SAN DIEGO, Calif. - The Nanooks' historic 2025 season came to an end on Friday, Dec. 5 at Point Loma Nazarene. Alaska fell in four sets to the top-seeded PLNU Sea Lions, finishing their season 24-6, 14-4 in the GNAC. 

How it Happened
Alaska posted a strong effort on Friday night as they faced the No. 9 nationally ranked Point Loma Sea Lions on the road in the second round of the Division II West Region Championships. The Nanooks held a small lead late in the first set, but PLNU picked up a 25-22 win to go up 1-0. Both sides swung over .300 with Alaska posting a .316 swing percentage on 15 kills and just three errors. PLNU posted a .333 with 16 kills and four errors. In the second, neither side swung efficiently, but Point Loma grabbed a 2-0 lead behind a 25-20 second set win. They held the Nanooks to 13 kills while forcing them into nine errors. The Sea Lions had one less kill than Alaska, but surrendered two less errors. 

In the third set, the Nanooks came out firing, grabbing a 25-20 win, extending the match to a fourth set. The third was a strong showing for the 'Nooks as they posted a team-high 16 kills in the set while swinging .263. They held Point Loma to just 11 kills and a .114 swing percentage. Unfortunately, winning the third was the most momentum the Nanooks gathered on the night. PLNU clicked in the fourth, posting 17 kills (.342) and just four errors while the Nanooks had 13 kills and five errors. Despite a strong fourth, the Nanooks could not manage the runs by the Sea Lions. 

Inside the Numbers

• Mikala Henderson wrapped up her collegiate career with a stellar showing. She posted 20 kills with a .341 swing percentage while adding 11 digs for 20.0 points. 
• Elena Guc was the only other Nanooks attacker with 10+ kills, finishing the night with 11. She added a pair of blocks and digs. 
• Cynphany Henderson and Ainsley Smith led the way distributing for the Nanooks as both finished with 20+ assists. Cynphany Henderson had a team-high 26 assists while Ainsley Smith had 22. Henderson finished with seven digs, six kills, an ace and a block. 
• Smith finished the night with seven digs and a kill. 
• Tessa Onaga had a team-high 13 digs on Friday. She was followed by Haylee Lyons with 12. Kellan Flynn matched Mikala Henderson with 11 digs. 

Thank You, Nanook Nation
This officially wrapped up the Nanooks volleyball season. The 24-6, 14-4 GNAC record is a new program best, and the .800 winning percentage is a new program record as well. Not only did Alaska set new benchmarks in their overall records, but they were named the 2025 GNAC Co-Champions, their first-ever conference championship, and they qualified for the NCAA DII Volleyball Tournament for the first time in program history, opening the door to a new era of Nanooks volleyball. 

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