THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 21        Alaska Fairbanks at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m.
                                          Brougham Pavilion (2,650) / Seattle, Wash.
                                          Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Nov. 23         Alaska Anchorage at Seattle Pacific, 7:00 p.m.
                                          Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
                                          Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – Where did the time go? Just like that, it's the final week of the volleyball regular season for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Back in flight after two victories on the road last week, the Falcons will return to Brougham Pavilion one last time in 2013, tangling with Alaska Fairbanks on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday at 7.
 
With a four-game victory against Saint Martin's in Lacey and a five-game win against Western Oregon in Monmouth, Seattle Pacific wound up with a 10-7 record away from Brougham Pavilion this season. They currently are 4-3 at home.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live Webcasts and live stats will be available for every GNAC match, home and away. All live Webcasts are through Stretch Internet, the conference's official provider of streaming video. Live stats for Seattle Pacific home matches are provided by Sidearm Sports. Appropriate links for both can be found at the top of this story.
                        
SALUTING THE SENIORS
The Falcons will honor seniors Nikki Lowell and Nicole Schwend at Saturday's match against Alaska Anchorage, as they conclude their four years in a Falcon uniform.
 
Lowell transferred here to SPU spending her freshman year at Gonzaga, though she never played for the Bulldogs. She has become one of the team's premier middle blockers of all time, both offensively and defensively. She is the sixth player in SPU history with 1,000 points and 1,000 kills. She also is one of the best blocker in school and GNAC history.
 
Lowell has played in every set of her SPU career. If that continues through this week, she will be the first Falcon in history to have accomplished that over four years.
 
Schwend's senior season has been her most productive in a maroon uniform, as she has started several matches at opposite and contributed off the bench in several others. That is borne out in the stats, as Schwend has more kills, attacks, digs, blocks, and points this year than in her first three seasons combined.
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- Winning both matches would clinch fourth place in the GNAC for the Falcons. They were picked for fifth in the preseason coaches poll.
-- SPU is going for its fifth consecutive season sweep of Alaska Fairbanks. The Nanooks won both matches in 2008, but SPU has taken all nine since then.
-- In a three-game sweep at Fairbanks on Sept. 21, Seattle Pacific put together its best hitting night of the season, finishing at .470 with 42 kills and just three errors on 83 attacks. In winning the third and final game by a 25-14 count, the Falcons had 14 kills and no errors on 20 attacks.
-- Madi Cavell (10 kills / 22 attacks), Jackie Arnold (5 kills / 7 attacks) and Nicole Schwend (2 kills / 7 attacks) all played error-free that night.
-- If the Falcons beat Alaska Anchorage on Saturday, it will mark the fourth consecutive season the teams have split, and the sixth time in Chris Johnson's nine years at the SPU coaching helm that they have split. In the other three years, the Falcons have two season sweeps, and UAA has one.
-- All time, Johnson's teams are 15-2 against Alaska Fairbanks. This will be just his second match against first-year Nanooks coach Mallory Larranaga.
-- Johnson has a 9-8 all-time record against Alaska Anchorage. He is 4-7 against sixth-year Seawolves coach Chris Green.
-- On Sept. 30, 2010, Johnson earned his 100^th collegiate coaching victory – all with SPU – when the Falcons swept Anchorage in Brougham Pavilion, 25-23, 25-23, 25-14. That win total keeps climbing, as he comes into the week with a 161-83 record.
 
SCOUTING THE ALASKA FAIRBANKS NANOOKS: 4-23, 3-13 GNAC (tie 8^th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 33-9. Current series streak: SPU won 9. Last time: SPU 3, UAF 0 (25-16, 25-22, 25-14; Sept. 21, 2013 at Fairbanks). Nanooks on the Web.
Nanooks in a nutshell: The season has been a tough one for UAF, which comes into Seattle on a three-match losing streak. The most recent victory was a five-gamer at Saint Martin's on Nov. 2. But the Nanooks have some bright spots, and one of the brightest is outside hitter Sam Harthun. The 6-foot sophomore leads the GNAC in kills with a phenomenal 410, an average of 4.46 per game that ranks No. 6 in all of NCAA Division II. Her total is 59 more than the next-closest player in the GNAC (Anchorage's Katelyn Zanders), and her average is well in front of the No. 2 mark of 3.75 by Montana State Billings' Monica Grimsrud. Harthun had 13 kills last time against SPU, and her average points of 4.94 per game ranks seventh in the country. She also is a solid server with 29 aces. Senior teammate Keri Knight is right behind with 27 aces. Showing some solid play as a freshman is setter Katelyn Camp, who ranks No. 5 in GNAC assists at 8.92 per game.
 
