The University of Alaska Fairbanks    

Official Site of Nanook Volleyball

Last Update: February 26, 2000

News Releases

February 26, 2000: Nanooks Sign Another Recruit

The UAF Nanooks have announced the signing of the third recruit for the volleyball team. Angel Fairbanks, a 5-10 middle hitter from Spokane Falls Community College, has signed a national letter of intent to play for the Nanooks next season. Fairbanks led her school with more than 500 kills and had less than 200 errors and also had 130 blocks. During her career at SFCC she was named the team MVP and to the all-region and all-conference teams.

February 22, 2000: New Coach, Recruits Named

Following Coach Rock's decision to leave the coaching position at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to pursue a new career the Department of Athletics initiated a search for a new head coach. Recently Phil Shoemaker was announced as the new head coach for UAF volleyball. Coach Shoemaker comes to UAF after an impressive 17 year career as head coach at Division I school, Wichita State University. During his tenure at Wichita State coach Shoemaker led his teams to an average of 17 victories per season and several post-season appearances.

The first new recruit for the 2000 season was named recently. She is Jamie Schanback, a 5-9 outside hitter from Poway, Calif. Schanback played high school ball at Mt. Carmel High School, near San Diego, where she was MVP of her team between 1996-98. She attended San Diego Mesa College in the fall of 1998 earning MVP honors of the Pacific Coast Conference. She red-shirted last season following a knee injury. Schanback will have three years of eligibility at UAF.

UAF has also named their second recruit for the 2000 season. She is Kimber York, a 5-7 setter from Oregon City, Ore. She played high school ball for Bend High School, where she was an all-league performer during her senior season. She was her team's MVP during her junior and senior years. York was the starting setter the pst two seasons for Clackamas Community College, of the Northwest Athletic Assn of Community Colleges, where she led her team to post-season play both seasons.

December 5, 1999: BYU-Hawaii Wins National Championship

The BYU-Hawaii Seasiders showed that the Pacific West Conference is the dominant volleyball conference in the NCAA Division II by defeating the Tampa University of Florida 3-0 (15-3, 15-12, 15-13) in the finals. In the semi-finals BYU-Hawaii defeated Northern Kentucky 3-0 (15-0, 15-5, 15-5). Three Seasiders were picked to the All-Tournament team. They were Arlete Silva, Juliana Lima and Vanessa Valansi, all of whom were 1st Team All-Americans last season as well. The only games lost by the Seasiders the entire season were to Hawaii Pacific, who won the Pacific West Tournament, only to lose to BYU-Hawaii in the regional tournament.

December 3, 1999: Coach Rock Resigns

UAF head coach Angela Rock submitted her resignation less than a year after being hired. Coach Rock will be returning to her home in San Diego to take a job building web sites and will also continue coaching professional beach volleyball teams. This is a great loss to the UAF volleyball program as she took over a floundering program and turned it into a winning program in one short year while leading the Nanooks to their first post season tournament.

November 14, 1999: Nanook Miracle Season Ends With Loss

The UAF Nanook (13-11) volleyball season came to an end with a loss to the Seattle Pacific Falcons (24-6) in the consolation game in the Pacific West Conference Championship Tournament. The Nanooks were defeated by scores of 10-15, 10-15, 5-15 to finish 4th in the conference. The Falcons entered the tournament ranked 6th, and the Nanooks 8th, in the Pacific Region. The top four teams in the region are invited to the NCAA Championship Tournament. The Nanooks were led by Stephanie Grindel (10 kills, 10 digs), Sarah Wolf (11 kills), Kamilah Webb (36 assists, 8 digs), Colleen Smith (8 kills, 19 digs), Kristen Sullivan (9 kills, 13 digs) and Jenny Medl (10 digs). The Falcons were led by Leilani Kamahoahoa (16 kills, 17 digs), Danielle Dettorre (12 kills, 11 digs), Monica Abrahmson (10 kills, 13 digs), Heather Carlsen (51 assists, 8 digs), Rachel Grant (13 kills), Stephanie Huffman (10 digs) and Michelle Phelps (14 digs). Attendance: 150.

November 13, 1999: BYU-Hawaii Defeat Nanooks In Conference Tournament

The UAF Nanooks (13-10) were defeated by the #1 ranked BYU-Hawaii Seasiders (24-1) in the first round of the Pacific West Conference tournament by scores of 0-15, 13-15, 1-15. The Seasiders 3 returning 1st team All-Americans led every statistical category for the match. The Nanooks will now play tournament host Seattle Pacific in the consolation game and BYU-Hawaii will meet #2 ranked, and defending national champion, Hawaii Pacific in the championship game. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (9 kills, 8 digs), Kamilah Webb (20 assists, 7 digs), Sarah Wolf (6 kills, 2 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (6 kills) and Jenny Medl (6 digs). The Seasiders were led by Arlete Silva (14 kills, 8 digs, 7 blocks), Vanessa Valansi (12 kills, 9 digs), Juliana Lima (38 assists, 10 digs, 3 blocks) and Karla Ribeiro (7 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks).

