NAMPA, Idaho -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team continues the search for their first road win of the year, as they take on defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion Northwest Nazarene this Saturday. First serve from Orrin Hills Center Court is set for 5 p.m. AKT.
The Nanooks (2-12, 2-5 GNAC) comes into Saturday's match against the Crusaders (8-7, 5-2 GNAC) looking to rebound from a set-straight defeat at Central Washington on Thursday night. The loss snapped Alaska's two-game winning streak, and left the Nanooks 0-7 in road contest this year.
Conversely, NNU enters Saturday's tilt on a season-best three match winning streak, as they have a pair of road wins over Concordia and Western Oregon during the streak to go along with an upset of No. 7 Alaska Anchorage this past Thursday.
Last Time Out
Alaska fell in straight sets at Central Washington, but out-performed the best blocking team in NCAA Division II, as they collected nine blocks to CWU's three. Redshirt junior Maddie Davis continued her strong blocking of late, as she collected a match-best five assisted blocks. Junior Lilah Hudson added a solo block to go along with four assisted blocks on the night.
All-Time Series
The Crusaders hold a 19-11 advantage in the all-time series with Alaska. Northwest Nazarene has won 10-straight matches, as the Nanooks' last victory came on Nov. 19, 2009 with a five-set win in Fairbanks..
GNAC Rankings
The Nanooks are the top-ranked team in the GNAC in service aces per set. Going into Saturday, Alaska is averaging 1.98 service aces per set and have totaled a league-best 107 aces, 26 more than second place. The 1.98 average is 14th-best in NCAA Division II, while the 107 aces are tied for the 30th-most in the nation.
Sophomore Riley Podowicz is the top server in the GNAC, as she is averaging 0.59 aces per set. Fellow Nanooks Sam Harthun and Miranda Grieser are tied for sixth with their 0.37 average. Harthun also ranks third in the league in kills per set (3.47) and points per set (4.01).
The Block Is Coming
The Nanooks have collected a total of 30.5 blocks over the past four matches, as they have nearly averaged two blocks per set with a 1.91 average. Alaska has strung together back-to-back performances of 10.5 blocks against Seattle Pacific and nine blocks at Central Washington.
An Impressive Streak Comes to an End
Senior Miranda Grieser handed out eight assists in Thursday's loss at Central Washington. It was the first time in her Alaska career that the setter had not collected double-digit digs. She double-digit kills streak ends at a remarkable 39 matches.
Scouting the Opposition – Northwest Nazarene
The Crusaders have hit their peak recently, as they have won three-straight matches. NNU sent a shockwave through the GNAC on Thursday, as they upset No. 7-ranked and previously unbeaten Alaska Anchorage in four sets.
Offensively, Northwest Nazarene ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage with a .206 mark. They also are fourth in the league in kills per set at 12.30. Madi Farrell is the second-best hitter in the GNAC with her .353 hitting percentage, while Elayna Rice leads the team in kills per set with her 2.96 average.
NNU posts one of the top defensive teams in the GNAC, as they rank second in blocks with their 2.68 average and sixth in digs at 14.96 per set. Farrell ranks fourth in the league in blocks with her 1.28 average, while Linnea Phillips is fifth in digs per set with her 5.34 average.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Volleyball on Facebook.
