University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska volleyball team returns home this week from its longest conference road stretch of the season to play in its final homestand of the year. Thursday brings Simon Fraser to the Patty Center on Alumni Appreciation Night. No. 10 Western Washington visits Saturday for Senior Night.
 
Half of the Nanooks' (4-21, 3-11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) wins this season have come at home. They will look to build on that success this weekend against a Simon Fraser team that swept them earlier this season in Burnaby, British Columbia, and a Western Washington team they haven't beat in Fairbanks since 2008.
 
Alaska's last home win over Western Washington was a big one, though. The Nanooks topped the then-No. 3-ranked and undefeated Vikings 3-2 (29-27, 13-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-13) in the Patty Center on Oct. 11, 2008. The Nanooks scored the final four points of the match to overcome a 13-11 deficit in the fifth set to win.
 
That win was the Nanooks' last against Western Washington, as the Vikings have won 10 in a row in the series since. Alaska is 3-2 against Simon Fraser since 2011, including 1-1 at home during that time.
 
The Nanooks' defense will play an important part Thursday and Saturday. Against Alaska Anchorage Saturday, the team logged their second-highest digs total of the season with 60 and was also credited for eight total blocks. The Alaska defense has tallied more than 50 digs and at least five total team blocks in three straight matches.
 
FINAL HOMESTAND FOR KNIGHT
 
Senior outside hitter Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Administration) will be the Nanooks' lone honoree Saturday on Senior Night. The four-year veteran enters the weekend on a streak of 16 matches with at least seven kills dating back to Sept. 14, including three straight double-digit kills performances. She has raised her season hitting percentage by 131 points during the streak.
 
Knight posted a season-high 16 kills at Western Oregon on Oct. 31 to start her recent run of three consecutive matches with double-digit kills. She hit .414 in the match to lead all players. Knight has 42 total kills in her last three matches and has 216 for the season, tying her career season best from her sophomore campaign in 2011.
 
HARTHUN AMONG NATION'S BEST
 
Sophomore outside hitter Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) remains among the nation's top-10 this week in points per set and kills per set. Harthun ranks ninth in the country and leads the GNAC in points per set at 4.82. She is No. 10 nationally and tops in the GNAC in kills per set at 4.33.
 
Harthun has also continued to make progress towards putting her name in the Nanooks' record book. With 15 kills Saturday at Alaska Anchorage and her season total now up to 368, she is just four kills away from breaking into the top-10 of Alaska's single season records for kills. Megan Thigpen's 372 kills in 2009 is currently 10th on the list. Tanya Piatanova holds the Nanooks' all-time single season record with 491 in 1992.
 
Harthun is also now just 46 kills away from cracking the top-10 of Alaska's career kills records list. She has collected 682 so far in her first two seasons. Angel Fairbanks' total of 728 from 2000-01 is 10th-best on the list. Current Nanooks head coach Mallory Larranaga holds the career record with 1,363 from 2001-04.
 
At her current pace this season, Harthun could end the year with 426 kills, good for fourth-most all-time in a single season at Alaska and one more than what Larranaga had in 2003 (425), the current No. 4 total. It would also give her 740 for her career, putting her 10th all-time at Alaska after just two years.
 
Match #26: Simon Fraser at Alaska – Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:  LIVE STATS   LIVE VIDEO
The Clan (10-10, 5-9 GNAC) has lost four of its last five after earning a split at home last weekend, defeating Saint Martin's 3-1 before dropping a close match against Western Oregon, 3-2. Simon Fraser is 1-5 on the road this season, its lone victory coming at Western Oregon on Oct. 10.
 
Simon Fraser has four players over the 100-kills mark this season, led by Kelsey Robinson's 274. Robinson has been the Clan's all-around player this season. She is second on the team in digs with 241 and third in total blocks with 36. The Clan is second in the GNAC with 1.39 service aces per set.
 
Match #27: No. 10 Western Washington at Alaska – Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:  LIVE STATS   LIVE VIDEO
The Vikings (19-3, 12-2 GNAC) head to Alaska this week looking to defend their GNAC title from a year ago. They are currently tied with Alaska Anchorage atop the conference at 12-2. WWU was No.6 in last week's West Region rating and UAA No.5. Last week, WWU swept two conference home matches with Western Oregon and Saint Martin's.
 
Kayla Erickson ranks fourth nationally in attack percentage at .392. She is 22nd nationally in blocks per set (1.22), 26th in points per set (4.39) and 40th in kills per set (3.68). Libero Samantha Hutchinson was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week for the third time this season. She had 49 digs in the Vikings' two wins, 32 against Western Oregon.  WWU is holding opponents to .122 hitting and has a 164.0 to 84.0 advantage in blocks.