MONMOUTH, Ore. – The Western Oregon volleyball team returns home this week to host Alaska on Thursday, Oct. 10, and Alaska Anchorage Saturday, Oct. 12. Both matches are set for a 7 p.m. first serve at NPE Gym.
 
Western Oregon (3-10, 1-5 GNAC) is fresh off winning their first conference game of the season last Thursday at Saint Martin's, 3-1. The Wolves put together a .245 hit percentage for the match, led by the 12 kills of Allyson Crisp as well as the 10 of Sianna DeCarli and Sarah Crowell. The win snapped a four-game losing streak and also represented the first set wins of the conference season for WOU.
 
The Wolves enter the week with a season hit percentage of .166, opponent hit percentage of .257 and 10.43 kills per set. Delaney Smith leads the GNAC with a .379 hit percentage on 95 total attacks. Crisp is not far behind, ranking 6^th in the conference at .304 on 158 attacks.
 
WOU now faces perhaps their toughest two-game week of the season, having to face two of the top three teams in the current Great Northwest Athletic Conference standings.
 
Alaska (8-6, 5-1 GNAC) struggled to start the year, going 3-5 before the open of conference play, but have found their stride over the last three weeks. The Nanooks' only conference loss this season was in five sets to Northwest Nazarene on Oct. 3 at home. It is additionally their only home loss of the season.
 
UAF is averaging 12.17 kills per set while holding opponents to a .186 hitting percentage. Senior Kim Wong has 124 kills on the year on a .336 percentage, ranking third in the GNAC on the attack. She has also tallied 56.0 blocks over 52 sets.
 
Western is 15-9 against Alaska all-time, but have lost three straight meetings in the series. The Wolves' most recent win was on Sept. 19, 2015, with a 3-0 victory in Monmouth. Overall, WOU is 9-3 at home in the series.
 
Alaska Anchorage (10-4, 5-1 GNAC) enters the week in a tie with the Nanooks for second in the GNAC standings just behind undefeated Western Washington. The Seawolves earned a pair of 3-0 sweeps last week, beating both Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene in straight sets. UAA has won seven of their last eight matches, being topped by in-state rival Alaska, 3-1, on Sept. 24.
 
The Seawolves' defense has held opponents to a conference-low .152 hitting percentage, while also producing 2.51 blocks per set. Eve Stephens leads the GNAC with 207 kills, averaging 3.98 per set. She is also 1^st with 243.5 total points and 9^th in the conference with 46.0 blocks.
 
WOU is 11-13 against Alaska Anchorage all-time. UAA has won four straight in the series and five of the last seven meetings. Western Oregon's last win came on Nov. 12, 2011, 3-1 in Monmouth. They are 6-6 at home in the series.
 
Both games will have live stats and video available here.