FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Still looking to find their way into the win column, the Nanooks were likely ecstatic to observe the Saint Martin's Saints in Fairbanks to open GNAC play.
The blue and gold held an 18-4 all-time advantage over the Saints and had not dropped a match to Saint Martin's since November 3, 2007. Instead of the confidence boosting victory that was perhaps expected too much, the Nanooks found themselves with more questions than answers at the conclusion of the match.
The Nanooks dropped their GNAC opener for the first time since 2006 in a 21-25, 23-25, 19-25 loss against the Saints. With the loss, the Nanooks slip to 0-9 overall and 0-1 in the conference. On the other side, the Saints improve to 2-3 and have matched their total number of GNAC triumphs from last season with the win.
“This is very, very frustrating for all of us,” stated head coach Phil Shoemaker. “The bottom line is technically we have to become better. Consistency has been a major problem for this team so far.”
The match began with the two squads trading points before
Jaxon Hill (Clam Gulch, Alaska) slammed home two straight kills to give the Nanooks a 6-4 edge. Through the majority of the set, neither squad could distance themselves from each other with the biggest lead in the set reaching only four points.
Tied at 19, two attack errors by the Saints put the Nanooks in a comfortable 21-19 position, but that was when the aforementioned consistency problems reared their ugly head. The Nanooks committed six straight errors to close the set and hand the Saints a 1-0 lead.
“It's a little like dying a slow death,” said Shoemaker. “It doesn't matter if you keep the ball in play five, or six net drops only to let them have a better swing than you when it comes to the end.”
The second set began in lugubrious fashion for the hosts as Saint Martin's opened up a 5-2 lead. Slowly but surely, the Nanooks chipped away at the lead and after two kills from
Casey Tidwell (Redlands, Calif.) a solo block from
Reilly Stevens (Riverside, Calif.) and an attack error from the Saints the Nanooks found themselves with a 12-8 advantage.
Unfortunately the Saints blasted home the next five points to take the Nanooks out of the drivers seat for good. The blue and gold had numerous opportunities to knot the match at one last in the set but could not get over the hump and fell into a 2-0 hole.
A familiar face returned to begin the third set when
Karlee Skalla (Las Vegas, Nev.) took the court for the first time this season. The senior's impact was felt immediately as she teamed up with Hill for a block that gave the Nanooks a 1-0 lead to begin the set.
“Karlee is loved by her teammates,” said Shoemaker. “They know she's a good player so it creates confidence for her teammates when they see her out on the court.”
Regrettably, the confident presence of Skalla wasn't enough to prevent the Saints going on a 10-4 run after the first Nanook point to take control of the deciding set. Alaska could never get closer than four points away from the Saints and dropped the third set 19-25.
Doing all she could to help the cause for the Nanooks was Stevens. The junior recorded a sensational match with 13 kills and 20 digs for her first career double-double. Stevens also chipped in a service ace and a pair of block assists along with her solo block.
Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo.) was the only other Alaska competitor in double digit kill territory as the sophomore amassed 10 during the match.
Becky Martin (Cochrane, Alberta) paced the squad with 31 assists.
Kristyn Ross totaled 13 kills for the Saints.
Still searching for their first win, the Nanooks will next do battle with Western Oregon. The GNAC tilt against the Wolves is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start on Saturday (Sept. 10).
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