Oct. 19, 2006
Final Stats
FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanooks dropped a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match Thursday night against Western Washington University 3-0 at the Patty Center. The Vikings (14-5 overall, 10-1 GNAC) took the match 30-20, 30-21, 38-36 over the Nanooks (5-13, 4-7).
The Nanooks rallied in game three, going point for point with the Vikings with eight match points in front of a boisterous crowd of 154 fans. Alaska battled through five match points before Western's Emily Castro put a kill down the left line for the deciding match point.
Alaska had four players with double digit kills paced by freshman Megan Thigpen (Spokane, WA) with 16 kills and 16 digs. It was the fifth straight double-double effort for the 5-10 middle blocker, who took home Toyota Player of Game honors.
Junior co-captain Jenna Jones (Fairbanks, AK) also notched a double-double with 13 kills and 18 assists for the Nanooks. Sophomore middle hitter Korlyn Bolster (Guerneville, CA) added 10 kills and three blocks, while freshman Jessica Hill (Colorado Springs, CO) also tallied 10 kills.
A balanced Western attack was led by sophomore Marissa Hill and junior Jaime Anderson with 13 kills apiece. The Vikings proved effective at the net .224 attack percentage keyed by setter Katie Robinson's 42 assists. Hill, a 5-9 outside hitter, put the ball down consistently with a .542 attack percentage.
Serving played a key role in the Viking win, especially in games one and two. Western had seven aces with just three errors. The Nanooks were plagued by 11 service errors and just three aces.
Alaska's loss drops them out of tie for fifth place in the GNAC with Seattle University. The Nanooks continue their GNAC schedule Saturday afternoon, when they host the Redhawks at 3 p.m. AST at the Patty Center.