November 12, 1999: Sullivan and Webb Named To All-Conference Team

The Pacific West Conference Pacific Division All-Conference Team was dominated by the number 1 and 2 nationally ranked teams, BYU-Hawaii and Hawaii Pacific. Arlete Silva, who has already been a 3 time 1st team All-American, was selected as the Conference Player of the Year. Wilfred Navalta of BYU-Hawaii was named the Conference Coach of the Year. Navalta led the balloting, which was done by the conference coaches, with 5 votes, while UAF coach Angela Rock and Hawaii Pacific coach Tita Ahuna each received 3 votes.

1999 Pacific Division Volleyball All-Conference 1st Team
 

1999 Pacific Division Volleyball All-Conference 2ndTeam
 

November 10, 1999: Kristen Sullivan Named Conference Player Of The Week

The Pacific West Conference has announced that Kristen Sullivan was selected as the Player of the Week for the final week of conference competition. I matches against Chaminade University and the University of Hawaii-Hilo Sullivan had 41 kills and 45 digs as the Nanooks won both matches and gained a berth in the conference playoffs.

November 8, 1999: Nanooks Season Moves Into Postseason

The UAF Nanooks have qualified to play in the conference championship tournament as the fourth seed team. The tournament will be hosted by Seattle Pacific University and includes #1 ranked BYU-Hawaii, #2 ranked Hawaii Pacific, Seattle Pacific and the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks will face BYU-Hawaii on Friday night (November 12th).

November 7, 1999: Nanooks Finish Regular Season With Win

In the final match of the regular season, the UAF Nanooks (13-9, 10-4) defeated the Chaminade University Silverswords (12-11, 6-7) by scores of 12-15, 15-13, 15-11, 16-14. This victory should put the Nanooks into the Pacific West Conference tournament but this cannot be determined for sure until all of the Division II opponents of the conference teams have completed their seasons and the power rating can be calculated. The rating between UAF and Western New Mexico could be close if a couple of UAF's opponents were to lose several matches and a couple of Western New Mexico's opponents were to win several matches at the end of the season. UAF has a 12-6 record against Div II opponents while Western New Mexico has a 20-12 record against Div II opponents. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (29 kills, 22 digs), Stephanie Grindel (17 kills, 7 digs), Colleen Smith (10 kills, 14 digs, 6 blocks), Sarah Wolf (10 kills, 8 blocks), Tara Hemphill (12 kills, 4 blocks), Kamilah Webb (68 assists, 12 digs, 4 blocks) and Jenny Medl (4 aces, 16 digs). The Silverswords were led by Joan Lilio (30 kills, 17 digs, 4 blocks), Jessica Robins (15 kills, 14 digs, 5 blocks), Aileenmarie Arnold (14 kills, 19 digs), Kuumomi Kaaihue (11 kills, 7 digs), Karlen Porter (65 assists, 9 digs, 3 blocks) and Nicole Kaaina (15 digs). Attendance: 200.

November 6, 1999: Nanooks Get Tough - Pull Out Win

After playing several of the nation's top teams and seeing them get behind, and then get tough to come back and notch the win, the Nanooks have learned how to do the same thing. The UAF Nanooks (12-9, 9-4) hit a poor .109 percent in the first game against the Hawaii-Hilo Vulcans(5-13, 2-11) and lost the game 10-15. Then in game two the Nanooks hit an even worse .038 percent and allowed the Vulcans to take an 11-2 lead prior to the Nanooks getting tough and coming back to win the game by an 18-16 score. After the break the Nanooks came out and played for real as they hit at a .225 rate in game three to win 15-9 and then hit a fine .360 in the final game to win 15-6 and notch the victory. The Nanooks were led by Tara Hemphill (20 kills, 6 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (12 kills, 23 digs), Kamilah Webb (45 assists, 10 digs), Sarah Wolf (11 kills, 5 blocks), Colleen Smith (10 digs, 4 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (9 kills, 7 digs) and Jenny Medl (10 digs). The Vulcans were led by April Pana (16 kills), Meliah Hai-Kelly (10 kills, 11 digs, 3 blocks), Loretta Coffman (7 kills, 13 digs, 4 blocks), Ann Haggerty (6 kills, 20 assists, 13 digs) and Brandi Hori (20 assists, 16 digs). Attendance: 150.

November 3, 1999: Four Nanooks Named To Academic All-Conference Team

Four members of the UAF volleyball team were named to the Pacific West Conference Academic All-Conference Team. Those Nanooks honored were: Janae Carpenter, Stephanie Grindel, Tara Hemphill and Kamilah Webb. Criteria for Academic All-Conference recognition include having a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a 4.00 scale and being at least a sophomore, both academically and athletically, and having been at the school for at least one full academic year. UAF tied with Central Washington, Western Oregon and Western Washington for the most athletes named to the team. In addition, Janae Carpenter was recently named to the National Dean's List.

