BILLINGS, Montana -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team looks to redeem an early season loss to Montana State Billings on Thursday night, as the Nanooks continue their four-match Great Northwest Athletic Conference road trip. First serve from Alterowitz Gymnasium is set for 5 p.m. AKT.
Alaska comes into Thursday's match looking to avenge a four-set loss to the Yellowjackets on Sept. 26 in Fairbanks. MSUB took the first two sets in the match, including a thrilling 31-29 victory over the Nanooks in the second set. Alaska captured the third set out of the break, 25-15, but Montana State Billing sealed the deal in the fourth set with a 25-14 victory.
Sam Harthun had a double-double that day with 15 kills and 14 digs, while sophomore setter Dylan Branch handed out a career-best 16 assists off the bench in the loss.
Last Time Out
Sophomore Riley Podowicz continued her impressive play of late against nationally-ranked teams, as she collected a career-best 12 kills in a 3-1 (16-25, 25-23, 10-25, 12-25) loss at No. 13 Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday night. Â Alaska Anchorage spoiled Podowicz's career night, as the Seawolves captured the four-set victory at home. Alaska battled throughout the night, and was able to capture a 25-23 set victory against the No. 13-ranked team in country. It was the second time in the last two matches against UAA that the Nanooks have been able to take a set from the Seawolves, as they also won the first set in their Sept. 22 matchup in Fairbanks.
All-Time Series
The Nanooks holds a slim 25-24 advantage in the all-time series against the Yellowjackets. MSUB has won four of the last five meetings against Alaska, which includes a four set victory over the Nanooks in Fairbanks on Sept. 26.
The Right Move
A few matches ago, head coach Brian Scott decided to move sophomore Riley Podowicz to the right side and that switch has paid off big in the past couple of matches. In her last two matches, which came against No. 16 Western Washington and No. 13 Alaska Anchorage, the Olympia, Washington native has collected 23 kills. She posted a then career-best-tying 11 kills against the Vikings, before capturing a career-high 12 kills against the Seawolves on Tuesday night.
Record Chaser
Senior Sam Harthun put on another strong offensive display on Tuesday night, as the Oregon City, Oregon native continues to inch closer to Mallory Bergstrom's Alaska all-time kills record of 1,363. Harthun posted a match-best 16 kills against No. 13 Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday night, putting her just 51 kills shy of tying the all-time record.
Harthun has collected 15-or-more kills in six of her last seven matches, and is averaging 13.7 kills per match during the streak. In order to tie the record on this current road trip, the senior would need to average 17 kills per match, that's if all three of the remaining matches played just the minimum of three sets.
Blocking Along
Junior Lilah Hudson has enjoyed one of her more success stints as a Nanook the past few weeks, as the Seattle, Washington native has improved her play at the net. Hudson has collected three-or-more block in four of the last five matches, as she has collected 15 assisted blocks and one solo block. Prior to the last five matches, Hudson collected a total of seven assists blocks and zero solo blocks in 12 matches played.
Scouting the Opposition – Montana State Billings
Like the Nanooks, MSUB enters Saturday's match looking to snap an extended losing streak, as the Yellowjackets have dropped four-straight matching coming into Thursday.
MSU Billings ranks seventh in the conference in hitting percentage with a .155 mark. Ashlynn Ward is the team's top hitter with her .255 success rate. Ward ranks fifth in the conference in kills per set with a 3.29 mark, as she has collected 227 kills in 69 sets. The junior posted 20 kills against the Nanooks back on Sept. 26.
Defensively, the Yellowjackets rank second-to-last in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage, as teams are hitting .242 against MSU Billings. Libero Kimmy Kirk ranks 11th in the conference in digs per set with her 3.61 average. Kirk was one of three MSUB players to post 11-or-more digs against Alaska in the Sept. 26 win, as the Yellowjackets held the Nanooks to a .126 hitting percentage in the match.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Volleyball on Facebook.
