Box Score SEATTLE -- Senior outside hitter Sam Harthun posted her second double-double of 2015, but it would not be enough to lift the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team over Hawai'i Pacific on Friday morning, as the Nanooks fell 3-0 (17-25, 20-25, 19-25) to the Sharks in Day Two of the GNAC/PacWest Crossover.
Harthun's 11-kill, 10-dig effort could not lift the Nanooks (0-6) past Hawai'i Pacific (3-3), as the Sharks used extended runs to break away from Alaska in all three sets to capture the straight-set victory.
"We are making little steps forward each day," said head coach Brian Scott after the match. "We are getting better in a lot of areas, and we corrected some of the problems that hampered us last night. I was really impressed with how the girls managed some of the extended runs that Hawai'i Pacific went on. They stuck in there and didn't check out once they got down. They battled back, and that was really nice to see."
Harthun was a spark plug on both the offensive and defensive end Friday morning, as the Oregon City, Oregon native collected 11 kills and tied a season-best with 10 digs. It is the second double-double of the year for Harthun, as she posted 14 kills and 10 digs against Saint Joseph's (Ind.) last Saturday. Harthun also hit .278 on the day, as she committed just one attack error in 36 attempts. In fact, the Nanooks committed a season-low 12 attack errors in the match.
"Sam is an incredible player," Scott said of the senior. "She works hard out there and really bounced back well after a rough hitting day yesterday. We told our team to stay focused and not commit silly hitting errors throughout the match. Sam really demonstrated that today, she was precise on her hitting and was really focused out there."
Harthun's performance gives her 1,176 career kills, as she is now just 37 kills away from moving into second place on the school's all-time list.
The Nanooks had a three-set match-best 56 digs on Friday morning, as Alaska got double-digit dig performances from libero Meagan Olsen (18) and Harthun. For Olsen, it is her sixth-straight match with double-digit digs.
"Our defensive effort was awesome today," expressed Scott. "Each position that defends the other team's outside hitters each had double-digit digs and that's something you always want to see as a coach. We also out blocked a team for the first time this season, we had four, and they had three. So just little improvements like that is something we can build on."
Both teams were tied at 10-10 after the first 20 points of the first set, but it was Hawai'i Pacific using a 10-5 run to break the tie and take a commanding 20-15 advantage. The Nanooks would get no closer than that, as a service ace from the Sharks sealed the set one victory, 25-17.
The Nanooks found themselves within two points at 7-5 to open the second set, but an HPU 8-2 run pushed its lead to 15-7. Alaska continued to cut the Sharks lead and pulled within two at 18-16 after Sharks attack error. Hawai'i Pacific would go on another extended run, this time of the 6-2 variety, as the Sharks pushed their advantage to 24-18 and closed out the set with a 25-20 victory.
Alaska fell behind 7-2 in the third set, but battled back and took a 13-12 lead after a Harthun kill. The two teams traded points, as they were tied at 16-all before Hawai'i Pacific went on a 9-3 run to close the set, taking the 25-19 win to capture the match in straight sets.
Freshman Amberly Jean nearly joined Harthun in the double-digit kill category, as she finished the match with nine. Sophomore Riley Podowicz hit an even .500 on 12 attempts, as she collected six kills on committed no attack errors. Setters Miranda Grieser and Jennifer Morris handed out double-digit assists for the fifth-straight match, as Morris had a team-best 14 assists and Grieser added 11.
Alaska will conclude the GNAC/PacWest Crossover tomorrow morning, Sept. 12, as the Nanooks will take on Azusa Pacific at 8:30 a.m. AKT from Brougham Pavilion on the campus of Seattle Pacific.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like Alaska Nanook Volleyball on Facebook.
