FAIRBANKS - The No. 18-ranked Nanooks volleyball team heads to Burnaby, B.C. and Bellingham, Wash. for matchups with the No. 7-ranked Simon Fraser Red Leafs and No. 20 Western Washington Vikings. 

Thursday, Oct. 9
at No. 7 Simon Fraser Red Leafs | 6 p.m.
Burnaby, B.C. | West Gymnasium

Watch Here ($$) | Live Stats

Saturday, Oct. 11
at No. 20 Western Washington | 6 p.m.
Bellingham, Wash. | Carver Gymnasium

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Last Time Out
The Nanooks have not played since Thursday, Oct. 2 when they hosted the RV Alaska Anchorage Seawolves for their annual whiteout and Pack the Patty night! The Nanooks picked up the win over their in-state rivals in four sets. The 3-1 win improved Alaska to 14-1, 5-0 GNAC. Mikala Henderson led the Nanooks attack, finishing with a 15-kill, 12-dig double-double. Elenaa Guc followed with 13 kills of her own. Cynphany Henderson joined her sister with a huge showing, ending the match with 20 assists, 18 digs, seven kills, and four blocks. Elizabeth Jackson and Peri Hoshock joined in with four blocks each in the win. Ainsley Smith had a team-high 23 assists in the victory and Tessa Onaga posted 18 digs and 11 assists.

GNAC Team of the Week
The Nanooks earned the GNAC Team of the Week honor on Monday, Oct. 6. Alongside the Nanooks 3-1 win over UAA last Thursday, Alaska also packed the Alaska Airlines Gymnasium with 1451 fans, nearly filling the 1648-seat Alaska Airlines Gymnasium. Thursday's win was the 'Nooks 12th-straight win and left them as the only remaining undefeated team in the GNAC standings through the first three weeks. 

GNAC Standings
View the rest of the GNAC standings HERE.

- Alaska | 14-1, 5-0 GNAC
- Simon Fraser | 11-1, 5-1 GNAC
- Western Washington | 11-2, 5-1 GNAC
- Alaska Anchorage | 13-2, 4-1 GNAC
- Central Washington | 8-4, 4-1 GNAC
- Saint Martin's | 9-4, 2-3 GNAC
- Northwest Nazarene | 2-10, 1-4 GNAC
- Seattle Pacific | 6-8, 1-5 GNAC
- Western Oregon | 1-12, 0-5 GNAC
- Montana State Billings | 1-10, 0-6 GNAC

#NookNotes

• The Nanooks come into Thursday's match with the best opposing hitting percentage in the country. They are holding their opponents to a .094 swing percentage.
• This is made possible by 147.0 total team blocks, good for 10th in the NCAA Division II and first in the GNAC. Alongside that, the Nanooks are 26th in the country and first in the GNAC with 1004 total team digs. 
• At the net, Peri Hoshock leads the Nanook with 1.29 blocks per set. That is third in the GNAC and 18th in the NCAA DII. Presley Engelauf and Elena Guc are just outside the top 10 in the GNAC with just under a block per set. 
• Hoshock also ranks 20th in the nation in total blocks, with 71. That total is third in the GNAC.
• Tessa Onaga leads the conference in total digs and digs per set, also putting her in the top 55 in the nation for both categories. She is averaging 4.64 digs/set, good for 55th in the nation. Her 274 total digs is 32nd in the NCAA DII.
• Onaga is also lethal on the serve. The libero has 25 service aces this season. That total is first in the GNAC and 80th in the nation. 
• As a team, the Nanooks are averaging 2.49 blocks per set, good for 14th in the country and first in the GNAC. 
• They also lead the GNAC in digs per set (17.02), team assists (681), team kills (728), and total attacks (2139).

Meet the Opponents
No. 7 Simon Fraser Red Leafs (11-1, 5-1 GNAC)
Head Coach: Gina Schmidt (12th Season, 185-121)
Player to Watch: Natalie Lemoine-Sells, Sr., OH, Winnipeg, Man.
Simon Fraser enters Thursday's matchup ranked No. 7 in the AVCA National Poll. The Red Leafs are riding a five-game winning streak following their loss at Central Washington to open up conference play. They fell to the Wildcats on the road in five before dropping only two sets in their next five matches. They defeated Northwest Nazarene on Sept. 20, Seattle Pacific on Sept. 25, Montana State Billings on Sept. 27, Saint Martin's on Oct. 2, and Western Oregon on Nov. 4. They have not lost a set since their SPU match in Burnaby. This will be the first-ever top-25 matchup for the Nanooks. Alaska is 2-3 in the last five matches against SFU. They defeated SFU last season on Nov. 21, 2024 in Fairbanks 3-1 after being swept earlier in the season at SFU.

No. 20 Western Washington Vikings (11-2, 5-1 GNAC)
Head Coach: Diane Flick-Williams (26th Season, 541-151)
Player to Watch: Devyn Oestreich, Sr., PIN, Olympia, Wash.
Western Washington will face the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves on Thursday before facing the Nanooks on Saturday night. Entering Thursday's match, the Vikings are tied for second in the GNAC standings with SFU and are ranked No. 20 in the AVCA National Poll. WWU is fresh off of their first GNAC loss of the season on Saturday, Oct. 4. They dropped Saturday's match to Saint Martin's 0-3 after sweeping Western Oregon on Oct. 2. Before the loss to the Saints, Western was riding an 11-game winning streak. Alaska is riding a three-game winning streak against the Vikings after knocking them off in the second matchup in 2023 and then sweeping the Vikings last year. 

AVCA National Poll
The Nanooks are one of three GNAC teams in the top-25 this week. After cracking the list last week at No. 23, the first time in program history, the Nanooks have already made another big jump, this time at No. 18. Simon Fraser remained at No. 7 while Western Washington dropped from 19 to 20 in the poll. Alaska Anchorage (39) and Central Washington (9) also received votes this week. CLICK HERE

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