University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — The Alaska volleyball team wraps up its 2013 season this week with two final Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches on the road. Thursday the Nanooks travel to Seattle to face Seattle Pacific at 6 p.m. AKST. They then head to Montana Saturday to take on the Yellowjackets of Montana State Billings at 5 p.m. AKST.
 
The Nanooks (4-23, 3-13 GNAC) dropped two matches at home last week. Saturday's sweep at the hands of No. 10 Western Washington was the first time the Nanooks failed to take a set from an opponent in four straight matches. The team went 1-2 on its last road trip with a five-set victory at Saint Martin's.
 
Senior outside hitter Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Administration) played in the last home match of her career Saturday against the Vikings and extended her streak of having at least seven kills to 18 straight matches. She has already surpassed her career single-season best for kills and currently sits at 235.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) has moved into the No. 5 spot all-time at Alaska for kills in a single season with 410. She has averaged 22 kills over the last four matches and is knocking on the door of the top-10 list for career kills at Alaska. With 724 career kills, Harthun is four kills from tying Angel Fairbanks (2000-01) for 10th all-time at 728.
 
The success of Knight and Harthun has allowed freshman setter Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/General Studies) to enjoy success as well. Camp has eclipsed the 800-assists mark this season, thanks in part to 13 30-assist performances, most recently against Western Washington on Saturday. She now has 821 assists, leaving her just 11 away from No. 10 on the Alaska career assists list. Becky Martin had 832 assists during her one-year stint with the Nanooks in 2011.
 
Saturday's match against the GNAC-leading Vikings saw an end to the Nanooks' four-match streak of tallying 50-plus digs and at least five total team blocks. The team will try to get back on that roll with key defensive players like redshirt sophomore libero Samantha Hesterman (Ormiston, Saskatchewan/Social Work) and redshirt junior middle blocker Britt Glaeser (Fairbanks, Alaska/Business Administration).
 
Hesterman has notched double-digit digs in five straight matches and six of her last seven, including twice gathering a career-high 18 digs in a single match. Glaeser has 13 block assists dating back to Oct. 26 to lead the team.
 
Match #28: Alaska at Seattle Pacific – Thursday, Nov. 21 at 6 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:  LIVE STATS   LIVE VIDEO
The Falcons (14-10, 10-6 GNAC) earned a weekend road sweep last week with wins at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. Seattle Pacific has won seven of its last nine matches and has moved into fourth place in the GNAC after starting the conference season 3-4.
 
The Falcons have been one of the best defensive teams in the GNAC this season, holding opponents to a .150 hitting percentage – second-best in the conference. They lead the GNAC in blocks per set with 2.54. Madi Cavell (332) and Nikki Lowell (259) have surpassed the 250-kills mark this season while hitting .160 and .252, respectively. Lowell also leads the team in total blocks with 126.
 
Match #29: Alaska at Montana State Billings – Saturday, Nov. 23 at 5 p.m. (AKST)
Important Links:  LIVE STATS/LIVE VIDEO
The Yellowjackets (6-19, 3-13 GNAC) have won three of their last six matches to snap a seven-match losing streak and a stretch in which they lost 12 of 13. They most recently won 3-1 at Saint Martin's Saturday for their first road win of the season.
 
Opponents have outhit Montana State Billings .228 to .158 this season. Monica Grimsrud leads the Montana State Billings offense with 314 kills. Chelsey Walter has been the team's best hitter with a .280 season hitting percentage. Six different Yellowjackets have gathered at least 26 total blocks, led by Walter's 45.