2019 Schedule

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – On Friday, Alaska Nanooks volleyball head coach Brian Scott announced the team's upcoming 2019 schedule, which includes two tournaments, eight non-conference contests and 20 Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups.

In his fourth season as head coach, Scott led the Nanooks volleyball program to new heights, earning a 14-13 overall record, going 12-8 in conference play. Alaska's 14 overall wins is the most within a single-season under Scott and also marks the first winning season since the 2008 campaign (15-10). Furthermore, Alaska's 12 conference wins is the most since the 2003 season (13-5 GNAC).

"We wanted to build a schedule that really pushes our team," Scott said on Friday. "We have a great group of returners and if we can face some challenges early on in the year, I think it will carry over and help us do well in conference play."

The 2018 campaign will get underway with a pair of exhibition games, starting with the annual Blue vs. Gold intrasquad scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 23 before hosting an Alumni game on Saturday, Aug. 31. All Nanook home games will be played at the Alaska Airlines Court at the Patty Center on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus.

The Nooks officially kick-off the regular season by traveling to Golden, Colorado to participate in the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball Classic Sept. 6-7. Alaska will face the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and Northern State on Friday, Sept. 6 before taking on Fresno Pacific and the Colorado School of Mines in double-header action on Saturday, Sept. 7. All four games will take place at the Lockridge Arena on the CSOM campus.

"We wanted to travel an established, competitive tournament, so we're heading to the Colorado School of Mines Volleyball Classic," Scott continued. "While we're there, we will play two teams that spent part of the year nationally or regionally ranked and qualified for the NCAA Tournament. It will be a great early test for our team."

The following weekend, Alaska will travel to Los Angeles, California to participate in the Division II West Regional Showcase, hosted by Cal State LA Sept. 12-14. The Nooks will compete in a double-header against Cal State LA and Cal State East Bay on Thursday, Sept. 12 before taking on Hawaii Pacific (Sept. 13) and Azusa Pacific (Sept. 14) to close-out the showcase.

"This year, the D2 West Region Showcase takes a little bit of a different format than it did in previous years. Usually, we were lined up to play teams that finished within their conference in similar standings to us," Scott said. "This year, we could play anyone within the top six teams of their own respective conference. I really like the pool we were placed in and think it will give us an opportunity to compete with some great West Region teams. We will compete against three teams that made it to the tournament and also regionally or nationally ranked, so we will have to be at our best in order to be successful."

GNAC play will kick-off on the road, as the Nooks take on Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Sept. 21, respectively.

Following the opening weekend of conference play, the Nanooks will return to the Alaska Airlines Court for a four-game GNAC homestand. In their home-opener, Alaska will host in-state rival Alaska Anchorage on Tuesday, Sept. 24 before taking on the Montana State Billings Yellowjackets on Thursday, Sept. 26.

The Nooks will stay at home before hosting the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Thursday, Oct. 3 and the Central Washington Wildcats on Saturday, Oct. 5.

The only other home games throughout the month of October will be Oct. 17 and 19, where Alaska takes on the Western Washington Vikings and the Simon Fraser Clan at the Alaska Airlines Court, respectively. The Nooks will be on the road for the majority of the month, competing in five away matches throughout October and the first week of November.

Alaska will host the Concordia Cavaliers on Thursday, Nov. 7 at 7pm AKST before taking on the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2pm AKST. Both games will take place at the Alaska Airlines Court.

The Nooks will hit the road for the final time throughout the regular season Nov. 14 and 16, facing the Simon Fraser Clan and the Western Washington Vikings, in both Burnaby, British Columbia and Bellingham, Washington, respectively.

The Nanooks will conclude the 2019 regular season at home, hosting the Seattle Pacific Falcons on Thursday, Nov. 21 before taking on the Saint Martin's Saints on Saturday, Nov. 23 in their final home game of the season. Saturday's game will also serve as Senior Night.

"Our GNAC schedule is always tough, we arguably play in the best conference in the country," Scott concluded. "Fortunately, our preseason lineup will have prepared us for our weekly battles within the conference. We are definitely looking forward to our home-opener against UAA and the rest of our GNAC foes. We loved how supportive our community was as we finished the 2018 season and hope to see the great crowds again in 2019."

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks volleyball team, follow @NanooksVB on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Volleyball team page on Facebook.

*Please note all dates, times, locations and opponents are scheduled to change