FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks volleyball team went toe-to-toe with the No. 21 Central Washington Wildcats on Thursday, Oct. 15. After falling behind 2-1, the Nanooks forced a fifth that needed extra points before ultimately falling.
With the loss, the Nanooks fall to 11-9, 3-7 GNAC.
In the first, the Nanooks snapped CWU's 21-set winning streak with a 25-20 win. The Nanooks posted 17 kills and hit .324 while holding the Wildcats to a .105 swing percentage and 10 kills on six errors. The two sides traded points before four straight by the Nanooks to take a 7-5 lead. They extended their lead to 14-8 behind three
Kelli Wright kills and a
Peri Hoshock kill. Their lead stuck throughout the remainder of the set before
Cori Leavitt connected on a kill to win the first 25-20. The second set was all Central as the Wildcats hit .545 on 12 kills and no errors while the Nanooks hit -.030 on nine kills and 10 errors. CWU won it 25-12 to even the match at 1-1.
The third set was a 25-19 win for Central. Alaska managed to slow down the CWU attack, keeping them to a .269 hit percentage but they still posted 17 kills to the Nanooks' 13 and five errors. The Nanooks evened the match back out at 2-2, taking the fourth 25-22. CWU held an early 5-2 lead before Alaska tied it at 7-7. Alaska then posted four straight points to take an 11-9 lead before extending it to 15-11. The Wildcats battled back, tying the match at 17-17 but Alaska won the next seven of eight points to make it 24-18. CWU responded with four straight, pulling back to within two, but Leavitt, once again, won the set with a kill forcing a fifth.
Central jumped ahead 5-0 in the fifth, and eventually a 7-3 lead, but the Nanooks chipped away. After pulling to within three, the Nanooks tied the set at 11-11, 12-12, and once again, 14-14 on a pair of Leavitt kills and a Wright kill. Unfortunately, CWU won the final two points to grab the five-set win.
Inside the Numbers
- Cori Leavitt led the Nanooks with 15 kills, hitting .387 on 31 attacks. She added one dig.
- Kelli Wright had a big game for the Nanooks, adding 14 kills. She added two blocks and one dig.
- Emma Freeman had 13 kills and hit .296, picking up three blocks, three digs, and an assist.
- Haylee Lyons was the final Nanooks attacker with double-digit kills. She finished with 10 while adding 17 digs for a double-double, six aces, and one assist.
- Cynphany Henderson led the distribution with 27 assists. She also finished with a double-double, picking up 14 digs. She added two aces.
- Tessa Onaga led the match with 26 digs, matching CWU's Brooklyn Parker. Onaga also added seven assists.
- Ashlyn White added a lot alongside Henderson. She finished with 21 assists, three digs, and a kill.
What's Next
The Nanooks are back in action on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene. First serve is scheduled for 2 p.m. and it's Go Pink with the 'Nooks, so wear pink!
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