Box Score
FAIRBANKS, AK - The Alaska Nanooks took to the court against Western Oregon on Saturday night and had a record breaking performance in a 3-1 win over the Wolves. The Nanooks hit a GNAC record .403 for the match and had four players tally double-digit kills in the victory. The win is the Nanooks third straight, their longest streak of the season.
Alaska broke their own four set record for hitting percentage in a four set match. The Nanooks bested the record by an astounding 22 points hitting .407. The old record of .385 stood for over six years dating back to 2003 when Alaska set the record against Humbolt State.
The Nanooks took control early as they dominated the Wolves 25-12 in the first set. With the Nanooks leading 8-7 they ran off six straight points before finish the match on an 8-0 run.
The Wolves tied the match at one with a strong second set. Holding a 17-14 lead Western Oregon ran off five straight points to put the game out of reach. The Nanooks could only cut the lead to 24-18 before an Irene Walters kill ended the set at 25-18.
The Nanooks regained the momentum in the third set after falling behind early. The Wolves raced out to an 11-7 lead before the Nanooks took over. The Nanooks went on to score 13 of the next 19 points to take a 20-17 lead. A
Heather Lyons (Anchorage, AK) and
Megan Thigpen (Spokane, WA) kill, coupled with a Western Oregon attack error, ended the set with a Nanook win.
The Blue and Gold came out and put the match away in the third set. Western Oregon held a 2-1 lead early but could not hold on en route to a 25-16 win for Alaska. The match was highlighted by a 5-0 run the Nanooks used to end the match.
The Nanooks were led by four players who had double-digit kills led by senior
Jessica Hill (Colorado Springs, CO) with 16. Thigpen (14), Lyons (12), and
Alexa Sherman (Calabasas, CA) (10) were the other Nanook players with highs in kills.
Lyons also contributed 19 digs while
Jennifer Holland (Sterling, AK) had 16 of her own. Sherman capped off a double-double with a match high 50 assists.
Alaska was also led by five players who hit .390 or better for the match. The Nanooks committed only 16 total errors and were led by Sherman who hit .818 overall with only one error. Junior
Melissa Refuerzo (Anchorage, AK) (.467),
Erica Gage (Palo Alto, CA) (.455), Hill (.423), and Thigpen (.393) all had stellar nights hitting the ball.
Western Oregon was led by Irene Walters who had 12 kills and five digs. Danielle English had a team high 10 digs for the Wolves. Amy Herron had 41 assists while the team hit .215 led by Lisa Martini who hit .400.
The Nanooks will return to action Thursday, November 4 when the Nanooks travel to Anchorage to battle the rival Seawolves. Match time is set for 7:00 p.m.
