FAIRBANKS – Volleyball season is here! The Nanooks volleyball team is in Hawaii for a three-day, four-game weekend meeting with Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific. Alaska will open up their season at HPU on Friday, August 27. 
 

Opponents	Chaminade (0-0, 0-0 PacWest) | Hawaii Pacific (0-0, 0-0 PacWest)
Dates & Times	Friday, August 27, 2021 At Hawaii Pacific at 4:00 p.m. AKT   Saturday, August 28, 2021 At Chaminade at 2:00 p.m. AKT At Hawaii Pacific at 9:00 p.m. AKT   Sunday, August 29, 2021 At Chaminade at 5:00 p.m. AKT
Locations	HPU: The Shark Tank Chaminade: McCabe Gymnasium
Follow Along	HPU: Live Video ($) | Live Stats Chaminade: Live Video | Live Stats
Social Media	Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

 
Follow Along
The Nanooks games in Hawaii will be available on stream through the Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific Stretch Internet Portal's. Hawaii Pacific's stream will be through a pay-per-view system while Chaminade's stream will be free to the public. 
 
Last Time Out
The Nanooks competed in a spring season this past academic year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Their 2020 season ended with a 5-6 record in April of 2021. The 'Nooks began their year in Calif. with stops at Azusa Pacific, Biola and Concordia Irvine. On the road trip, they started 1-2 with their lone-win coming at Biola. After returning home, the Nanooks evened things out with a sweep of Northwest Nazarene. They then traveled to Anchorage where after being swept, they knocked-off the Seawolves for the first time in over a decade. 
 
They went on the road one final time, this time to Northwest Nazarene. They fell in the first match before bouncing back and grabbing a five-set win over the Nighthawks. They ended their season on Apr. 17 with Anchorage in town. They dropped the final match in straight-sets following a four-set loss the night before. 
 
Flip the Script
In a combined 20 games, the Nanooks have only won five games against these two squads. They look to hop on to the island and flip the script. They won the last meeting against Hawaii Pacific but have dropped the last four versus Chaminade. 
 
History Books
Cate Whiting and Lahra Weber have established themselves as one of the best duos to don the Blue and Gold in Nanook history. Both are nearing school records in kills and assists in their respective categories. Whiting finds herself fifth all-time in assists, tallying 2,714 from 2017 through today. Whiting is closing in on fourth-place as Tasha Poduska ended her time with 2,751 in 1992. Whiting is also currently sitting tied for 7th in career attack percentage with a .245 swing percentage. You must have a minimum of 100 swings per season to qualify. Weber has moved into fourth-place in kills. She cracked the 1k mark last season during the 'Nooks COVID spring season. She currently sits at 1,028 entering the season. She is chasing Megan Thigpen in third place (1,214).
 
Crystal Ball
Cate Whiting and AveRee Reynolds were chosen for the GNAC Volleyball Preseason Team alongside the Nanooks landing in the fourth-place spot in the GNAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. This prediction comes after back-to-back fifth place finishes for the 'Nooks in 2018/19. Alaska earned 66 points from votes. Whiting was a 2019 Preseason selection and 2019 GNAC First-Team Selection. Reynolds, in her first year with the 'Nooks in 2019, was a GNAC Honorable Mention Selection and the GNAC Newcomer of the Year. 
 
50/50
Coach Brian Scott has led the 'Nooks for the previous six seasons. This week in Hawaii will kick-off his seventh season and with that, he'll be able to break his .500 opening-day record. He holds a 3-3 record in opening-day games, winning in 2016 vs. BYU-Hawaii, 2017 vs. Elizabeth City State and in 2019 vs. University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.
 
Coaches Quotes
 
When asked about what this group is going to show in 2021 and what is going to be expected:
We have a great group of athletes, both returners and newcomers, they work hard and have high expectations of themselves and each other. I know they are going to leave it all out there on the floor and not settle for anything but their best efforts.
 
When asked about the newcomers from a year ago and what it meant to have a free year to continue to grow as players and as a team:
This is maybe one of those good things that came from having a COVID season last spring. We got valuable repetitions and competition without using a year of eligibility. I can't wait to see what happens with this group by the time they reach their senior seasons. 
 
When asked about the returners who decided to use their COVID-year of eligibility:
This has been a special group of seniors. They are like-minded and striving for the same goals. They have put a ton of time and effort into their sport and I am excited to watch them play together one more season. 
 
When asked about the recent games played in Hawaii:
The great thing about records is they are meant to be broken. We don't care how we have performed in Hawaii in the past. We only know what we can do now and that is the mindset we need to have going into this weekend. All teams know relatively little about one another this early in the season, all we can do is control what happens on our side of the court.
 
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.