Wolves Take Out Nanooks, 3-1

Western Oregon used balanced attack in win.

Photo by: Bonnie King

MONMOUTH - Western Oregon had four players in double-figure kill totals and the Wolves controlled play at the net, resulting in a 30-28, 30-28, 26-30, 30-24 volleyball win over Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday night at the Physical Education Building.

Laura Sakala had a season-best 15 kills, while teammates Shikara Jenkins added 14, Lisa Martini had 13 and Katrina Johnson had 11. Jessica Baty led the defense with 24 digs, while Martini had seven total blocks and Jenkins posted seven.

Megan Thigpen led the Nanooks with 17 kills, Korlyn Bolster had 11 and Jenna Jones added 10. Jessica King led UAF in digs with 18.

The win improves Western Oregon’s record to 4-11 on the season and 2-3 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. The Nanooks drop to 2-9 overall and to 1-3 in conference play.

In game one, WOU jumped out to an 8-3 lead and never trailed until the visitors inched back in and tied the game at 25-25. Three consecutive WOU attack errors gave UAF a 28-25 lead, but the Wolves then rallied via the block, scoring the final five points of the game—including three points at the net with the blocking combos of Martini, Jenkins and Lisa Tedder (30-28).

Game two was very similar, with the hosts leading by as many as six points (19-13), only to see the Nanooks rally to tie things up at 26-26. UAF then took the lead on an ace by Katrina Jensen, but the Wolves then came back on kills by Keyanna Jenkins and Sakala (28-28), followed by back-to-back attack errors by Fairbanks. Sakala had six kills in game two, as the Wolves won 30-28.

WOU dashed out to a 5-1 lead in game three, but UAF then took over, leading by as many as seven points late in the contest. The Wolves staged a brief rally, by the Nanooks stayed alive with a 30-26 win.

Both teams traded points early in game four, before the Wolves took over, leading from the midway point of the match until the end (30-24).

Western Oregon will continue a three-match homestand by hosting Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night. Start time is 7:00 PM.

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