Nanooks prepare for Tough 2003 Volleyball Season

Submitted by scott wilson
Phone: (907) 474-6807
08/25/03

Padding your schedule with cupcakes to secure a winning season may be standard operating procedure for some coaches. After all, it’s all about winning, right?

Well, Phil Shoemaker doesn’t follow that way of thinking. Shoemaker, the head volleyball coach at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, believes the only way for his team to get better is to stock his schedule with talented programs.

Just take a lot at the 2003 ledger.

"It’s definitely a very challenging schedule," said Shoemaker, set to begin his fourth season with the Nanooks. "We’re opening the season with a tough regional test for us at Cal Poly Pomona."

UAF will be opening the year this weekend at the Cal Poly Pomona Invitational in Pomona, CA on Friday and Saturday, August 29-30. The field includes: Cal State Los Angeles, Chaminade, Cal Poly Pomona and Florida Southern. The Nanooks will also visit Cal State Dominguez Hills on Monday, September 1.

"This opening weekend is very important to us because we want to get the season off to a good start. It will be difficult because every team in the tournament ended the 2002 season ranked in the region," said Shoemaker. "We would like to come away from the weekend with four or five wins and set the record straight on how UAF fares in the region. A good performance against ranked regional teams will make a difference when the NCAA tournament comes around."

After a tough season-opening journey through California, the Nanooks come back home for a two-week break before beginning Great Northwest Athletic Conference competition on Friday, September 12, when two-time league champion Western Washington comes to Fairbanks. UAF will host Seattle Pacific on Saturday, September 13, and come back one week later to battle archrival Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, September 20.

"Usually, we come back to host the Nanook Classic on the second weekend of the season. However, we don’t have a tournament this year and I like the idea of having some time have after getting back from California," said Shoemaker. "That will give us some time to process what we learned from our trip and to get ready for conference play."

The Nanooks visit Western Oregon and Humboldt State University on September 25 and 27, respectively, before returning to the friendly confines of the Patty Center for conference contests with Seattle University and Northwest Nazarene on October 3-4. UAF will head out on its longest road swing of the season when it visits Saint Martin’s College, Central Washington and Alaska Anchorage on consecutive weekends. The Nanooks close out the month of October with home matches from Humboldt State and Western Oregon before visiting Northwest Nazarene on October 30.

UAF will play three of its final five matches of the regular season on the road. After traveling to Seattle University on November 1, the Nanooks will host Saint Martin’s on November 7 and Central Washington on Senior Day, November 8. UAF will then hit the road for its regular season finales at Seattle Pacific on November 14 and Western Washington on November 15.

The NCAA Regional Championship is Thursday through Saturday, November 20-22.

"This is a good, tough schedule and we will be put to the test. But I feel we have the players that can rise to the occasion," Shoemaker said. "I believe they will turn their games up a notch against the tougher competition. If we play up to our potential every match, we’ll be okay. However, in this league, the players must step up."