THE SCHEDULE: Thursday, Nov. 5: Central Washington at SPU, 7 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion (2,650)/Seattle, Wash.
Live Webcast and live stats on this link.
Saturday, Nov. 7: Saint Martin's at SPU, 4 p.m.
Brougham Pavilion (2,650)/Seattle, Wash.
Live Webcast and live stats on this link.
Weekly release, with complete stats
SEATTLE – It's crunch time. And it continues for the next two weeks for the Seattle Pacific volleyball team.
The Falcons are right in the hunt not only for the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship, they're also very much in the big picture for a spot in the NCAA West Regional tournament. And they're in control of their own fortunes for both possibilities as they prepare for their final two home matches of the season.
Fresh off a four-game victory at Western Washington this past Saturday that completed a season sweep of the rival Vikings, SPU will play host to Central Washington on Thursday night at 7 in Brougham Pavilion, then welcome Saint Martin's into town on Saturday afternoon at 4. The match against the Saints will be Senior Day as the Falcons honor Jessica Bettencourt, Robin De Jong, Kylie Johnson and Cortney Weedman.
SPU comes into the week trailing first-place Alaska Anchorage by 1½ games in the conference standings. They also start the week at No. 8 in the latest West Regional rankings. The eight-team regional tournament, set for Nov. 19-21 at the site of whoever finishes ranked No. 1 (currently Cal State San Bernardino), will included the GNAC, California Collegiate Athletic Association and Pacific West champions, plus the five highest-ranked teams who did not win their conference title.
The Falcons can boost their own cause by taking care of business at home regardless of what Anchorage does at home against Alaska Fairbanks on Wednesday in its lone match of the week. That could set the stage for a showdown on the Seawolves' court next Saturday, Nov. 14, when SPU heads there for the regular-season finale.
Seattle Pacific settled for a split last week, falling in four at Montana State Billings on Thursday night, 25-17, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16, then bouncing back to beat Western in four at Bellingham on Saturday, 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, 26-24. In the latter match, the Falcons scored the last four points to wipe out a 24-22 deficit in Game 4.
SPEAKING OF THE FALCONS
Ever since ending a four-match preseason losing streak and getting on track, the Falcons have been a resilient group. In their four losses since then, they've come back each time with a victory in their next outing.
“They've done a great job of that all year,” coach Chris Johnson said. “I just knew they were going to come into this match (Saturday at Western Washington) focused and pumped up.”
That was evident right from the start when the Falcons put together a 7-1 scoring run toward the middle of the first game to take command.
“We talked about coming out strong and winning the first game. We hadn't done that much lately,” Johnson said. “We said that we really need to be ready to go and we need to get out there and get on them in the first five minutes. We weren't out to a big lead (right away), but we were intense and played good defense and made good adjustments.”
Johnson said the Falcons will need to be on their game against Central Washington and Saint Martin's, regardless of their position in the standings.
“Central is getting better. They're better at the outside hitter position going into this match than last time, and the same for middle blocker,” he said. “Saint Martin's is definitely much improved from years past. They took a game off of us at their place. They have hitters who are much better than before, and they have a good setter who is much improved.”
Bottom line, though, is what the Falcons do on their side of the net.
“It's the same message as all year: We want to keep getting better,” Johnson said. “There are some things we know we want to improve and that we can improve.”
SCOUTING THE CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS
All-time series: CWU leads, 30-28. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 3, CWU 1 (25-12, 25-23, 23-25, 26-24 on Oct. 8 at Ellensburg). Central Washington on the Web.
Wildcats in a nutshell: This has been by far the tightest series of any of Seattle Pacific's GNAC rivals. Besides the overall win-loss record, even the total games won between the teams is tight: 101 for SPU, 99 for Central. In the first match this season, the Falcons won the first two games, but the Wildcats were on the verge of forcing a deciding fifth game, having closed to 2-1 and up 24-22 in Game 4. But Seattle Pacific got the final four points to win it. Central is one of the tougher teams to hit against, allowing its opponents just a .167 average, and ranking No. 2 in the conference in digs at 17.98 per game. Erin Norris is the GNAC's top server with 53 aces -- 10 more than the next-closest player. Kristel Baeckel ranks No. 6 in hitting at .271, and Kady Try hammers kills at a rate of 3.36 per game, sixth in the GNAC.
SCOUTING THE SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS
All-time series: SPU leads, 38-5. Current series streak: SPU won 15. Last time: SPU 3, Saint Martin's 1 (25-16, 22-25, 25-19, 25-11 on Sept. 19 at Lacey). Saint Martin's on the Web.
Saints in a nutshell: The Saints have had a bumpy season and are still seeking their first conference victory. But among their three wins outside of GNAC play is last Tuesday's four-gamer against Pacific Lutheran, the 15th-ranked team in NCAA Division III. Setting the pace offensively for Saint Martin's is Teilissa Tua, who has 160 kills for the season and hits a team-leading .198. She also tops the Saints in blocks (55) and service aces (26). Saint Martin's leads the GNAC in service aces at 1.69 per game.
