Women's Volleyball | 11/16/2016 5:55:00 PM
FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team concludes the 2016 season with two Great Northwest Athletic Conference road games this Friday (Nov. 18) and Saturday (Nov. 19) against the Saint Martin's Saints and the Seattle Pacific Falcons. First serve on both nights is scheduled for 7pm AKST.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks played their final two home games of the season last weekend, falling 3-1 to Central Washington on Thursday before dropping a five-set heartbreaker 3-2 to Northwest Nazarene in Saturday's Senior Night game. Alaska now sits at a 2-23 overall record and 1-17 in GNAC play.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make either games in Washington this weekend, all Alaska volleyball conference games (home and away) are streamed live for free through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal. Fans have the option to watch the stream, follow the live stats or do both simultaneously. Please note both Friday and Saturday's games will be produced by the home school.
GNAC Standings
The Nanooks currently sit in 11th place in the GNAC standings with a 1-17 conference record, posting a 0.56 winning percentage. Alaska's two opponents this weekend aren't out of reach for a gritty Nanook team, as Saint Martin's is ranked 10th with a 2-16 conference record, while the Falcons of SPU are ranked eighth with a GNAC record of 6-12.
Servin' Up Aces
Alaska ranked third in the GNAC in service aces per sets with a 1.46 average. The Nooks have collected 137 service aces total, led by junior middle blocker Riley Podowicz, who averages 0.37 per set to rank fifth in the conference. Three other Nanooks also rank within the top-20 in the conference, including freshman defensive specialist Paola Oliver-Otero (0.28), redshirt-junior outside hitter Maddie Davis (0.25) and junior setter Rachel Nichols (0.23).
Helping Hand
Junior setter Rachel Nichols ranks seventh in the conference in assists, averaging 9.50 per set. Nichols has totaled 893 assists in the 2016 season alone and still holds the conference season-record in single game assists (five sets) with 65.
Can You Dig It?
Redshirt-senior libero Meagan Olsen ranks ninth in the GNAC in digs, averaging 4.00 digs per set. Olsen leads the Nanooks with 376 digs total this season in her 94 sets played.
Scouting the Opponent – Saint Martin's (2-16 GNAC, 6-16 overall)
The Saints fell in straight sets to both the Western Washington Vikings (Nov. 12) and the Simon Fraser Clan (Nov. 10) last weekend. The Saints are currently led by Rebecca Mitchell, who has tallied 228 kills on the season, averaging 2.96 per set. Rachel Gonderzick follows close behind with a 2.92 kills per set average after collecting 225 this season. Libero Cassidy Apo has collected 327 digs this season, averaging 4.25 digs per set, while setter Nicolette Nesbitt leads her team with 6.09 assists per set.
Scouting the Opponent – Seattle Pacific (6-12 GNAC, 10-16 overall)
In the first conference match of the season, Alaska defeated the Falcons in five sets to account for their only GNAC win so far and half of their overall wins this season. The Falcons are 5-3 on their home court this season. Sophomore setter Symone Tran racked up her 1,000th assist in last Saturday's game against Simon Fraser in only two years with the program.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
