FAIRBANKS, Alaska –Izela Alvarez had a strong performance on the back row for the Yellowjackets but the Montana State University Billings volleyball team came up just short of a road victory, falling to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Nanooks 3-2 Thursday night at Alaska Airlines Court. Alvarez finished with 24 digs and MSUB fought back to tie the match twice before they ultimately succumbed 25-18, 18-25, 25-16, 20-25, 15-9.
 
Markie Miller paced UAF with 18 kills and the Nanooks had more offensive firepower in the match, putting down 62 total kills compared to 45 for Montana State Billings. UAF also outhit the 'Jackets in the match .208 to .184, despite an excellent second set .462 percentage for MSUB.
 
"We struggled to get a lot going on our side," MSUB head coach Casey Williams said. "We didn't come out strong enough to beat a tough Fairbanks team. We had some scrappy moments but couldn't finish. I am looking forward to getting back out on the court on Saturday."
 
Alaska Fairbanks won the season series between the two teams 2-0 after the Nanooks defeated the Yellowjackets 3-0 in Billings on September 15. Montana State Billings also came up empty on a chance to get to .500 overall on the season and fell to 9-11 (3-8 GNAC) and is in ninth place in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.
 
Alaska Fairbanks improved to 9-10 (7-5 GNAC) to stay in fourth place in the conference standings. They also extended their season high win streak to six straight matches.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED: The Nanooks used a 5-0 run early in the first set to take down the Yellowjackets 25-18. UAF outhit the 'Jackets .233 to .077 and led MSUB in kills 14-7. Four players recorded service aces in the set for Alaska and Lahra Weber led all players with five kills and a .333 hitting percentage. Eavan Taylor recorded the only MSUB block in the set.
 
Montana State Billings improved their efficiency immensely in the second set and played from in front for the first time in the match beginning at 4-2. They successfully stretched the advantage by going on a 6-0 run for a 17-9 lead, then converted set point to take the set 25-14. Skylar Reed made nine kills in the second set and Bayli Monck contributed seven as the Yellowjackets hit .452. Izela Alvarez made it into double-digit digs for MSUB with 10 by the end of the second frame.
 
The Nanooks returned to their first set form in set three and jumped out to an early lead 16-9. Markie Miller and Lahra Weber continued to lead the offense for UAF. Alaska made 19 kills and had four errors in the set for a .375 hitting percentage, compared to .121 for MSUB. Alvarez kept the score close in the third for the 'Jackets, making her way to 15 digs in a 25-14 loss.
 
MSUB led by a slim margin through the early and middle portions of the fourth set. After extending their lead to seven, UAF closed the gap to two points after a 5-0 run to make it 22-20. Nine errors for the Nanooks were too much to overcome however and the 'Jackets held on to win 25-20, forcing a deciding set for the ninth time this fall.
 
Five kills in the first eight points gave Alaska a 6-2 advantage in the final set and they never looked back. Montana State Billings fended off two set points against them before falling 15-9 to the Nanooks. Skylar Reed led the Yellowjackets with 17 kills and a .400 hitting percentage. Kylee Clarke missed earning a double-double by one and finished with 21 assists and nine digs. Bayli Monck also had a strong match, making nine kills and digging out five.
 
Both teams made six service aces in the match and the Nanooks made 70 digs compared to 62 for MSUB. Makena Overby led UAF with 18 digs and Mica Shenglan earned a double-double with 10 kills and 13 digs. Cate Whiting had 56 assists at setter for the Nanooks.
 
UP NEXT: Montana State University Billings (9-11, 3-8 GNAC) heads 360 miles south of Fairbanks to play the University of Alaska Anchorage (15-4, 8-3 GNAC) on Saturday October 13 at 9 p.m. MST. The Seawolves are coming off a three set loss to Alaska Fairbanks on Tuesday.
 
THE BUZZ: Senior Taylor Sherman was named St. Vincent Healthcare player of the game for the Yellowjackets. Sherman made six digs and had one assist in the losing effort…Montana State Billings is now 29-29 all-time against Alaska Fairbanks and the Nanooks have won the last three meetings.