MONMOUTH, Ore. – Despite plenty of tie scores and lead changes throughout each set, the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team saw their losing streak continue on Thursday night, as the Nooks fell to the Western Oregon University Wolves 0-3 in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match at the PE Gymnasium. The Nooks (2-20 overall, 1-14 GNAC) fell 23-25, 14-25 and 20-25 to the Wolves (9-13 overall, 6-9 GNAC) in front of a crowd of 212.
"We lost the serve and service receive battle tonight," head coach Brian Scott said following Thursday's game. "Give it to Western Oregon, they served aggressively and kept us out of system. We just weren't able to keep the pressure on them in return."
Junior outside hitter Angela Molesworth led the Nanooks' offense with 10 kills, while junior middle blocker Riley Podowicz ranked right behind Molesworth with nine kills and three block assists to record a team-high 10.5 points on the night. In her first game back since Alaska Anchorage, sophomore outside hitter Amberly Jeane also helped the Nanooks' offense, chipping in seven kills, two block assists and five digs.
Junior setter Rachel Nichols collected a game-high 38 assists, two block assists and one service ace, while redshirt-libero Meagan Olsen posted a team-high 14 digs. Redshirt-junior Maddie Davis also had a notable night on the scoresheet, posting 10 digs, six kills, one block assist and a team-high hitting percentage of .250.
The first set was a back-and-forth battle between both teams, as it saw tie scores and lead changes. Neither team had more than a two-point lead until the 10-10 mark before the Wolves went on a four–point run to take the lead for the majority of the latter half. Alaska was at a 20-18 disadvantage before the Nooks fought back to tie the first set 22-22 and eventually improving to 23-22 thanks to a kill from Jeane. Due to a kill and an assisted block from the Wolves, Western Oregon captured the final two points to claim the first set 25-23.
The second set started just like the beginning of the first, with plenty of tie scores, lead changes and a fight to see who would inch away from the other team the quickest. Unfortunately for the Nooks, it was the Wolves who capitalized on their momentum and collected eight points from nine plays and took a 21-12 lead over Alaska. Western Oregon held on to take the second set 25-14.
In the third set, the Wolves got on the board first and kept the lead throughout its entirety, eventually claiming the set and the match with a 25-20 score in the third. The Nooks pulled to within one point on four separate occasions throughout the third set and even fought back in the latter part of the set from 16-24 to 20-24.
The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team returns to the court on Saturday, Nov. 5 in Portland, Oregon, for another GNAC contest by taking on the Concordia University Cavaliers at 6pm AKT.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
