Sept. 1, 2007

Box Score

FAIRBANKS, AK- A brave effort from the Alaska Nanooks women's volleyball team came up short as they were defeated by the West Florida Argonauts, an NCAA tournament-quality team last season, by a 3-0 score. The Nanooks fall to 5-2 on the season, while the Argonauts, who have not dropped a single game in the tournament thus far, remain undefeated at 6-0.

"We certainly gave them a game, but we just made too many errors: we were just not able to respond to some of the shots that they were using," said Shoemaker. "They were able to keep us off-balance, and throw in some off-speed shots that we did not respond well too. They showed their composure and their experience as a quality team better than we did."

A straight-sets victory certainly did not look on the cards early on, as the Nanooks came out strong, taking the game to West Florida. The Argonauts withstood the early assault, however, and clawed their way back to snatch the first set from the Blue and Gold, 32-30. In that critical first game, West Florida hit an impressive .316 percentage, logging 18 kills with just six errors.

From there, Alaska was never able to regain their momentum, dropping the second set 30-23. With their backs against the wall, the Nanooks put up a fight in the third game, but West Florida proved too tough, closing the match out with a 30-25 win.

"It wasn't that we didn't want it: we wanted it so bad," said setter Alexa Sherman. "We were pushing as hard as we can. They were just pushing a little bit harder. Sometimes it doesn't go the way you wanted it to go."

Senior Jessica King once again led the Nanooks with 13 kills, along with a team-high three aces. Middle hitters Korlyn Bolster and Erica Gage continued their display of solid defense in the tournament, finishing with four block assists each.

For the Argonauts, setter Madeline Gonzalez turned in another outstanding performance, spreading the offense around to the tune of 54 team kills. Three West Florida players (Kimberly Clark, Luciana Rapach and Chelsea Wilhoite) chipped in 11 kills apiece, while Gonzalez finished with 39 assists. No Alaska player cracked double-digits in digs: a testament to the quality of West Florida's attack.

Despite the loss, the team found plenty of positives to take away from the afternoon. "It's good to play a team this good really early in the season," said Sherman. "Our whole conference is tough, so it's better for us to play harder teams early, because then you aren't used to winning the easy games. You know you are always going to have to push and play hard to win."

"We had some outstanding plays out there, just not enough of them," added Shoemaker. "The whole thing is consistency. The ball may go across the net four or five times: you want to be the one that plays the ball well five times, not four. But, overall, I'm just real impressed with how much progress we have made as a group. The girls are improving on a daily basis, just the disappointment lies in the fact that we did not actually win the game."

And how will the Nanooks, who conclude the Nanook Classic tonight with an 8 p.m. match against Humboldt State, look to rebound from this tough loss? "One point at a time," said Sherman. "We just have to play as a team together, which we have done a great job at this year. We've just got to come out strong and get a rhythm together, and let teams know that we are the ones who are going to run the game."