October 30, 1999: UAF Swept By Top Ranked BYU-Hawaii

The number one ranked BYU-Hawaii Seasiders (22-1, 11-0) brought three first team All-Americans (Arlete Silva, Juliana Lima and Vanessa Valansi) to the Patty Center and convinced all in attendance that they deserve the top ranking by defeating the UAF Nanooks (11-9, 8-4) by scores of 8-15, 0-15, 2-15. Lima repeatedly dished out sets to Silva and Valansi, who each had match high 15 kills as the Seasiders hit at a .376 rate while holding the Nanooks to .022. The Nanooks were led by Stephanie Grindel (7 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks), Kamilah Webb (18 assists, 5 digs) and Kristen Sullivan (5 kills, 7 digs). The Seasiders were led by Arlete Silva (15 kills, 9 digs, 4 blocks), Vanesa Valansi (15 kills, 4 digs, 2 blocks), Juliana Lima (36 assists), and Karla Ribeiro (8 digs, 4 aces). Attendance: 539.

October 29, 1999: UAF Gives Hawaii Pacific Scare

The UAF Nanooks (11-8, 8-3) gave the Hawaii Pacific Sea Warriors (20-2, 8-2) a scare when they jumped off to a large lead in the first game but the higly skilled and very confident Sea Warriors were able to regroup and come back to claim the victory by scores of 14-16, 8-15, 6-15. Hawaii Pacific is led by All-American Hai Yan Wang and is currently the defending NCAA champion and is ranked second in the nation. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (13 kills, 10 digs), Kamilah Webb (30 assists, 5 digs), Tara Hemphill (8 kills, 3 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (6 kills, 8 digs, 3 blocks), Colleen Smith (5 kills, 6 digs, 3 blocks) and Sarah Wolf (5 kills, 4 digs, 3 blocks). The Sea Warriors were led by Debbie Sant 'Anna (17 kills, 10 digs), Hai Yan Wang (12 kills, 6 digs, 6 blocks), Nia Tuitele (43 assists, 5 digs, 4 blocks) and Gisele Rocha (7 kills, 12 digs, 4 blocks). Attendance: 575.

October 24, 1999: UAF Unable To Gain Sweep Of Western New Mexico

The UAF Nanooks (11-7, 8-2) got off to a good start in their second match against the Western New Mexico Mustangs (18-9, 6-4) by convincingly winning the first two gamesof the evening but then were not able to close out the match as they lost the next three games and the match. The game scores were 15-7, 15-9, 9-15, 6-15, 8-15. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (14 kills, 25 digs), Tara Hemphill (14 kills, 3 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (11 kills, 7 digs, 3 blocks), Sarah Wolf (10 kills, 9 digs), Jenny Kirst (8 kills, 7 blocks), Kamilah Webb (50 assists, 16 digs), Colleen Smith (7 kills, 14 digs) And Jenny Medl (19 digs). The Mustangs were led by Dana Dietrich (17 kills, 18 digs), Veronica Mitchell (16 kills, 6 blocks), Erin Denton (15 kills, 15 digs) and Heather Komernicky (52 assists, 22 digs, 6 blocks). Attendance: 260.

October 23, 1999: UAF Sweeps Western New Mexico in Silver City

The UAF Nanooks (11-6, 8-1) travelled to Silver City, NM and swept the Western New Mexico Mustangs (17-9, 5-4) by scores of 15-13, 15-8, 15-9. The Nanooks fell behind in the first game by a score of 0-6 and then came to life to dominate the remainder of the match as they were able to record 15 blocks against the taller Mustangs. The Nanooks have now tied their record for the most conference wins in a season with 8 and they still have five more matches to play. The Nanooks were led by Tara Hemphill (8 blocks), Colleen Smith (5 blocks, 9 digs), Stephanie Grindel (8 kills, 8 digs, 4 blocks), Sarah Wolf (6 kills, 3 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (9 kills, 11 digs) and Kamilah Webb (26 assists). The Mustangs were led by Veronica Mitchell (12 kills, 3 blocks) and Heather Komernicky (30 assists, 9 digs). Attendance: 100.

