FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team is set to open a two-match Great Northwest Athletic Conference home stand this weekend, as they'll host Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and No. 25 Central Washington on Saturday. Thursday's contest is set for 7 p.m., while Saturday is scheduled for 2 p.m. Both matches will be played at Alaska Airlines Court
The Nanooks enter this weekend fresh off a pair of five-set wins at Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's. The two wins marks the first time since 2009 that Alaska has won back-to-back road matches. The two victories also gives the Nanooks four wins on the year, surpassing last year's win total of three, as they completed the season sweep of both the Falcons and Saints.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks won three-straight sets to overcome a 2-0 deficit at Saint Martin's and complete and astounding 3-2 (13-25, 18-25, 25-20, 25-12, 15-13) come-from-behind victory last Saturday. Alaska collected 15 service aces against SMU, as senior Miranda Grieser tied the GNAC record for most service aces in a five-set match, as she landed eight serves. Senior Sam Harthun posted her third-straight 20-plus kill match, as she collected exactly 20 kills in the victory.
All-Time Series
Northwest Nazarene: The Crusaders hold a 20-11 advantage in the all-time series with Alaska. Northwest Nazarene has won 11-straight matches, as the Nanooks' last victory came on Nov. 19, 2009 with a five-set win in Fairbanks.
Central Washington: Central Washington holds a 27-10 advantage in the all-time series against the Nanooks. The Wildcats have won 10-straight in the series, with the last Alaska victory coming on Oct. 9, 2010 in Fairbanks.
GNAC Rankings
Alaska enters this week's set of matches in tied for eighth place in the 11-team GNAC, as they've posted a 4-10 mark through 14 contests. The Nanooks are the top-ranked service ace team in the GNAC, as they've landed a total of 155 aces in 82 sets for a 1.88 ace per set average. Sophomore Riley Podowicz is also tops in the conference in service aces, as she is averaging 0.49 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 0.44 aces per set.
Senior Sam Harthun currently leads the GNAC in kills per set in the conference, as she boast a 3.86 kills per set average. Currently, the Oregon City, Oregon native has collected 293 kills in 76 sets. Harthun has collected 77 kills in her last three matches.
All-Time Kills Leader
With her 21st kill against Seattle Pacific last Thursday, senior Sam Harthun became Alaska's all-time kills leader, surpassing Mallory Bergstrom's previous record of 1,363. Harthun finished the night with 27 kills against SPU and followed that performance with a 20-kill effort against Saint Martin's to give her a career total of 1,390. She is just 71 kills away from tying the GNAC's all-time record in kills.
GNAC Offensive Player of the Week
Senior Sam Harthun is once again named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week after helping the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team complete a season sweep against Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's this past week.
It is the second GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honor for Harthun this year, as she previously won the award on Oct. 5 after a helping Alaska to its first two wins of the year against Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's. In total, Harthun picked up 47 kills and tallied 53.5 points to help Alaska pick up a pair of come-from-behind five-set victories. The two wins marks the first time since 2009 that the Nanooks have won back-to-back GNAC road matches.
Record-Tying Performance
Senior Miranda Grieser tied both the GNAC and Alaska service ace record last Saturday against Saint Martin's. The Maple Valley, Washington native landed eight serves against the Saints, which ties her with Tanya Pitatnova and Jamie Schanback for the most service aces in in a single match in program history. The eight service aces also ties the GNAC record for the most aces in a five-set match.
Scouting the Opposition – Northwest Nazarene
The Crusaders have won 10-straight matches as they enter this weekend in a four-way tie for first place in the GNAC.
Offensively, Northwest Nazarene ranks fourth in the conference in hitting percentage with a .221 mark. They also are fourth in the league in kills per set at 12.65. Madi Farrell is the best hitter in the GNAC, as she leads the conference with her .367 hitting percentage. Kendra Bodine is the team's top kills producer, as her 3.12 kills per set average ranks sixth in the league.
NNU posts one of the top defensive teams in the GNAC, as they rank first in blocks with their 2.86 average and sixth in digs at 15.54 per set. Farrell also leads the league in blocks with her 1.49 average, while Linnea Phillips is fifth in digs per set with her 4.48 average.
Scouting the Opposition – No. 25 Central Washington
The Wildcats enter Saturday's match as one of the four teams tied for first in the GNAC standings with a 12-2 mark in conference play. CWU has won six-straight matches and posts a 16-5 overall record. They rank No. 25 in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll.
Offensively, Central Washington is hitting .236 on the year, which is the third-highest mark in the conference. Sabrina Wheelhouse is the second-best hitter in the GNAC, as she is sporting a .353 hitting percentage, as she has landed 137 kills in 283 attempts with only 37 attack errors. Linden Firethorne is third in the league in kills per set with her 3.72 average. Firethorne has a total of 301 kills in 81 sets this year.
The Wildcats are holding teams to a .172 hitting percentage, which is the fourth-lowest mark in the GNAC. CWU is the second-best blocking team in the league, with its 2.86 blocks per set average. Wheelhouse is second in the league in blocks per set with her 1.38 average, as she has collected 124 total blocks. Kaitlin Quirk is also top-five in the GNAC in blocks, as her 1.29 blocks per set average is fourth-best in the conference. Conversely, Central Washington ranks ninth in digs per set with a 13.57 average.
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