The Alaska Nanooks women's volleyball team, led by eighth-year head coach Phil Shoemaker (90-98), have been picked seventh in the GNAC Coaches Poll.

Aug. 22, 2008

FAIRBANKS, AK – Eighth-year head coach Phil Shoemaker’s Alaska Nanooks volleyball team was picked to finish seventh in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the conference’s annual pre-season coaches’ poll released Friday.

Alaska, who finished tied for eighth out of nine teams a year ago (10-16, 4-14 GNAC) with Saint Martin’s, received 26 votes from the conference bench bosses: good for seventh place. The Nanooks were tabbed just ahead of the Saints and archrival Alaska Anchorage, who was slated last with 18 points.

Two honorable mention all-league selections are among five returning starters and nine letter winners for Shoemaker’s 2008 squad.

All-stars back for the Blue and Gold are outside hitter Megan Thigpen (5-10, Jr., Spokane, WA - Mead) and middle blocker Korlyn Bolster (6-1, Sr., Guerneville, CA – El Molino). Thigpen ranked 10^th last season in the conference averaging 3.50 kills per game and also contributed 3.44 digs per contest.  Bolster contributed 2.29 kills and 86 blocks.

Other returning starters are right side hitter Jessica Hill (6-0, Jr., Colorado Springs, CO - Doherty), middle blocker Erica Gage (6-1, So., Palo Alto, CA) and setter Alexa Sherman (5-9, Jr., Calabasas, CA). Hill averaged 2.72 kills and 1.50 digs and also had 33 aces and 77 blocks.  Gage ranked sixth in the conference in blocks with 110 and also averaged 1.57 kills.  Sherman finished sixth in assists, averaging 10.38 per game.

Also back are outside hitter Melissa Refuerzo (5-8, So., Anchorage, AK - Bartlett), setter Sedra Zlock (5-9, Sr., Spanaway, WA – Spanaway Lake) and liberos Miranda Trudeau (5-9, Sr., Chimacum, WA – Port Townsend) and Hannah Armstrong (5-7, Jr., Eagle River, AK - Chugiak) along with outside hitter Heather Lyons (5-10, Jr., Anchorage, AK) who sat out last season after transferring from Alaska Anchorage.

Refuerzo had 41 kills in 34 contests, while Zlock was credited with 178 assists and 124 digs in 62 games.  Trudeau and Armstrong each had 149 digs in 82 and 81 games, respectively.

Lyons had 458 kills and 406 digs in 161 games during the 2005 and 2006 seasons with the Seawolves.

Western Washington, which reached the NCAA Division II volleyball national championship match a year ago, is a slight favorite to win its fifth Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball title in eight seasons, but it won’t be a cakewalk for the Vikings.

From first to fourth, this fall’s race could be the closest in GNAC history if the coaches’ pre-season poll is a good indicator. Only seven points separates the first-place Vikings from fourth-place Northwest Nazarene in the poll.

The head coaches at each GNAC member institution voted for the poll and the points were awarded on 11-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. The full results of the GNAC Coaches’ poll are as follows:

2008 GNAC Coaches’ Volleyball Poll

1.         Western Washington (3)        69

2.         Western Oregon (4)             67

3.         Central Washington (2)         65

4.         Northwest Nazarene             62

5.         Seattle Pacific                    49

6.         Montana State Billings          28

7.         Alaska Fairbanks                 26

8.         Saint Martin’s                     21

9.         Alaska Anchorage                18