Volleyball | 10/30/2013 8:24:00 AM

GNAC WEEKLY REPORT

MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon University volleyball rides a two-match winning streak into a pair of matches against the University of Alaska and Alaska-Anchorage on Thursday and Saturday. The Wolves welcome all fans in costume for free to Thursday's match, and encourages fans to wear pink for breast cancer awareness Saturday.

While both of the nights will feature special events, a milestone could be set this week inside the New P.E. Building. Western Oregon Becky Blees is eight block assists shy of breaking the Great Northwest Athletic Conference career record. The senior has amassed 360 blocking assists since 2010, and needs just seven to equal Cammy Dranginis' four-year-old record. Blees has a conference-best 99 block assists this season, and is averaging 1.23 blocks per set, which is fourth in the GNAC. She is also third all-time in the conference in career total blocks.

Last Saturday, Blees had 11 kills and eight blocks leading her team in both categories, past Saint Martin's in a tightly-contested four-set match. WOU outhit the Saints .215 to .062 as Megan Triggs had 21 digs, increasing her career total to 1,427. That ranks 13th in GNAC history.

The Nanooks (3-19, 2-9 GNAC) suffered two GNAC losses at home last week, falling in four sets to Central Washington Thursday and getting swept by Northwest Nazarene Saturday. Alaska has lost five matches in a row and enters this week's road trip with a four-match road losing streak.

The Nanooks defeated Western Oregon, 3-1, for the first time in four seasons on Oct. 5. It was also the first time they had beaten the Wolves in Fairbanks in seven years. Alaska fell to Saint Martin's, 3-0, on Oct. 3 on the same home stand. The Nanooks will try to return to the offensive consistency they found against Western Oregon at home on Oct. 5 when they set a season-high in team kills with 49 and posted their second lowest attacking errors total with 15.

Sam Harthun still leads the GNAC and ranks among the nation's best in points per set and kills per set. Her 4.83 points per set are tops in the conference and ninth in the nation. Her 4.33 kills per set leads all GNAC players and is 11th-best in the country. Katelyn Camp surpassed the 600-assists mark on the season with 24 more on Saturday to put her at 617. The rookie is on pace to post 813 assists this season, which would be just 19 short of No. 10 on the Alaska career record list.

Saturday, Western Oregon welcomes Alaska-Anchorage. The Seawolves saw their nine-match win streak come to an end and suffered their first back-to-back home losses since 2007 with losses to Northwest Nazarene (3-1) and Central Washington (3-0).

Alaska-Anchorage received votes for the fifth straight week in the AVCA Div. II Top 25 Coaches' Poll, checking in at 'No. 33 with 10 tallies. With GNAC ranks of 7th in attack pct. (.277) and 10th in kills per set (3.23), Julia Mackey is one of only two GNAC players averaging at least 3.0 kills and .250 hitting.

UAA snapped a four-match losing streak to WOU with the Oct. 3 sweep in Anchorage. WOU has won the last three meetings over Alaska-Anchorage in Monmouth. WOU holds a 14-11 edge in GNAC meetings. The all-time series began in 1981, although teams didn't meet again until 1999.

Both Thursday's and Saturday's matches begin at 7 p.m. The Western Oregon University Athletic Department is admitting all fans dressed in their Halloween costumes into Thursday's volleyball match free. There will be a costume contest during the match and all fans that come will receive a trick-or-treat bag of candy.

Fans are encouraged to wear their costumes to the match between Western Oregon and the University of Alaska. Prizes will be given for the best overall costume and most original costume.

Following the match, students can attend the annual Student Activities Board Halloween dance in their costumes at 9 p.m. in the Pacific Room. WOU Athletics is also inviting fans of all ages who are participating in the annual Safe Halls Trick-or-Treat to come over to the New P.E. Building after the 6 p.m. event starts.

Saturday, fans are encouraged to wear pink to the match. Western Oregon will be wearing some pink in support of breast cancer awareness.