FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks volleyball team kicked off their home schedule on Thursday evening at the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic by taking down Felician University in straight sets, with set scores of 25-10, 25-11 and 25-13. Elena Guc led the squad with 10 kills on the night, while six Nanooks had hitting percentages of over .300.

How it Happened
Alaska raced out to a 10-4 lead in the first set, receiving two kills from Guc and Rilee White. After the Golden Falcons scored five of the following seven points to bring Alaska's lead down to three, the Nanooks scored 13 of the following 14 points to cap off a dominant first set. Guc slammed six kills during the opener to lead the team, while the Nanooks outhit their opponent .250 to -.100. The Nooks continued their momentum into the second set, taking an early 9-2 lead. Alaska's lead never shrank below six for the rest of the set, and after five kills from White, the Blue and Gold downed the Golden Falcons by 14 points. The Nanooks posted their best hitting percentage of the contest, hitting 0.458 compared to -0.067 for Felician.

Both teams were tied at five to start set three before the Nanooks would again build a lead, scoring three straight and seven of the following nine points to give them a 12-7 advantage. The Nanooks would score 12 of their final 13 points via kills, with Karli Nielson closing the contest by slamming five kills during that frame. Alaska posted another .400+ hitting percentage in the match's final set, hitting .455 as a team.

By the Numbers

• Guc was the only Nanook to reach double-digit kills during the match, posting 10. White and Rachel Pierce were tied with seven.
• Pierce led the team in service aces, notching three in the contest and tied for the team lead in digs with Tessa Onaga, both tallying eight.
• Ainsley Smith led the team with 26 assists while adding four kills in seven attempts for a hitting percentage of .571.
• Alaska outhit its opponent .388 to -.011 during the contest, slamming 41 kills while only allowing 19. 
• The Nooks collected 11 total blocks in the game, with Guc leading the way with six and Elizabeth Jackson and Josie Jansen following with five.

What's Next
The Nanooks are back in action tomorrow evening for day two of the Ice Block Classic. They face off against Slippery Rock University, with first serve set for 7 p.m. in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium.

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