FAIRBANKS, Alaska – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team won their final game of the 2019 season on Saturday, Nov. 23. This game was the final game in the careers of Mica Chen, Tatum Upchurch and Kim Wong, three seniors who helped put the Alaska program back on its feet in their time. This win gave the Nanooks a final record of 15-13, 12-8 GNAC, their first back-to-back winning seasons since 2003-04. 
 
The first set did not go as planned for the 'Nooks, as they allowed 18 Saint Martin's kills, while only producing 11 of their own. Despite swinging as well as SMU, matching them with a .250 swing percentage, the Saints held the early advantage. Alaska was able to grab a late-set lead of 19-18, but that was the last they'd see of it. The Saints grabbed seven of the next 10 points and pulled away from the 'Nooks to grab a 21-25 set-one victory. 
 
Set two saw the 'Nooks settle into their game as they jumped out to a huge 20-7 lead out of the gates. Behind four kills from Lahra Weber, the Nanooks had the set in a matter of moments, winning the second set 25-10. Alaska was not done there. Set three saw the 'Nooks jump out to an 8-0 lead with Cate Whiting serving. After the Saints got on the board, the Nanooks went right back to work, eventually extending their lead out to 19-2 at one point before winning the third set in dominant fashion, 25-5. 
 
The fourth and final set saw a lot of the same as set three. The Nanooks took another early lead, this time 7-0, before pushing their lead to 13-2. After a small Saints run made it 20-13, the Nanooks put the game away. An SMU error gave Alaska the four-set victory and one last win for their seniors. 
 
Mica Chen ended her two-year career at Alaska with 341 digs and 25 service aces. Tatum Upchurch ended her four-year stint with 504 digs and 353 kills. Finally, Kim Wong ended her four-years with 774 kills and 318 total blocks, good enough for 4^th all-time at UAF. 
 
Head coach Brian Scott, while battling tears, kept it simple when talking about Chen, Upchurch and Wong, "I think we've all grown, these three left a huge impact on this program… big time players right here."
 
On the day, Weber led the way offensively for the 'Nooks as she checked in for one last double-digit kill game; she finished with 13 kills and a .462 swing percentage while adding 12 digs on the defensive side, leading the team. Wong ended with 10 kills and a .500 hit percentage and a game-high, seven total blocks. Whiting finished her season with 43 assists and five kills.
 
The Nanooks finished fifth overall in the GNAC for the 2019 season. For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.