Box Score NAMPA, Idaho -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball continued their strong blocking performance of late, as they rejected a total of eight Northwest Nazarene swings on Saturday night, but their effort at the net could not lift them to victory, as the Crusaders won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference match 3-0 (8-25, 16-25, 21-25).
Redshirt junior Kensey Mix led the way for Alaska (2-13, 2-6 GNAC), as she totaled a match-best three blocks, thanks to one solo and four assisted blocks. The eight stuffs marks the fourth-straight match that the Nanooks have collected six-or-more blocks. During the past four matches, Alaska has collected a total of 33.5 blocks in 15 sets for an average of 2.23 blocks per set.
"We are getting into a good rhythm with our blocking schemes," said head coach Brian Scott. "It continues to improve every match, but overall, we need to improve on mentality in matches on the road. We need to believe that we can compete against any team regardless where we play them, and when we do that, we can become a very good team."
The Nanooks posted a negative hitting percentage for the second-straight contest, as they collected a -.031 mark against Northwest Nazarene (9-7, 6-2 GNAC). The offense was led by sophomore's Maddie Davis and Riley Podowicz, as the duo combined for 15 of the team's 22 kills on the night. Podowicz also posted four assisted blocks and was one of four Nanooks to collect a service ace to post a team-best 10 points on the night.
The Crusaders rode the momentum of knocking off No. 7 Alaska Anchorage on Thursday into Saturday's match, as jumped out to a 13-3 advantage in the first set to cruise to a 25-8 victory. NNU doubled up the Nanooks early in the second set at 10-5 and used another 10-5 run to take a 20-10 lead before capturing the 25-16 set win. Alaska rallied from a 14-7 deficit in the third set to pull within three at 23-20, but that would be as close as they get as they fell 25-21 to lose in straight sets.
The Nanooks will be back in action this Thursday, Oct. 15, as they'll take on Simon Fraser at the Alaska Airlines Court. First serve is set for 7 p.m.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Volleyball on Facebook.
