Box Score
Highlights
Press Conference
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Sophomore outside hitter Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) had 18 kills and the Alaska Nanooks used big runs all night long Thursday to open their Great Northwest Athletic Conference season with a 3-0 (25-20, 25-20, 28-26) sweep of Montana State Billings at the Patty Center.
The victory in their GNAC opener is the Nanooks' first since 2010 -- a 3-0 sweep on the road at Saint Martin's. The last time Alaska won a home GNAC opener was in 2009, also over Montana State Billings, by a score of 3-2. But it took big runs Thursday of 12-2 in the first set and 13-2 in the second to put the Nanooks on top.
Harthun hit a season-best .469 with only three errors for Alaska (2-10, 1-0 GNAC). Her 18 kills led all players, and was one shy of her season-best 19 Saturday at Notre Dame de Namur. The win was the second in a row for Alaska, and its second consecutive 3-0 sweep.
Three different players had at least five kills for Montana State Billings (2-7, 0-1 GNAC), led by Monica Grimsrud's nine. Grimsrud entered the match with a conference-leading 4.20 kills per set, but was held to a .037 hitting percentage against the Nanooks. Chelsey Walter had eight kills and Kyndal Williams tallied 26 assists for MSUB.
The Yellowjackets hit .094 as a team Thursday. It was the first time this season Alaska held a team below a .100 hitting percentage. The Nanooks hit .170 and had a season-high eight service aces.
Senior outside hitter Keri Knight (Arvada, Colo./Business Administration) added seven kills and three aces for the Nanooks, and junior middle blocker Britt Glaeser (Fairbanks, Alaska/Business Administration) contributed six kills and three total blocks.
Freshman setter Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/General Studies) posted her fourth 30-assist match of the season with 30 helpers against the Yellowjackets. Junior libero Tessa Butterfield (Grass Valley, Calif./Justice) tallied 13 digs and an ace.
The teams played evenly in the early goings of all three sets, with the Nanooks' big runs making the difference in the match. The first set was tied 13-13 midway through, and saw five tie scores and three lead changes. The second set was tied seven times and had seven lead changes. The third set was closest of all, with 15 tie scores and 10 lead changes. There were four ties and three lead changes in the final nine points of set three alone.
Alaska used a 12-2 run in the first set to come back from being four points down at 12-8 to having a six-point advantage at 20-14, and five away from an opening-set victory. Two aces and a kill from Knight and four kills from Harthun spurred the run that allowed the Nanooks to win the opening set for the fifth time this season and take a 1-0 match lead.
Alaska got on a roll again in the second set, posting a 13-2 run to overcome a six-point deficit midway through the set. The Yellowjackets had just completed a 7-1 run of their own to take a 15-9 lead, but five errors on top of five Harthun kills and another ace from Knight turned the tables, giving the Nanooks a five-point lead at 22-17.
Montana State Billings hung close to Alaska in the third and final set, staying within five points the entire time and pushing the set past the regulation 25 points to win. The Yellowjackets actually served for set point at 26-25 after fending off two match point services from the Nanooks, but Stormy Siemion served the ball into the net, tying the match at 26-all and starting a match-ending 3-0 run for Alaska. An ace from redshirt sophomore defensive specialist Kylie Dickerson (Fairbanks, Alaska/Business Administration) and a clinching kill from Knight sealed the deal on the Nanooks' victory.
Alaska continues its GNAC-opening weekend home stand at 7 p.m. Saturday against Seattle Pacific (4-5, 0-1 GNAC), who lost 3-1 (23-25, 25-23, 17-25, 23-25) at Alaska Anchorage Thursday night.
