University of Alaska Fairbanks volleyball coach Brian Scott had his work cut out for him when he inherited the program in 2015.
At the time, the Nanooks struggled. The team had not finished with a winning record since 2008.
In his fourth season with the program Scott ended that losing stretch. He coached his squad to a 14-13 record in 2018.
In 2021 Scott and his Nanooks posted a historic 18-12 record. The 18 wins tied the 1996 squad for second-highest in program history; the highest wins achieved was 21 in 1995.
The Nanooks’ momentum under Scott didn’t stop there. Last season the Nanooks once again finished with a record of 18-12.
The turnaround was a long time coming, Scott credited the work of his first squad at UAF for helping lay the groundwork for the program’s success today.
“The credit goes back to the first group I had,” Scott said. “They could have shut down the ideas, culture and process that we were trying to create in that first year and not bought in. They didn’t, they embraced it.”
Ever since the first group bought into Scott’s vision for the program, the other teams continued to do so as the years went on.
“Each year we’ve just tried to build on that, and it seems that the process has turned out to be something nice. We’ve had good years, and good wins. We’re surrounded by good people.”
With two historic seasons in a row, the Nanooks’ volleyball team sets their sights on national success.
“We want to get to the NCAA tournament. It’s a tough conference to do it in, but that’s our goal. We want to finish top of our conference and make the NCAA tournament.” Scott said.
The Nanooks will have to do without star libero Jessa Long.
Long was a huge piece for UAF last season, the grad-transfer student finished the season with a team-high 543 digs. She also finished third in assists for the team with 111.
For her efforts, Long was named to the GNAC First Team, and won GNAC Defensive Player of the Year.
She was also an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. Long became just the second All-American in program history, and the first under coach Scott.
“The biggest hit was losing Jessa. She was an All-American, those don’t come around often and can be hard puzzle pieces to replace.” Scott said.
Despite losing Long, the Nanooks roster still features many top performers from last season.
The Nanooks return all of their top five kill leaders from last season: Karli Nielson, Rilee White, Ella Bines, Kristina Head and Elena Guc.
They also return assist leader Ainsley Smith.
Defensively, Elizabeth Jackson returns to the team after leading the Nanooks in blocks last season.
Coach Scott shared that the returning core, plus the new players brought in, helped create his deepest roster yet.
“Overall, this is going to be the deepest squad of athletes that I’ve seen here,” Scott said.
“We have a lot of people that have a lot of experience whether they were here or at a previous institution. We don’t have anyone who isn’t accustomed to being on the floor and being the go-to person.”
With the upcoming season just weeks away, Scott shared his excitement about getting started. “I think we’re all excited. We are anxious to get in the gym, and we are anxious to get started. I can’t wait to see how we are going to piece this all together.”
The Nanooks kick off their season in the Hawai’i — Alaska Challenge, one of two tournaments being held at UAF this year. Their first two games take place on August 24 against the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Chaminade University.
Contact Caleb Jones at 907- 459-7530 or at cjones@newsminer.com.