SCOUTING THE ALASKA ANCHORAGE SEAWOLVES: 19-9, 13-3 GNAC (2^nd).
All-time series: SPU leads, 28-16. Current series streak: UAA won 1. Last time: UAA 3, SPU 1 (25-23, 23-25, 25-17, 25-13; Sept. 19, 2013 at Anchorage). Seawolves on the Web.
Seawolves in a nutshell: Anchorage is still in the hunt for a regional berth, although it suffered a setback last week when Western Washington won a four-gamer on the Seawolves' court. Earlier in the season, UAA pulled out a five-game victory in Bellingham. This is a team that is going to continue making its mark in the years ahead with some young, talented players on offense. Sophomore outside hitter Katelyn Zanders ranks No. 5 in the conference in kills at 3.55 per game. Sophomore outside hitter / opposite Julia Mackey is No. 8 in kills at 3.23 and No. 7 in hitting percentage at 2.77. Also in the top 10 for hitting is senior middle blocker Jodi Huddleston at 2.58 (10th). She also ranks third in GNAC blocks per game at 1.22. Mackey had 13 kills, and Zanders had 11, along with two aces and three blocks, in the September match against SPU.
 
FALCONS REPLAY
-- Madi Cavell had 16 kills, and Nikki Lowell had 11, along with eight block assists, as SPU bounced back from an opening-game loss to win beat Saint Martin's in Lacey last Thursday, 18-25, 25-16, 25-20, 25-20.
-- Cavell and Lowell combined for 40 kills, and junior Sara Biondi recorded 52 assists and 12 digs for her first double-double as a Falcon in Saturday's 25-20, 23-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-10 victory at Western Oregon.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Madi Cavell double-doubled for the 11th time this season in last Saturday's match at Western Oregon, and Sara Biondi recorded her first-ever Falcon double-double.
 
For the season, the Falcons have 24 double-doubles:               
                                                 
Sara Biondi (1 season / 1 career) – 52A-12D at Western Oregon, Nov. 16.
Lexi Biondi (1 season / 1 career) – 13K-11D at Western Washington, Oct. 24.
Ellie Britt (5 season / 5 career) – 16K-12D at Cal State San Bernardino, Sept. 7; 14K-12D vs. Holy Names, Sept. 13; 12K-12D vs. Cal State Los Angeles, Sept. 13; 12K-12D vs. Western Washington, Sept. 28; 14K-11D at Central Washington, Oct. 10.
Madi Cavell (11 season / 14 career) – 18K-11D at Cal State San Bernardino, Sept. 7; 11K-11D vs. Cal State Los Angeles, Sept. 13; 10K-13D vs. Cal State East Bay, Sept. 14; 15K-10D at Alaska Anchorage, Sept. 19; 10K-13D vs. Western Washington, Sept. 28; 15K-16D vs. Western Oregon, Oct. 17; 22K-15D at Western Washington, Oct. 24; 24K-14D at Simon Fraser, Oct. 26; 12K-16D at Montana State Billings, Nov. 2; 14K-12D vs. Central Washington, Nov. 9; 23K-15D at Western Oregon, Nov. 16.
Kendall Langdon (6 season / 6 career) – 25A-12D vs. Cal State L.A., Sept. 6; 23A-15D at Alaska Anchorage, Sept. 19; 13A-11D vs. Western Washington, Sept. 28; 23A-13D at Central Washington, Oct. 10; 52A-13D at Western Washington, Oct. 24; 49A-17D at Simon Fraser, Oct. 26.
 
ANOTHER GNAC AWARD FOR LOWELL
Her offensive milestone got more of the spotlight. But Nikki Lowell's work on the block was just as important, and that earned the Seattle Pacific senior her second GNAC Defensive Player of the Week award this season.
 
Lowell (Claremont, Calif.) had eight block assists last Thursday as the Falcons beat Saint Martin's. That put her at 405 total blocks for her career, moving her past former Northwest Nazarene star Louise Free (402 from 1999-2002) into second place on the all-time GNAC list.
 
But blocking wasn't all Lowell did last week. Her first kill in the Saint Martin's match was the 1,000th of her career. That made her the sixth player in SPU history to break the 1,000 kill-1,000 point thresholds. It also made Lowell the 32nd player in GNAC history with 1,000 kills.
 
Lowell collected her third overall Player of the Week award, and it was the third of the season for Seattle Pacific. Madi Cavell won the Offensive award on Oct. 30.
 
NO. 1 BLOCK RECORD NOW IN SIGHT
A month ago, it seemed likely that Nikki Lowell would pass all-time GNAC block assists leader Cammy Dranginis of Northwest Nazarene – but still wind up No. 2 on that list behind current Western Oregon standout Becky Blees. Heading into the second half of GNAC play, Lowell was 16 block assists behind Blees, 352-336, and a week later, Blees had an 18-block lead, 360-342.
 
But since then, Lowell has picked up 31 block assists, including 14 last week, while Blees has added just 13 more. (In the head-to-head contest at Western Oregon, Lowell had six and Blees had four.) So with two matches left, it's anyone's record. Blees comes into the week with 376 blocks assists, and Lowell is up to 373. Both have passed former record holder Dranginis, who had 367 from 1999-2002 with Northwest Nazarene.
 
