IRVINE, Calif. -  The Nanooks volleyball team picked up its third straight win on Friday morning, defeating Colorado Christian in straight sets at the Golden Eagle Classic in Irvine, Calif. Alaska moves to 3-2, 0-0 GNAC on the year while the Cougars fall to 0-2, 0-0 RMAC.

How It Happened
The match began with a closely contested first set, with neither team building more than a three-point lead. After being down 19-16, the Nanooks scored four of the next five points, receiving a kill from Karli Nielson and a block by Elizabeth Jackson and Ainsley Smith to tie the set at 20. From there, Alaska would take the set 26-24, aided by three Elena Guc kills in the closing stages of the first. Guc led the team in kills during the first set with six, while the Nanooks slammed 15 kills to the Cougars 14. Alaska outhit CCU during the opening set, .250 to .214.

The Nanooks continued their momentum from the first set, racing out to an 18-11 lead before a Cougar timeout, with Nielson racking up six kills during that period to lead the squad. CCU brought Alaska's lead down to 22-20 after the timeout, but three straight Nanook kills, including two from Guc, helped Alaska close out the set 25-20. The Nanooks posted their best hitting percentage of the contest during the second set, recording a mark of .364.

The third set began similarly to the second, with the Nanooks establishing a five-point lead at 8-3, with three more kills from Guc during Alaska's first eight points. After Guc's fourth kill of the set brought Alaska's lead to 15-9, the Cougars notched three straight points to bring the lead down to three. In turn, the Nanooks would respond with a 3-0 run of their own, with kills by Guc and Rilee White. From that point forward, Alaska never led by fewer than four points, taking the third and final set 25-17 after Guc's sixth kill of the set capped off the match. Alaska notched a match-best 17 kills during the final set, hitting .321 compared to .028 for CCU.

By the Numbers

• Guc led the team with 16 kills during the contest, recording a hitting percentage of .500. Nielson also notched double-digit kills, finishing with 10.
• White tallied two service aces for the Nanooks, bringing her total to seven for the season.
• Jackson led the team with four total blocks, while Guc, Smith and Josie Jansen notched three each.
• Smith finished with 37 assists. She has eclipsed the 30-assist mark in Alaska's first five games of the season.
• Tessa Onaga tallied 15 digs for the Nanooks to lead the team.
• The Nanooks posted their best team hitting percentage of the season, notching a mark of .321 during the contest.

What's Next
Alaska hits the floor later today with a matchup against the hosting Concordia University Irvine, with first serve set for 6 p.m. AKST.

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