FAIRBANKS - It was an offensive showcase for the Nanooks volleyball team on Friday evening at the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic, as they swept Slippery Rock University with scores of 25-17, 25-18 and 25-21. This marks Alaska's seventh consecutive victory, putting the team at 7-2, 0-0 GNAC. Slippery Rock falls to 4-3, 0-0 PSAC with the loss. 

Karli Nielson had a match to remember, leading the team with 16 kills while hitting .538. She was joined by teammate Rilee White, who notched 13 kills with a .400 hit percentage.

How it Happened
The Nanooks raced out to a 6-1 lead early in the first set, receiving four kills from Nielson, White, Josie Jansen and Elena Guc. The visitors got back into the set, bringing the score to 16-13, but Nielson's back-to-back kills and an SRU attacking error gave the Nooks a six-point lead. The Nanooks never led by fewer than five points for the remainder of the first set, taking the opener by eight points. 19 of Alaska's 25 points came via kill, with Nielson leading the way with six and Guc notching four. The second set saw the Blue and Gold jump out to an early lead, building a 9-3 lead after a 5-0 run. The Nanooks cruised to another set victory, with White and Nielson joint top of the Alaska leaderboards in kills during the set with four apiece. Alaska posted 17 team kills during set two, hitting a combined .286 compared to .195 for SRU.

The Nanooks found themselves down to start the third, with Slippery Rock building a 5-2 lead, but two kills and a block assist by White gave Alaska a 6-5 lead. The set remained closely contested, with no one holding a lead greater than four points, but kills by Nielson and White closed out the set and gave Alaska the 3-0 match win. The Nanooks notched another 16 kills to bring their total to 51, while their .243 hit percentage gave them a .324 mark for the contest.

By the Numbers

• Nielson and Ainsley Smith both notched double-doubles, with Nielson finishing with 16 kills and 10 digs, while Smith posted 38 assists and 11 digs.
• Tessa Onaga notched 17 digs to lead the squad during the match and added four assists.
• Jansen, Nielson and Elizabeth Jackson each posted four block assists for the Nanooks, tied for joint-most.
• The Nanooks outhit their opponent .324 to .138 and slammed 51 kills to 28 for SRU.
• Alaska logged 59 team digs.
• Both teams were even in the blocks department with eight apiece.

What's Next
Alaska wraps up the Ice Block Classic on Saturday evening. They face off against UNC Pembroke at 7 p.m. in the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium.

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