University of Alaska Fairbanks Athletics

FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks learned much from their season-opening road trip to Hawaii, and they will flaunt those lessons this week when they host the Flint Hills Resources Alaska Nanook Classic Friday and Saturday at the Patty Center.
 
Colorado Christian of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, No. 12-ranked Fresno Pacific of the Pacific West Conference and Humboldt State of the California Collegiate Athletic Association will all converge on the Patty Center for the six-match event that begins at 5 p.m. Friday and concludes Saturday night with the tournament's final scheduled match pitting the Sunbirds against the Nanooks at 7 p.m.
 
The Nanooks open tournament play at 7 p.m. Friday against Humboldt State (0-0). They also close the tournament's second session at 1 p.m. Saturday afternoon against Colorado Christian before playing Fresno Pacific later that evening.
 
The tournament will serve as the home opener for Alaska (0-4), who opened its 2013 season on the road last week with a four-match trip to Hawaii. The Nanooks began their season on the islands last week for the second time in three years, playing all four island NCAA Division II teams in Hawaii-Hilo, BYU-Hawaii, Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific. The Nanooks came away from the trip without a victory, but they are already four matches ahead of a majority of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, many of whom begin their season this week.
 
Sophomore Sam Harthun (Oregon City, Ore./Art) led the team on the trip with 48 kills in four matches. Freshman Katelyn Camp (Newton, Iowa/Newton) took care of setting duties, notching 87 assists in the team's four matches. Junior Morgan McGrath (Queen Creek, Ariz./Queen Creek) got right back to her team-leading blocking duties, posting 10 rejections on the trip.
 
The Alaska Nanook Classic returns to Fairbanks for the 15th time. The tournament has seen 14 different champions in its first 14 years since 1997. This will be the eighth season that the tournament hosts primarily NCAA Division II teams. Findlay (OH) took the team title last year despite falling to the Nanooks in the teams' tournament opener, 3-2, thanks to three-set sweeps over Cal State East Bay and Notre Dame de Namur. The last, and only, time Alaska won its own tournament was in 2000.