Lowell starts the week with 411 total blocks, ranking No. 5 on the SPU career list. She likely will climb to No. 4 past Gaylene MacDonald (412 from 1987-88), and conceivably could get as high as No. 3 (Ali Lindberg, 422 from 1991-94).
 
MILLER IS BACK
It has been a tough season for junior outside hitter Jessica Miller, who sustained a finger injury in the GNAC opener on Sept. 19 at Alaska Anchorage. After having surgery, Miller returned to practice a few weeks ago, and last Thursday finally got back into competition during Seattle Pacific's match at Saint Martin's.
 
Miller wasted no time making an impact. She came off the bench for 10 kills and only one error on 18 swings for a season-best .500 hitting percentage, and came up with three block assists as the Falcons prevailed in four games.
 
CLIPPING ANOTHER COUG CAREER BEST
Junior setter Sara Biondi enjoyed her finest night as a Falcon in last Saturday's five-game victory at Western Oregon. Biondi (Sacramento, Calif.) racked up 52 assists and 12 digs for her first SPU double-double.
 
The assist mark was 22 more than her previous best of 30, set just nine days earlier on Nov. 7 against Northwest Nazarene. The digs total was a career high, beating her old mark of 10, set against Eastern Washington on Sept. 9, 2010, when she was a freshman at Washington State.
 
That was the fifth time this season Biondi has beaten a career best set previously with the Cougars. The other four were kills (6), solo blocks (2, twice), block assists (6, twice), an total blocks (8). Her only career marks from WSU still remaining are assists (58) and service aces (2).
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
-- Seattle Pacific ranks No. 9 in Division II blocking this week at 2.54 per game.
-- Nikki Lowell is No. 9 in blocking at 1.33, moving up three places for the second straight week.
-- Madi Cavell is 56^th in points per game at 4.09, and 68^th in kills per game at 3.49.

Click on this link to see how the Falcons and other GNAC teams and players stack up nationally.
 
TRACKING THOSE TOP 10s
Among Seattle Pacific's regulars, five are in the top 10 of at least one GNAC statistical category heading into this week:
Nikki Lowell 1st in blocks (1.33 per game), 9th in points (3.58)
Madi Cavell 6th in points (4.09 per game), 7th in kills (3.49)
Brianna Leenders 5th in digs (4.44 per game)
Jackie Arnold tie 7th in blocks (1.00 per game), 10th in hitting (.262).
Kendall Langdon 9th in assists (5.55 per game)

POLLING PLACE
Seattle Pacific was not included in the final NCAA West Region rankings that were released late Wednesday afternoon. The GNAC has three teams in the top eight who, if they remain there, will receive invitations to the regional tournament. Western Washington stayed at No. 5, Alaska Anchorage moved up two places to No. 7, and Northwest Nazarene climbed two spots to No. 8. Central Washington is on the bubble at No. 9.
                                                           
The GNAC, CCAA and Pacific West champions earn automatic bids to NCAAs, then the next five-highest ranked teams among the non-champions are added to the field, which will be announced on Sunday night.
 
In this week's national poll, there's a new No. 1, as Tampa has jumped into the top spot. Defending national champion Concordia-St. Paul, which had been a unanimous No. 1 for two straight weeks, fell to No. 3, and Minnesota-Duluth climbed to No. 2. Western Washington remained at No. 10.
 
MILESTONES IN THE MAKING
100^th dig                 Jessica Miller (has 97)
100^th kill                 Sara Biondi (has 91)
100^th point             Nicole Schwend (has 88.5)
400^th point             Jessica Miller (has 382.0)
500^th dig                Breanne Wiekamp (has 489)
700^th point             Madi Cavell (has 688)
                               
MILESTONES MADE LAST WEEK
100^th block            Sara Biondi (has 100)
300^th point             Ellie Britt (has 307.0)
400^th block            Nikki Lowell (has 411)
400^th dig                Madi Cavell (has 418)
500^th assist          Kendall Langdon (has 505)
1,000^th kill             Nikki Lowell (has 1,027)

AROUND THE GNAC          
Click on this link for news, notes, results and statistics from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
UP NEXT
Barring a significant change after Saturday, this week's matches will mark the end of the season for the Falcons.
 

GNAC STANDINGS
                                            GNAC    Overall
Western Washington          14-2        21-3
Alaska Anchorage               13-3        19-9
Northwest Nazarene           12-4        16-6
Seattle Pacific                      10-6        14-10
Central Washington              9-7        13-11
Western Oregon                    7-9        10-16
Simon Fraser                         6-10      11-11
Saint Martin's                         3-13        7-21
Montana State Billings         3-13        6-19
Alaska Fairbanks                  3-13        4-23