October 16, 1999: UAF Nanooks Defeat Nationally Ranked Western Oregon Wolves

The UAF Nanooks (10-6, 7-1) continue their climb to respectability with a hard fougth victory over the 4th ranked Western Oregon University Wolves (16-2, 10-1). The Nanooks won the match by scores of 15-6, 15-8, 9-15, 15-13. The Nanooks played a wonderful match as they started off strong and just kept coming after the Wolves with a diversified team effort that saw 5 players with 10 or more kills and 5 players with 10 or more digs. The Nanooks were led by Kamilah Webb (56 assists, 14 digs), Tara Hemphill (16 kills, 7 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (15 kills, 24 digs), Sarah Wolf (15 kills), Colleen Smith (11 kills, 8 digs, 2 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (10 kills, 19 digs, 3 blocks), Carolina Robancho (17 digs) and Jenny Medl (14 digs). The Wolves were led by Kim Chestnut (22 kills, 13 digs), Kelly Morris (11 kills, 7 blocks), Kristi Waldrop (46 assists, 18 digs), Jennifer Korne (9 kills, 23 digs, 3 blocks), Tara Wilson (17 digs) and Kari Waldrop (11 digs). Attendance: 328.

October 14, 1999: UAF Gains Respect With Win Over Humboldt St

The UAF Nanooks (9-6, 6-1) gained a degree of respect by defeating the Humboldt St Lumberjacks (11-7, 5-4) by scores of 16-14, 15-9, 15-13. The Nanooks went into the match ranked 10th in the NCAA Pacific Region while the Lumberjacks were ranked 9th. All season it has seemed like when one player isn't having a good night another steps forward with an outstanding effort and tonight was no different as both Stephanie Grindel and Jenny Kirst stepped up and had a combined 23 kills on 50 attempts with just 1 error for a combined hitting percentage of .440. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (14 kills, 11 digs), Stephanie Grindel (12 kills, 16 digs), Jenny Kirst (11 kills, 3 blocks), Kamilah Webb (41 assists, 9 digs), Colleen Smith (16 digs) and Jenny Medl (12 digs). The Lumberjacks were led by Keleise Tupuola (19 kills, 17 digs), Gianina Pellegrini (18 kills, 10 digs, 3 blocks) and Keri Eichenberger (24 assists, 15 digs), Hanna Mounce (20 assists) and Rachel Halverson (14 digs). Attendance: 223.

October 10, 1999: UAF Completes Successful Road Trip With Win Over Central Washington

The UAF Nanooks (8-6, 5-1) won their second road match in a row by defeating Central Washington Wildcats (12-8, 2-4) by scores of 15-8, 15-12, 9-15, 8-15, 15-7. This was the frist time since the 1996 season that the Nanooks have had two victories on the road in one season. The Nanooks showed a lot of character when they dropped the third and fourth games of the match and then came back to, not only win, but to dominate the fifth game by producing a hitting percentage of .533 by getting 8 kills in 15 attempts with no errors. The Nanooks were led by Sarah Wolf (21 kills, 6 blocks), Tara Hemphill (17 kills, 5 blocks), Jenny Kirst (14 kills, 8 blocks), Kamilah Webb (70 assists, 16 digs), Kristen Sullivan (18 kills, 26 digs), Colleen Smith (20 digs, 5 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (8 kills, 10 digs) and Jenny Medl (15 digs). The Wildcats were led by Katie Orgill (16 kills, 25 digs), Cerena Laurance (14 kills), Ellie Fortin (12 kills, 5 blocks), Kim Werkau (10 kills, 15 digs, 4 blocks) and Kari St Martin (57 assists, 9 digs). Attendance: 350.

October 9, 1999: UAF Starts Slow Finishes Fast In Victory Over St. Martins

The UAF Nanooks (7-6, 4-1) travelled outside of Alaska for the first time this season, arrived late for the match, started off slow, and then crushed the St. Martins Saints (3-13, 1-6) by scores of 5-15, 15-12, 15-4, 15-7. The Nanooks used various players in different roles during the evening as Jenny Kirst sat out to rest her sore shins. Tara Hemphill moved back into the middle blocker position and Jenny Medl played at outside hitter and saw her first significant time as the setter. The Nanooks were led by Stephanie Grindel (15 kills8 digs, 4 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (13 kills, 10 digs), Tara Hemphill (11 kills), Kamilah Webb (34 assists, 15 digs), Sarah Wolf (9 kills, 8 digs, 5 blocks) and Jenny Medl (10 assists, 11 digs). The Saints were led by Carrie Turner (17 kills, 11 digs).

October 4, 1999: UAF Outgunned By Central Missouri

For the second night in a row the UAF Nanooks (6-6, 3-1) were defeated by the 13th ranked Central Missouri State Jennies (18-3, 6-0) by scores of 8-15, 15-9, 6-15, 9-15. The deciding factors in this game were the Jennies superior hitting as they outhit the Nanooks by a .222 to .173 margin. The Nanooks were led by Sarah Wolf (14 kills, 2 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (10 kills, 17 digs, 2 blocks), Kamilah Webb (47 assists, 13 digs), Colleen Smith (10 digs, 2 blocks), Jenny Kirst (8 kills, 2 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (7 kills, 9 digs) and Tara Hemphill (8 kills, 5 blocks). The Jennies were led by All-American Daria McConell (23 kills, 18 digs, 3 blocks), Janell Mohme (20 kills, 3 blocks), Robyn Griffen (62 assists, 16 digs), Jen Withhoelder (10 kills, 11 digs), Rhea Griffen (10 kills, 14 digs), Mandy Feldman (9 kills, 4 blocks), Anna Patterson (13 digs) and Courtney Hoette (10 digs). Attendance: 236.

