SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Nanooks volleyball team won its first-ever NCAA Tournament match over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Dec. 4, sweeping the Seawolves to advance to the NCAA DII West Region semifinals. The Nanooks will face top-seed, and host, Point Loma tomorrow night at 6 p.m. AKST.
How it Happened
The Nanooks made quick work of their in-state rivals on Thursday to advance to the round of 32 in the national tournament. They opened up with a first set score of 25-21. The Nanooks swung .367 and posted 22 kills with just four errors. They pulled through with the set one win despite UAA posting 12 kills of their own and swinging an efficient .297. In the second, the Nanooks continued their strong attack, outhitting UAA .195 to .073 and posting 16 kills to the Seawolves' 10. Alaska claimed the second 25-18.
In the third, the Nanooks ran away with the sweep, defeating UAA 25-15. Alaska shut down the UAA attack, forcing them into 10 errors and just eight kills for a -.050 swing percentage while posting 13 kills and just four errors of their own for a .281 swing percentage.
Inside the Numbers
- The Nanooks were led by the Henderson sisters tonight in the victory. Cynphany posted the first-ever postseason triple-double by a Nanook. This was her second triple-double of the season and was a 20-assist, 10-dig, 10-kill performance.
- Mikala Henderson led the Nanooks attack with 14 kills. She finished with eight digs, two solo blocks, and an assist.
- Haylee Lyons had nine kills, with 11 digs, three assists, and two blocks.
- Four Nanooks had 10+ digs tonight. Tessa Onaga led the way with a dozen while Lyons had 11. Kellan Flynn and Cynphany Henderson had 10.
- Ainsley Smith joined Henderson in the main distribution, posting 17 assists in the victory.
- As a team, the Nanooks hit .287 and kept UAA to a .102 swing percentage.
What's to Come
The Nanooks face No. 1 Point Loma tomorrow night at 6 p.m. AKST. Point Loma defeated the No. 8 seed Cal State San Bernardino tonight in five sets to advance to the semifinals.
Rest of the Field
On the other side of the bracket, Central Washington was victorious against Simon Fraser, defeating the Red Leafs in five. They will face Fresno Pacific, who defeated Western Washington in straight sets early today.
What's to Come
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