PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team opens the Great Northwest Athletic Conference portion of its schedule this Thursday, as the Nanooks take on GNAC debutant Concordia University (Ore.) at Cavalier Court. First serve is set for 6 p.m. AKT.
The Nanooks (0-7) are coming off of a 0-4 performance at the GNAC/PacWest Crossover, which was held last weekend at Seattle Pacific. Despite going winless, Alaska was able to take capture two set victories in the Crossover to give them a total of seven set wins on the year. Last season, the Nanooks did not capture their seventh set win until Oct. 4, exactly eight matches into their GNAC schedule.
All-Time Series vs. Concordia (Ore.)
Thursday's match will be the first time that these two schools will have met on the volleyball court.
GNAC Rankings
Senior Sam Harthun ranks third in the conference in kills per set with her 3.25 average. Harthun also ranks fifth in points per set at 3.61. A pair of Nanooks rank inside the top-six in service aces, as sophomore Riley Podowicz (12) and senior Miranda Grieser (11) rank fifth and sixth, respectively. Junior libero Meagan Olsen also cracked into the top ten in digs, as she is averaging 3.96 digs per set.
Record Chaser
Senior outside hitter Sam Harthun is just 25 kills away from surpassing Megan Thigpen for second place on the school's all-time kills list. The Oregon City, Oregon native has 1,188 career kills and she is currently on pace to break the school's all-time kills record, which is currently held by Mallory Bergstrom who collect 1,363 kills in her four-year career.
1-0 To Start Conference Play
Alaska will be searching for its first conference-opening match win since 2013 on Thursday against Concordia. The last time the Nanooks started 1-0 in GNAC play came on Sept. 19, 2013 when Alaska swept Montana State Billings in straight sets at the Patty Center. All time, Alaska is an even 7-7 in GNAC season-opening matches and they are also at the .500 mark in season-opening road matches at 3-3.
Twin Setters
The Nanooks have been playing with a rotation of senior Miranda Grieser and junior Jennifer Morris at setter. The duo has responded well to the split-playing-time, as they recently had a five match streak with each player recording double-digit assists. The streak was recently broken due to Grieser's outstanding play against Azusa Pacific, as the senior collected her first double-double of 2015 by handing 26 assists and collecting 11 digs.
Production From The Middle
Sophomore middle blocker Riley Podowicz hit over the .400 mark in back-to-back matches at last weekend's GNAC/PacWest Crossover. Podowicz collected a season-best 11 kills on 19 attacks to post a .421 hitting percentage against Academy of Art, then followed that effort up by hitting .500 against Hawai'i Pacific. Currently, Podowicz leads the team in hitting percentage with a .211 clip.
Scouting the Opposition – Concordia (Ore.)
Concordia University is the newest member of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference after making the jump from the NAIA. The Cavaliers have made a seamless transition into NCAA Division II, as they are currently undefeated at 8-0, with a victory over then-No. 7-ranked Grand Valley State University. CU has won in straight sets in five of their matches.
The Cavaliers are currently the top ranked defensive team in the GNAC, as teams are hitting .102 against them. Libero Sabrina Wheelhouse leads the stout defense, as her 5.86 digs per set average is tops in the conference. In total, Wheelhouse has 164 digs in 28 sets.
The Cavaliers offense has been equally impressive in their first year at the NCAA level, as they rank third in the conference in hitting percentage with a .236 team clip. Amanda Goringe leads the team with her .321 hitting percentage, which is good enough for seventh-best in the conference. Lindsey Dorsey is right behind Goringe with a .311 mark, which is eight-best in the GNAC. Dorsey also leads the team in kills with 82.
Coaches Corner
"The real season starts with this match on Thursday. These are the matches that really matter. We've been fine tuning and tweaking somethings that we learned about ourselves at the Crossover this week in practice and we're ready to start the conference season anew." – Nanooks head coach Brian Scott on the start of GNAC Play
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Volleyball on Facebook.