October 3, 1999: UAF Falls To Central Missouri; Webb Sets Record

The UAF Nanooks (6-5, 3-1) lost a tough fought battle against the 13th ranked Central Missouri State Jennies (17-3, 6-0) by scores of 9-15, 15-11, 11-15, 11-15. This match was so evenly played that the victory could have gone to either team right up to the final point. During this match Kamilah Webb had 64 assists to replace Robyn Metzler as the all time UAF leader in assists with 3,516. The Nanooks were led by Kamilah Webb (64 assists, 20 digs, 3 blocks), Sarah Wolf (16 kills, 9 digs, 5 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (16 kills, 15 digs, 4 blocks), Jenny Kirst (13 kills, 6 digs, 6 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (12 kills, 12 digs, 4 blocks), Tara Hemphill (12 kills, 8 blocks) and Jenny Medl (8 digs). The Jennies were led by All-American Daria McConnell (26 kills, 10 digs), Jen Withhoelder (17 kills, 13 digs), Robyn Griffen (61 assists, 3 aces, 12 digs), Janell Mohme (13 kills, 3 aces, 3 blocks), Rhea Griffen (11 kills, 22 digs, 6 assists) and Anna Patterson (13 digs). Attendance: 294.

September 25, 1999: UAF Nanooks Drop Tough One

One night after playing a wonderful match against the UAA Seawolves (9-6, 2-2) the UAF Nanooks (6-4, 3-1) traveled to Anchorage to play their worst match of the season. Despite committing 33 hitting errors, 13 serving errors and 7 serve receiving errors the Nanooks were in the match until the end as the final score was 2-15, 15-9, 10-15, 11-15. The Nanooks were led by Stephanie Grindel (12 kills, 10 digs), Kamilah Webb (35 assists, 6 kills, 9 digs), Kristen Sullivan (9 kills, 16 digs), Jenny Medl (17 digs, 3 assists, 5 kills) and Sarah Wolf (10 digs, 6 kills). The Seawolves were led by Tegan Bosard (16 kills, 17 digs), Vanessa Tsukano (13 kills, 24 digs, 3 blocks), Sabrina Bingham (11 kills, 4 blocks) and Janelle Morrisette (38 assists, 10 digs). Attendance: 733.

September 24, 1999: Life Is Good, As UAF Nanooks Sweep UAA Seawolves

The UAF Nanooks (6-3, 3-0) swept the UAA Seawolves (8-6, 1-2) by scores of 15-9, 15-9, 15-7 as they outplayed the Seawolves in virtually every aspect of the game. The Nanooks took a 6-0 lead on the first serve of the evening and never allowed the Seawolves to get untracked throughout the evening. The Nanooks were led by Kamilah Webb (29 assists, 10 digs, 2 blocks), Jenny Kirst (10 kills, 3 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (10 kills), Kristen Sullivan (10 kills), Colleen Smith (16 digs) and Sarah Wolf (8 kills, 2 blocks). The Seawolves were led by Janelle Morrisette (25 assists, 6 digs), Vanessa Tsukano (12 digs), Sabrina Bingham (8 kills, 2 blocks) and Tegan Bosard (6 kills, 9 digs). Attendance: 731.

September 18, 1999: Nanooks Start Slow, Then Race Away With Sweep

The UAF Nanooks (5-3, 2-0) got off to a slow start as the Montana St - Billings Yellowjackets (4-9, 0-2) took an early 0-6 lead, only to see the Nanooks catch fire and never look back on their way to a sweep of the Yellowjackets by scores of 15-11, 15-6, 15-7. The Nanooks kept the Yellowjackets off balance throughout most of the match with a tough serving game that saw the Nanooks score 13 serviee aces in just three games. Some significant changes in the Nanook career record book are beginning to take place with Jenny Kirst moving into 10th on the kill list with 573; Kamilah Webb moving into 10th on the service ace list with 93; and Colleen Smith moving up into 8th on the blocks list with 108. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (10 kills, 7 aces, 7 digs), Stephanie Grindel (11 kills, 10 digs), Kamilah Webb (38 assists, 9 digs), Sarah Wolf (10 kills, 2 blocks), Jenny Kirst (9 kills, 6 digs, 5 blocks) and Tara Hemphill (7 kills). The Yellowjackets were led by Lori Brandon (8 kills, 7 digs), Bobbi Jo Niswender (7 kills, 12 digs) and Gina Langer (26 assists, 8 digs). Attendance: 255.

