FAIRBANKS, Alaska – A balanced University of Alaska attack on Thursday afternoon at the Patty Center led the hosts to a 3-0 (25-17, 25-19, 25-20) Great Northwest Athletic Conference victory over the visiting Montana State University Billings volleyball team.
 
Seven different Nanooks had multiple kills in the match, and Alaska swung at a collective mark of .323 which was its third-highest figure of the 2022 season. Elena Guc led the team with nine kills, while Johna Michelle Carr added eight and Marine Angely and Elizabeth Jackson had seven apiece for the hosts. Ainsley Smith had 16 assists and Taylor Overn added 14, and Jessa Long had a team-high 15 digs. Alaska improved to 14-8 on the season and is now 4-6 in conference play with the win.
 
For the Yellowjackets (7-11, 0-10 GNAC), Olivia Schwartz reached double figures in kills for the second time this season as she led the team with 10 while swinging at .318 in the match. Caty Havekost added six kills, Alexis King had a team-high 18 assists, and Christine Funk and Lily Gentz had six digs apiece for MSUB. The Yellowjackets managed a team hitting percentage of just .105 on the afternoon, and the Nanooks held a decisive 9-5 advantage in the blocks department.
 
The Nanooks took charge early in the opening set, establishing a 12-4 advantage with five different players notching kills in that stretch. The Yellowjackets bounced back with three straight points to chip into the deficit, but the Nanooks maintained a cushion to the tune of a 17-11 lead midway through the first.
 
MSUB bounced back with better play to open Set 2, gaining an early advantage up 8-7. Back-to-back kills by Gentz and an ace from Hannah Hashbarger highlighted the early rally, and Havekost had a pair of kills early in the set as the Yellowjackets looked to even the match.
 
Momentum shifted with the score tied at 12-12 however, as Alaska went on a 9-2 run coming out of a timeout to storm ahead 22-14. By then the deficit had ballooned too large for the 'Jackets to get back into the set.
 
Despite the Nanooks building a 9-3 advantage in the third set, the Yellowjackets rallied to make it the closest one of the match. A kill by Havekost on an assist from King capped a 3-0 run and pulled MSUB within two, down 17-15 midway through. The Nanooks won four of the next five points however, and the 'Jackets couldn't pull the deficit within four the rest of the set.
 
THE BUZZ: Schwartz was named the St. Vincent Healthcare Player of the Game…Gentz's six digs were a season high…King's 18 assists were a season high, bettering her mark of 17 set on Sept. 3 at Chadron State…MSUB is now 29-35 all-time against Alaska and is 8-19 in road matches against the Nanooks…Alaska won the season series between the teams, after sweeping the 'Jackets 3-0 in Billings on Sept. 17.
 
NEXT UP: The Yellowjackets square off with No. 9 University of Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night with a 7 p.m. Alaska/9 p.m. Mountain time first serve in Anchorage. Live coverage will be available online here.