FAIRBANKS - Alaska is halfway through its conference play currently sits at 13-8, 3-6 GNAC. They prepare to host Montana State Billings and the Seattle Pacific Falcons in the Alaska Airlines gymnasium at the Patty Center this week and weekend.

Thursday, Oct. 13
Montana State Billings | Live Stats | Live Video | Tickets
4:00 p.m. | Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center

Saturday, Oct. 15
Seattle Pacific | Live Stats | Live Video | Tickets
2:00 p.m. | Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center

Dig Pink
On Saturday, Oct. 15, the Nanooks will host their annual Dig Pink Game. Wear pink, get loud, and come cheer on the 'Nooks as they join the fight in the battle against breast cancer. 

Warrior of the Month
Between sets two and three on Saturday, the Nanooks athletics department will unveil their winners of the October Warrior of the Month. Warrior of the Month is a partnership between Fort Wainwright and the Nanooks athletics department. 

Last Time Out
The Nanooks are back home after a tough week away in the lower-48, where they suffered losses to both the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks and the Central Washington Wildcats.

While on the road against the Nighthawks, the Nanooks were swept. They left Nampa with 51 total digs, 33 total kills, and four blocks. Rilee White led the team with nine kills and had the second-most digs, 10. 

After taking on the Nighthawks the Nanooks took on the Wildcats of Central Washington, falling in straight sets again, despite two sets being within five points. Johnasia Michelle Carr led the team in kills with a total of seven, Rilee White had a total of four blocks and Jessa Long contributed with 13 digs.

Quick Hitters 

• The Nanooks are currently ranked seventh in GNAC conference play. 
• Rilee White had an average of 2.33 kills per game and two digs per set. She currently ranks 10th in GNAC for kills per set (2.78/set) and 14th in Division II for aces with 41.
• Outside hitter Karli Nielson averaged 1.67 kills per set. 
• Ainsley Smith is currently sixth in GNAC conference for assists per set with 5.47/set.
• Alaska leads Division II in blocks, totaling 193 for the season so far. They also rank second in the GNAC for blocks per set, averaging 2.47 per set. 
• The Nanooks recovered from a late-season loss to MSUB last season by getting back in the win column earlier this season. On Sept. 17, 202 at MSUB, the Nanooks grabbed a three-set sweep.
• Before falling last season, the Nanooks had claimed five-straight against the YellowJackets, dating back to the 2017 season. 
• Alaska is 6-4 in their last 10 meetings with MSUB. 
• Against Seattle Pacific, the Nanooks have dropped the last two meetings. Their last win against the Falcons came on Sept. 23, 2021 in Fairbanks.
• The teams are an even 5-5 over the last 10 matchups.
• SPU won the earlier matchup this season on Sept. 15, 2022, defeating Alaska in four sets in Seattle, Wash. 

Where to Watch
Never miss out on Nanooks volleyball action. All GNAC home and away games are streamed for free on YouTube. All home games are live on the Alaska Nanooks YouTube page while all away games are on the respective opponents YouTube page. 

Live stats are available as well using the Nanooks athletics website. 

Scout the Opponents 

MSUB Yellow Jackets
MSUB is currently 7-10, 0-9 GNAC and is on a three-game losing streak. 

Over the last two games the Yellowjackets were swept in all six sets. On Oct. 1, they played the Western Oregon Wolves and on Oct. 8 they went up against the Seattle Pacific Falcons. Taking on the Wolves, Olivia Schwartz led the team with 12 kills while Lily Gentz led with three blocks and Christine Funk contributed with 12 digs. Going up against the Falcons, Caty Havekost led with nine kills, Avary Spoja led with two blocks and Christine Funk led again with 12 digs. 

Havekost leads the Yellowjackets with 161 kills while Funk leads with a total of 271 digs for the season. 

SPU Falcons
The Falcons are currently 8-9, 6-3 GNAC and are on a five-game winning streak. They swept MSUB and the Saint Martin's University Saints in all six sets. 

Against the Yellowjackets, Hannah Hair led with 11 kills, Allison Wilks contributed with three blocks and Abigail Cunningham led the team with 12 digs. While sweeping the Falcons, Hannah Hair once again led the team with 10 kills and six blocks, Lindsey Lambert had 19 assists and Ashley Antoniak led with eight digs. 

For the season, Sarah Brachvogel leads the Falcons with 154 kills, Abigail Cunningham leads with 218 digs and Allison Wilks leads with 62 total blocks.

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