2010 Season Quick Facts (PDF)
2010 schedule
2010 roster
Weekly release (PDF)
The Seattle Pacific Falcons, with seven returners and seven newcomers, will take their first swings of the 2010 volleyball season this weekend in Rohnert, Park, Calif., at the Seawolf Spike.
Coach Chris Johnson is beginning his sixth season in charge of the Falcons. The team is coming off of a trip to the NCAA West Regionals and a second-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. And, the program is celebrating its 25th anniversary this fall.
Johnson sat down with spufalcons.com to talk about the early practice sessions and the upcoming season.
spufalcons.com: For openers, how has practice been going for the first couple of weeks?
Chris Johnson: “We're really happy with how we're looking so far from physical standpoint and from the big-picture standpoint. I think we're looking really strong. We have a great group of returners who understand what it is to work hard and the value of working hard. The juniors and seniors were here the year we went 8-18 (in 2008), and they don't want to do that again. They're holding underclassmen accountable and making sure everyone is working hard on every play.”
spufalcons.com: What kinds of things have you and the returning players emphasized during offseason workouts and through the early part of practice?
CJ: “The thing we worked on the most last spring was our offense and trying to speed it up a little bit. We've got more quick sets happening to outside hitters and getting the ball to the middle more. It's just being able to have a faster, more aggressive offense. We have to have great passing to be able to do that. … One step at a time, we'll get there.”
spufalcons.com: How about just a quick recap of last year – did it meet, exceed, or fall short of expectations?
CJ: “We were coming off an 8-18 season, so I thought making playoffs again was definitely a goal and expectation for us. The turnaround for the record in the win-loss column was good indicator of the improvement we made, so I was happy with that. Honestly, I was disappointed we didn't win conference because we were in first place for so long. But that's in the past. We know every single match counts and we have to work hard. We had some great matches last year, too. We were happy to beat UBC, the defending Canadian champions, we went five games with West Texas A&M, and they went to the (NCAA) finals. We were playing well against teams at high levels, and we have big expectations again.”
spufalcons.com: Going down the roster, what can we expect from some of the returning players?
CJ: “I think Sarah Risser is going to have her best year yet. I think she's the best outside hitter in the conference. I expect that kind of performance form her if she can stay healthy. Lindsey Wodrich is right there with her. I think the two of them together are probably the best 1-2 punch in the conference. And it's not just their offense. They both pass well, serve well, and both play great defense. We've been so impressed with Paige Hoffman so far this preaseson at the improvement she has made over the summer –she's jumping higher, hitting harder, and going all out on defense. Those three right there make us a really strong team.
You add to that Anna Herold – I think she is the best libero in the conference, although the (All-GNAC) voting didn't reflect that. (Setter) Shelby Swanson definitely blossomed as a freshman and has gotten stronger and faster throughout the spring and summer. She understands our system, she understands how to get the ball to the right hitter at the right time. She's just a smart setter, and an accurate setter. And at middle blocker, Angie Pricco isn't a newcomer, but she's just head-and-shoulders above where she was even in the spring. She's getting up faster and hitting the ball down with a lot more power now.
spufalcons.com: What have you seen in some of the newcomers so far?
CJ: Nikki Lowell is kind of as advertised – she's jumping high, and she's quick. She can hit over most blocks and really hit down to the ball. Nicole Schwend is doing a great job at outside. She rarely gets blocked, and is really doing a good job there. If we have illness or injury at outside, she can step right in. Holly Mueller is a great setter. Taylor Greig is getting better and better every day (at middle blocker). She just has a great sense of the game – you can tell she understands how to play. And Nicole Oslie (at opposite) is going to keep improving.”
spufalcons.com: Is there any one thing in particular that you feel especially positive about heading into the season?
CJ: “Just our core of returners – those three outsides (Risser, Wodrich and Hoffman) and our libero (Herold) – those four girls are going to be as good as they want to be. If they continue to work as hard as they have been and stay focused and stay together, it's going to be hard to stop them. And they're doing a better and better job of conveying that attitude. They are to the point of, 'We have to do this – this is going to happen' – and they're passing that to the rest of the team. They're saying, 'Let's go, let's dive on the floor for that ball, this is how we do it.' They're making everybody better and making everybody more accountable.”
spufalcons.com: Is there a player or two whom you think just might be ready for a breakout season?
CJ: “It's a good possibility for Paige Hoffman, and it's a good possibility for Lindsey Wodrich, too. Paige was one of our best hitters last year – she hit over .250, and that's nothing to sneeze at. Lindsey has the great jump serve. She's going to be owning the outside hitter spot now, and she's starting to have more and more confidence.”
spufalcons.com: How about this year's schedule, with every match against a West Region opponent, and two of the four in the season-opening Seawolf Spike against 2009 NCAA qualifiers.
CJ: “We're hitting the ground running. San Francisco State and Sonoma State were both in the tournament last year, and I thought Chico should have been in. Those three teams are all going to be good. If we can get wins in California against one or two of those three teams, we'll do a lot to help ourselves in the region. We've got to be ready for everybody. We need to be ready and healthy, and that's true for every match.”
spufalcons.com: Seattle Pacific is picked third in the GNAC preseason coaches poll behind Western Washington and Alaska Anchorage. How do you see the conference stacking up?
CJ: “The poll came out pretty much as expected. Anchorage is the defending champion, so you expect them to get a good amount of votes. And Western Washington is returning their entire roster. Central, especially, has a good number of people back, and they certainly played us well this past spring. They're certainly not to be taken lightly. And NNU (Northwest Nazarene) is always going to be tough – that's just the personality of their team. There's talent top to bottom (in the GNAC), and we're no exception to that, either.”
