FAIRBANKS - Alaska volleyball is set for two road contests this week, traveling to Northwest Nazarene and Central Washington. The Blue and Gold take on the Nighthawks tomorrow at 5 p.m. AKST before facing off against the Wildcats on Saturday at noon AKST.

Thursday, Nov. 7
5 p.m. at Northwest Nazarene | Watch | Live Stats
Nampa, Idaho | Johnson Sports Center

Saturday, Nov. 9
12 p.m. at Central Washington | Watch | Live Stats
Ellensburg, Wash. | Nicholson Pavilion

Last Time Out
The Nanooks are coming off wins against Montana State Billings and Seattle Pacific last week, sweeping the Yellowjackets before defeating the Falcons in a five-set bout.

They started the week falling behind 21-14 in the first set against MSUB. However 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. Karli Nielson led the team with 14 kills while hitting .346. She also added two block assists and seven digs in the match. Rilee White and Josie Jansen followed with nine and eight kills, respectively. White posted a hitting percentage of .471 and had a team-high four aces, while Jansen led the team in hitting percentage at .615. Ainsley Smith paced the squad in assists and digs, recording totals of 21 and 12 while adding a service ace. As a team, the Nanooks hit .266 during the contest compared to .157 for the Yellowjackets.

In its contest against Seattle Pacific, Alaska took the first set 25-23 but fell 23-25 in the second. The Nanooks responded with a 25-21 set win in the third, but SPU forced a fifth set after taking the fourth 25-19. From there, Alaska handled business, winning the deciding set 15-11. White notched her 1,000th career dig during the match, as her 16 digs were tied for 3rd on the team. Pierce tallied a team-high 18 kills on a .372 hitting percentage while collecting three blocks during the match. Three other players reached double-digit kills for Alaska, with Nielson notching 15, Jansen finishing with 13 and Elena Guc posting 12 put-downs. Jansen also led the Nanooks in hitting percentage (.435) and blocks (4). Smith logged a team-high 30 assists over the five sets while leading the team in service aces with three and finishing second in digs with 17. Alaska was out-hit .251 to .290 but was strong in the service department, posting nine aces while surrendering four.

Quick Hitters

• Nielson sits second in the GNAC in kills per set with 3.47 and eighth in hitting percentage at .267.
• Pierce checks in right behind Nielson in hitting percentage, as her mark of .257 puts her 11th.
• Smith's 8.26 assists per set is good for second-highest in the conference.
• Elizabeth Jackson and Josie Jansen are two of the top blockers in the GNAC; Jackson comes in tied for third in blocks per set with 1.11, and Jansen is tied for fifth with 1.09.
• White is fourth in the GNAC in service aces per set with 0.49.
• Tessa Onaga ranks sixth in the conference in digs per set at 3.86.
• The Nanooks are second in the GNAC in hitting percentage, as their mark of .237 puts them .03 ahead of Saturday's opponent, Central Washington.

Meet the Opponent
Northwest Nazarene 7-13, 4-8 GNAC
Head Coach: Doug English (12th Season)
Player to Watch: Maren Machado, Senior, OH (2024 Stats: 223 kills, 2.75 kills per set, .205 hitting percentage, 0.43 aces per set, 3.52 digs per set, 0.21 block per set)

The Nighthawks won the previous matchup against the Nanooks, taking the five-set victory last month in Fairbanks. However, NNU has dropped four of its last five matches since its contest against Alaska, falling to Western Washington (0-3), Simon Fraser (1-3), Seattle Pacific (0-3) and Central Washington (1-3). They picked up a win over Montana State Billings during the run of matches, sweeping the Yellowjackets away from home.

NNU ranks first in the GNAC in team digs per set with 16.43. Outside hitter Maren Machado sits sixth in the conference in aces per set (0.43), seventh in kills per set (2.75) and eighth in digs per set (3.52).

Central Washington 12-6, 10-2 GNAC
Head Coach: Mario Andaya (29th Season)
Player to Watch: Emma Daoud-Hebert, Fifth-Year, MB (2024 Stats: 150 kills, 2.24 kills per set, .446 hitting percentage, 0.18 aces per set, 0.49 digs per set, 1.03 blocks per set)

The Wildcats began the season going a perfect 7-0 in conference, but since then have gone 3-2, dropping contests against Simon Fraser (0-3) and Seattle Pacific (1-3). They are coming off a 3-1 win over Northwest Nazarene last Saturday.

The Wildcats won in straight sets in CWU's previous match against Alaska. Nielson was the only Nanook to post double-digit kills in that contest, recording 10. Meanwhile, Alaska was out-hit .142 to .270.

Middle blocker Emma Daoud-Herbert has the second-highest hitting percentage in Division II at .446, sitting behind Anna Coulter of East Stroudsburg who leads the nation with a .462. Outside hitter Marianna Payne comes in third in the GNAC with 3.30 kills per set. Lastly, DS/L Hannah Stires tops the GNAC leaderboards with 5.53 digs per set.

GNAC Standings
Simon Fraser (15-4, 11-1 GNAC)
Central Washington (12-6, 10-2 GNAC)
Alaska (17-6, 9-4 GNAC)
Western Washington (9-9, 8-4 GNAC)
Alaska Anchorage (13-10, 7-6 GNAC)
Seattle Pacific (6-15, 6-7 GNAC)
Western Oregon (13-9, 5-8 GNAC)
Northwest Nazarene (7-13, 4-8 GNAC)
Saint Martin's (5-16, 3-10 GNAC)
Montana State Billings (7-16, 0-13 GNAC)

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