By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – It started with a trip to Europe in early August, where the Alaska Anchorage volleyball team began formulating its chemistry.
 
On Saturday the final point of the regular season fell to the court at the Alaska Airlines Center, with UAA defeating Seattle Pacific for its ninth victory in the last 10 matches.
 
Stacie Meisner had a target of a top-three Great Northwest Athletic Conference finish at the outset of her third season leading the team, as she figured that’s what it would take amid the

stacked league to emerge with an NCAA regional playoff berth. “That was always our goal; we knew if we could finish in the top three of our conference we had a good shot of going to regionals,” Meisner said. “The players know how important it is and how difficult it is to do. We know the field will be highly competitive, and we are just excited to see what more we can accomplish.”
 
Meisner’s prediction was not far off the reality, as ___ GNAC teams were announced Monday within the regional playoff field. Her squad played its way to a 14-4 league record, earning a four-way share of the 2025 GNAC regular-season title. It took six consecutive wins for the Seawolves to hoist themselves back into the top spot, and they were named the GNAC Team of the Week on Monday.



 
 
Over the last three weeks, the Seawolves defeated co-champions Simon Fraser and Central Washington amid the run of wins, helping them to a share of their fifth GNAC title in program history. “What stands out most is the resiliency we have had all season long,” said Meisner. “We were fortunate to do a European tour this year and got an early start which helped with team chemistry and getting some good quality reps in before the season started.”
 
Amid a roster that features three Europeans, the Seawolves’ venture pitted them against national teams from Egypt and Austria and a club team from Italy. Most special to freshman setter Johana Malikova was a hometown match against a club team in Prague, Czech Republic, which her friends and family were able to attend. Malikova has had an immediate impact in her debut season, ranking fourth in the conference with 7.99 assists per set. Teammate Hannah Trotter is right behind at 7.21 assists per set, giving UAA a pair of formidable facilitators to lead the attack. “That setter group as a whole is really high quality, and all three come in and work hard every single day,” Meisner said also highlighting freshman setter Anna McWhorter. “I think about Johana and Hannah as both being starters, because depending on what we need we can use them both. They have both done an excellent job of understanding that role and supporting each other, especially when we go into the 6-2 and both are on the court. They have both been really selfless and had a team-first mentality.”
 
Senior Tia Allen has been one of the conference’s top attackers all season long, ranking eighth with 3.24 kills per set and adding 3.32 digs per set on the defensive side. Including two seasons competing at Saint Martin’s, Allen has accumulated 1,221 kills, 1,228 digs and 108 service aces, becoming just the second player in conference history to reach 1,200/1,200/100 in the trio of statistical categories (Mallory Bergstrom, Alaska, 2001-04 – 1,363 kills/1,269 digs/114 aces). She is also the 12th player in conference history to achieve 1,000/1,000/100 in the three categories.
 
“’Last year best year’ is her motto this season,” Meisner said on Allen, who by the previous intra-conference transfer rule had to sit out the 2023 season at UAA before making her Seawolf debut last fall. “Her volleyball I.Q. has always been really high and the last two years she has been working really hard on the court and in the weight room improving her vertical. She is just flying on her approach and has a high contact point. She has always had a cannon, and now that combined with how well she is jumping has made her lethal in the second half of the season. She is a team captain and provides incredible leadership for our team. She is someone everybody can talk to and is one of the players who makes a point to connect with everybody on the team.”
 
A UAA newcomer in Navarro College transfer Lee Ivakina has had a comparable impact by the numbers, ranking ninth in the GNAC with 3.24 kills per set and adding 2.80 digs per set. “Lee is an incredible athlete,” Meisner said on the 6-foot pin hitter. “She is very physical and continues to get better with her volleyball I.Q. Scouting opponents has been a big change for her, and she has really embraced that part of the game. It has allowed her to go in and execute in game situations. She is a great all-around volleyball player, and I expect her to continue to improve. She has done incredible things already, but I think she is going to get even better going forward.”
 
On the other side of the court UAA has relied on redshirt freshman Emma Beck, who has excelled in her first collegiate campaign. After gaining a year of college experience from the sideline in 2024, Beck now ranks third on the team with 2.23 kills per set and is third on the squad with an attack percentage of .230. “She is a big lefty who is a really good blocker and has a heavy arm as well,” Meisner said. “She worked really hard all last year knowing we were going to redshirt her. She took that time to learn, grow and get used to the speed of the game. It is a big jump coming from Kenai. She has embraced it and exceeded my expectations for how she has performed this year.”
 
The middle-blocker tandem of Bella Burney and Martina Riba has been a fixture for UAA as well. Riba ranks fifth in the GNAC at 1.15 blocks per set while Burney is 10th at 0.98 blocks per set. On the offensive side, Burney stands seventh in the league with a hitting percentage of .286. “Bella is a really athletic, physical middle blocker,” said Meisner. “She has really stepped up being more of an offensive force for us and being that middle blocker we can rely on for some good offensive numbers. Martina got on the court a little bit last year and definitely earned that spot as a starter this year as a sophomore. She continues to get better every single week. She is very competitive and is a player who really wants to perform well.”
 
The Seawolves also have one of the league’s top liberos in senior Madison Galloway – the lone member of the squad who was on UAA’s 2022 GNAC title-winning roster. Galloway ranks eighth in the conference this fall with 4.03 digs per set, and across her four seasons she has totaled 1,396 digs for an average of 3.18 per set. “Maddie is our only fourth-year senior, and it is super valuable to have that experience of a player who won a conference championship and understands the work it takes to achieve that,” said Meisner. “She has always been the voice of accountability, not just with volleyball but how we interact with each other and the attitudes we bring to the court. She has been an excellent leader in that respect. She battled some tough injuries and missed the spring season, so I couldn’t be happier for her and the senior season she has had.”
 
From starting the season 7-0 it has been nearly all success for Meisner’s team this fall, with its regular-season mark of 23-5 being the best record since the team’s 27-3 record during the title-winning 2022 campaign. Across her three seasons of leadership, Meisner has piloted the program to an overall record of 55-34 (.618). The first alumna to lead the team, Meisner was the Seawolves’ starting libero in 2008-09 and delivered the program’s first conference title her senior season.
 
Now the Seawolves will turn their attention towards their Dec. 5 match against _____, as the NCAA postseason beckons them for the first time in Meisner’s head coaching career. “We had a great preseason with in-region competition, and we knew going into the conference it was going to be a battle, especially with how well the GNAC did in the preseason across the region,” Meisner said. “What stands out is the fact that we dropped some games in the first half of the season, and this group didn’t let that discourage them from continuing to work hard every day in practice and in the gym. We went out and competed in the second half, and were able to claw our way back into title contention. We did a good job of controlling what we could control in the second half of conference, and that ended up paying off.”