FAIRBANKS – The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team ends their regular-season on the road at Saint Martin's and Western Oregon. The 'Nooks enter the final week with a 16-12, 6-10 GNAC record. 
 
Thursday, Nov. 10
Saint Martin's | Live Stats | Live Video
6:00 p.m. | Lacey, Wash. | Marcus Pavilion
 
Saturday, Nov. 12
Western Oregon | Live Stats | Live Video
1:00 p.m. | Monmouth, Ore. | New PE Building
 
Last Time Out
The Nanooks are coming off of a split at home in their final home games of the season. On Thursday, Nov. 3, Alaska fell to Central Washington in four sets. CWU jumped out to a quick 2-0 before the Nanooks grabbed a 25-16 set three win to extend it to a fourth. The Wildcats took the fourth for the win. The Nanooks were led by Karli Nielson with a dozen kills. Ella Bines added eight and Rilee White posted seven. Ainsley Smith and Taylor Overn each posted 18 assists and Jessa Long added 23 digs.
 
On night two, senior day, the Nanooks pulled off one of the best reverse sweeps. They fell to NNU in sets one and two 25-17 before stringing together wins of 25-23, 25-21, 15-13. Nielson led the way with 13 kills, White posted 11 and Elizabeth Jackson added nine. Jessa Long posted 21 digs, Overn had 13 alongside her 16 assists for a double-double, and Kinley Erickson added 13 digs. Ainsley Smith posted a team-high 23 assists. On the final point of the match, Rilee White popped up an attack by NNU near the baseline, Jessa Long sprinted over and in a full dive, hit the ball over the net for the final point, stunning the NNU players to complete the reverse sweep comeback. 
 
#NookNotes

• Karli Nielson averaged 2.78 kills and 0.44 blocks per set to lead the Nanooks this past weekend. She currently sits in ninth in the GNAC with 2.71 kills per set. 
• Rilee White averaged two kills, 0.44 aces and 2.22 digs per set in the two matches this past weekend. She is averaging 2.57 kills per set, leads the GNAC and is 22^nd in NCAA Division II with 0.56 aces per set. 
• Elizabeth Jackson averaged 0.89 blocks per set alongside her 1.44 kills per set average this weekend. She's third in the GNAC and 14^th in Division II with 1.20 blocks per set. 
• The Nanooks are averaging 12.09 kills and 13.68 digs per set. Alaska is third in the GNAC and 14^th in Division II with 2.41 blocks per set. Alaska is also second in the conference and 38^th in Division II with 2.09 aces per set. 
• The Nanooks are riding a five-game winning streak over the Saint Martin's Saints, dating back to Oct. 20, 2017 when they lost in Lacey, Wash. 
• Over the course of the last 10 matchups, Alaska is 8-2.
• The Nanooks won the first meeting between the two teams this season on Sept. 10, 2022 in Fairbanks, beating SMU in four sets. 
• Western Oregon is currently riding a one-game win streak on the 'Nooks. They won the matchup earlier this season in Fairbanks in five sets on Sept. 8.
• That win snapped a seven-game winning streak by the Nanooks against WOU.
• Over the last 10 games, the Nanooks are 7-3 against the Wolves of Western Oregon.

Rewriting the Books
Jessa Long needs 22 digs to break the single-season total digs record. She currently sits in second-place with 485 this season. Take a look below at who she's passed and who she'll be looking to pass in the final two games! 
 
1.         Jenna Hickel                506                  2017
2.         Jessa Long                   485                  2022
3.         Kristen Sullivan           477                  1998
4.         Dani Dodge                 463                  2021
5.         Tiffani Pulver               462                  1996
6.         Tiffani Pulver               456                  1995
7.         Colleen Gleason          444                  1984
8.         Crystal Wheelock        438                  2004
9.         Makena Overbey        433                  2019
10.       Makena Overbey        432                  2018
 
Scouting the Opponents
 
Saint Martin's Saints (13-13, 3-13 GNAC)
The Saints enter this week's game having lost in their last two. On Nov. 3, the Saints fell to Simon Fraser in four sets before being swept by the Western Washington Vikings on Nov. 5 in straight sets. SMU is led by Tia Allen, who has posted 305 kills this season (3.24/set). She's added the second-most digs on the Saints at 273. Abigail Halstead leads the Saints with 320 digs (3.44/set). 
 
At the net, Jennifer Soho leads SMU with 75 total blocks on 62 block assists and 13 block solos. Only one other Saint has 50+ blocks as Loredana Fouonji has 58 total on the season with eight solo. 
 
Western Oregon (9-15, 5-11 GNAC)
The Wolves enter this week's riding a three-game losing streak. They fell to Seattle Pacific in straight-sets on Oct. 29 before hitting the road for a two-game stretch at Western Washington and Simon Fraser. They took the Vikings to four sets, falling 3-1 before taking the Red Leafs to five, falling 3-2 to SFU. The Wolves are led by Bailee Hartsook and Madison Hornback on the offensive end. Hartsook leads with 226 and Hornback follows with 224. Laney O'Neil leads the way in distribution with 417 assists and a 5.49 assists/set average. 
 
 At the net, the Wolves are led by Delaney Smith who has 55 total blocks on 17 solo and 38 block assists this season. One other Wolves player has more than 40 blocks as Chloe Asciutto checks in with 42 total. 
 
GNAC Standings

1. Alaska Anchorage: 25-2, 15-1 GNAC
2. Western Washington: 19-5, 14-2 GNAC
3. Seattle Pacific: 12-12, 10-6 GNAC
4. Central Washington: 15-10, 10-7 GNAC
5. Simon Fraser: 12-13, 9-7 GNAC
6. Northwest Nazarene: 16-9, 9-8 GNAC
7. Alaska: 16-12, 6-10 GNAC
8. Western Oregon: 9-15, 5-11 GNAC
9. Saint Martin's: 13-13, 3-13 GNAC
10. Montana State Billings: 7-18, 0-16 GNAC

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.