September 17, 1999: Nanooks Resume Winning Way

The UAF Nanooks (4-3, 1-0) returned to the winner's circle with a hard fought victory over the Montana St - Billings Yellowjackets (4-8, 0-1) by scores of 13-15, 15-4, 15-11, 15-10. Both teams played a fine defensive game with the Yellowjackets putting up a tough block to stay in the game but it was the Nanook offense that made the difference as they outhit the Yellowjackets by a .253 to . 181 margin, scoring 86 kills to 64, to notch their first conference victory of the young season. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (23 kills, 18 digs, 2 aces), Stephanie Grindel (18 kills, 10 digs), Kamilah Webb (58 assists, 13 digs), Jenny Kirst (17 kills, 6 digs), Sarah Wolf (11 kills, 9 digs, 3 blocks) and Tara Hemphill (11 kills, 4 blocks). The Yellowjackets were led by Melissa Farmer (15 kills, 8 digs, 6 blocks), Bobbi Jo Niswender (14 kills, 10 digs), Jody Newberry (12 kills, 8 blocks), Lori Brandon (11 kills, 15 digs, 3 blocks) and Gina Langer (46 assists). Attendance: 335.

September 12, 1999: The Red Raiders Of Texas Tech Win Third Annual Nanook Classic

The Texas Tech Red Raiders (8-1) defeated the Ball St Cardinals (4-2) to win the Nanook Classic Volleyball Tournament. The Red Raiders won by scores of 15-7, 11-15, 15-7, 15-9. Texas Tech put in a tremendous blocking effort as they dominated the net with 20 blocks, to 7 for Ball St, and also had five players get over ten kills in the match. Texas Tech dominated the entire tournament at the net by hitting a fine .312 percentage and had 40 blocks in their three matches.The Red Raiders were led by Colleen Smith (19 kills, 10 blocks), Skydra Orzen (60 assists, 13 digs), Ann Romjue (16 kills, 15 digs), Janelle Jones (13 kills, 11 blocks), Jenny Donohoo (12 kills, 18 digs, 5 blocks) and Lori Garber (12 kills, 7 digs, 7 blocks). The Cardinals were led by Emily Sallee (60 assists, 10 digs), Amie Williams (16 kills, 13 digs), Katie Butts (15 kills, 13 digs), Patty Burns (15 kills, 8 digs), Jamie Stanley (13 digs) and Julie Zylka (9 kills, 4 blocks). Attendance: 237.

In the final match of the tournament the Oregon St Beavers (5-2) dominated the UAF Nanooks (3-3) by scores of 15-1, 15-8, 15-4 as Gina Schmidt and Angie Shirley teamed up for a combined 20 kills with just one hitting error. The Nanooks were led by Sarah Wolf (6 kills, 3 blocks), Kristen Sullivan (5 kills, 5 digs), Colleen Smith (8 digs) and Kamilah Webb (12 assists). The Beavers were led by Gina Schmidt (10 kills), Angie Shirley (10 kills), Sarah Bjeldanes (9 kills, 10 digs, 3 blocks), Brandi Bonnarens (30 assists, 5 digs) and Michelle Solomon (5 blocks). Attendance: 340.

Sarah Bjeldanes, of Oregon St, was selected as the tournament Most Valuable Player after having 49 kills, 2 assists, 2 service aces, 38 digs, 4 blocks and a .347 hitting percentage. Also selected to the All Tournament Team were Colleen Smith, of Texas Tech (40 kills, 3 service aces, 13 digs, 17 blocks and a .405 hitting percentage); Angie Shirley, of Oregon St (45 kills, 2 digs, 15 blocks and a .392 hitting percentage); Kristen Sullivan, of UAF (35 kills, 1 assist, 4 service aces, 34 digs, 2 blocks); Julie Zylka, of Ball St (33 kills, 1 service ace, 10 digs, 13 blocks and a .344 hitting percentage); Lori Garber, of Texas Tech (36 kills, 4 assists, 3 service aces, 17 digs, 16 blocks, and a .313 hitting percentage); and Emily Sallee, of Ball St (9 kills, 186 assists, 5 service aces, 27 digs, 2 blocks).

September 11, 1999: Day Two Of The Nanook Classic Sees Wins By Texas Tech And Oregon St.

In the first match of the evening the Oregon St Beavers (4-2) defeated the Ball St Cardinals (4-1) by scores of 15-9, 15-11, 15-11. The Cardinals were able to stay close throughout the match but were never able to overcome the Beavers' blocking advantage (12 to 5) and the Beavers' superior hitting percentage advantage (.295 to .171). The Beavers were led by Sarah Bjeldanes (15 kills, 12 digs), Angie Shirley (14 kills, blocks), Brandi Bonnarens (52 assists, 4 blocks), Gina Schmidt (13 kills, 5 blocks) and Michele Solomon (10 kills, 5 blocks). The Cardinals were led by Susie Meshberger (13 kills), Emily Sallee (48 assists), Patty Burns (11 kills, 10 assists), Julie Zylka (10 kills, 4 blocks) and Katie Butts (8 kills, 11 digs). Attendance: 223.