HOW TO THEY COMPARE?
(GNAC rank in parentheses)
Hitting percent SPU .214 (2) CWU .184 (8) StM .094 (9)
Opponent hit percent SPU .159 (1) CWU .167 (3) StM .204 (8)
Kills per game SPU 13.44 (1) CWU 11.84 (7) StM 9.67 (9)
Assists per game SPU 12.61 (1) CWU 11.09 (7) StM 8.90 (9)
Aces per game SPU 1.27 (T8) CWU 1.60 (3) StM 1.69 (1)
Digs per game SPU 16.80 (3) CWU 17.98 (2) StM 15.88 (5)
Blocks per game SPU 1.84 (5) CWU 1.96 (4) StM 1.47 (9)
MOST RECENT SPU STARTERS
Oct. 31 at Western Washington, W 3-1
Player Kills Pct. Asts. Aces Digs Blocks
Sarah Risser 17 .218 1 1 12 0
Paige Hoffman 6 .250 1 0 4 4
Amber Johnson 11 .381 0 0 0 3
Priscilla Collings 14 .233 1 1 19 0
Kylie Johnson 3 .375 0 1 2 2
Cortney Weedman 2 1.000 31 1 16 0
Anna Herold (LIB) 0 .000 6 0 21 0
SEATTLE PACIFIC 62 .254 59 4 85 10
DOUBLE-DOUBLES AND OTHER DELIGHTFUL DIGITS
-- After coming up empty in the double-double department in last Thursday's four-game loss at Billings, the Falcons racked up three in Saturday's four-game victory at Western Washington. Junior outside hitter Sarah Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) recorded her 13th of the season, this one with 17 kills and 12 digs. She now has 16 during her three seasons in SPU colors. Senior setter Cortney Weedman (Scottsdale, Ariz.) had 31 assists and 16 digs for her fifth of the year and seventh of her career, and sophomore outside hitter Priscilla Collings (Chula Vista, Calif.) put 14 kills and 19 digs into the books for her fifth of the season and her career. SPU now has 33 double-doubles this fall, and, with four regular-season matches left, is on the verge of doubling last year's total of 20. Also on the board in that department this season are sophomore outside hitter Lindsey Wodrich (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) with five (10 career), junior setter Joelle Perez (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage HS) with two (three career) and freshman setter Shelby Swanson (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) with two.
-- Thanks to Saturday's solid .254 performance at Western Washington, the Falcons are up a point in season hitting percentage to .214. However, Alaska Anchorage also is up a point from last week to .224 and continues to lead the GNAC. Seattle Pacific is second.
-- SPU remains atop the conference in kills per game (13.44), assists per game (12.61) and lowest opponent's hitting percentage (.159). The Falcons have kept their opponents below .200 hitting in 17 of their 24 matches this season, including a stretch of 12 in a row from Sept. 4-Oct. 10.
-- Risser is No. 26 in all of NCAA Division II for kills per game at 3.82. That ranks fifth in the GNAC. Leading the way is Tatiana Kuhn of Henderson State at 4.94.
-- Sophomore libero Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) is No. 17 nationally in digs per game this week at 5.47. That is No. 2 in the GNAC. Conference leader Brandie Vea, who comes to town this week with Central Washington, is at 6.01 per game. The national leader is Lauren Flynn of Texas A&M-Commerce at 6.25.
-- Sophomore middle blocker Amber Johnson (Mount Vernon, Wash./Mount Vernon HS) is No. 33 in hitting in D-2 at .355. That is second-best in the GNAC behind Western Oregon's Lisa Martini (.378). The top hitter in D-2 is Xie'Ara Maybank-Smallings of Elizabeth City State at .449.
-- As a team, the Falcons are in the national top 25 in two categories: assists per game (No. 22 at 12.61) and kills per game (No. 24 at 13.44). Concordia-St. Paul leads both at 14.80 assists and 15.63 kills.
-- Coach Chris Johnson emphasized the importance of getting off to a good start last Saturday at Western Washington, and it's easy to see why. The Falcons are 11-3 this year when winning Game 1, and just 4-6 when losing the opener.
Click on this link for a complete look at GNAC statistics. Click on this link for a look at SPU's national rankings.
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
-- Sophomore Anna Herold is on the brink of breaking her own single-season school record for digs. She has 520, leaving her with four matches to meet or beat the 579 she came up with last year on the way to winning GNAC Freshman of the Year honors. That's an average of 15 per match.
-- SPU has three players approaching their 100th career game: junior middle blocker Kylie Johnson (Tucson, Ariz.) with 97, sophomore outside hitter Priscilla Collings with 95, and sophomore middle blocker Amber Johnson with 92.
-- Talk about good things coming in threes -- the Falcons have three players approaching the 300 career mark in three different categories: points (290.0 for Collings), assists (288 for freshman setter Shelby Swanson) and kills (285 for sophomore outside hitter Paige Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.)).
-- Reaching 1,000 assists in just two years as a Falcon is becoming more and more reachable for senior Cortney Weedman. Coming off a 31-assist performance last Saturday at Western Washington, Weedman enters the week with 944. She has four matches remaining to earn the 56 she needs -- an average of just 14 per match.
