FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team is set to host the 2023 Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic on Sept. 7-9 in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center. The Classic will be made up of five teams, each playing four games over the three-day stretch. Alaska Anchorage, Biola, Lander and Stanislaus State will come up for the Classic.

Tournament Schedule
The following schedule is set in place for the 2023 Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic. Times are subject to change due to longer-lasting matches.

Sept. 7
11:00 a.m. - Biola vs. Lander
4:00 p.m. - Lander vs. Stanislaus State
7:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Alaska Anchorage

Sept. 8
11:00 a.m. - Stanislaus State vs. Biola
4:00 p.m. -  Alaska Anchorage vs. Lander
7:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Biola

Sept. 9
10:00 a.m. - Alaska Anchorage vs. Stanislaus State
1:00 p.m. - Alaska vs. Lander
4:00 p.m. - Alaska Anchorage vs. Biola
7:30 p.m. - Alaska vs. Stanislaus State

Last Time Out
The Alaska volleyball team is fresh off of a 1-3 road trip to Anchorage for the Seawolf Volleyball Invitational. They opened up with 0-3 losses to St. Cloud State, Cal Poly Humboldt and Upper Iowa University before flipping the script and defeating Florida Tech in four sets. The Nanooks moved to 2-6, 0 0 GNAC with the win. 

Where to Watch
All Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic games 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

• Elizabeth Jackson and Kristina Head are in the top-10 of the GNAC hitting percentage. Jackson (6th) is hitting .364 with 33 kills, while Head (7th) is hitting .328 with 28 kills. 
• Karli Nielson is 11th in the GNAC in kills, averaging 2.71 per set behind her 76 total kills. Ella Bines comes in at 14th, averaging 2.62 per set.
• Ainsley Smith has posted the sixth-most assists in the GNAC so far this season with 222, averaging 8.22 per set. 
• Rilee White is 13th in the conference for service aces. She has 12 of them, averaging 0.43 per game. Ainsley Smith is 16th with 11 serves and averaging 0.41 per set. 
• Jackson and Josie Jansen doubled up in the blocks category, averaging 1.12 and .90 per set, respectively, placing them at seventh and 13th in the GNAC. 
• Finally, Kinley Erickson is ninth in the GNAC in digs, collecting 86 digs through 28 sets, averaging 3.07 per set. 
• The Nanooks, as a team, currently leads the nation in total blocks with 58. They are third in total attacks, with 984. Alaska is currently fourth in the nation in team assists with 308, team digs with 382 and in team kills with 331. 
• Karli Nielson is third in NCAA DII for both total attacks, 237, and fifth in total kills with 76. 
• Ainsley Smith is 3rd in NCAA DII in assists with 222. 
• Elizabeth Jackson is second in the nation with 27 total blocks. 

Other Teams
Alaska Anchorage 4-4, 0-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Stacie Meisner (1st Season)
Player to Watch: Nicole Blue, Outside Hitter (31 sets, 93 kills, 3/set, .181%, 18 service aces, 12 blocks, 95 digs)
2023 Statistics

Biola University 2-1, 0-0 PacWest
Head Coach: Aaron Seltzer (22nd Season)
Player to Watch: Dominique Kirton, Outside Hitter (11 sets, 40 kills, 3.64/set, .266%, 5 service aces, 2 blocks, 24 digs)
2023 Statistics

Lander University 3-1, 0-0 PBC
Head Coach: Jeff Reynolds (3rd Season)
Player to Watch: Katie Miller, Outside Hitter (14 sets, 53 kills, 3.79/set, .278%, 2 service aces, 1 block, 34 digs)
2023 Statistics

Stanislaus State 3-1, 0-0 CCAA
Head Coach: Lauren Flowers (2nd Season)
Player to Watch: Gabby Rawson, Libero (14 sets, 80 digs, 5.71/set, 15 assists, 3 service aces)
2023 Statistics

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