FAIRBANKS - Mikala Henderson and Tessa Onaga both earned All-West Region honors on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Henderson earned AVCA Honorable Mention All-West Region honors while Onaga earned AVCA Honorable Mention and D2CCA Second Team All-West Region honors. 

On the AVCA West Region team, they were two of eight GNAC student-athletes to earn the honor. On the D2CCA All-West Region Volleyball Team, Onaga was one of three GNAC athletes named. 

Henderson, a graduate-transfer from Otsego, Minn. joined the Nanooks this year after four seasons at the University of Illinois-Chicago. Henderson put together an impressive final season, finishing with 207 kills (2.84 per set) and 177 digs (2.42 per set) across 73 sets. She reached double figures in kills 12 times, including an eight-match streak, while also notching seven double-doubles and recording 10 or more digs in 10 contests.

A steady presence on the offensive end, Henderson totaled double-digit points in 14 of her 21 matches and delivered two 20-point performances, highlighted by a pair of 20-plus kill efforts. She ranked among the GNAC's top 15 in hitting percentage, kills per set, and points per set, and earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors on Oct. 20.

Onaga, from Honolulu, Hawaii, was the backbone of the Nanooks' defense throughout her junior season, pacing the GNAC with 479 total digs and ranking third in the league at 4.52 digs per set over 106 sets. She reached double-digit digs in 24 matches, including a streak of 12 straight, and recorded 20 or more digs 11 times.

The junior contributed across all facets, adding 129 assists (1.22 per set) and 38 service aces—good for fifth in the GNAC—while posting two double-doubles with 11 assists in each outing. Her 479 digs stand as the third-highest single-season total in program history. Onaga was honored as GNAC Defensive Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks on Sept. 15 and 22 and is also a one-time Academic All-GNAC selection while also being selected as the 2025 GNAC Defensive Player of the Year. 

The Nanooks continue their season tomorrow at the NCAA West Regional against Alaska Anchorage. The in-state rivals face off at 6 p.m. AKST at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. 

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