ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Sept. 6, 2014) - The LIU Post volleyball team closed out its visit to the Pacific Northwest Saturday with a pair of losses at the SpringHill Suites Invitational in Anchorage, Alaska. The Pioneers lost by 3-0 decisions to Saint Leo and Anchorage-Alaska.

Match 1: LIU Post 0, Anchorage-Alaska 3 (18-25, 20-25, 20-25)
Up 11-9 in the opening set, the Seawolves (3-0) reeled off a 7-1 run to grab an eight-point cushion (18-10). Junior right-side hitter Julia Mackey (Fairbanks, Alaska) put down two kills in the spurt. Fellow junior Caitlin McInerney (Laramie, Wyo.) added a kill and an assist. Senior libero Quinn Barker (Mission Viejo, Calif.) capped it off with a service ace. From there, UAA pulled away, en route to a 25-18 first-set victory.

In the second frame, the two squads were deadlocked at 8-all, until another 7-1 streak gave the hosts a 15-9 advantage. LIU Post eventually managed to cut the deficit to as few as one point (18-17), via a Danielle Valenza (Hauppauge, N.Y.) kill. However, Anchorage-Alaska, following a break in the action, scored seven of the next 10 points to clinch the set, 25-20.

Lastly, in the third stanza, the Seawolves got out in front early, and turned it into a commanding 16-8 lead. That proved to be all UAA needed, as it took the match in three sets.

Valenza led the Pioneers with nine kills. She also recorded a .273 hitting percentage. Freshman Heather Ball (Gilbert, Ariz.) had seven kills. Junior Melissa Hansen (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and sophomore Analise Austin (Honolulu, Hawaii) pitched in four kills apiece.

Match 2: LIU Post 0, Saint Leo 3 (24-26, 20-25, 23-25)
In a first set that saw eight tied scores, the Pioneers (1-3) maintained a lead for much of the frame. But, with two chances to close it out, the Lions' (2-2) Tawni Warren and Jamee Townsend (Plant City, Fla.) came up with crucial kills to force extra points. A subsequent ball handling miscue by Lulu Centro (Rome, Italy), coupled with another Warren kill, put Saint Leo ahead 1-0 in the match.

During the second set, LIU Post jumped out to an 8-3 lead, anchored by two service aces from junior libero Rachel Ringor (Honolulu, Hawaii). Its Sunshine State Conference opponent fired back though. The Lions ripped off an impressive 15-5 run to go up 18-13, and never looked back. Saint Leo, despite a Pioneer rally to close the gap to two points (22-20), won the game by a 25-20 final.

Trailing 15-10 in the third set, the green and gold rallied with 10 of the next 15 points to even the score at 20-apiece. Austin and Valenza each notched two kills in that stretch. Ball and junior Monica Amador (Cedar Park, Texas) both provided a kill and a service ace. Yet, the Lions tallied five of the frame's final eight points to seal the win.

Austin amassed a team-high eight kills, alongside three digs in the effort. Valenza chipped in seven kills and six digs. Ball and Hansen managed six kills apiece. Centro dished out 26 assists. She collected nine digs as well, which tied Ringor for the team lead.

Head Coach Shellane Ogoshi and the Pioneers are back in action Friday (Sept. 12), when they travel to Wheeling, W. Va. for the Wheeling Jesuit Invitational. They will square off with Le Moyne and Shepherd at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., respectively.