FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball teams looks to string together back-to-back wins on Saturday night, as they host Seattle Pacific in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action. First serve from Alaska Airlines Court is set for 7 p.m.
The Nanooks (1-11, 1-4 GNAC) are coming off a five-set victory over Saint Martin's on Thursday, as they collected a season-best 20 aces to fend off a Saint's comeback. The victory is the first of the year for Alaska, as the team snapped its 15-match losing streak that dated back to last season.
Last Time Out
Alaska captured its first win of 2015, as the Nanooks knocked off Saint Martin's 3-2 (25-17, 25-15, 24-26, 20-25, 15-7) at the Alaska Airlines Court. Alaska posted 20 service aces on the night led by senior Sam Harthun and sophomore Riley Podowicz, as each player landed seven aces on the night, marking a new career-high in the category for both players. Harthun strung together her most productive match of the season on Thursday, as the Oregon City, Oregon native posted a season-high in kills (20) and hitting percentage (.286).
All-Time Series
Seattle Pacific holds a decisive 36-9 advantage against Alaska in the all-time series. The Falcons have won 12-straight in the series, as the last Nanook victory came on Oct. 25, 2008, as Alaska won a four-set match in Seattle to complete a season sweep of SPU.
A Special First Win
Not only was Thursday's five-set win over Saint Martin's the first for Alaska this season, but it was also the first win as a collegiate head coach for Brian Scott. Scott spent the last several years as an assistant at the NCAA Division I ranks at Weber State and Utah State, as Alaska is his first collegiate head coaching job.
All About That Ace!
On Thursday, the Nanooks demonstrated why they are the top service ace team in the GNAC, as they landing a season-best 20 aces against Saint Martin's. The 20 aces are the most by a GNAC team this season and was just one shy of tying the school record of 21, which was also set against the Saints in 2002. Senior Sam Harthun and sophomore Riley Podowicz collected 14 of the team's 20 aces, as both player collected a career-best seven service aces.
Concluding the Home Stand
Alaska will conclude its season-long four-match home stand on Saturday against Seattle Pacific. The Nanooks are currently 1-2 during the stretch, as they have a win over Saint Martin's and a pair of losses against No. 11 Alaska Anchorage and Montana State Billings.
20-Kill Performance
Senior Sam Harthun collected a season-best 20 kills against Saint Martin's on Thursday night. Harthun has collected 162 kills this season, which gives her a total of 1,259 for her career. The 1,259 kills puts her just 104 kills away from the school's all-time leader Mallory Bergstrom's total of 1,363.
Setting Them Up
Senior setter Miranda Grieser collected 26 assists in Thursday's win to extend her double-digit assists streak to 38 matches, which spans over her entire Nanook career.
A Fresh Impact
Freshman outside hitter Amberly Jeane has provided a spark to the Alaska offense over the past three matches, as she has collected 29 kills during the stretch. Jeane collected a streak-best 11 kills against Montana State Billings and has a pair of nine-kill performances against No. 11 Alaska Anchorage and Saint Martin's sandwiched around that.
Scouting The Opposition – Seattle Pacific
The Falcons enter Saturday's match with a 4-9 record on the year and 2-3 mark in GNAC matches. SPU is coming off a three-set defeat to No. 8 Alaska Anchorage. The loss snapped Seattle Pacific's two-match winning streak, as they defeated Concordia and Western Oregon in straight sets.
Offensively, the Falcons are tied for ninth in the GNAC in hitting percentagae with their .128 clip. Freshman Shaun Crespi leads the team in hitting percentage with her .235 success rate, a mark that ranks 17th in the conference. Sophomore Hannah Lautenbach is eighth in the league in kills per set, as she has collected 129 in 43 sets for an average of 3.00.
Defensively, teams are hitting .210 against SPU, which ranks seventh in the GNAC. They are averaging the fourth-most digs per set in the league with their 15.65 average. Senior Breanne Wiekamp is tops on the team as her 5.35 digs per set average placed her fourth in the GNAC.
Coaches Corner
"We need to keep doing the things that we as a staff have been trying to implement here. We want to take things one step at a time, live in the present and not worry about what has happened. Right now, Seattle Pacific is our focus, and we want to continue to build off of the performance we put together against Saint Martin's. We didn't allow them to string a lot of extended runs on us and we fought through some adversity to pick up the win. Now, instead of challenging this team to win two sets in a row, we are looking for them to string together two wins in a row." – Head Coach Brian Scott on Saturday's Match.
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