FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team continues to roll in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, as the Nooks edged the Simon Fraser Clan 3-2 at the Alaska Airlines Court on Thursday night. Alaska went 28-26, 13-25, 25-23, 11-25 and 15-12 against Simon Fraser to snap a 10-match losing streak against SFU, dating back to the 2013 season.
The Nanooks improve to 10-10 overall and 8-5 in conference play, while Simon Fraser drops to 10-9 overall and 7-6 in league contests. Alaska now sits tied for fourth place in the GNAC standings with Seattle Pacific, with Western Washington (13-0) remaining in first place and Alaska Anchorage (9-4) and Central Washington (9-4) tied for second.
Thursday's victory also marks Alaska's seventh-straight conference win, a feat the Nanooks haven't reached since joining the GNAC in the 2001 season. Eight conference wins also marks a new single-season record for fourth-year head coach
Brian Scott since taking over the program in 2015.
"Simon Fraser is a defensive juggernaut and it is so hard to get the ball down against them. I mean, they out-dug us by 20 digs tonight and out-blocked us by nine blocks and we still walked away with a win, that's crazy," head coach
Brian Scott said on Thursday. "But like I told these girls, against any team in this conference, if we can keep it close, we can win. They did a great job tonight staying focused and continuing to execute our game plan when we needed to."
Sophomore outside hitter
Lahra Weber posted her sixth double-double of the season with a match-high 22 kills and 13 digs. Out of her 63 total attempts, Weber only tallied six errors for a hitting percentage of .462. The Berlin, Germany native also chipped in two assists for a team-best 22.0 points.
Sophomore setter
Cate Whiting also picked up a double-double on Thursday night, collecting 47 assists and 14 digs for her fifth of the season. Whiting also registered six kills, two block assists and one ace for an 8.0 night.
Redshirt-sophomore outside hitter
Markie Miller was the only other Alaska player to pick up double-digit kills on Thursday, producing 13 against Simon Fraser. Miller also picked up three aces and one dig for 16.0 points.
Redshirt-sophomore outside hitter
Tatum Upchurch led the Nanooks in digs, collecting 16 on the night.
The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team returns to the Alaska Airlines Court on Saturday, Oct. 20 for a GNAC matchup against the No. 4-ranked Western Washington Vikings at 1pm AKT.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
