Alaska Volleyball finishes second in the Ice-Block Challenge
By Gabriele Rigaudo
The Alaska Nanooks women’s volleyball team made its home debut at the Patty Center over the weekend in the Ice-Block Challenge. The Nooks started strong with a 3-0 win against the Tiffin University Dragons on Thursday, then collected another win in the five-set thriller against Minnesota State on Friday, but fell short against No. 9-ranked Fresno Pacific, 0-3.
The Nooks opened with a sweep over Tiffin University on Sept. 3, supported by the home-court advantage. Freshman Cori Leavitt led the team in kills with 11, posting a .500 hitting percentage.
The Nanook Women’s Volleyball during the Ice-Block Challenge award ceremony on Sept. 5. Photo by Kinley Erickson.
The team carried the momentum on Friday against the Minnesota State Mavericks. After winning the first set 25-21, the Nooks conceded the second 17-25. After another exchange of sets in the third, 25-19, and fourth, 19-25, it came down to a decisive fifth set. Alaska started strong with a 6-1 lead and managed to hold the lead to win the set and game with a 15-9 lead in the fifth. Leavitt continued her streak of strong performances, leading the Nooks attack with 18 kills. Sophomore Haylee Lyons showcased the best of both worlds with a strong attack, 13 kills, as well as defense, with 13 digs. Another impressive performance was posted by the Nooks team co-captain, Cynphany Henderson, who scored 31 assists.
On Saturday, Sept. 5, the Nooks faced the last challenge of the tournament, the No. 9-ranked Fresno Pacific. The Sunbirds started and finished strong, sweeping Alaska 0-3. Although the Nooks finished with just two fewer kills than Fresno Pacific, the decisive difference was the Sunbirds’ 10 fewer attacking errors. Leavitt led the team once again with 11 kills and was named to the All-Tournament Team. The other Nook named to the team was Senior Tessa Onaga, who led the way for Alaska’s defense with 13 digs.
The Nanooks finished second in the Ice-Block Challenge, with a final record of two wins and one loss. The team wraps up the preseason with a promising eight wins and just two losses. GNAC starts this week, with the Nooks hosting the Montana State Billings on Thursday at 11 a.m., and Seattle Pacific at 2 p.m. on Saturday to start the regular season.