Box score, play-by-play

ELLENSBURG – Given a choice, Paige Hoffman will always take a high hitting percentage over a high number of kills.

On Thursday night, the Seattle Pacific junior enjoyed a lot of both.

Hoffman hammered 16 kills, coming within one of her career high, and a Nikki Lowell kill sealed the deal as 20th-ranked SPU opened Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball play on Thursday night with a 3-1 victory against Central Washington.

Scores in Nicholson Pavilion were 25-19, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23.

Junior outside hitter Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.) hit .359 for the match with her 16 kills and just two errors on 39 attacks for the undefeated Falcons (9-0, 1-0 GNAC).

“I just try to come out every game and have a positive performance,” Hoffman said. “I try to find the holes in the defense and target those. I hold myself accountable, especially for hitting percentage.”

Junior outside hitter Lindsey Wodrich (Richland, Wash./Richland HS) added 12 kills, and made it her fourth double-double of the season by coming up with 13 digs. Redshirt freshman middle blocker Nikki Lowell (Claremont, Calif.) added 12 kills and seven blocks. She collected half of those kills and hit at a .455 clip during the decisive fourth game.

Senior outside hitter Sarah Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) added 10 kills. Sophomore setter Shelby Swanson (Kennwick, Wash./Kamiakin HS) had 38 assists, and junior libero Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) came up with 34digs. 

After nine straight road matches to start the season, the Falcons open their home schedule on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion against Northwest Nazarene.

SPU coach Chris Johnson didn't mind having a tough challenge in the conference opener, “especially since we came away with the win. It was a wake-up call to have a couple close games like that. It makes us realize that we're not done – we're just getting started. We have things that only can we improve, we need to improve if we're going to do the things we want to do this year.”

It was the first time in their last four matches that Seattle Pacific had to go beyond three games to put it into the win column. But Hoffman, for one, never lost confidence that the Falcons could continue what has become the best start to a volleyball season in school history.

“I definitely feel like it's a totally new attitude this year,” she said. “Every match, we come out thinking it's the hardest match we're going to see so far.”

After controlling Game 1 most of the way, the Falcons and Central (2-5, 1-2 GNAC) went back and fourth in the second game. Tied at 23-23, the Wildcats had a net serve to give SPU a game point, and Wodrich finished it off with a kill that painted the sideline.

Central Washington built a 5-1 lead in Game 3 and never let the Falcons do so much as climb into a tie. Then the fourth game saw 14 ties and nine lead changes. The Wildcats were up 22-21 when Hoffman tied it on a kill, then combined with Lowell for a block that made it 23-22 SPU.

Central climbed back into a 23-23 tie. But a tip that went into the net gave the Falcons match point, then a kill by Lowell toward the side was blocked at the net, but went off of that Wildcat player to finish it.

Kady Try had 15 kills for Central Washington, which has suffered all five of it losses to nationally ranked teams.

Seattle Pacific's victory was its 98th in GNAC play, and Johnson notched his 95th as Falcons coach.


NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Nicholson Pavilion/Ellensburg, Wash

(No. 20) Seattle Pacific 3, Central Washington 1

Game scores – 25-19, 25-23, 18-25, 25-23.

Service aces – SPU: Two players with 1. CWU: One player with 1.
Kills – SPU: Paige Hoffman 16, Lindsey Wodrich 12, Nikki Lowell 12, Sarah Risser 10. CWU: Kady Try 15, Meg Ryan 9.
Assists – SPU: Shelby Swanson 48. CU: Carlee Marble 44. 
Blocks – SPU: Lowell 7, Hoffman 4, Angie Pricco 4. CWU: Kristel Baeckel 6, Molly Mayer 4.
Digs – SPU: Anna Herold 3, Wodrich 13. CWU: Brandie Vea 32.
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU: Hoffman 16-2-39—.359, Lowell 12-5-26--.279, SPU 53-27-164—.159. CWU: Kristel Baeckel 7-1-11—.545, CWU 51-27-162--.148.
Attendance – 476.

Records – Seattle Pacific 9-0, 1-0 GNAC. Central Washington 2-5, 1-2 GNAC.

Next match – Northwest Nazarene at Seattle Pacific, Saturday, Brougham Pavilion, 7 p.m.