In the second match of the evening The Texas Tech Red Raiders (7-1) totally dominated the UAF Nanooks (3-2) to take the match by scores of 15-4, 15-2, 15-7. The Red Raiders superior height and speed never allowed the Nanooks to get into the game as the Red Raiders out hit the Nanooks by a .264 to .043 percentage. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (10 kills, 7 digs), Jenny Kirst (8 kills, 4 blocks), Colleen Smith (9 digs) and Kamilah Webb (18 assists, 5 digs). The Red Raiders were led by Skydra Orezen (31 assists, 10 digs), Ann Romjue (8 kills, 7 digs) and Jenny Donohoo (7 kills, 8 digs). Attendance: 602.

September 10, 1999: Nanooks Classic Begins With Wins By Texas Tech And Ball State

The Nanook Classic Volleyball Tournament kicked off with a match between Texas Tech (6-1) and Oregon State (3-2). The Red Raiders of Texas Tech had six players get ten or more kills while having a fine hitting percentage of .365 in route to a 3-1 victory over the Oregon St Beavers. The game scores were 15-6, 15-13, 13-15, 15-9. In this match Sarah Bjeldanes of Oregon St set a tournament record for kills with 25 and Skydra Orezen of Texas Tech had a rare triple double with 67 assists, 10 kills and 10 digs while Lori Garber set a tournament record for blocks with 8 and Janelle Jones had 11 kills on 16 attempts with just 1 error to set a tournament hitting percentage record of .625. Texas Tech was led by Lori Garber (20 kills, 6 digs, 8 blocks), Colleen Smith (16 kills, 6 digs, 5 blocks), Skydra Orezen (67 assists, 10 kills, 10 digs), Ann Romjue (12 kills, 11 digs), Jenny Donohoo (12 kills, 7 digs) and Janelle Jones (11 kills, 5 blocks). Oregon St was led by Sarah Bjeldanes (25 kills, 16 digs), Angie Shirley (21 kills, 6 blocks), Brandi Bonnarens (66 asists, 8 kills, 9 digs, 4 blocks), Gina Schmidt (14 kills, 7 digs, 4 blocks), Krista Kinsman (12 digs) and Jessica Papell (11 digs). Attendance: 330.

In the second match of the evening the Ball St Cardinals (4-0) defeated the UAF Nanooks (3-1) by scores of 11-15, 15-7, 16-14, 9-15, 7-15. The Nanooks came out in the 1st and 3rd games running a very quick offense and playing with great intesity but were unable to sustain the momentum throughout the match as the Cardinals kept coming at them with a consistent quick attack that wore the Nanooks down during the nearly three hour match. The Nanooks Kristen Sullivan set a tournament record for digs with 22 and Megan Hammons of Ball St broke the kills record, set earlier this evening by Sarah Bjeldanes, with 28 kills and Emily Sallee of Ball St set a record for assists with 78. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (20 kills, 22 digs), Jenny Kirst (16 kills, 3 blocks), Kamilah Webb (59 assists, 8 kills, 9 digs), Stephanie Grindel (11 kills, 13 digs), Tara Hemphill (10 kills, 4 blocks) and Sarah Wolf (8 kills, 7 blocks). The Cardinals were led by Megan Hammons (28 kills, 9 digs), Emily Sallee (78 assists, 13 digs), Katie Butts (19 kills, 15 digs), Susie Meshberger (15 kills, 4 blocks), Julie Zylka (14 kills, 5 blocks), Amie Williams (11 digs) and Jaime Stanley (10 digs). Attendance: 604.

September 6, 1999: UAF Defeats Savannah College

Savannah College (1-1) brought a tall, talented and experienced team to Alaska but were unable to give UAF more than a wakeup call as the Nanooks were able to defeat the Bees by scores of 7-15, 15-6, 15-8, 15-7. The Nanooks (3-0) played poorly in the first half of the first game but then gained the momentum and kept it throughout the remainder of the match. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (20 kills, 11 digs, 3 blocks), Jenny Kirst (10 kills, 4 blocks), Stephanie Grindel (6 kills, 10 digs, 2 blocks) and Kamilah Webb (39 assists, 7 kills, 9 digs). The Bees were led by Anna Gustafson (10 kills, 3 blocks), Kori Pulver (8 kills, 13 digs), Anna Tresnak 13 assists, 11 digs) and Marya Milton (13 assists).

