FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team opens up their 2022 season with a trip to Honolulu, Hi. for a pair of matchups with #25 Chaminade, Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Pacific. The games will be played at The Shark Tank, HPU's home gym, and McCabe Gymnasium, the home of the Chaminade Swords. 

Friday, August 19
vs. Hawaii Hilo at 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video
at #25 Chaminade at 9:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video

Saturday, August 20
at Hawaii Pacific at 3:00 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video TBA
at #25 Chaminade at 9:30 p.m. | Live Stats | Live Video

Last Time Out
Friday afternoon will be the first Nanooks volleyball game in 272 days. The 2021 Nanooks season came to a close on Nov. 20, 2021 with a 3-0 sweep of the Western Oregon Wolves. A lot has changed since then as the Nanooks lost a total of 10 faces from the 2021 squad. Alaska returns seven from the 2021 roster; Marine Angely, Kinley Erickson, Elizabeth Jackson, Karli Nielson, Taylor Overn, Ainsley Smith and Rilee White. Angely, Erickson, Jackson and Overn combined for 62 sets played, 22 kills, 18 assists, 32 digs and 15 total blocks. Nielson played in 56 sets, starting in six of the 20 matches she saw time in, and posted 149 kills (2.66/set) on a .209 swing percentage. She added 15 service aces, 42 digs and 23 total blocks. White played in 101 of the Nanooks' 113 sets in the 2021 season and started 21 of the 29 matches she played in. She posted the fourth-most kills on the team with 213 (2.11/set) on a .135 swing percentage. She added 23 assists, 35 service aces, 210 digs (2.08/set) and 31 total blocks. 

The Nanooks went 18-12, 11-7 GNAC in 2021, posting their most wins since the 1996 season when Tim Brown coached the Nanooks to an 18-14 record. These 18 wins also ushered in a new record under head coach Brian Scott who is entering his eighth season as the Nanooks head coach. 

GNAC Preseason Poll
Alaska was chosen to finish sixth-place, earning 50 points from voting coaches in the conference. Western Washington University was picked as the Preseason Champ, earning 98 points and nine of the 10 first-place votes. No other team in the GNAC earned more than 90 points. Central Washington came in second, earning 89 points. The final first-place vote went to Alaska Anchorage, who came in third in the Preseason Poll with 74 points and one first-place vote. 

Simon Fraser came in fourth, receiving 70 points. Just ahead of Alaska, in the final top-five spot, was Seattle Pacific, who earned 61 points from votes. Alaska settled for sixth with 50 points, edging out Northwest Nazarene by seven points as the Nighthawks took seventh, with 43 points. Montana State Billings took eighth, earning 25 points. Saint Martin's took ninth with 22 points and Western Oregon rounded out the Preseason Poll with 18 points. 

Team Stats
In 2021, the Nanooks ended sixth in the GNAC in hitting percentage, swinging .190 as a team, first in opponent hitting percentage, forcing opponents to swing .161, fourth in assists, averaging 11.75 per set, fourth in kills, averaging 12.72 per set, third in blocks with 2.49 per set, second in service aces, averaging 1.78 per set and finally, fifth in digs with 15.84 per set.

Preseason All-Conference Selection
Karli Nielson was selected to the 2022 GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team on Friday, Aug. 12. She was the lone Nanook selected to the list. Despite playing in only 56 sets of the 2021 season, Nielson left an impact on opponents that did not go unnoticed on the ballot. She provided 149 kills over 20 matches and six starts, averaging 2.66 kills per set with a .209 hit percentage. Her kills per set rate was second on the team to former Nanook, AveRee Reynolds who posted a 2.68 kills per set rate in 2021. "I'm really excited for Karli and this recognition of her hard work and the hard work of her teammates." said head coach Brian Scott, "Karli is very deserving of this honor and we cannot wait to see what great things she will accomplish this season." 

A Look Ahead
Chaminade - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced their DII Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll on Wednesday, Aug. 17. Chaminade came in at #25 and will face the Nanooks twice while they are in Honolulu. Chaminade enters this year as the defending PacWest Champions, winning the title for the first time since 1997. They boast Brooklen Pe'a, the reigning PacWest Player of the Year, Lataisia Saulala, an All-Conference selection and Greta Corti, another All-Conference selection. Alongside the Player of the Year, the Swords claimed the PacWest Setter and Newcomer of the Year award with Alexia Byrnes. 

Chaminade added a pair of transfers, one being former 'Nook middle blocker, Sophie Schilling. Schilling joins the Swords after being named to the 2021 GNAC All-Conference Honorable Mention team. They also brought in Sasha Colombo, a former Colorado State Ram. 

Hawaii Hilo - The Hawaii Hilo Vulcans had a strong 2021 season, going 17-7, 14-6 PacWest. Despite the record, their season came to end after their 3-1 PacWest matchup with Hawaii Pacific on Nov. 20, 2021. Hilo lost one of their top-offensive threats in Bria Beale. A year ago, she posted 334 kills on the season while also posting the second-most digs with 321. They do return Samara Cruz, a junior outside hitter who posted 204 kills during 2021. They also return their senior setter, Kendall Kott, who a season ago posted 954 assists. She also picked up 260 digs and 36.0 total blocks. 

Hawaii Pacific - Hawaii Pacific is coming off of a tough 2021 season that saw them go 7-20, 6-13 PacWest. The Sharks were led a year ago by Ella Dotson on the attack. She posted 259 kills, leading HPU. She also collected 197 digs, tallied 14 assists and ended the year with 23.0 total blocks. Dotson returns for her junior year and looks to lead the Sharks on the attack again. The Sharks will be without their setter from a year ago as Cara McClean, who posted 821 assists in 2021, graduated. Kohana Fukuchi, a sophomore S/DS, had the second-most assists last season, totaling 73. 

History
vs. Chaminade ('90-21) All-Time Series: 10-16
Last Five: 0-5
Home: 4-6
Away: 6-8
Neutral: 0-2

vs. Hawaii Hilo ('81-'17) All-Time Series: 5-17
Last Five: 0-5
Home: 3-4
Away: 2-7
Neutral: 0-6

vs. Hawaii Pacific ('98-'21) All-Time Series: 5-9
Last Five: 3-2
Home: 0-1
Away: 3-5
Neutral: 2-3

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.