MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team will wrap up its six-match road trip on Saturday night, as they take on Western Oregon University in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action. First serve from the New PE Building is set for 6 p.m. AKT.
The Nanooks are still in search of their first win under head coach Brian Scott, as they enter the match 0-8 overall and 0-1 in GNAC player after suffering a straight-set defeat at Concordia (Ore.) this past Thursday. If Alaska is able to knock off the Wolves, it will be the second-straight year that the Nanooks have picked up their first win of the season against Western Oregon. Last season, Alaska defeated WOU in straight sets last year in Fairbanks to capture their first win.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks were dropped their eight-straight match of the season, and their 12-straight overall, as they fell 3-0 (19-25, 17-25, 22-25) at GNAC debutant Concordia University. Senior Sam Harthun led the Nanooks with 10 kills. It was her fourth-straight double-digit kill match and her seventh overall on the year.
All-Time Series Record
Western Oregon holds an 18-11 advantage in the all-time series against Alaska. The two teams split a pair of matches last season, with the home team claiming victory in each match. The Nanooks are 3-11 all-time in Monmouth, Oregon, with the last win coming in 2009.
GNAC Rankings
Senior Sam Harthun ranks fourth in the conference in kills per set with her 3.26 average and in points per set with 3.66.A pair of Nanooks rank inside the top-seven in service aces, as sophomore Riley Podowicz (15) and senior Miranda Grieser (12) rank second and seventh, respectively.
Record Chaser
Senior outside hitter Sam Harthun is just 15 kills away from surpassing Megan Thigpen for second place on the school's all-time kills list. The Oregon City, Oregon native has 1,198 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.
Assist Streak
Senior setter Miranda Grieser handed out 25 assists in Thursday's loss at Concordia. It was her second-straight match with 25-plus assists, as she handed out 26 helpers against Azusa Pacific. Thursday's performance also extended Grieser's double-digit match streak to 34-straight matches, a streak that spans over her entire Alaska playing career to date.
ACE!
Sophomore Riley Podowicz ranks second in the GNAC in assists per set with 0.48. Against Concordia, the middle blocker landed three aces to push her season total to 15.
Scouting The Opposition – Western Oregon
The Wolves come into Saturday's match with a 3-7 overall record. Western Oregon is 0-1 in GNAC play after losing in four sets to No. 12 Alaska Anchorage on Thursday night. The Wolves were able to pull even with the Seawolves at the break, but UAA took the final two sets to capture the match. Alisha Bettinson led WOU in kills with 14.
Sydney Blankinship leads the team in hitting percentage at .367, a mark that ranks second in the GNAC. Blankinship has collected just 47 kills, but has only committed 11 errors in 98 attempts. Bettinson leads the team in kills with 102, and is 11th in the GNAC in kills per set at 2.68. As a team, Western Oregon is hitting .182 on the year.
Defensively, Western Oregon is allowing a .236 hitting percentage to the opposition. Christie Colasurdo leads the team in digs with 199. Her 5.24 digs per set is the third-highest in the GNAC.
Coaches Corner
"We are going to treat this match just like another on our schedule. I know this is a team that we beat last, but we still have to battle and compete to get a win. We've improved in every single match this year in one thing or another, and if we continue to improve, we'll eventually start getting the results we're looking for." – Head coach Brian Scott on playing Western Oregon.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Volleyball on Facebook.
