FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Saints started their trip to Alaska off cold, dropping all three sets to Alaska 25-18, 25-20, 25-17, and committed 17 attacking errors for a team hitting percentage of .126.
 
The Nanooks started the match off strong in the first set, jumping out to a 9-2 run. The lead continued to grow throughout the set, to as large as 13, before the Saints managed to score eight straight points. Kills by Megan Vernoy, Alyssa Bartlett, and Molly Cichosz fueled the run; however, the early hole was too much for the Saints to dig their way out of, and Alaska held on for a 25-18 win.
 
The Saints carried the momentum they built in the first set to the second set, gaining a 5-3 lead on blocks by Cichosz and Bridgette Bourgouin. Alaska managed to respond with a 12-5 run to put themselves ahead 15-10 halfway through the set. Late in the set, Ililani Kamaka collected three kills for SMU and cut the score to only three; however, the Nanooks once again escaped the set with a 25-20 win.
 
Both sides traded side outs in the final set, with the score all tied at 9-9. Despite the close set, Alaska once again used a run, 11-4, to establish a firm lead in set, and cruised to a 25-17 match win.
 
"We give Alaska a ton of credit," said head coach Jon Killingbeck. "They fly around, touch a lot of balls, and Lahra Webber (15 kills, four aces, six digs) had a great night for them. On our side, we had some good things including Megan (Vernoy) having eight kills from the outside hitter role, Hannah (McKee) hitting .364 from the right side, and Bridgette (Bourgouin) having four solo blocks."
 
Vernoy led the way with eight kills, followed by Kamaka at seven and Hannah McKee at six. Bourgouin recorded five blocks, including the four solo blocks, while Bartlett led in assists at 12 and Misner in digs at 11.
 
The Saints round out their Alaska trip with a match against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, starting at 8:00 p.m. Live stats and video of the match will be available on smusaints.com.