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Press Conference
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Sophomore outside hitter
Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) had 16 kills and senior outside hitter
Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Administration) had eight while hitting .312, but Northwest Nazarene defeated Alaska 3-0 (25-20, 25-14, 25-20) on "Dig Pink" Night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at the Patty Center.
Northwest Nazarene (12-5, 8-3 GNAC) hit .432 on the night, led by Elayna Rice, who had 11 kills on 19 attempts with no errors (.579) to lead all players. The Crusaders had to hold off a strong fight from the Nanooks (3-19, 2-9 GNAC) in the third set, but held on and pulled away for a 25-20 set victory to clinch the match.
The third set saw six tie scores, but the set's only two lead changes occurred in the first five points. The Nanooks held a 3-2 lead after a Harthun kill, but a 5-0 NNU run gave the Crusaders the lead for good.
Alaska last tied the score at 18-18, but Northwest Nazarene went on a 7-2 run to close things out. The Crusaders hit .400 with 12 kills and no errors in the third set, while the Nanooks hit .154 with nine errors. The Nanooks had 31 total errors in the match (20 attack, 11 service).
Harthun has posted double-digit kills in six straight matches and 20 of 22 this season. She has had at least 16 kills in four consecutive matches and now totals 312 on the season.
Knight extended her streak of matches with at least seven kills to 13 straight. She has raised her season hitting percentage during that streak by 125 points, up to .191.
Alaska begins its longest GNAC road stretch of the season next week. Thursday the Nanooks travel to Western Oregon to face the Wolves, who they beat 3-1 earlier this season in Fairbanks. Saturday the Nanooks face St. Martin's, a 3-0 victor over Alaska on Oct. 3.
