FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team will compete in two Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches on the road this week, taking on Central Washington on Thursday, Sept. 28 before facing the No. 12 Northwest Nazarene Crusaders on Saturday, Sept. 30. Thursday's match in Ellensburg versus the Wildcats is scheduled for 6pm AKT, while Saturday's match in Nampa will begin at Noon AKT.
The Nooks currently sit with an overall mark of 8-5 and a conference record of 1-3.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this weekend's games, all Alaska Nanooks volleyball's conference games (home and away) are streamed live for free through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal (link posted above). Fans have the option to watch the stream, follow the live stats or both. Please be advised that when on the road, Alaska volleyball games are produced and streamed through the respected home school.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team continued conference play at home last week, falling in a five-set heartbreaker to Seattle Pacific last Thursday (Sept. 21) before bouncing back and defeating Saint Martin's 3-1 on Friday (Sept. 22). Alaska's eight victories on the season marks a new single-season win record for third-year head coach
Brian Scott and also marks the most wins in a season for the Nooks since the 2009 campaign.
GNAC Standings
The Nooks are currently tied for sixth place in the GNAC standings with a 1-3 conference mark. Alaska, along with Concordia, Western Oregon, Montana State Billings and Simon Fraser all boast the same GNAC record but the Nanooks are the only team to have eight wins so far this season. Northwest Nazarene and Alaska Anchorage are currently tied for first place in the conference rankings, each with a perfect 4-0 GNAC record.
Against the Rest
As a team, the Nanooks rank within the top three in the GNAC in four different statistical categories including hitting percentage, assists, kills and service aces. The Nooks rank third in the league in assists (12.23 per set) and kills (13.29 per set) while occupying the second place position in hitting percentage (.248) and service aces (1.90 per set).
Conference Leaders
Six Nanooks rank within the top-10 individually in the GNAC in the categories of hitting percentage, assists, service aces and digs. Alaska's offense proves to be one of the best and most consistent in the conference, as sophomore middle blocker
Kim Wong (.333), senior middle blocker
Riley Podowicz (.305) and redshirt-freshman outside hitter
Markie Miller (.264) rank fourth, seventh and 10th, respectively in hitting percentage.
Miller and freshman setter
Cate Whiting rank in the top-10 individually in service aces with Whiting rank fourth overall, averaging 0.46 aces per set while Miller ranks sixth in the GNAC with a 0.38 aces per set average.
Furthermore, sophomore libero
Jenna Hickel ranks fifth in the GNAC in digs, averaging 4.79 per set while senior setter
Rachel Nichols ranks 10th in assists with a 5.50 assists per set average.
Scouting the Opponent – Central Washington (8-4 overall, 3-1 GNAC)
CWU is currently riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping Western Oregon (3-0) before defeating Concordia 3-1 on the road. As a team, the Wildcats rank fourth in the GNAC standings with a 3-1 conference mark and rank first in the league (and second in the nation) in blocks (2.89/set), third in opponent hitting percentage (.153), fourth in hitting percentage (.215) and fifth in kills (12.83/set). This week, the Wildcats received 19 votes in the latest AVCA Top-25 Poll.
Individually, Central Washington is led offensively by Shelby Mauritson with a 3.43 kills per set average with sophomore Niki Cook posting a 5.67 assists per set average. In addition, CWU's Sabrina Wheelhouse, who was recently named the GNAC's Offensive Player of the Week, ranks first in the conference and in the nation in blocks per set (1.57) and ranks first in the league and second in the nation in total blocks (72). Wheelhouse also ranks second in the conference with a .353 hitting percentage.
Scouting the Opponent – #12 Northwest Nazarene (12-0 overall, 4-0 GNAC)
The Nanooks will face a tough opponent on Saturday afternoon, as the undefeated Crusaders recently moved up in the AVCA Top-25 Poll from No. 16 to No. 12. NNU has yet to lose a match this season and has only lost seven out of 40 sets so far this season.
NNU is led offensively by Kendra Bodine and Madi Ferrell, who both average over 4.12 kills per set on average. Farrell currently leads the league in hitting percentage (.438) and points (4.91/set), while setter Hailey Cook leads the GNAC in assists, averaging 11.83 per set.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
