben Boeke, Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.

The Eagles and Lynx face off for the first time this season in a rematch of last year’s state title bout in the last game in town before the Thanksgiving break. West defeated Dimond in all four meetings last season, including the 3-2 triumph in the Division I finals.

College

Women’s basketball

South Dakota Mines v. UAA at Alaska Airlines Center, Friday and Saturday

The Seawolves will be back in action on their homecourt for the second weekend in a row, where they will host the Hardrockers for a two-game series. Friday’s tipoff will take place at 5:15 p.m. while Saturday’s will be at 3 p.m.

Men’s basketball

Newberry v. UAA at Alaska Airlines Center, Friday and Saturday

The Seawolves will be hosting a nonconference opponent for a two-game series in consecutive weekends when the Wolves come to town all the way from South Carolina. Friday’s tipoff will take place at 7:30 p.m. while Saturday’s will be at 5:15 p.m.

Last week’s results

High school

Volleyball

Thursday

Susitna Valley 3, Cook Inlet Academy 0

Friday

Unalaska 3, Susitna Valley 0

Susitna Valley 3, Lumen Christi 0

• • •

Wrestling

Tuesday

Homer 18, Ninilchik 0 (boys)

Ninilchik 6, Kenai Central 0 (boys)

Soldotna 123, Kenai Central 12 (boys/girls)

Homer 21, Soldotna 18 (boys)

Soldotna 10, Ninilchik 6 (boys)

Kenai Central 16, Soldotna 5 (boys)

Soldotna 97, Homer 30 (boys/girls)

North Pole 95, Hutchison 12 (boys/girls)

Homer 12, Kenai Central 0 (boys)

Wednesday

Student Wrestling Development Program 48, West Valley 3 (girls)

Student Wrestling Development Program 58, West Valley 21(boys)

East 57, Service 23 (boys)

East 30, Dimond 18 (girls)

East 43, Dimond 27 (boys)

Dimond 50, Service 27 (boys)

Service 47, Dimond 12 (girls)

Chugiak 41, Dimond 25 (boys)

Chugiak 35, Dimond 7 (girls)

Chugiak 36, Service 30 (girls)

Chugiak 52, Service 27 (boys)

Thursday

Dillingham 12, New Stuyahok 0 (boys)

Dillingham 38, Unalaska 12 (boys)

Friday

North Pole 6, Ninilchik 0 (boys)

Ninilchik 6, West Valley 0 (boys)

Kodiak 12, Ninilchik 0 (boys)

Wasilla 57, North Pole 17 (boys/girls)

Wasilla 18, Kodiak 6 (boys/girls)

North Pole 25, Kodiak 8 (boys)

West Valley 5, Kodiak 0 (boys)

Wasilla 6, Kodiak 0 (boys)

Kodiak 22, North Pole 0 (boys/girls)

West Valley 21, Kodiak 10 (boys/girls)

Student Wrestling Development Program 6, Houston 0 (boys)

Colony 48, Redington 18 (girls)

Student Wrestling Development Program 60, Colony 13 (boys)

Student Wrestling Development Program 70. Redington 6 (boys)

• • •

Hockey

Tuesday

Palmer 6, Houston 2

Service 4, Eagle River 1

South 7, Colony 1

Wednesday

Dimond 7, Bartlett 3

Houston 6, Tri-Valley 3

Thursday

West 4, Chugiak 2

Kenai Central 7, Soldotna 6

Palmer 8, Colony 6

Bartlett 7, Homer 4

West Valley 4, Wasilla 0

Friday

Lewis Palmer 2, Chugiak 1

Soldotna 10, Bartlett 2

Wasilla 8, Lathrop 0

Palmer 4, Juneau-Douglas 3

Eagle River 2, Kodiak 0

Saturday

Lewis Palmer 5, Service 2

Kenai Central 8, Bartlett 3

South 5, Dimond 1

Palmer 8, Juneau-Douglas 4

Wasilla 3, North Pole 2

Eagle River 9, Kodiak 1

• • •

Bowling

Monday

Boys

Bartlett 35, Chugiak 0

Bartlett - Sean Yoon 233

Chugiak - Michael Nelson 154

Eagle River 19, South 16

Eagle River - Benjamin Charlestream 160

South - Jack Wood 172

Dimond 31, East 4

Dimond - Timothy Kiehn 242

East - Colton Penetac 238

West 31, Service 4

West - Jahdyn Odom 267

Service - Willis Dial 223

Girls

Chugiak 18, Bartlett 17

Chugiak - Kaitlyn Heaston 198

Bartlett - Kara Lyman 168

South 29, Eagle River 6

South - Alex Tisdale 106

Eagle River - Morgan Van Slyke 132

Dimond 33, East 2

Dimond - Abby Jokela 201

East - Lina Phatthana 206

Service 18, West 17

Service - Isabella Hartvigson 123

West - Emery Mitchell 95

Wednesday

Boys

East 33, South 2

East - Tristan Andrew 227

South - Jack Wood 198

Dimond 19, Service 16

Dimond - Preston Xayamonty 199

Service - Cyrus Varela 245

Bartlett 20, Eagle River 15

Bartlett - Jeremija Henderson 163

Eagle River - Trip Mattis 193

Girls

Dimond 35, Service 0

Dimond - Khloee Waldren 235

Service - Lillian Blumenberg 102

East 19, South 16

East - Lina Phatthana 194

South - Sharon Cho 149

Bartlett 28, Eagle River 7

Bartlett - Kara Lyman 166

Eagle River - 145

• • •

College

Volleyball

Thursday

UAA 3, Western Washington 0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-17)

UAF 3, Simon Fraser 1 (19-25, 25-12, 25-23, 25-22)

Saturday

UAA 3, Simon Fraser 0 (25-13, 25-17, 25-20)

UAF 3, Western Washington 0 (29-27, 28-26, 25-17)

• • •

Women’s basketball

Monday

UAA 91, Biola 36

Wednesday

UAF 81, Chaminade 61

Friday

UAA v. Troy 80, UAA 73 (OT)

UAF 82, Chaminade 66

Saturday

Hawaii Pacific 75, UAF 65

UAA 68, Vermont 52

• • •

Men’s basketball

Friday

UAF 83, Multnomah 79

Saturday

UAA 93, Portland Bible 30

UAF 85, Multnomah 84

Sunday

UAA 101, Portland Bible 27

• • •

Hockey

Saturday

UAA 4, Lake Superior State 4 (OT)

Sunday

Lake Superior State 4, UAA 2

• • •

NAHL

Friday

Fairbanks Ice Dogs 4, Anchorage Wolverines 0

Saturday

Fairbanks Ice Dogs 4, Anchorage Wolverines 1

Midwest Division

Team W-L-OTL-SOL-PTS

Wisconsin Windigo 17-2-1-2-37

Anchorage Wolverines 16-6-1-0-33

Fairbanks Ice Dogs 13-3-1-2-29

Chippewa Steel 11-8-1-2-25

Springfield Jr. Blues 11-9-0-0-22

Kenai River Brown Bears 8-12-1-2-19

Minnesota Wilderness 8-12-3-0-19

Janesville Jets 6-13-1-2-15