FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team returns to the Alaska Airlines Court for a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference home matches this week, as they take on the Western Oregon Wolves on Thursday, Sept. 27 at 7pm AKT before facing the Concordia Cavaliers on Saturday, Sept. 29 at 1pm AKT.
Where to Watch & Listen
If fan's aren't able to make this week's games in Fairbanks, 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 school.
Last Time Out
The Alaska Nanooks dropped a pair of conference matches on the road last week, falling 0-3 to No. 8 Western Washington on Thursday in Bellingham before being swept by Simon Fraser in Burnaby on Saturday. Alaska's last victory was Sept. 15 vs. Montana State Billings.
GNAC Standings
Alaska is currently tied for ninth in the GNAC Standings with Montana State Billings, with both teams posting a 1-5 mark in conference play. Western Washington currently sits in first place in the league standings with an undefeated conference record of 7-0. Alaska's weekend opponents, Western Oregon and Concordia, rank seventh and tied for fourth, respectively.
#NookNotes (Courtesy of the GNAC VB Notebook)
- Sophomore outside hitter Lahra Weber led the Nanooks with 19 kills, 13 digs and six blocks in the two matches this week. Weber led the team with 13 kills, six digs and three blocks at Western Washington and then finished with six kills, seven digs and three blocks at Simon Fraser. Weber leads Alaska and is fifth in the GNAC with 3.30 kills and also averages 2.83 digs per set.
- Sophomore outside hitter Markie Miller and junior middle blocker Kim Wong each had nine kills last week. Miller topped her week with seven kills at Simon Fraser while Wong finished with six kills and four blocks at Western Washington. Wong leads the Nanooks with 0.83 blocks per set.
- Sophomore setter Cate Whiting finished with a double-double of 27 assists and 12 digs to go along with three blocks at Western Washington and then added 17 assists at Simon Fraser. Whiting is ranked fifth in the GNAC with 9.28 assists per set.
- Alaska enters the week averaging 11.64 kills and 16.26 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
All-Time Series
The Alaska Nanooks are 14-22 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 on a two-game winning streak against the Wolves with their last meeting coming as a 3-0 sweep for the home team on Nov. 11, 2017.
Since joining the GNAC in 2015, Alaska is 0-6 against the Concordia Cavaliers. The Nanooks lost 0-3 to the Cavs in their first-ever meeting on Sept. 17, 2015. In their last meeting on Nov. 9, 2017, Alaska fell 1-3 to Concordia at home.
Scouting the Opponent – Western Oregon (5-8, 2-4 GNAC)
Western Oregon dropped a pair of four-set matches last week, falling to Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. The Wolves average 11.38 kills and 15.73 digs per set with a .162 hitting percentage. Currently, WOU ranks third in the GNAC with 1.67 aces per set.
Senior opposite Mariella Vandenkooy once again led the Wolves with 24 kills and 29 digs in last week's matches. She was the only WOU player in double figures on Thursday with 14 kills and 15 digs against Central Washington and then added 10 kills and 14 digs against Northwest Nazarene. Vandenkooy leads the Wolves with 2.72 kills per set.
Scouting the Opponent – Concordia (7-6, 4-2 GNAC)
The Cavaliers split at home last week, knocking off NNU in three sets on Thursday before falling to Central Washington in three sets on Saturday. Concordia enters this week averaging 11.84 kills per set and CU also ranks third in the GNAC and 38th in NCAA Division II with 18.04 digs per set. They also rank 16th in Division II with 39.40 team attacks per set and 41st with 2.16 blocks per set.
Junior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler led CU with 14 kills and 28 digs in last week's matches, finishing with eight and 14 digs against NNU before adding six kills and 14 digs against CWU. Wheeler leads the Cavaliers with 2.22 kills and 2.44 digs 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.
