MONMOUTH, Ore. - The Nanooks volleyball team found themselves down 2-0 against the Western Oregon Wolves on Saturday evening after dropping the opening two sets 25-21 and 25-19. After taking the third set 25-23, Alaska fought back from being down 21-18 late in the fourth, earning the 25-22 set victory to force five. From there, the Blue and Gold secured the 15-9 win in the deciding set, completing the reverse sweep to pick up their third straight win. With the victory, Alaska improved to 15-6, 7-4 GNAC on the season, while Western Oregon dropped to 13-7, 5-6 GNAC.

How it Happened
After not holding the lead for most of the first set, Alaska put itself ahead 18-17, thanks to a Rilee White ace and Karli Nielson kill which helped them post three straight points. Two points for WOU put the hosts back in the lead, but the Nanooks responded with another Nielson kill to tie the set at 19. However, the Wolves scored six of the following eight points and would take the opening set 25-21. Alaska hit .197 as a team, while Nielson and Elena Guc each led the team with four kills.

Alaska fell behind to start the second set, trailing 5-1 early. The Nanooks would bring themselves to within a point of the Wolves at 7-6, receiving two Nielson kills in the process, but a 6-1 WOU run saw the hosts build their lead to 14-8. The Nanooks trailed by nine late in the set, finding themselves down 23-14. They would score five of the following six points, receiving kills from Nielson, White and Elizabeth Jackson, but the deficit was too steep to overcome, and the Nanooks fell by six. Alaska posted its lowest hitting percentage of the contest, swinging at a .091 mark. Nielson collected four more kills in the second to bring her match total to eight.

The third set began much better for the Blue and Gold, establishing an early 8-4 lead. Nielson notched three more kills during the opening portion of the third, while Guc and White added one apiece. Nielson and Josie Jansen also combined for a block to help the Nanooks build their four-point advantage. The Nanooks could not hold their lead, however, as the Wolves came back to tie the set at 12. After two Nanooks points gave them the lead once more, Western Oregon rattled off seven consecutive points, putting itself ahead 19-14. White and Ainsley Smith got Alaska back into the set, each tallying a kill during a 3-0 run for the Nanooks to bring the score to within two. Alaska still trailed by a pair later in the set, finding themselves down 22-20 and three points from a straight-set defeat. However, the Nanooks responded by scoring three straight, with back-to-back kills from Guc and another from Kristina Head to give the Nanooks the 23-22 lead. A Madison Hornback kill tied the set at 23, but Nielson and Jansen followed by closing the set with consecutive kills, giving the Nanooks their first set victory of the evening. Alaska rebounded in the hitting department, posting a .243 hitting percentage while slamming a match-high 16 kills during the set. Guc would lead the Nanooks in kills during the third, tallying five.

Both sides started the fourth by staying within two points of each other before three straight Alaska points put it ahead 12-8. Western Oregon would later tie things up at 13, and after a White kill put the Nanooks back in front, the Wolves took the following four points to give them a 17-14 lead. The Nanooks found themselves trailing 19-15 and needing another comeback, which they found through Nielson and Jansen, who tallied three and two kills, respectively, during a 6-2 Alaska run that tied the set at 21. After a Wolves kill put Alaska behind again, the Nanooks ended the set by scoring the final four points, ending with a block from Nielson and Head to force a fifth set. Nielson added to her kill total by posting a team-high seven in the fourth set, while the Nanooks posted their best hitting percentage of the evening at .314.

The Nanooks opened up a 9-6 lead to start the deciding set, receiving four more kills from Nielson. A Western Oregon kill made it a two-point score, but the Nanooks answered with a 4-0 run, aided by two Kinley Erickson aces to give them a 13-7 advantage and put them two points away from completing the comeback. Despite a pair of Wolves points, the Nanooks hung on, claiming the win on a service error to pull off the reverse sweep. Alaska hit .200 as a team during the final set compared to .053 for WOU.

By the Numbers

• Nielson's career-high 23 kills during the contest paced the squad. The outside hitter also posted a team-high .362 hitting percentage in the match while picking up eight digs and two block assists.
• Guc joined Nielson as the other Nanook to notch double-digit kills, tallying 13 in the contest. She hit .235 while collecting four block assists.
• Jansen was the top blocker for Alaska vs. the Wolves, posting six block assists during the win.
• Smith's 33 assists were the most for an Alaska player tonight, and she added 13 digs for the Nanooks.
• White led the team with four aces during the evening. She also logged seven kills and 14 digs.
• Tessa Onaga posted a team-high 17 digs in the match.
• The Nanooks posted a .201 team hitting percentage compared to a .188 mark for the Wolves.
• Alaska out-blocked Western Oregon 11-4 during the match.

What's Next
The Nanooks return to the court next Thursday to host Montana State Billings at 7 p.m. in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center.

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