FAIRBANKS, Alaska – After a two-week stint at home, the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team hits the road this week for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches. The Nanooks will take on the Concordia Cavaliers on Thursday, Oct. 25 in Portland, Oregon before heading to Monmouth, Oregon to face the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday, Oct. 27.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fans aren't able to make this week's games in Portland or Monmouth, all Alaska Nanooks volleyball games for the remainder of the season (home and away) will be streamed live for free through the Alaska Nanooks Stretch Internet Portal in the 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 respective home team.
Last Time Out
Alaska defeated Simon Fraser 3-2 in a hard-fought victory at home on Thursday before falling to the No. 4 Western Washington Vikings in three-straight sets on Saturday. The loss snaps a seven-match conference winning streak for the Nanooks, a program-best since joining the GNAC in 2001 and a single-season GNAC best for fourth-year head coach
Brian Scott.
GNAC Standings
Alaska currently ranks tied for fourth in the GNAC standings with a conference mark of 8-6 through 14 league matches. Seattle Pacific is the other GNAC team tied for fifth in the conference standings, while Alaska's weekend opponents, Concordia and Western Oregon, rank seventh and 10th, respectively.
All-Time Series
Since joining the GNAC in 2015, the Concordia Cavaliers lead the all-time series over the Nanooks 6-1. The Nanooks lost in straight-sets to the Cavs in their first-ever meeting on Sept. 17, 2015, going on a six-match losing streak. Alaska bounced back this season, defeating Concordia 3-0 on Sept. 29 to earn their first-ever victory against CU.
The Nanooks are 15-22 all-time against Western Oregon with the first meeting between the two teams coming as a 0-2 loss for the Nanooks in the 1979 season. Alaska is currently riding a three-match winning streak against the Wolves with their last meeting coming as a 3-0 sweep for the home team on Sept. 27.
Scouting the Opponent – Concordia (9-12 Overall, 6-8 GNAC)
Concordia enters the week having lost both GNAC matches last week, falling 3-1 to Central Washington on Thursday and 3-0 to Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The Cavaliers average 11.73 kills and 17.12 digs per set and are ranked 26th in Division II with 39.11 team attacks per set and 50th with 2.10 blocks per set average.
Individually, senior outside hitter Livia Strandberg leads the Cavaliers with 2.35 kills per set, while sophomore middle blocker Elyssa Rose ranks first on her team in hitting percentage with a .290 and ranks seventh in the conference with 1.02 blocks per set. Defensively, freshman libero Callie Wilkins ranks second in the GNAC and 27th in the nation with 5.67 digs per set.
Scouting the Opponent – Western Oregon (6-15 Overall, 1-13 GNAC)
Western Oregon split on the road last weekend, taking a five-set win against Northwest Nazarene on Thursday before falling 3-0 to Central Washington on Saturday. The Wolves enter this week averaging 11.25 kills and 15.45 digs per set with a .153 hitting percentage.
Individually, senior outside hitter Mariella Vandenkooy enters the week leading WOU with 2.53 kills per set and 2.74 digs per set. Senior middle blocker Markie Hall averages 1.70 kills and 0.95 blocks per set.
#NookNotes (Courtesy of GNAC VB Notebook)
- Junior outside hitter Lahra Weber led the Nanooks in the two matches last week with 33 kills and 18 digs. She led all players with a double-double of 22 kills and 13 digs against Simon Fraser and then added 11 kills and five digs against Western Washington. Weber is fourth in the GNAC with 3.15 kills and 4.06 points per set.
- Junior middle blocker Kim Wong had a .448 hitting percentage in the two matches, finishing with 17 kills and two blocks. She finished with eight kills and a block with a .462 hitting percentage against Simon Fraser and then had nine kills and a solo block against Western Washington. Wong is averaging 1.68 kills and 0.91 blocks per set.
- Sophomore outside hitter Markie Miller added 21 kills in the two matches. She came off the bench to finish with 13 kills and three aces against Simon Fraser and then finished with eight kills and four aces against Western Washington. Miller is averaging 2.23 kills per set.
- Alaska enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with a .174 hitting percentage and fourth with 1.60 aces per set. The Nanooks are averaging 11.90 kills and 15.57 digs per set.
Alaska Leaders
Three Nanooks rank within the top-10 individually in the GNAC in four different statistical categories:
- Assists
- Digs
- Kills
- Points
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.