September 1, 1999: UAF Continues Winning Way

The UAF Nanooks (2-0) scored their second sweep over the Bentley College Falcons (0-2) by scores of 15-4, 15-6, 16-14 as they again dominated every aspect of the match. The Falcons were able to challenge the Nanooks in the third game as they took a 14-13 lead late in the game but the Nanooks displayed a never quit attitude as they came back to notch the win. The Nanooks were led by Kristen Sullivan (12 kills, 10 digs, 1 block), Kamilah Webb (30 assists, 10 digs, 1 block), Stephanie Grindel (9 kills, 4 blocks), Jenny Kirst (7 kills, 4 blocks), Tara Hemphill (6 kills), Sarah Wolf (6 blocks) and Jenny Medl (8 digs). The Falcons were led by Beth Condon (11 kills), Danielle LeBaron (10 digs) and Marcie Letendre (19 assists, 8 digs). Attendance: 287.

August 31, 1999: UAF Begins Season With A Sweep

The UAF Nanooks began the 1999 season with an impressive sweep of the Bentley College Falcons to give head coach Angela Rock her first collegiate victory. The Nanooks dominated every aspect of the match as they won by scores of 15-6, 15-7, 15-5. The Nanooks were led by Jenny Kirst (11 kills, 1 block), Stephanie Grindel (11 kills, 2 aces, 5 digs), Kamilah Webb (39 assists), Colleen Smith (10 digs), Kristen Sullivan (8 kills, 4 aces, 6 digs, 1 block) and Sarah Wolf (6 kills, 2 blocks). The Falcons were led by Beth Condon (9 kills), Suzanne Quast (5 kills, 3 aces, 9 digs) and Marcie Letendre (12 assists, 6 digs). Attendance: 400.

August 20, 1999: UAF Volleyball Names Another Assistant Coach

Head coach Angela Rock has added Kevin Rapp to the UAF Volleyball coaching staff. Rapp, who will be working as a volunteer assistant, coached volleyball for six years at Turrentine Middle School in Burlington, NC and Ragsdale HIgh School in Jamestown, NC. A graduate of Appalachian State University, Rapp recently moved to Fairbanks with his wife Dani, an assistant professor in the UAF psychology department.

August 18, 1999: UAF Volleyball Names Assistant Coach

UAF volleyball head coach Angela Rock announced today that Melissa Hill is joining the Nanook staff as her main assistant coach. Hill comes to UAF from Spokane, Wash where she served as an assistant volleyball coach for Spokane Falls Community College (SFCC) the past three seasons. In addition to her experience with SFCC, Hill is an 11 year member of the USA Volleyball Assn. and a certified USA Volleyball IMPACT Clinician. Prior to coaching, HIll enjoyed an illustrious volleyball career with SFCC, highlighted by a conference championship in 1992. HIll graduated from Eastern Washington University in 1999 with a B.A. degree in health education. "Melissa brings a significant amount of drill experience, as well as a high amount of energy to the Nanook program," said Rock. "She is also very knowledgeable about recruiting in the Pacific Northwest. That will be very beneficial to us."

August 12, 1999: Nanooks Sign New Player

The UAF Volleyball Team has added some depth at the setter position by signing Jenny Medl, a 5-7 setter/defensive specialist from Puyallup, Washington. Medl was an all-conference and all-state setter while leading Puyallup High School to a fourth place finish in the state tournament.

August 4, 1999: Become a Nanook Volleyball Booster!

The UAF volleyball program is forming a new "Polar Sports VIP Booster Club". A general interest meeting will be held on Thursday, Aug 5 at 6:30pm in the Nanook Room, located in the Patty Center complex. Food and beverages will be provided. Fairbanks volleyball enthusiasts have four choices to become a part of the booster club. Fans may enroll in the VIP club as an associate member, contributor member, support member or team member. The annual fee ranges from $15 to $200 and includes benefits such as booster club reserve seating and admission to post-game socials in the VIP lounge. Fans that cannot attend the meeting and are interested in joining can contact head coach Angela Rock at 474-6809 for more information or visit the new volleyball website at http://www.uafvolleyball.offc.com.

August 4, 1999: Wolf Joins UAF Volleyball Team

UAF women's basketball freshman standout Sarah Wolf has joined the UAF volleyball squad. Wolf, a standout athlete at Roseburg High School in Roseburg, OR, earned all-state accolades in both volleyball and basketball prior to enrolling at UAF. Last season Wolf averaged 11 points and 6 rebounds for the Nanooks.

April 23, 1999: Angela Rock Named As New Head Coach

UAF is happy to announce that Angela Rock has been named as the new head volleyball coach. Rock was an All-American while playing at San Diego State University and as a member of the U.S. National Team for four years played in the 1988 Olympics, the 1987 Pan American Games, the 1986 World Championships, the 1986 Goodwill Games and was the MVP of the National Team in 1985. Since playing on the National Team Rock has been one of the most successful players in the women's professional beach doubles leagues and has coached some of the most sucessful beach doubles teams.