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FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska women's volleyball team closes out its 2011 regular season this week when it travels to Western Oregon and Saint Martin's for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches.
The Nanooks (2-22, 2-14 GNAC) take on the Wolves (12-8, 11-5 GNAC) Thursday night at 6 p.m., and conclude the season Saturday against the Saints (6-17, 4-12 GNAC) at 1 p.m.
Last week, the Nanooks dropped its final two home matches with a 3-0 (21-25, 23-25, 21-25) loss on Thursday to Central Washington and a 3-1 (25-21, 23-25, 23-25, 19-25) defeat to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.
For Alaska's three seniors, they made the most of their final matches at the Patty Center.
Simone Chavous (Aurora, Colo./Bishop Machebeuf Catholic) led the Nanooks with 10.5 kills per match with 10 versus CWU and 11 against NNU.
Karlee Skalla (Las Vegas, Nev./Orange Coast CC) set a career-best record with 21 digs in Thursday's match and posted a double-double Saturday with 15 kills and 16 digs.
Jordyn Montgomery (Topeka, Kan./Rockhurst University) averaged 20.5 digs per match and had a career-high 22 Saturday.
In addition, junior middle blocker
Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif./Manhattan College) chipped in 10 kills per match.
“We work hard to train them as competitors and competitors don't always get their way [in regards to winning],” head coach
Phil Shoemaker said. “They're going to continue to battle and keep working hard to win. It says a lot about them in terms of their character, so it's good. There's always the possibility of when you fail, you give up, but we won't buy it and that's just not who we are.”
Scouting the Wolves:
The Wolves are led by Danielle Reese and Krissi Kemper. Reese ranks third in the conference with 3.94 kills per set, while Kemper has the second-best attack percentage in the GNAC at .327 (194-50-440). WOU's block is also solid, as Becky Blees leads the way with 1.07 blocks per set.
Last time these two met, Western Oregon rallied from two sets down to take a 3-2 (17-25, 23-25, 25-14, 25-20, 15-7) victory on Sept. 10 in Fairbanks. The Wolves hold a 14-9 advantage all-time and have won eight of the last nine against the Nanooks.
Shoemaker on WOU: “Western Oregon has been a good team this year and they've been impressive in overcoming some injuries and continuing to keep the winning going. They've had a couple players who have been really hot. Becky Blees has been tearing it up in blocking and she's taken on a bigger role with those injuries. They had a setter who stepped in and performed at a good level for them. They've done a lot of things right.”
Scouting the Saints:
The Saints are led by Kristyn Ross, who is fourth in the conference with 3.83 kills per set. Brianna Bautista is also fourth in digs with 4.79 per frame.
Saint Martin's swept Alaska 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-19) in the GNAC opener back on Sept. 8 in Fairbanks. The Nanooks lead the all-time series 18-5, but the Saints' win earlier this year snapped a six-match win streak for Alaska.
Shoemaker on SMU: “Saint Martin's is having probably one of the best seasons they've had in a long time and I know that's exciting for them. Obviously it'll be Senior Night for Saint Martin's when we play them, so I'm sure they'll be excited and wanting to close their season on a high note.”
