FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team kicks off conference play this week, taking on Great Northwest Athletic Conference rivals Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin's for the Nanooks' first two home games of the 2016 season. Alaska will face the SPU Falcons on Thursday, Sept. 15 (7pm AKT) before challenging the Saint Martin Saints on Saturday, Sept. 17 (4pm AKT) with both games being held at the Alaska Airlines Court at the Patty Center.
The Nanooks (1-6 overall, 0-0 GNAC) will look to break their five-game losing streak, while the Saints hope to remain undefeated thus far (4-0 overall, 0-0 GNAC) and the Falcons look to improve upon their 4-4 record (0-0 GNAC).
Where to Watch
If fans can't make it to the games this weekend, all Alaska Nanooks volleyball games (home and away) are streamed live for free on the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Portal. Fans have the option to watch the stream, follow the live stats or both.
Promotions
Saturday's match against Saint Martin's is also UA Staff and Faculty Appreciation Day. Any UA staff or faculty member will receive one free general admission ticket if they present a valid UA ID at the door. As always, University of Alaska Fairbanks students get in to all Alaska Nanooks home events for free with their Polar Express Card.
Last Time Out
Last weekend, the Nanooks traveled to Turlock, California to participate in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, hosted by Stanislaus State. The Nanooks were defeated in three sets by Chico State on Thursday and Stanislaus State on Friday morning, before dropping a five-set heartbreaker to Hawaii Pacific Friday night and falling in four sets to undefeated Concordia-Irvine on Saturday afternoon.
Ace of Base
The Nanooks are ranked third in the GNAC and 17th in NCAA Division II in aces per set with 2.15. Alaska is also ranked 26th in Division II total aces with 58. Junior middle blocker
Riley Podowicz ranked first amongst Nanooks in service aces, totaling 14 in the seven games thus far. Junior outside hitter
Maddie Davis and freshman defensive specialist Poala Oliver-Otero rank just behind Podowicz, recording 13 and 11, respectively.
Killer Queen
Sophomore outside hitter
Amberly Jeane leads the Nanooks in almost every offensive statistical category after the D2 West Region Showcase. The Pearland, Texas native ranks first amongst the Nanooks in total kills (70), kills per set (2.87), total attacks (214), points (77.5) and points per set (2.87). Junior outside hitter
Angela Molesworth ranks second on the team in total kills (63) and kills per set (2.33).
Helping Hand
Junior setter
Rachel Nichols ranks eighth in the GNAC in assists per set, averaging 8.70. The Riverton, Utah native has collected 235 total assists in27 sets this season.
GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll
The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team was picked to finish ninth in the 2016 GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released by the conference office on Aug. 18. The Nanooks earned 41 total points from the poll – a full 25-point increase from 2015 survey. The votes were awarded on an 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale from GNAC head volleyball coaches, with this year being the first in which coaches could vote for their own teams.
Scouting the Opponent – Seattle Pacific (4-4, 0-0 GNAC)
Prior to the D2 West Region Showcase, the Falcons were 1-3 and ended up going 3-1 at the tournament. Seattle recorded three-set sweeps to Humboldt State and Cal State Dominguez Hills before losing in five sets to Hawaii Hilo and then defeating Azusa Pacific on Saturday. Middle blocker Shaun Crespi was named to the Showcase's All-Tournament team after registering 28 total blocks and averaging 1,75 per set. Rookie outside hitter Gabby Oddo led SPU last weekend, collecting 54 kills, five aces and 48 digs in the four-match Showcase.
The Falcons are ranked second in the GNAC and eighth in DII with 2.57 blocks per set, while also ranking fourth in the conference in opponent hitting percentage with .151.
Scouting the Opponent – Saint Martin's (4-0, 0-0 GNAC)
After going 4-0 at the D2 Showcase, Saint Martin's is off to their best start in program history. Last weekend, the Saints defeated the Academy of Art, Holy Names, Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican to start off the season undefeated. Outside hitter Rebecca Mitchell was named to the Showcase's All-Tournament Team after leading the Saints with 46 kills, 54 digs and four blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Brooklyn Tacke recorded nine aces in the tournament, ranking her second in the GNAC with 0.60 aces per set.
As a team, the Saints lead the GNAC and rank sixth in DII with 20.27 digs per set. Saint Martin's also leads the league with 13.07 assists per set.
Coaches Corner
"This weekend, we really need to improve upon how we communicate on the court. With so many new players, our biggest problem this far has just been figuring out the type of reactive dynamic we have going on after every rebound. But the good part is, going into this weekend and kicking off conference play means it's a clean slate. Now we just need to fine tune some things and get the ball rolling. It's so nice to finally be home and play in front of our fans, should be a good weekend." – head coach
Brian Scott said of this weekend's upcoming matches.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
