FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks volleyball team returned to the Patty Center on Thursday evening and took on Montana State Billings in their first match of the week. After falling behind 21-14 in the first set, Alaska stormed back, scoring ten straight points to help take the opener 25-22. The Nanooks would carry that momentum into the following two sets, winning by set scores of 25-17 and 25-21 to complete the sweep over the Yellowjackets. Alaska advances to 16-6, 8-4 GNAC with the win, while MSUB drops to 6-15, 0-12 GNAC.

How it Happened
The match did not begin the way the Nanooks hoped, as, despite an early 2-1 lead, Alaska struggled to gain its footing early in the first. Four straight MSUB points brought the lead to 5-2, and while Alaska kept itself within striking distance, it could not cut the deficit to less than two, with the Yellowjackets ahead 11-8. After a block from Rachel Pierce and Kristina Head cut the deficit to two, Montana State Billings responded with five consecutive scores, putting the visitors ahead 16-9. The Nanooks received three Elena Guc kills and an ace from Head to take four of the following five points but still trailed 17-13. MSUB responded with its own 4-1 run, putting the Yellowjackets back up by seven at 21-14. The comeback began with a kill from Josie Jansen and two more from Karli Nielson to force an MSUB timeout. Following the break, Rilee White chipped in with two straight service aces, cutting the deficit to two. After a Yellowjacket attacking error, Pierce put down a kill to tie the set at 21 and force another timeout. Two more kills from Jansen and Nielson gave the Nanooks the lead after the stoppage, and an MSUB attacking error capped off a 10-0 run for the Nanooks, which saw them take a commanding 24-21 lead. The Yellowjackets got one back, but Pierce slammed the door with another kill to complete the comeback for the Nanooks. Alaska posted a .163 hitting percentage during the opener, with Nielson leading the way with five kills.

The Nanooks controlled the second, never trailing during the set. They opened up a 10-5 lead over the Yellowjackets before a 6-0 run put them ahead by 11. Alaska received two kills from Nielson and a kill and block from Jansen and Pierce to aid the run. The Nanooks would not lead by less than seven points for the remainder of the set, as Pierce once again closed out the set with a kill to give Alaska the eight-point set victory and establish a 2-0 advantage. Nielson again led the Nanooks in kills during the set, collecting six, while the Blue and Gold hit .333 as a team.

The third set began with two consecutive combination blocks from the duo of Jansen and Pierce. White followed with two straight aces to put the Nanooks up 4-0 early. Later in the set, the Yellowjackets came back to bring the lead down to two after a Julia Gordon kill made it 14-12. However, Alaska answered with a solo block by Head and another from Head and Guc, reestablishing a four-point lead and forcing a Yellowjackets timeout. After the break, MSUB countered with a 4-1 run which saw Alaska's lead shrink to one at 17-16. Head ended the run with a kill, and two more kills from White gave the Nanooks the four-point lead heading into Montana State Billings' final timeout of the set. Despite two straight Yellowjackets kills on the other side of the break to make it 21-19, Alaska kept itself in front thanks to two kills and a block from Jansen, bringing the Nanooks to within a point of completing the sweep at 24-19. MSUB followed with a block and kill, but Nielson ended the contest by slamming her 14th kill of the evening, giving Alaska the three-set victory. The Nanooks matched their hitting percentage from the second set, posting a mark of .333 once more. White logged a team-high six kills during the final set.

By the Numbers

• Nielson led the team with 14 kills while hitting .346 on the evening. She added two block assists and seven digs for the Nanooks.
• White and Jansen followed with nine and eight kills, respectively. White posted a hitting percentage of .471, while Jansen led the team in that department, swinging .615.
• Ainsley Smith led the team in assists and digs, recording totals of 21 and 12 while adding a service ace. Cynphany Henderson followed with 17 assists, six digs and an ace.
• White notched a team-high four aces and picked up 10 digs for Alaska.
• Head put down five kills on a .308 hitting percentage. The middle blocker also notched a solo block and five block assists for the Nanooks.
• Pierce added six block assists and seven kills in the contest.
• Alaska hit at a .266 mark as a team this evening compared to .157 for MSUB.
• The Nanooks finished with seven aces while out-blocking the Yellowjackets 12-7.

What's Next
The Nanooks remain in Fairbanks for another contest this Saturday, taking on the Falcons of Seattle Pacific at 2 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium in the Patty Center.

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