FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team is set to host the 2022 Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic on Sept. 1-3 in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center. The Classic will be made up of six teams, each playing four games over the three-day stretch. Alaska Anchorage, Arkansas-Fort Smith, Black Hills State, Findlay and Florida Southern will come up for the Classic.

Tournament Schedule
The following schedule is set in place for the 2022 Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic. Click here for day passes for the entire tournament. Times are subject to change due to longer lasting matches.

Sept. 1
4:00 p.m. - Alaska Anchorage vs. Findlay | Live Video | Live Stats
7:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Black Hills State | Live Video | Live Stats

Sept. 2
9:30 a.m. - Arkansas-Fort Smith vs. Black Hills State | Live Video | Live Stats
12:00 p.m. - Florida Southern vs. Alaska Anchorage | Live Video | Live Stats
2:30 p.m. - Findlay vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith | Live Video | Live Stats
5:00 p.m. - Alaska Anchorage vs. Black Hills State | Live Video | Live Stats
7:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Florida Southern | Live Video | Live Stats

Sept. 3
9:30 a.m. - Arkansas-Fort Smith vs. Alaska Anchorage | Live Video | Live Stats
12:00 p.m. - Findlay vs. Florida Southern | Live Video | Live Stats
2:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith | Live Video | Live Stats
5:00 p.m. - Florida Southern vs. Black Hills State | Live Video | Live Stats
7:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Findlay | Live Video | Live Stats

Last Time Out
The Alaska volleyball team is fresh off of a 3-1 road trip to Anchorage for the Seawolf Volleyball Invitational. They opened up with an 0-3 loss to Point Loma before flipping the script and sweeping Emmanuel (Ga.), defeating Lubbock Christian in four sets and ending their trip with a sweep of Pittsburg State. 

With the wins, the Nanooks moved to 6-2, 0-0 GNAC and gave them their first 6-2 start to the season since 2017 when they started the year 7-2. 

Where to Watch
All games of the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic will be streamed for free on the Alaska Nanooks Athletics YouTube page. Click here to view. Live stats will be provided on SIDEARM Stats. Click here for live stats.

Quick Hitters

• Kristina Head and Elizabeth Jackson are in the top-20 of the GNAC hitting percentage. Head (16th) is hitting .304 with 63 kills while Jackson (17th) is hitting .302 with 44 kills.
• Rilee White is 10th in the GNAC in kills, averaging 2.64 per set behind her 74 total kills. Ella Bines comes in at 18th averaging 2.46 per set.
• Ainsley Smith has posted the third-most assists in the GNAC so far this season with 154.
• Karli Nielson cracked the top-10 in the conference for service aces. She has 15 of them, averaging 0.54 per game. Ainsley Smith is t-18th with 10 serves and averaging 0.36 per set. 
• Head and Jackson doubled-up in the blocks category, averaging 1.07 per set each and tying them for sixth in the GNAC. Each member of the 'Nooks has 30.0 total blocks through 28 sets. Head has seven solo blocks on the season while Jackson has three.
• Finally, Jessa Long is fourth in the GNAC in digs, collecting 113 digs through 28 sets, averaging 4.04 per set. 
• The Nanooks as a team come in with 2.32 blocks per set, 33rd in NCAA DII. They currently lead the nation in teams assists with 328, team service aces with 63 and team total blocks with 65.0. They are second in team digs with 393 and second in team total attacks (935).
• Karli Nielson and her 15 service aces sit in third in the individual top-30 of NCAA DII stats.
• Ainsley Smith is 19th in NCAA DII in assists, Rilee White is fourth in attacks with 212, and Head and Jackson lead the nation with their 30 total blocks. 
• Jessa Long leads the NCAA DII in digs with 113 and the Nanooks have four in the top-20 for total kills. 

Other Teams
Alaska Anchorage 7-0, 0-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Chris Green (15th Season)
Player to Watch: Eve Stephens, Right Side (23 sets, 104 kills, 4.52/set, .412%, 10 service aces, 12 blocks, 47 digs)
2022 Statistics

Arkansas-Fort Smith 3-1, 0-0 LSC
Head Coach: Jane Sargent (14th Season)
Player to Watch: Reagan Macha, Outside Hitter (13 sets, 46 kills, 3.54/set, .266%, 5 service aces, 2 blocks, 51 digs)
2022 Statistics

Black Hills State 1-3, 0-0 RMAC
Head Coach: Bree Davis (1st Season - Interim)
Player to Watch: Karly Marx, Setter (16 sets, 125 assists, 7.81/set, 3 kills, 35 digs, 7 blocks)
2022 Statistics

University of Findlay 0-3, 0-0 GMAC
Head Coach: Wick Colchagoff (25th Season)
Player to Watch: Journey Blevins, Outside Hitter (9 sets, 42 kills, 4.67/set, .148%, 11 digs, 5 blocks)
2022 Statistics

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.