NAMPA, Idaho - The Northwest Nazarene volleyball team will head north for a pair of GNAC road matches against Alaska Anchorage and Alaska Fairbanks. The Nighthawks will take on the Seawolves at 7 PM AKT on Thursday before traveling to Fairbanks to face the Nanooks at 2 PM AKT on Saturday.

The Nighthawks

The Nighthawks enter the week with a 10-6 overall record and a 4-5 mark in GNAC play. NNU is coming off a 3-0 loss to No. 21 Central Washington on Saturday. The Nighthawks have won three of their last five matches, picking up road wins over Saint Martin's and Western Oregon before defeating Montana State Billings at home.

Northwest Nazarene has recorded 717 kills this season and is averaging 11.56 kills per set while hitting .204 as a team. The Nighthawks have tallied 655 assists, 112 service aces, 962 digs, and 133.5 total blocks. NNU is averaging 10.56 assists, 1.81 aces, 15.52 digs, and 2.15 blocks per set. Opponents are hitting .179 against the Nighthawks this season.

Abby Black leads the Nighthawks with 234 kills and is averaging 3.77 kills per set while hitting .252. Black has also recorded 182 digs, 17 service aces, and 25 total blocks. Hailey Cheney follows with 113 kills while hitting a team-high .367 and has added a team-high 29 service aces and 54 total blocks. Maddy Hellem has recorded 98 kills while Jenna Holm has 76 kills and is hitting .305.

Morgan Wilding leads NNU with 275 assists while Addison Lynn follows with 248. Kayci Spray has anchored the Nighthawk defense with a team-high 258 digs and is averaging 4.16 digs per set. Holm leads the team at the net with 56 total blocks while Hailey Cheney follows with 54.

The Seawolves

Alaska Anchorage enters the week with a 13-6 overall record and a 6-3 mark in GNAC play. The Seawolves have won three straight matches, including a 3-0 sweep over Alaska Fairbanks before picking up road wins over Western Oregon and Saint Martin's. UAA sits fourth in the GNAC standings entering the week.

The Seawolves have recorded 881 kills this season and are averaging a GNAC-leading 13.15 kills per set while hitting .237. UAA has tallied 801 assists, 97 service aces, 1,053 digs, and 135 total blocks. The Seawolves average 11.96 assists, 1.45 aces, 15.72 digs, and 2.01 blocks per set while holding opponents to a .179 hitting percentage.

Lee Ivakina leads the Seawolves with 231 kills and is averaging 3.45 kills per set while hitting .226. Ivakina has also recorded 171 digs, 11 service aces, and 38 total blocks. Kyana Gabriel follows with 166 kills while Bella Burney has recorded 149 kills and is hitting a team-high .338. Burney also leads UAA with 62 total blocks while Martina Riba has recorded 55 blocks.

Hannah Trotter leads the Seawolves with 560 assists while Mary Nahinu has a team-high 229 digs. Trotter has also recorded 190 digs while Ivakina and Gabriel have tallied 171 and 154, respectively.

All-time vs UAA

NNU trails Alaska Anchorage 20-29 in the all-time series but took the first meeting between the two teams this season. The Nighthawks defeated the Seawolves 3-1 in Nampa on Sept. 19, taking the first two sets 25-14 and 25-20 before closing out the match with a 25-19 victory in the fourth. NNU is looking for its first win in Anchorage since Oct. 25, 2007 and enters Thursday with a 6-18 all-time road record against the Seawolves.

The Nanooks

Alaska Fairbanks enters the week with an 11-8 overall record and a 3-6 mark in GNAC play. The Nanooks have dropped three straight matches after falling to Alaska Anchorage, Saint Martin's, and Western Oregon in straight sets. UAF will host No. 21 Central Washington on Thursday before welcoming NNU to Fairbanks on Saturday.

The Nanooks have recorded 855 kills this season and are averaging 12.39 kills per set while hitting .188. Alaska has tallied 787 assists, 127 service aces, 1,141 digs, and 132.5 total blocks. UAF averages 11.41 assists, 1.84 aces, 16.54 digs, and 1.92 blocks per set. The Nanooks have held their opponents to a .162 hitting percentage this season.

Cori Leavitt leads Alaska with 193 kills while averaging 3.22 kills per set. Haylee Lyons follows with 178 kills while Presley Engelauf has recorded 97 and Lucy Braegger has tallied 93. Engelauf leads the Nanooks at the net with 62 total blocks while Peri Hoshock follows with 59 and Leavitt has recorded 52.

Cynphany Henderson leads UAF with 447 assists while Ashlyn White has added 175. Tessa Onaga leads the Nanooks defensively with 306 digs while Kellan Flynn has recorded 220 and Henderson has added 170. Flynn leads the team with 23 service aces while Lyons and Onaga have each recorded 21.

All-time vs UAF

NNU leads Alaska Fairbanks 29-24 in the all-time series. The Nanooks took the first meeting of the season in five sets on Sept. 17 in Nampa. Alaska won the first and third sets before NNU responded in the second and fourth to force a deciding fifth set, where the Nanooks earned a 15-9 victory. NNU is 3-7 over the last 10 meetings against Alaska and is looking for its first win in the series since earning a five-set victory in Fairbanks in 2024.