Box score, play-by-play

LACEY, Wash. – Paige Hoffman's parents came all the way up from California to watch her play volleyball on Thursday night.

She certainly didn't disappoint them.

Hoffman had nine kills and hit .429, and Lindsey Wodrich also hammered nine kills, leading 13th-ranked Seattle Pacific to a 3-0 sweep of Saint Martin's in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference match. Scores in Marcus Pavilion were 25-9, 25-18, 25-20 as 

The Falcons (19-1, 11-1 GNAC) sitting at No. 2 in the season's first NCAA West Region rankings, logged its 14th sweep in 20 matches. They remain deadlocked with Western Washington for first place in the conference after the Vikings slammed defending GNAC champion Alaska Anchorage on Thursday in Bellingham, 25-13, 25-11, 25-10.





Junior outside hitter Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.) served the last four points of the game, dropping in an ace on one of them, then getting the match-clincher with a kill that touched the net cord on the way over before dropping to the court. She took 21 swings and had no attacking errors. She also had three blocks.

“Things were going great. My arm was feeling good, and Shelby (Swanson) was setting awesome sets,” Hoffman said. “They just weren't ready for the hard angle I was drilling at them.”

The nine kills were one thing – and Hoffman is now just 16 kills away from 500 for her Seattle Pacific career.

But it was no errors on her 21 attacks that stood out to head coach Chris Johnson.

“She has been doing a great job of taking care of the ball all year, but more so lately,” Johnson said. “She's getting better and better, which is what we want to see. It's nice to be really able to rely on our opposite in that way to take care of the ball and hit for a good percentage every night.

“They couldn't stop her.”

Senior outside hitter Sarah Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) had seven kills and 13 digs. Junior libero Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) came up with 12 digs, leaving her with 12 of the all-time school career record of 1,552. Sophomore setter Shelby Swanson (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) earned 29 assists.

Sophomore middle blocker Angie Pricco (Brier, Wash./Blanchet HS) had four blocks, including a solo, as the Falcons won their 18th straight in a series that they now lead, 41-5.





Seattle Pacific, which has the GNAC's leading defense, kept Saint Martin's (1-16, 1-11 GNAC) to .000 hitting for the match. In fact, it wasn't until the third game when the Saints finally finished in positive territory at .156 after hitting -.139 in Game 1 and .000 in Game 2.

When the two teams played in Seattle on Sept. 25, the Falcons forced the Saints into -.136 hitting.

“It was a solid defensive performance. It's nice to know that we can rely on our defense in that way,” Johnson said.

The Falcons came out on a tear Thursday night. With Game 1 tied at 5-5, they put 20 of the final 24 points on the board to win it going away.

The final two games stayed within a much tighter range. The second game was tied at 8-8 when SPU scored three straight points to go ahead for good. In the third, Saint Martin's used a 10-3 run to turn a 7-4 deficit into a 14-10 advantage.

But the Falcons responded with five straight to edge back in front, 15-14. Tied at 19-19, Seattle Pacific scored six of the match's final seven points to seal it.

SPU returns to action on Saturday in Brougham Pavilion against Western Oregon at 1 p.m.


NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Marcus Pavilion/Lacey, Wash.

(No. 13) Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 0

Game scores – 25-9, 25-18, 25-20.

Service aces – SPU: Four players with 1. StM: One player with 1.
Kills – SPU: Paige Hoffman 9, Lindsey Wodrich 9, Sarah Risser 7, Nikki Lowell 6. StM: Kirstyn Druzianich 7, Teilissa Tua 6.
Assists – SPU: Shelby Swanson 29. StM: Kristeen Juarez 20.
Blocks – SPU: Angie Pricco 4, Hoffman 3. StM: Katy Ferguson 3.
Digs – SPU: Risser 13, Anna Herold 12. StM: Brianna Bautista 10, Erica Edwards 9.
Hitting (kills-errors-total attacks) – SPU: Hoffman 9-0-21--.429, Shelby Swanson 2-0-3--.667, Taylor Greig 2-0-3--.667, Lowell 6-3-12--.250, SPU 36-16-102--.196. StM: Tua 6-1-12--.417, StM 22-22-98--.000.
Attendance – 121.

Records – Seattle Pacific 19-1, 11-1 GNAC. Saint Martin's 1-16, 1-11 GNAC.

Next match – Western Oregon at Seattle Pacific, Saturday, Brougham Pavilion, 1 p.m.