FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team continues their 10-day road trip this week, traveling to San Francisco, California to participate in the Division II West Region Volleyball Showcase, hosted by San Francisco State University. The Nooks will face four West Region opponents Sept. 7-9 at the Swamp at the Don Nasser Family Plaza on the SFSU campus.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make the games in San Francisco this weekend, all of Alaska volleyball's contests throughout the weekend will be streamed live through the SFSU Boxcast site in the links posted above. The live stream will cost $7 per day, while the live stats will be updated for free.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks are off their hottest start in recent memory, posting a 4-1 overall record after traveling to the East Coast last weekend to take on five non-conference opponents. The Nanooks defeated Elizabeth City State (3-0), Kutztown (3-1), Mount Olive (3-0) and Converse (3-0) before falling to Slippery Rock 0-3 at the Viking Virginia Beach Invitational at the Tidewater Volleyball Arena in Virginia Beach, Virginia.
GNAC Standings
Alaska currently ranks third in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings – the highest ranking since the 2008 season - with a 4-1 overall record. Alaska and Northwest Nazarene are the only teams to have registered four non-conference wins this season, as each GNAC team has played at least three non-conference matches thus far.
Hickel & Miller Named Ravn Alaska Nanooks of the Week
On Monday, the Alaska Nanooks Sports Information Office declared Alaska volleyball sophomore
Jenna Hickel and redshirt-freshman
Markie Miller the selections for the Ravn Alaska Nanooks of the Week for the performances last weekend.
Offensive POTW - Markie Miller (R-Fr, OH, Brewster, Wash.)
Miller paced the Nanooks offense in two of Alaska's five non-conference contests over the weekend, helping Alaska to a 4-1 record overall - already surpassing the Nooks' win record from the 2016 season. Miller led the Nanooks on Sept. 1 vs. Elizabeth City State University with a team-high 11 kills before posting a team-high 12 kills on Sept. 3 vs. Converse College. Miller's game vs. ESCU marked her highest hitting percentage in a single game so far, as she went 11-of-18 in total attacks with only one error, boasting a hitting percentage of .556.
Miller also chipped in 11 aces, 6.0 blocks and five assists throughout Alaska's five-game weekend and posted 19 digs. Miller currently leads all Alaska players in total kills (41), kills per set (2.56), total attempts (110), service aces (11) and service aces per set (0.69).
Defensive POTW - Jenna Hickel (So., LB, Anchorage, Alaska)
After only seeing limited game-time in 2016, Hickel has stepped up as the Nanooks' libero so far this season, helping the Nooks to a 4-1 overall record in their first weekend of play. Of Alaska's five non-conference games throughout the weekend, Hickel boasted double-digit digs in four matches, including the game- and team-high versus ESCU (8), Mount Olive (15), Converse (18) and a career-best 33 digs against Slippery Rock on Sept. 3.
Over the weekend, Hickel also combined for 26 assists, six aces and one kill. She currently leads the team in total digs (86) and digs per set (5.38).
Conference Leaders
Six Alaska Nanooks rank within the top-10 of the conference individually, including three in the service aces category. Redshirt-freshman
Markie Miller (0.69), sophomore
Gabby Lerma (0.67) and freshman
Cate Whiting (0.62) rank second, third and fourth, respectively, in service aces per set, each with 10-or-more.
Sophomore libero
Jenna Hickel ranks fourth in the conference with a 5.38 digs per set average, while senior
Riley Podowicz and sophomore
Kim Wong rank third and ninth in the conference, respectively, in hitting percentage. Podowicz has 28 kills and five errors for 59 attempts putting her at .390 percent, while Wong has produced 22 kills and eight errors from 45 attempts for a hitting percentage of .311.
GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll
The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team was picked to finish 10th in the 2017 GNAC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll, which was released by the conference on Aug. 22. The Nanooks earned 25 points in the poll to rank 10th – a spot back from where they were predicted to finish in the same poll in 2016. The votes are awarded on an 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 scale, with this being the second year head coaches were allowed to vote for their own teams.
In-state rival and NCAA Division II National runners-up Alaska Anchorage were picked to finish first in the poll, tallying 110 points and five first-place votes. Western Washington, who fell to UAA in the West Region Championships game, followed closely behind for the No. 2 spot with 109 points and three first-place votes.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
