In front of a home crowd of more than 800, the Nanooks volleyball team swept their in-state rivals, the Anchorage Seawolves, 3-0. The big win adds on to the Nanooks' already successful season. Coming into the match, the ‘Nooks were 6-2 overall.
The rivalry with the Seawolves is always popular, and the drive for victory became even clearer when the Nanooks' cheer during a timeout was "Our house!" The Nanooks are now 30-53 overall with the Seawolves, but an even 21-21 on the home court.
The ‘Nooks started out behind in the first match, but three kills each from junior Korlyn Bolster and senior Jessica Hill put Alaska ahead and they won 30-26. Game two was a highly charged match; the Seawolves showed they weren't going to go down without a fight, but the Nanooks once again pulled the win, 30-24.
In game three, the ‘Nooks knew the game was theirs, and sealed their victory with a 30-16 win. "We've performed well in the fifth game so far this season, but I told them not to wait for the fifth game: Just finish it now." said head coach Phil Shoemaker after the game.
"We went in with a lot of confidence," said Bolster after the game, "We just had the game plan down."
Last year the Nanooks split their games against the Seawolves, winning at home and losing on the road. This year's Seawolf squad was much different from last year's. "They've had a lot of turnover," said Shoemaker before the game, but "They're certainly a very capable opponent." Only four Seawolves return from last year's squad, including redshirts. Their 11-player roster sports four transfers and three new freshmen.
Shoemaker also said that his team is much better than they were last year. He named sophomores Jessica Hill and Megan Thigpen and senior Jessica King as his primary offense for the rival match. "No doubt those three have done a good job and will continue to," he said.
King and Thigpen did lead the way, each with 11 kills for the ‘Nooks. Anchorage's Rhea Cardwell, a junior transfer, led the Seawolves with nine kills, but compared to the Nanook's numbers, the Seawolves couldn't compare. The Nanooks also out-played the ‘Wolves in nearly every aspect of the games, with more kills (49-31), hits (.261-.033), digs (53-40) and blocks (7-4).
The Athletic Department's "Pack the Patty" program, which offers free admission to UAF students and students 8th grade and under, led to a big home crowd. The atmosphere was one of victory. "The crowd was fantastic and hilarious," said Bolster,. Nanook fans showed up in blue face paint and yellow body paint. Freshman student-athletes wore wacky outfits to cheer on their volleyball team.
Since the UAA victory, the Nanooks have hit the road, and suffered their first GNAC loss to Western Washington University. The ‘Nooks were swept in three games: 30-26, 30-24 and 30-16. The Nanooks headed to Central Washington on Saturday to face the Wildcats.
