FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks volleyball team prepares for a pair of top 25 showdowns in the Interior this week as they welcome the No. 14-ranked Western Washington Vikings on Thursday and the No. 8-ranked Simon Fraser Red Leafs on Saturday.

Thursday, Nov. 6
vs. #14 Western Washington | 11 a.m. AKST
Fairbanks, Alaska | Alaska Airlines Gymnasium

Saturday, Nov. 8
vs. #8 Simon Fraser | 2 p.m. AKST
Fairbanks, Alaska | Alaska Airlines Gymnasium

Watch Here ($$) | Live Stats | Tickets

Last Time Out
The Nanooks extended their win streak to five on Halloween night with a four-set victory over the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves. They also extended their win streak over UAA to four, sweeping them this season and last. This win streak over the in-state rivals is tied for the second longest in program history (five). Haylee Lyons led the Nanooks attack with 16 kills while Elena Guc followed with 15. Mikala Henderson broke into double digits with 10. Cynphany Henderson had another strong all-around game, finishing with a team-high 25 assists, 19 digs, and eight kills. Peri Hoshock had a game-high five blocks and Kellan Flynn added a pair of aces to help push the Nanooks to victory. 

#NookNotes

• Alaska has been a steady top-of-the-GNAC team in most major stat categories this season. They currently rank second in team blocks (192.0), team attacks (3,100), team kills (1,086), team digs (1,431), team attacks per set (36.90), team assists (1,010), and match W-L pctg. (.864).
• The Nanooks lead the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in opposing hitting percentage, keeping their opponents to an average swing percentage of .124 this season. This total is the ninth best in the NCAA Division II as well. 
• Alaska is averaging 17.04 digs per set this season, also a total that leads the conference. 
• Tessa Onaga has 393 digs on the year, good for 51st in the country and first in the conference. She also leads in digs per set at 4.68, good for 59th in NCAA DII, and aces with 34. 
• Peri Hoshock currently sits in fourth in blocks per set with 1.19, the only Nanooks player eclipsing one block per set. That ranks her 28th in the nation. 
• She has 95 total blocks on the year, a total that is also good for fourth in the GNAC and 38th in the nation. 
• Elena Guc is eighth in the GNAC with 244 kills, pacing the Nanooks. Ainsley Smith is seventh in assists, dishing out 461 this season. Right behind her is Cynphany Henderson, who ranks 10th in the GNAC with 371. 
• At the net, the Nanooks are 31st in the nation with 2.29 blocks per set. Saint Martin's leads the GNAC with 2.56/set - Alaska is fourth in the GNAC. 

Meet the Opponents
Western Washington Vikings (17-3, 11-2 GNAC)
Head Coach: Diane Flick-Williams (26th season, 547-152)
Player to Watch: Devyn Oestreich, PIN, Sr., Olympia, Wash.
The Vikings come into Fairbanks on Thursday winners of their past four matches. After dropping a five-setter to Simon Fraser on Oct. 17, Western Washington has lost just one set since Oct. 23. They defeated Seattle Pacific 3-1 before a stretch of three-straight sweeps, starting with Montana State Billings on Oct. 25. They then swept Saint Martin's on Oct. 30, before taking down Western Oregon on Nov. 1. WWU won the first matchup this season in Bellingham, Wash. (3-0), snapping the Nanooks three-match win streak on the Vikings. Alaska has won the last two matchups in Fairbanks, both sweeps. 

Simon Fraser Red Leafs (17-2, 11-2 GNAC)
Head Coach: Gina Schmidt (13th season, 191-122)
Player to Watch: Natalie Lemoine-Sells, OH, Sr., Winnipeg, Man.
Like the Nanooks, Simon Fraser comes into the week on a five-match win streak. They will face Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before coming to the Interior on Saturday. SFU last dropped a match on Oct. 11 to UAA in five sets. Since then, the Red Leafs have either gone five sets or won in a sweep. They picked up a five-set win over WWU in their border battle on Oct. 17. They then swept MSUB on Oct. 23 before taking down Seattle Pacific in five on Oct. 25. Simon Fraser has swept their last two matchups with Western Oregon and Saint Martin's, retaining home-court advantage over the two conference opponents. Simon Fraser won the matchup earlier this season in four sets. The Nanooks have won the last four matches in Fairbanks against SFU. These two schools have split the season series every year since 2021, with the home team prevailing each match. 

GNAC Standings
The Nanooks have a chance to make a move on the top of the GNAC standings with this week's slate of matches. They currently sit in third place with a two-team tie at the top (SFU, WWU). CLICK HERE to view the standings on the GNAC website.

1. Simon Fraser (17-2, 11-2 GNAC)
1. Western Washington (17-3, 11-2 GNAC)
3. Alaska (19-3, 10-2 GNAC)
3. Central Washington (14-5, 10-2 GNAC)
5. Alaska Anchorage (17-5, 8-4 GNAC)
6. Northwest Nazarene (5-14, 4-8 GNAC)
7. Saint Martin's (11-10, 4-9 GNAC)
7. Seattle Pacific (9-12, 4-9 GNAC)
9. Western Oregon (2-19, 1-12 GNAC)
10. Montana State Billings (2-17, 0-13 GNAC)

AVCA National Poll
The Nanooks checked in at No. 19 in the most recent AVCA national poll on Monday, Nov. 3. They received 333 points and moved up one spot from No. 20 in last week's poll. They are joined by Simon Fraser (No. 8) and Western Washington (No. 14) in the top 25. Central Washington earned 18 votes, the most by a GNAC team not in the top 25. Alaska Anchorage also received 10 votes. 

Elementary Day
Thursday's match against Western Washington will begin at a special 11 a.m. time thanks to our game day sponsor, Alaska 529. They have helped put together our annual Elementary Day that will feature 1195 kids from schools around the Fairbanks North Star Borough enjoying the Nanooks/Vikings match. 

Canned Food Drive
Saturday's match will be a canned food drive and fans who come with three canned food items will receive free admission to the 2 p.m. match against Simon Fraser! All canned and non-perishable food items that are donated will be donated to the Fairbanks Community Food Bank. 

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