FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks volleyball team welcomes Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene to Fairbanks for a pair of contests this week. Alaska faces off against the Wildcats on Thursday at 11 a.m. before returning to action on Saturday against the Nighthawks, with first serve set for 2 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 10
11 a.m. vs. Central Washington
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center

Saturday, Oct. 12
2 p.m. vs. Northwest Nazarene
Alaska Airlines Gymnasium at the Patty Center

Watch
Live Stats

Last Time Out
The Nanooks are coming off a perfect road trip, which saw them take their matches against Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings in straight sets. They started their week by sweeping the Falcons, winning each set 25-19. Elena Guc led the Nanooks with 13 kills during the contest while hitting .524. Rachel Pierce joined her as the other Nanook to reach double-digit kills, recording 10 during the contest and swinging at a .421 clip. Alaska took all three sets on Saturday against the Yellowjackets by scores of 25-14, 25-23 and 25-22. Rilee White would lead the way for the Nanooks in their second contest of the week, finishing with a team-high nine kills. Karli Nielson added seven kills while posting two service aces and nine digs.

Guc led the team with 19 kills over the two matches and posted a team-best .378 attacking percentage. White registered 17 kills to finish second on the team in the category, while Pierce and Nielson each notched 15. Ainsley Smith tallied 41 assists during Alaska's two matches, and Cynphany Henderson collected 32. Tessa Onaga extended her 10+ dig streak to eight matches, registering 14 in each of the Nanooks' two contests. Josie Jansen paced the squad in blocks over the weekend with 13 total, with Pierce and Elizabeth Jackson following with 12 and 11, respectively.

Quick Hitters

• Jansen and Jackson rank in the top 50 nationally in blocks per set. Jansen's mark of 1.22 blocks per set ties her for 38th, while Jackson is tied for 46th with 1.2. They also rank second and third in the GNAC.
• Nielson is currently third in the GNAC in kills per set with 3.32, while Pierce's hitting percentage of .277 is seventh-best in the conference.
• Smith leads the conference in the service department as her 573 total assists and 9.24 assists per set top the GNAC leaderboards.
• White's 0.47 aces per set tie her for fifth in the GNAC with Northwest Nazarene's Maren Machado.
• Onaga has posted 3.89 digs per set this season, which is good for sixth in the conference.
• The Nanooks are tied for second in the GNAC in hitting percentage, as their mark of .238 places them level with Simon Fraser and just .002 behind Central Washington.
• Alaska is the top blocking team in the conference, averaging 2.51 blocks per set.

Hilinski's Hope
This week, the Nanooks are proud to participate in Student-Athlete Mental Health Week alongside @HilinskisHope. This week is a call to action to raise mental health awareness, destigmatize help-seeking, and provide quality resources to our student-athletes because #MentalHealthMatters. The Hilinski's Hope Foundation was founded in 2018 by Mark and Kym Hilinski to honor the life of their son Tyler, who died by suicide yet never showed any signs of depression or struggle. Hilinski's Hope helps colleges and universities change and save lives, eliminate stigma, and scale mental wellness programs for student-athletes by sharing Tyler's story, connecting students with mental health resources, and assisting universities to institutionalize best practices.

Field Day
The Alaska Nanooks are holding their annual Field Day on Thursday, sponsored by Alaska 529. We'll have elementary and middle school students in attendance as part of a field trip with the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District.

Dig Pink
The Nanooks are partnering with the Breast Cancer Detection Center of Alaska for their annual Dig Pink match this Saturday against Northwest Nazarene. This annual match raises awareness and funds for breast cancer research. Wear pink this Saturday and help us advance research to defeat cancer!

GNAC Standings

1. Central Washington (7-4, 5-0 GNAC)
2. Simon Fraser (8-4, 4-1 GNAC)
3. Western Washington (5-6, 4-1 GNAC)
4. Alaska (12-4, 4-2 GNAC)
5. Alaska Anchorage (9-7, 3-3 GNAC)
6. Northwest Nazarene (5-8, 2-3 GNAC)
7. Western Oregon (9-5, 2-4 GNAC)
8. Saint Martin's (4-10, 2-4 GNAC)
9. Seattle Pacific (1-12, 1-4 GNAC)
10. Montana State Billings (6-8, 0-5 GNAC)

Central Washington 7-4, 5-0 GNAC
Head Coach: Mario Andaya (29th Season)
Player to Watch: Emma Daoud-Hebert, MB, Fifth-year (2024 Stats: 97 kills, 2.26 kills per set, .489 hit percentage [GNAC-Best], nine aces, 0.98 blocks per set, 0.47 digs per set)

Northwest Nazarene 5-8, 2-3 GNAC
Head Coach: Doug English (12th Season)
Player to Watch: Maren Machado OH, Senior (2024 Stats: 132 kills, 2.4 kills per set, .203 hit percentage, 0.47 service aces per set, 3.53 digs per set)

Follow the 'Nooks
IG - @NanooksVB
X - @NanooksVB
FB - Alaska Nanooks Volleyball