ANCHORAGE - The Nanooks volleyball team is 1-0 after their season-opener at the Hawaii/Alaska Challenge, presented by Alaska Airlines.
How it Happened
The Alaska Nanooks opened strong, taking the first set behind a .250 hitting percentage while holding Chaminade to -.061 with 11 errors.
Mikala Henderson paced the Nanooks with four kills in the set, while
Ainsley Smith handed out seven assists and Alaska sided out at an efficient 82% (14-of-17). Chaminade responded in the second with improved attacking, but Alaska struggled offensively, hitting just .026 with nine errors as CUH evened the match.
The Nanooks regained momentum in the third, capitalizing on Chaminade's 10 errors while committing only two of their own. Elena Guc led the way with five kills, while Henderson, Engelauf, and Wright each added blocks to help Alaska move ahead 2-1. Chaminade fought back in a tight fourth set with five ties and a lead change, forcing a decisive fifth despite 10 digs from Haylee Lyons and four more kills from Henderson. In the final frame, Henderson powered the Nanooks with five kills and seven digs, Smith tallied another seven assists, and Guc sealed the win with the match-clinching kill.
Inside the Numbers
- Mikala Henderson posted a 21-kill, 15-dig double-double in her Alaska Nanooks debut.
- Tessa Onaga led the way with 23 digs while adding six assists.
- Ainsley Smith also posted a double-double with a game-high 37 assists and 11 digs.
- Elena Guc posted 14 kills with a .323 hit percentage; she added an ace, two blocks, and seven digs in the victory.
- The Nanooks posted 16 team blocks. Peri Hoshock had the lone solo block for Alaska. Presley Engelauf had seven block assists while Elena Guc, Mikala Henderson, Haylee Lyons, and Kelli Wright all added a pair of assists.
- Alaska went 7-11 (63%) on the sideout in the fifth set.
- This victory is the Nanooks' first win over a ranked-opponent since Oct. 14, 2023 (#16 Central Washington, 3-1).
- Until today, the Nanooks had dropped four-straight to Chaminade. This is their first victory against the Silverswords since Aug. 19, 2022 (3-2).
What's to Come
The Nanooks will play two matches tomorrow at 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. In game one, they take on the Hawaii Pacific Sharks. In game two they face the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans. Saturday's matchup is TBD but Alaska will play at 9 a.m.
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