Haylee Lyons (18) and Tessa Onaga (16) swept the GNAC Player of the Week awards after leading the Nanooks to a 3-1 start to their season (Photo: Spencer Honda).

Players of the Week Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

GNAC POTW: Tourney MVP Lyons snags GNAC weekly honor

Haylee Lyons (18) and Tessa Onaga (16) swept the GNAC Player of the Week awards after leading the Nanooks to a 3-1 start to their season (Photo: Spencer Honda).
PORTLAND, Ore. – A strong start to the 2026 volleyball season by the Alaska Nanooks was fueled by a pair of individual performances that captured the first two Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards of the year.
 

10484VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Haylee Lyons – University of Alaska
First-career player of the week.
 
Lyons was a force offensively, averaging 3.71 kills per set and hitting at .308 across the Nanooks’ 3-1 start to the season in Hawaii last week. Lyons reached double digits in kills in three of the four contests, including a weekend-best 16 in Alaska’s 3-1 win over Chaminade on Friday. The Kaimuki, Hawaii, native also had four service aces in a season-opening sweep of Hawaii Pacific on Thursday – one off her career single-match best. Contributing on the defensive end as well, Lyons averaged 2.71 digs per set and posted her first double-double of the year with 15 digs against Hawaii Hilo on Saturday. A redshirt sophomore, Lyons averaged 2.22 kills per set and saw action in 31 matches in her debut season on the floor in 2025.
 
Alaska Head Coach Brian Scott: “The growth Haylee has made in one year is remarkable. She has made huge strides in her point scoring as an attacker and server. Her court vision and development of her hitting toolbox have put her at an elite level as an attacker. We are excited for her future.”
 
Also Nominated: Lee Ivakina, Alaska Anchorage.
 

10485VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tessa Onaga – University of Alaska
Third-career player of the week, first this season.
 
Last year’s GNAC Defensive Player of the Year picked up right where she left off in 2025, earning all-tournament recognition and contributing to her team’s 3-1 record. Onaga averaged 6.21 digs per set across the four matches, while dishing out a dozen assists and adding four service aces. Onaga’s big opening weekend was highlighted by a 28-dig performance on Friday against Chaminade, and she capped it off with 23 digs in Saturday’s sweep of Hawaii Hilo. Onaga has now reached the 20-dig plateau 21 times in her Alaska career, which began in 2024. She ranks 26th in GNAC history with a career average of 4.42 digs per set.
 
Alaska Head Coach Brian Scott: “Tessa had a phenomenal weekend. She is such a steady presence on the court and there is never a question if she will make the defensive play. In addition to her defense, her serve really did a great job keeping teams out of system and scoring.”
 
Also Nominated: Martina Riba, Alaska Anchorage.