The University of Alaska Fairbanks    

UAF bests Humboldt at the net

By DANNY MARTIN, Staff Writer

Danielle Hitzman saw that Humboldt State scored points in the third game by adjusting their hits to the blocks of the University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team.

Hitzman returned the favor in the fourth game and lifted UAF to a 30-24, 30-19, 26-30, 30-28 victory Friday night in the Patty Center.

Hitzman, a freshman outside hitter, delivered the match-winning point with a kill off a block by Lumberjacks setter Lissa Danielson.

"We knew that the setter was in the front row and we wanted to take advantage of that," said Hitzman, the Nanooks' second-leading hitter in the match with 14 kills. "Basically, throughout the whole match, we were trying to hit over her when she was in the front row. That was just my intention when I went up for that hit."

The Nanooks, who improved their third-place record in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to 7-4 league and 10-6 overall, entered the match ranked first for team blocking with 2.76 blocks per game in 59 games this season.

The Nanooks often use a quick movement on their blocks, often turning them in toward the center of the court.

"On a lot of their kills, they were just using us," said UAF's Mallory Bergstrom, who had a match-high 26 kills to go with her 15 digs. "That's all they can do because we're such a great blocking team. The only thing they could do was tool off us and they started doing that real well, and all we did was turn it back in."

The ninth-place Jacks (2-10, 4-16) of Arcata, Calif., came to Alaska with the conference's lowest hitting percentage (.136) but they were effective at tooling, which involves swiping or pushing the ball off the block. It helped Humboldt State register seven kills off UAF blocks in the third game.

"We're really good at seeing the block and tooling them," said Humboldt outside hitter Jessica Murray, "and it affects them (opponent)."

The teams, though, finished nearly equal in total blocks as UAF had 11 to the visitors' 10. Carlin Smith led UAF with three total blocks while Rachel Halverson and Vescinda Alvord each had four for Humboldt.

UAF was also affected by errors in the third game after riding the momentum of victories in the first two games of the 2-hour 10-minute match. Humboldt scored 14 points off Nanooks mistakes, including five by position violations and passing miscues.

"We lost our energy, we lost our focus," said UAF head coach Phil Shoemaker. "We never did get it back. We survived, I would say, as much as anything. When we don't play the aggressor's role, we're just not too good and leave too many things to chance."

A few times in the third game UAF would seize momentum and lose it in a blink.

For example, the Nanooks tied the game 21-21 with a kill by Bergstrom to an open left side of the court. But the Jacks recovered for a 23-21 lead with a kill by Kristen Kinzer and an ace by Tonya Federick.

Humboldt later won the game on a service error by Hitzman.

Before the final game, Bergstrom told her teammates they had a challenge against the Jacks, who also finished the match with 65 digs to UAF's 59.

"I told them we have a challenge and let's take it," said Bergstrom. "It's what drives us, it's what we want."

Bergstrom did her part with 11 kills in a tight fourth game, where the lead changed hands four times in the late stages.

Heads-up tips by Humblodt's Stacy Knisley and UAF's Candice Smith tied it 27-27. Another heads-up tip by April Blandford put the Nanooks back in front 28-27.

"We just passed too close to the net," said Murray, who led the Jacks with 17 kills.

Julia Shaw, who had 13 kills for Humboldt, hit through Blandford's block for a 28-28 tie. Crystal Wheelock, playing in the back row, put UAF back in front, 29-28, with a put-back kill after a block by Humboldt.

UAF, which also got 33 assists from Dasa Capova and 18 from Jessica Clemons, plays host to Western Oregon at 5 p.m. today.

Danielson had a match-high 53 assists for Humboldt, which visits Alaska Anchorage today.