ANCHORAGE - The Nanooks volleyball team went 1-1 on Friday, Aug. 29 in Anchorage. They opened the day with a sweep of Hawai'i Pacific before falling to Hawai'i Hilo in a five-set marathon. Alaska is now 2-1 on the season. 

How it Happened (vs. HPU)
In match one, the Nanooks made quick work of the Sharks with a 3-0 sweep. They opened with a 25-16 set one win behind 10 kills, while forcing HPU into 12 errors and just seven kills. Mikala Henderson paced the offense with four kills, followed by Elena Guc with three.

Alaska turned up the pressure in set two, hitting .545 with 13 kills to just one error and converting 9-of-10 sideout opportunities. The result was a dominant 25-10 victory.

In the third, Guc added four more kills to seal a 25-18 set win and secure the sweep for the Nanooks.

Inside the Numbers

• Elena Guc led the Nanooks with 10 kills against HPU. She swung .259 while adding 11 digs for a double-double. She also had five block assists. 
• Presley Engelauf continued her strong start at the net, posting eight block assists in the win. She added five kills (.250).
• Peri Hoshock had four block assists and two solo blocks. Mikala Henderson added another solo block.
• Henderson had eight kills on 22 total attacks. She also had 13 digs; Tessa Onaga had a team-high 14 in the win. 
• The Nanooks swung .211 as as team in the win. They held HPU to -.095.

How it Happened (vs. UHH)
Alaska dropped its 4 p.m. match against Hawai'i Hilo on Friday, as the Vulcans pulled out a five-set win to hand the Nanooks their first loss of the season.

Hilo opened strong, taking the first set 25-19 behind 13 kills and a .206 hitting percentage. Alaska managed nine kills but was slowed by eight errors. The Nanooks answered in set two, capitalizing on 12 Vulcan errors and hitting .217 to roll to a dominant 25-9 win.

The third and fourth sets were tightly contested. Hilo edged the Nanooks 25-22 in the third, breaking a 22-22 tie with three straight points. Alaska battled back in the fourth, erasing an early deficit and fending off two match points before rattling off four in a row to claim a 26-24 victory and force a decisive fifth.

In the final set, Hilo raced ahead early and maintained its edge after the side switch. Alaska tied the score twice, but the Vulcans put together a late run to build a 14-9 lead and closed out the match 15-12.

Inside the Numbers

• Cynphany Henderson had a strong showing for the Nanooks. The setter posted 35 assists, 13 digs, and five blocks. 
• Elena Guc had another strong match on the attack, posting 15 kills. Kelli Wright had 10 kills, a career-high, and Mikala Henderson had nine. 
• Peri Hoshock joined C. Henderson with five blocks. Presley Engelauf had three. 
• Tessa Onaga led Alaska with 23 digs. Henderson added her 13, and Haylee Lyons had a dozen. 
• The Nanooks outhit the Vulcans .097 to .080, and had three more kills, 52-49. Both sides had nine aces and nine blocks. 

What's to Come
Alaska plays tomorrow at 9 a.m. in their final match of the 2025 Hawaii/Alaska Challenge - they will face Chaminade in a rematch of Thursday's match. 

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