NAMPA, Idaho - The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team swept the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks on Saturday, Nov. 6. This win moves Alaska to 15-12, 8-7 GNAC.

Despite being outhit in the opening-set, the Nanooks won the first, 25-23. NNU posted 15 kills and a hit percentage of .186 while the Nanooks found only nine kills for a hit percentage of .065. The Nanooks turned the tide and outhit the Nighthawks in the final two sets, posting 16-10 kills in the second set and 15-8 in the third. Through the three-set win, Alaska tallied 40 total kills to NNU's 33 and posted a .159 hit percentage to NNU's .092.

In the first, the Nanooks won it, despite being outhit. NNU jumped out to an early 2-4 lead. After they extended their lead to 6-8, the Nanooks flip-flopped the score, making it 9-8 with three-straight. The two teams continued to trade runs until Alaska pulled ahead at 16-15. Despite not giving back the lead, NNU did make a run. Alaska was looking at set-point at 24-19 when the Nighthawks made it 24-23 on a four-point swing, but an attack error on their next point gave Alaska the win. 

The second-set was a lot like the first. Back-and-forth volleyball between Alaska and NNU. NNU had another early lead but Alaska grabbed the momentum and ran with it. They quickly turned their deficit into a 7-4 lead. NNU battled back to tie it at 11-11, but the Nanooks grabbed a four-point lead and never looked back. They turned away an NNU run and grabbed the win 25-18. Entering the third up 2-0 was all Alaska needed. They jumped out to a quick 5-2 lead. Northwest Nazarene responded quickly, but in-return, Alaska made a run of their own. They pulled back ahead at 16-15 and ran away with it, winning the third, 25-22. 

Alaska was led by Sophie Schilling on both sides of the ball. The MB had 13 kills and seven blocks. Rilee White was next in line with eight points and five blocks. Emily Moorhead added seven kills and five blocks. Cate Whiting collected 34 assists and led with 15 digs. Dani Dodge and White had 12 digs. 

The Nanooks are back in action next weekend on Saturday, Nov. 13 at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium in the Patty Center for a matchup with their in-state rivals, Alaska Anchorage. 

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