-- Senior middle blocker Jessica Bettencourt (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) is just 9½ points away from 500. She would become the second Falcon this year to break the 500-point mark, joining Sarah Risser, who currently has 583.5. Bettencourt also is just three kills away from 400.
-- Senior middle blocker Robin De Jong (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who missed the early part of the season with an injury, now is within six kills of 200 for her career.
-- Sophomore middle blocker Amber Johnson is just half a point shy of 200 in her first season as a Falcon. She also is approaching her 100th block, starting the week with 87.
-- Collings needs two more digs to reach 200.
-- Joelle Perez, after racking up 1,718 assists in her first two seasons, needs 71 to reach 2,000. Now at 1,929 after picking up nine against Western Oregon last week, Perez has climbed into the GNAC's all-time top 20 for assists.
MILESTONES MADE
-- Priscilla Collings' eight digs at Montana State Billings last Thursday put her past 200 for her career. She currently has 225.
-- With her first kill at Billings, Amber Johnson went past the 200-point mark as a Falcon. She enters the new week with 220.5.
FALCON REPLAY
Sarah Risser was ready to play. So were the rest of her Seattle Pacific teammates.
Risser, Priscilla Collings and Cortney Weedman all had double-doubles last Saturday night, and the Falcons scored the last four points of the match to seal a four-game victory against Western Washington. Scores in Sam Carver gym were 25-17, 18-25, 25-17, 26-24.
Risser had 17 kills and 12 digs for her 13th double-double of the season. Collings had 14 kills and 19 digs, and Weedman totaled 31 assists and 16 digs. Weedman's double-double was her sixth of the season; Collings' was her fifth.
The win completed a sweep of the season's two matches against Western Washington, the first time since 2006 the Falcons have swept the rival Vikings.
It also got SPU back on track after last Thursday's 25-17, 25-22, 18-25, 25-16 loss at Montana State Billings. Paige Hoffman had 11 kills and hit .476 for the match, and Jessica Bettencourt hit .261, but the Falcons were hurt by 12 serving errors in that match as the Yellowjackets polished off a season sweep.
POLLING PLACE
Seattle Pacific is in the No. 8 spot in the latest NCAA West Regional rankings, which were released last Thursday, Oct. 29. That puts the Falcons in good position to make the NCAA tournament, but it's not a done deal yet. The region's three conference champions (GNAC, California Collegiate Athletic Association and Pacific West), plus the next five highest-ranked teams in the final poll who did not win their conference crown, advance to the NCAA tournament.
The Falcons were picked for a fourth-place finish in the GNAC in the preseason coaches poll. SPU received 43 points, including one first-place vote.
Western Washington was tabbed to win the conference crown, receiving six first-place votes and 60 points. Defending champion Western Oregon was second with 50 points, and Northwest Nazarene was third with 47 points and two first-place votes.
Alaska Anchorage, the current GNAC front runner, was picked for a seventh-place finish in the preseason poll.
ON THE HONOR ROLL
-- Junior outside hitter Sarah Risser was named the GNAC Player of the Week for Oct. 5-10, the first Falcon to be honored by the conference this season. Risser had a career-high 22 kills, along with 14 digs, in last Thursday's four-game win at Central Washington, then had another 22 kills and 27 digs as SPU beat Northwest Nazarene in five games on Oct. 10.
-- Risser and sophomore middle blocker Amber Johnson were named to the all-tournament team at the Western Washington Invitational on Sept. 12. In the four tournament matches against Notre Dame de Namur, Grand Canyon, No. 7-ranked West Texas A&M and defending Canadian champion British Columbia, Risser led in kills per game (4.27), pounding 64 altogether. She double-doubled in kills and digs in the first three matches. Johnson set the pace in hitting percentage at .477, with 27 kills and just three errors on 51 attacks.
TICKET TALK
Tickets for SPU's home matches can be purchased at Brougham Pavilion (3414 3rd Ave. W.) on match day. Ticket windows open one hour prior to the listed start time for all home matches.
General admission tickets are priced at $6 for adults and $3 for students and senior citizens. Groups or teams of 10 or more may qualify for special general admission rates by calling (206) 281-2085 at least 72 hours in advance.
UP NEXT
The Falcons wind up the regular season next week with a two-match trip to Alaska. SPU visits Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday, Nov. 12, and concludes the GNAC schedule at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, Nov 14. Both matches begin at 8 p.m. PST. Depending on results between now and then, the match at Anchorage could determine the conference champion.
AROUND THE GNAC
Click on this link for a look at results, schedules and notes from the GNAC.
GNAC STANDINGS
Conference Overall
Alaska Anchorage 11-2 19-7
Seattle Pacific 9-3 15-9
Western Washington 8-5 15-9
Montana State Billings 7-5 14-10
Northwest Nazarene 7-5 14-11
Central Washington 5-7 13-10
Alaska Fairbanks 5-7 11-12
Western Oregon 4-9 7-17
Saint Martin's 0-13 3-19
