ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team opens a four-match Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trip this Tuesday, as the Nanooks take on No. 10 Alaska Anchorage. First sever from the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage is set for 7 p.m.
Alaska goes into this four-match road trip on a five-game road losing streak, as the Nanooks have not won on an opponent's court since Oct. 30, 2014, when they knocked off Saint Martin's in Lacey, Washington. The Nanooks are also looking to halt their current four-match losing streak after going 0-2 this past week at home against the GNAC defending champion, Simon Fraser, and No. 16-ranked Western Washington.
Last Time Out
Senior Sam Harthun posted her fourth double-double the year and sophomore Riley Podowicz tied her career-best mark with 11 kills, as Alaska battled the No. 16-ranked Western Washington Vikings, but fell in 3-0 (19-25, 23-25, 20-25) this past Saturday.
All-Time Series
When the two Alaska schools hook up on Tuesday, it will be their 105th meeting on the volleyball court. Currently, the Seawolves hold the 66-38 advantage and have won the last 10 meetings in the series, which includes a four-set victory over the Nanooks on Sept. 19 of this year.
All About That Ace
The Nanooks come into Tuesday's match as the top-ranked service ace team in the GNAC. Alaska is averaging 1.92 aces per set and are led by sophomore Riley Podowicz, who is serving up a conference-best 0.56 aces per set.
Doubling Up
On Saturday, Sam Harthun posted her fourth double-double of the year with her 15-kill, 10-dig outing against No. 16 Western Washington. Harthun leads the team in double-double, as she has also picked one up against Saint Joseph's (Sept. 5), Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 11) and Montana State Billings (Sept. 26). Senior Miranda Grieser is one double-double behind Harthun with three.
Career-Best Tying Outing
Sophomore Riley Podowicz tied her career-best mark on Saturday with 11 kills. It was just the second career double-digit kill performance for Podowicz, as she tied her career-high of 11, which was set on Sept. 10 against the Academy of Art.
Record Chaser
Senior outside hitter Sam Harthun is just 66 kills away from tying Mallory Bergstrom's Alaska all-time record of 1,363. Harthun is currently averaging 3.51 kills per set and is on pace to tie the record in the next couple of weeks. Harthun is also just three kills shy from becoming the second player in program history to surpass the 1,300-kill plateau, as she has currently has 1,297.
I Can Dig It
The defense has really stepped up its performance over the last two games, as Alaska is averaging 46.5 digs per game. The Nanooks picked up 47 in a three-set loss to Simon Fraser and out dug a Western Washington team, 46-43, that ranked third in the GNAC in digs per set.
Scouting the Opposition – Alaska Anchorage
The Seawolves enter Tuesday's match as the No. 10-ranked team in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Poll. Alaska Anchorage has been feature in the AVCA Top 25 Poll in all but one week this season.
Alaska Anchorage is the top-ranked offensive team in the GNAC, as they hold a .262 hitting percentage. The Seawolves feature two of the top four players in the GNAC in kills per set, as Katelynn Zanders leads the conference with her 3.78 average. Fairbanks native Julia Mackey's 3.08 kills per set average is seventh-best in the league.
UAA is also the top teams in the GNAC defensively, as they are holding opponents to a .126 hitting percentage.The Seawolves have a total of 1,005 digs this season through 65 sets, for an average of 15.46. Kyla Militante-Amper leads the team with 222 digs and is seventh in the GNAC in digs per set with her 4.19 average.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter, or like Alaska Nanooks Volleyball on Facebook.
