Box score, play-by-play

SEATTLE – Sarah Risser played the last home match of her senior season the same way she played the first home match of her season season:

By putting big numbers into the book.

Risser slammed a team-leading 13 kills, and Nikki Lowell had 10 kills and hit .500 on Saturday night, leading 18th-ranked Seattle Pacific to a 3-0 sweep of Simon Fraser in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.

Scores in Brougham Pavilion were 25-19, 25-20, 25-13 as the Falcons (23-2, 15-2 GNAC) stayed half a match in front of Western Washington (14-2 GNAC) and polished off a 9-0 homecourt record.

The Falcons, who now have 17 sweeps in 25 matches, close the regular season next Saturday at Montana State Billings, then will await their opponent for the first round of the NCAA West Regionals. That field will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 14.





Senior outside hitter Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) came through on Senior Night with one of her best performances of the year, hitting .290 (13 kills, 4 errors on 31 attacks). Risser had a total of 15.5 points, pushing her career total past 1,000. Risser, who also put in two service aces, now has 1,007 points.

“I don't know what the (stats) paper says, but it felt good,” said Risser, who hit just .154 in Game 1, but climbed to .375 in Game 2 and .400 in the final game. “We were a little lower on energy at the beginning, so for us to pick it up toward the end was really good. We came out of the locker room (after the second game) ready to play.”

Falcons coach Chris Johnson enjoyed seeing one of his top players deliver a memorable performance in her home finale.

“That was awesome for Sarah – 13 kills, hitting .290, and she was doing it with a lot of different shots,” Johnson said. “She was showing her whole array of attacks, and they were all working. And she really passed well and served well.”

Setter Joelle Perez (Vancouver, Wash./Heritage HS) joined Risser in being honored on Senior Night, and saw her first action of the season, logging a service ace midway through Game 3.

Freshman middle blocker Lowell (Claremont, Calif.) had 10 kills and just one erros on 18 attacks. That marks the seventh time this season she has hit for .500 or better, topped by a single-match school record .833 on Sept. 27 at home against Montana State Billings.

“I try not to think about stats too much – that just makes it mental,” Lowell said. “I feel good. But I have a long way to go, and I just hope I improve every year and get better.”

Added Johnson, “You want your middle blockers to be at .300, so for her to be at that percentage that often is phenomenal.”

Sophomore setter Shelby Swanson (Kennewick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) had 37 assists, and junior libero Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) had 17 digs.

Except for early stretches of each game, the Falcons were in control throughout against Simon Fraser (4-17, 4-13 GNAC), which is in its first year of NCAA play. 

A 5-0 run that snapped a 5-5 tie gave Seattle Pacific command of the first game, with Risser serving the last four of those points. In the second game, the Falcons used a 7-3 surge to extend an 11-10 lead to 18-13. Moments later, Risser got her 1,000th point with a kill to make it 20-15.

Then in Game 3, SPU ran off 10 straight points, turning a 3-2 deficit into a 12-3 advantage. Junior outside hitter Lindsey Wodrich served up the last nine of those points, drilling two service aces in the process.

SPU hit .290 for the match (44 kills, 13 errors on 107 attacks). Simon Fraser was limited to .133 hitting (31-18-98).


NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Brougham Pavilion/Seattle, Wash.

(No. 18) Seattle Pacific 3, Simon Fraser 0

Game scores – 25-19, 25-20, 25-13.

Service aces – SFU: Two players with 1. SPU: Sarah Risser 2, Lindsey Wodrich 2, Joelle Perez 1.
Kills – SFU: Marina Liarsky 8, Cheryl Windhorst 8. SPU: Risser 13, Nikki Lowell 10.
Assists – SFU: Jordan Drezet 28. SPU: Shelby Swanson 27.
Blocks – SFU: Windhorst 2. SPU: Lowell 3.
Digs – SFU: Brianna Kellough 11, Liarsky10. SPU: Anna Herold 13.
Hitting (kills-errors-total attacks) – SFU: Windhorst 8-2-23--.261, KJ Fridfinnson 7-3-17--.235, SFU 31-18-98--.133. SPU: Lowell 10-1-18--.500, Paige Hoffman 9-1-19--.421, Risser 13-4-31--.290, SPU 44-13-107--.290.
Attancance – 304.

Records – Seattle Pacific 23-2, 15-2 GNAC. Simon Fraser 4-17, 4-13 GNAC.

Next match – Seattle Pacific at Montana State Bilings, Saturday, Nov. 13, 6 p.m. PST.