LACEY, Wash. – The Alaska Nanook volleyball team needed only three sets to knock-off the Saints of Saint Martin's on Saturday, Sept. 18. With the win, the Nanooks move to 9-5, 2-0 GNAC and have swept their past three opponents.
Fresh off of a sweep at Western Oregon on Thursday, Sept. 16, the Nanooks kept the momentum in to Marcus Pavilion on the campus of Saint Martin's University. Alaska took the opening set 25-14, hitting .400 in the first, collecting 14 kills and only two errors. In the second, the 'Nooks won 25-19 and in the final set, Alaska pulled away late to grab the win, 25-21.
Set one was all Nanooks. After opening up with a 5-2 lead, Alaska soon stretched it to 8-3 on a
Sophie Schilling kill. Eventually the Nanooks extended their lead to 15-7, using two errors from the Saints during their run. A
Karli Nielson kill, later in the set, made it a 10-point lead for Alaska, who went on to win the first set, 25-14. In the second set, the Saints jumped out to a big lead early. The Saints made it 1-7 in a matter of moments. Three-straight errors by SMU gave the Nanooks life. Alaska battled back to tie it at 8-8. A small run from Saint Martin's made it 14-18 Saints but a kill from
Lahra Weber kicked the Nanooks offense into gear. An 11-1 run ensued and the 'Nooks stormed to a set-two win, 25-19, making it 2-0.
The third set was about as back-and-forth as volleyball can get. After 16 ties, Alaska eventually won the set 25-21. Alongside the ties, there were seven lead changes after only one in the first two sets combined.
Karli Nielson and
Lahra Weber led the way on offense for the Nanooks with nine kills apiece. Nielson had a hit percentage of .261 while Weber swung .130.
Cate Whiting had another stellar performance in a three-set match, posting 26 assists and two kills, alongside 10 digs.
Dani Dodge also added 10 digs while Weber led the way for the Nanooks with 13.
Sophie Schilling had four blocks, leading Alaska.
The Nanooks are back in action at home on Thursday, Sept. 23 versus Seattle Pacific at 7:00 p.m.
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.
