TURLOCK, Calif. – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team concluded their two week road trip with a four-match weekend at the inaugural Division II West Region Volleyball Showcase, hosted by Stanislaus State in Turlock, California. In the six-team, 12-match showcase, Alaska will take on Chico State on Thursday, Sept. 8, Stanislaus State and Hawaii Pacific University on Friday, Sept. 9, before closing out the weekend against Concordia-Irvine on Saturday, Sept. 10.
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Dates
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September 8-10, 2016
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Participating Teams
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CCAA: Chico State (3-1) & Stanislaus State (Host) (1-3)
GNAC: Alaska (1-2) & Western Oregon (0-3)
PacWest: Concordia-Irvine (4-0) & Hawaii Pacific (3-2)
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Match Schedule
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Thursday, Sept. 8
Alaska at Chico State | 4:00 pm AKT
Friday, Sept. 9
Alaska at Stanislaus State | 2:00 pm AKT
Alaska at Hawaii Pacific | 7:00 pm AKT
Saturday, Sept. 10
Alaska at Concordia-Irvine | Noon AKT
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Tournament Homepage
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D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase
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Live Stats/Streaming
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Live Stats | Live Streaming
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Social Media
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Twitter | Facebook
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Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks kicked off the 2016 season with a spectacular win over BYU-Hawaii on Friday, Sept. 2 at the Hawaii Invitational in Laie, Hawaii. The Nooks downed the Seasiders in four sets (18-25, 25-20, 25-22 and 25-20) to win their first regular season opener since the 2012 season. Junior outside hitter Angela Molesworth and sophomore outside hitter Amberly Jeane paced the Nooks with 12 kills each. Freshman middle blocker Kim Wong chipped in seven kills, posting the best hitting percentage of the Nanooks with .467. Redshirt-senior Meagan Olsen recorded 17 digs, while junior setter Rachel Nichols collected a game-high 36 assists. Along with Jeane, junior middle blocker Riley Podowicz posted four service aces each.
Alaska came back for their second game of the day, falling to Hawaii Pacific in four sets (14-25, 21-25, 25-20 and 27-25). Despite the late comeback, the Nooks couldn't hold on to their lead in the fourth set ultimately moving their overall record to 1-1. Jeane led the Nooks once again, collecting 14 kills on the night, while Wong posted the best hitting percentage once more with a .412 (eight kills). Nichols posted another game-high 39 assists, while Olsen tallied 13 digs.
Despite another late comeback, the Nooks couldn't hang on to beat the undefeated Chaminade Silverswords on Saturday, Sept. 3. Alaska fell in four sets (23-25, 21-25, 25-23 and 25-21) to move to a 1-2 overall mark thus far. Jeane, once again, led the Nanooks with 13 kills while Podowicz posted the best hitting percentage of her teammates with a .364. Nichols collected a game-high 28 assists, while Olsen tallied 10 digs. Furthermore, Podowicz totaled a game-high five service aces.
D2 West Region Showcase
Stanislaus State is one of six schools hosting the first-ever D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, with each site accommodating two California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) schools, two Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) schools and two Pacific West Conference (PacWest) schools at each host site. The Showcase was divided up by each team's conference standing from the 2015 season – Stan State is host to teams that finished either seventh or eighth in their respective league. Each team will play four matches and an All-Tournament Team will be awarded at the conclusion of the Showcase.
Killer Instinct
Sophomore outside hitter Amberly Jeane handily leads the Nooks in kills (39) and kills per set (3.35). Additionally, the Pearland, Texas native boasts a .183 hitting percentage. Junior outside hitter Angela Molesworth is right behind Jeane when it comes to kills, chipping in 28 herself and averaging 2.33 kills per set.
Nicholed and Dimed
Junior setter Rachel Nichols is establishing her offensive capabilities early for the Nanooks. The Riverton, Utah native led the entire field in assists in each of the three games Alaska has played thus far. In total, Nichols has posted 103 assists in three games played, ranking her seventh in the GNAC.
Ace, Ace Baby
Junior middle blocker Riley Podowicz ranks second in the GNAC with 12 service aces, averaging 0.83 aces per set. Podowicz concluded the 2015 season leading the entire conference in service aces.
GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll
The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team was picked to finish ninth in the 2016 GNAC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll, which was released by the conference on Aug. 18. The Nanooks earned 41 total points – a full 25-point increase from 2015. The votes are awarded on a 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale from GNAC head coaches , with this year being the first in which head coaches can vote for their own team.
Rep Your State
With the addition of freshmen Jenna Hickel and Tatum Upchurch, the Nanooks now boast four Alaskans on the 2016 roster. Redshirt-senior Meagan Olsen is a hometown product of Fairbanks, junior outside hitter Ariana Horner calls Nome her hometown, while Hickel and Upchurch hail from Anchorage.
Meanwhile, Washington state also occupies four spots on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball roster, with juniors Riley Podowicz, Maddie Davis, freshman Kim Wong and senior Lilah Bourdon all coming to Fairbanks from the Evergreen State.
Scouting the Opponent – Chico State
The Nooks will face Chico State first in the DII West Region Volleyball Showcase, facing a team that's 3-1 already this season. The Wildcats dropped their first match of the 2016 campaign to Dominican University before winning the next three in a row. Alaska is 1-7 all-time against Chico State, with the Wildcats now losing a match to Alaska since 1998.
Scouting the Opponent – Stanislaus State
The Stan State Warriors head into this weekend with a 1-3 mark overall. The Warriors were in Anchorage last weekend, participating in the Springhill Suites Invitational, having led the tournament in assists per set (12.38) and kills per set (13.23). Outside hitter Blair Enrlich was named to the All-Tournament team after posting 36 kills, averaging 3.0 per set. The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team has only taken on the Stanislaus State on three occasions, going 1-2 all-time against the Warriors.
Scouting the Opponent – Hawaii Pacific
The Nooks take on the Hawaii Pacific for a rematch this weekend, taking on the Sharks (3-2) on Friday evening. The Sharks beat the Nooks in four sets: 14-25, 21-25, 25-20 and 27-25 but Alaska was on the verge of a comeback victory.
Scouting the Opponent – Concordia-Irvine
The Nooks will face an undefeated (4-0) Concordia-Irvine team this Saturday, which includes the PacWest Preseason Player of the Year in outside hitter Rachel Flynn. The Eagles recently swept the 26th Annual Concordia Labor Day Classic Tournament, which featured three CU-Irvine players on the All-Tournament Team.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
