FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks women's volleyball team continues the first leg of its Great Northwest Athletic Conference season with a three-match home stand starting this week. Saint Martin's visits for a 7 p.m. Thursday night match, and Western Oregon comes to town for a 1 p.m. afternoon start on Saturday. A match against rival Alaska Anchorage concludes the home stand on Oct. 12.
Alaska (2-13, 1-3 GNAC) has lost three GNAC matches in a row after opening the conference slate with a sweep over Montana State Billings on Sept. 19. The Nanooks hit .232 in their most recent match, a 3-0 loss at Central Washington Saturday. It was the team's third-highest hitting percentage of the season, and second-highest in defeat.
Sophomore outside hitter Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) leads the team with 194 kills (3.96 kps) and a .193 hitting percentage. Her 3.96 kills per set lead the GNAC and are ranked 25th in the country. She also leads the conference in service aces per set (0.49). Freshman setter Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/General Studies) now has five 30-assist matches this season after notching 30 helpers against CWU. Senior outside hitter Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Administration) has surpassed the 100-kills mark for the third straight season with 109 to date.
Knight has come on strong as of late for the Nanooks' offense. The senior captain has notched at least seven kills in six straight matches dating back to Sept. 14 when she had double-digit kills in both of the team's tournament matches on the second day of the Route 92 Classic in Belmont, Calif. Knight has 59 kills and has hit a team-best .276 during the stretch. She also has a team-leading eight service aces and is third in total blocks (seven) during the last six matches.
The Nanooks will be hosting theme nights for this week's matches that fans can enjoy each night. Thursday night against Saint Martin's is "Super Hero Night," when fans are encouraged to dress up as their favorite super hero (or super villain) and participate in contests and games at the match. Saturday afternoon against Western Oregon is "Family Night." Each purchase of at least one adult ticket and one child ticket together will receive vouchers for free fountain drinks for the family and one popcorn.
Match #16: Saint Martin's at Alaska – Thursday, Oct. 3 at 7 p.m. (AKDT)
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Saint Martin's (4-11, 0-3 GNAC) has won three of its last six matches, but all three of those wins have been against NAIA programs at home. The team has lost its last 11 matches against NCAA Division II competition, including its first three GNAC matches. The Saints' lone win against an NCAA DII team came in their season opener, a 3-1 neutral site win over Academy of Art.
The Saints have three players over the 100-kills mark this season, led by Kristyn Ross with 192. The Saints have hit .169 as a team this season, but have also held opponents to a .182 hitting clip. Four Saints players have collected over 130 digs so far this year, and three more players each have at least 32 total blocks, led by Kyra Davidson's 52.
Match #17: Western Oregon at Alaska – Saturday, Oct. 5 at 1 p.m. (AKDT)
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Western Oregon (5-8, 2-1 GNAC) has gotten off to a solid start in GNAC play, thanks in part to a conference-opening upset win over then-No. 24 Central Washington. The Wolves went 2-6 in preseason tournaments, and have gone 3-2 outside of those competitions.
The Wolves also have three players over the century mark in kills, with Hannah Deede (115), Christie Colasurdo (111)Â and Cherene O'Hara (111) leading the way. Western Oregon has slightly outhit its opponents this season, .179 to .173, though opponents are averaging nearly two more kills per set (12.95 to WOU's 10.98). Defense has been a team effort for the Wolves this season, with four players notching at least 114 digs so far and seven players credited with double-digit total blocks.
