Box Score OLYMPIA, Wash. – Powered by a season-high 27 kills from sophomore outside hitter
Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) and a double-double from freshman setter
Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/General Studies), the Alaska Nanooks won a thrilling five-set battle 3-2 (23-25, 25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 15-13) against Saint Martin's Saturday at Capital High School in Olympia, Wash.
Camp's second career double-double included a career-high 48 assists and 10 digs. Her performance helped carry a Nanooks (4-20, 3-10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference) offense that hit .300 as a team against the Saints (7-17, 3-9 GNAC) – its third-best clip this season. The five-set victory avenges an earlier 3-0 loss to Saint Martin's on Oct. 3, and is the Nanooks' first five-set win in over a year (Aug. 31, 2012, vs. Findlay).
Harthun's 27 kills bested her 26 on Oct. 19 at Simon Fraser and set a new GNAC season high for all players. She hit .375 and also had nine digs and two total blocks.
Three of Saturday's five sets were won by two points. Saint Martin's opened the match with a 25-23 set win and later evened the match at 2-2 by winning the fourth set 25-23. Alaska clinched the victory by winning the fifth set 15-13.
Alaska trailed late in the fifth and final set 12-11, but a 4-1 run that was started and ended with Harthun kills wrapped up the win.
Saint Martin's had three players with double-digit kills, led by Julia Wabinga's 17. Kristyn Ross had a double-double with 16 kills and 10 digs. Maddie Knecht had 12 kills and five block assists.
After falling behind 1-0, the Nanooks hit .355 and .452 in the second and third sets, respectively, to take a 2-1 match lead. They only had four total attack errors across those two sets, while limiting the Saints to hit percentages of .152 and .258.
Freshman opposite hitter
Cassidy Brewer (East Wenatchee, Wash./Business Administration) led Alaska with a .417 hitting percentage and tied a career high with nine kills.
Senior outside hitter
Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Administration) pushed her streak of matches with at least seven kills to 15 in a row. She had 11 Saturday, her second straight double-digit kills total. Knight has now raised her season hitting percentage by 145 points during the streak.
Alaska topped the Saints with 54 digs. They also posted five total team blocks. Redshirt junior middle blocker
Britt Glaeser (Fairbanks, Alaska/Business Administration) led the team with four block assists. She also chipped in four kills in nine attempts and an assist.
The Nanooks wrap up their longest GNAC road stretch of the season at 7 p.m. Saturday in Anchorage with a match against the rival Seawolves of Alaska Anchorage.
