BELLINGHAM, Wash. -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team concludes the road portion of the 2015-16 schedule this weekend, as they take on No. 16 Western Washington and Simon Fraser. The Nanooks battle the No. 16-ranked Vikings on Thursday night before finishing the road trip in Canada with the Clan on Saturday. Both matches are set for a 6 p.m. start.
The Nanooks enter this weekend on a two-game road winning streak, as they swept Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's two weeks ago. It was the first time since 2009 that Alaska has won back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference road matches.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks had their three-game winning streak snapped last Saturday, as they fell to No. 24 Central Washington in four sets. Alaska pushed the Wildcats in the first two sets, losing 25-20 and 25-23, before taking the third set, 25-21. The Nanooks lost steam in the fourth and final set, as they felt the effects of four-straight five-set matches in the final frame against CWU to fall 25-15.
All-Time Series
Western Washington: The Vikings hold a 39-6 lead in the all-time series and has won each of the last 14 meetings between the two schools, which includes a straight-set victory over the Nanooks on Oct. 17. The last time Alaska defeated WWU came in 2008.
Simon Fraser: Simon Fraser is 9-3 all-time against the Nanooks. The Clan has won each of the last five matches. The Nanooks last victory against SFU came on Nov. 1, 2012 with a five-set victory at Burnaby, British Columbia to complete a season sweep of the Clan.
All-Time GNAC Record
Senior Sam Harthun enters Thursday's match looking to become the all-time leader in kills in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, as she needs just 11 kills to surpass Sarah Sommerman's (Seattle; 2002-05) current record of 1,461. Harthun is already Alaska's all-time leader in kills, as she surpassed Mallory Bergstrom's previous mark of 1,363 with her 21st kill at Seattle Pacific two weeks ago.
GNAC Record Holder
Though Harthun is chasing the GNAC all-time kills record, the senior has already etched her name in the GNAC record book this season with her outstanding performance against Northwest Nazarene last Thursday. Harthun collected 40 kills, which is now the conference record for most kills in a five-set match and tallied 41.5 points, which is also the league's new record for points in a five-set match.
GNAC Offensive Player of the Week
Senior Miranda Grieser captured her first GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honor on Monday, after the setter handed out a remarkable 118 assists against Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. Despite missing the GNAC single-match assist record by two and the school's single-match assists record by five, Grieser still made history against Northwest Nazarene as she became the first player this century (Post-2000) to collected 70-or-more assists in a single match. Grieser followed her outstanding performance against NNU with a 44-assist effort against No. 25 Central Washington on Saturday. The setter averaged an outstanding 13.11 assists per set in the two matches, as she joins Northwest Nazarene's Hailey Cook as the only two setters to win the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award this year.
GNAC Rankings
Alaska enters this week's set of matches in tied for seventh place in the 11-team GNAC, as they've posted a 5-11 mark through 16 contests. The Nanooks are the top-ranked service ace team in the GNAC, as they've landed a total of 163 aces in 91 sets for a 1.79 ace per set average. Sophomore Riley Podowicz is tops in the conference in service aces, as she is averaging 0.45 aces per set after landing 40 serves in 82 sets. Senior Miranda Grieser is second in the league in service aces, as she is averaging 0.42 aces per set.
Senior Sam Harthun currently leads the GNAC in kills per set in the conference, as she boasts a 4.16 kills per set average. Currently, the Oregon City, Oregon native has collected 354 kills in 85 sets. Harthun has collected 138 kills in her last five matches.
Scouting the Opposition – Western Washington
Western Washington comes into this weekend in a first-place tie with Alaska Anchorage. The Vikings are 14-2 in the GNAC and 20-4 overall. They are currently ranked No. 16 in the AVCA Coaches Poll. Western Washington has won their last four matches and held an impressive 16-match winning streak earlier this season.
WWU is second in the GNAC in hitting percentage with a .255 success rate. Freshman Kayleigh Harper ranks third in hitting percentage with a .330 clip. Jennica McPherson and Rachel Roeder are also in the top ten in hitting percentage, as McPherson is eighth in the league (.302), while Roeder is ninth (.288). Roeder also ranks fifth in the league in kills per set with her 3.22 average.
Defensively, Western Washington is in the middle of the pack in opponent hitting percentage, as teams are hitting .173 against them. They rank fourth in digs per set with a 16.44 average. McPherson is the team's dig leader with her 3.79 digs per set average, a mark that is ninth-best in the GNAC.
Scouting the Opposition – Simon Fraser
The Clan is even in both overall record and GNAC record, as they are 12-12 in overall and 8-8 in league games. SFU has won three-straight matches coming into the weekend.
SFU ranks sixth in kills in the GNAC with their 12.11 kills per set average and eighth in hitting percentage with a .138 mark. Tessa May is the team's top hitter with her .276 success rate, while Devon May ranks 12th in the conference in kills per set with her team-best 2.85 average.
Defensively, Simon Fraser is a solid defensive team that ranks fourth in opponent hitting percentage, as they are limiting teams to a .171 mark. They are also the top dig team in the GNAC with an average of 18.27 digs per set. Alison McKay is second in the league digs per set with her 5.89 average.
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