The University of Alaska Fairbanks    

Nanooks set to defend home-court advantage

By RICHARD LARSON, Staff Writer

The University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball team is 2-1 at home this season and will look to protect its home court again this weekend, when Great Northwest Athletic Conference foes Seattle University and Northwest Nazarene visit the Patty Center gymnasium.

Seattle University (8-4 overall, 4-1 in the GNAC) visits Friday for a 6 p.m. match against the Nanooks, while Northwest Nazarene (5-9, 2-3) comes calling on Saturday at 5 p.m.

While Western Washington has a big jump on defending its GNAC crown with a 6-0 league mark--extending its unbeaten streak in the conference to 45 matches--a handful of other GNAC teams, including the Nanooks (6-4, 3-2), are in the battle for second.

"It's kind of like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," UAF coach Phil Shoemaker said of the GNAC. "Western Washington is Snow White, but the seven dwarfs are pretty good. There is nobody in this league that you can overlook."

The Nanooks were swept on the road at Western Oregon last Thursday then rebounded from a 2-0 game deficit to beat Humboldt State.

"There is no substitute for winning. Winning on the road is good and the ability to come back is good, especially considering we did not perform well on Thursday," Shoemaker said. "There is no question that we have to win at home. If we don't take care of it here at home, it is going to be pretty tough to pick them up on the road."

Seattle University had a five-match win streak end last weekend when it was swept at home by Western Washington. The RedHawks average 18.5 digs per game. They are led by 5-foot-11 junior outside hitter Megan Kaysinger, who averages 4.17 kills per game, and 6-1 sophomore Sarah Sommerman, who averages 4.03 kills per game.

"Seattle is a nice team. They are very active and relentless on defense," Shoemaker said. "I really like their style of play. They put an awful lot of pressure on the opponent and the opponent has to match them and play at a faster pace than maybe they are used to. They have some nice athletes and good energy."

Northwest Nazarene swept Seattle Pacific in its most recent match. The Crusaders are led by 5-11 junior outside hitter Lindsay Miller, who averages 3.71 kills per game, and 5-8 senior middle hitter Ka'ala Hanson, who has 2.36 kills and 1.0 blocks per game.

"They are a very aggressive team and try to put a lot of pressure on their opponent. They are a tough serving team," Shoemaker said.

With a young inconsistent team that has shown signs of brilliance, Shoemaker is still working on find the right combinations on the floor for the Nanooks.

"We look at different stuff all the time," Shoemaker said. "Different people in positions. We've looked at different systems. We are trying to bring players along and to find the right mix. We haven't found it yet, which is somewhat expected with a young team."