TURLOCK, Calif. – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team fell victim to the undefeated Concordia University-Irvine Eagles on Saturday afternoon, dropping their final game in the DII West Region Showcase in four sets at the Fitzpatrick Arena. Alaska went 17-25, 11-25, 25-23 and 11-25 against the Eagles, concluding their weekend at the Showcase 0-4 and moving to an overall record of 1-6, while the Eagles improve to 7-0.

The Nanooks were led by junior outside hitter Angela Molesworth, who recorded nine kills on the day. Junior outside hitter Maddie Davis and sophomore outside hitter Amberly Jeane followed closely behind Molesworth, posting six kills each. Junior setter Rachel Nichols was the standout player for the Alaska volleyball team today, collecting 19 assists, seven digs, two service aces, two kills and recording the best hitting percentage for the Nanooks (.500). Redshirt-senior libero Meagan Olsen tied for a game-high 11 digs with Concordia-Irvine's Taylor Dennison.

Molesworth and freshman middle blocker Kim Wong led the first set for the Nanooks, tallying two kills each. Alaska was never able to take the lead from Concordia-Irvine, despite the Eagles' seven service errors. Nichols collected five assists, while Olsen fended off five digs.

Molesworth and Podowicz led the charge in the second set, recording two kills each, while Wong, Jeane and freshman Tatum Upchurch also chipped in one kill. Alaska was sticking close to Concordia-Irvine, closing the gap from the Eagles 3-7 to 5-7 early in the set. The Eagles went on a seven-point run to extend their lead from 7-12 to 7-18, ultimately taking the set 11-25. Nichols had three assists.

The third set proved to be Alaska's best in the match, challenging the Eagles' defense early on. A kill by Molesworth gave the Nanooks their first lead of the game, before CUI came back to tie it up 5-5. With some back-and-forth lead changes, the Nooks finally took back the lead thanks to service ace from Nichols to make it 9-8. From the 12-11 mark, Alaska went on a four-point run to make it 15-11, and then 16-12. At the 21-14 mark, the Eagles answered back with a five-point run to make it 21-18 but the young Alaska team took it in stride and defeated the Eagles in the third set 25-23.

Jeane recorded three kills, while Nichols, Davis and Molesworth each chipped in two. Nichols posted the most assists (four) and digs (six) for the Nooks in the fourth set, while three Nanooks also picked up four digs in the third set.

The fourth set moved quickly in favor of the Eagles, as they recorded two, five-point runs and one, seven-point run to seal their victory, 11-25. Davis and Molesworth had three kills, while Nichols posted seven assists.

The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team opens up the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) season at home on Thursday, Sept. 15 against Seattle Pacific at the Alaska Airlines Court at the Patty Center. The first serve is slated for 7pm AKT. For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.