THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Oct. 20               Seattle Pacific at Concordia-Portland, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Cavalier Court / Portland, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, Oct. 22               Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, 7:00 p.m.
                                                New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – They started the first half of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule on the road. And the Seattle Pacific Falcons will do the same to start the second half.
 
Coming off a four-match homestand during which they logged three victories and came close to a fourth, the Falcons head into the final 10-match stretch of the regular season this week with a trip to Oregon. They'll play Concordia in Portland on Thursday, then take on Western Oregon in Monmouth on Saturday.
 
The first serve for both contests is at 7:00 p.m.
 
The Falcons faced both teams last month in Brougham Pavilion, sweeping Western Oregon, but falling short of Concordia in five games.
 
SPU will play six road matches and four home matches during the second half of the GNAC schedule.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Fans can keep up with this week's matches and with every match throughout the GNAC season with live stats and free live Webcasts. The Webcasts are through Stretch Internet, the conference's official internet provider. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
GNAC TABS CRESPI AS PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Shaun Crespi, who continued her outstanding play by coming up with a combined 19 total blocks against Simon Fraser and Western Washington, has been named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week.

 

The award is the first for the Seattle Pacific sophomore, and the first for the Falcons this season.
 
In addition to her 19 blocks, the 6-foot-2 Crespi (Camarillo, Calif.) had some solid hitting performances as the Falcons split their two matches last week.
 
In Thursday's 3-0 sweep of Simon Fraser, which was 13-3 overall and was tied for second in the GNAC, Crespi equaled her career high with 10 block assists. It's the second time in her career that she was in double digits for that category.
 
On Saturday, when SPU came from two games down and took 20th-ranked Western Washington to a fifth game before the Vikings prevailed, Crespi had nine more blocks (one solo), along with a career-high 17 kills and a .500 hitting mark that tied her career best. The kills total was seven more than her previous high.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- SPU's 133 digs in last Saturday's five-gamer against Western Washington was just one short of the school record, and was its first in triple digits since coming up with 101 in five at Simon Fraser on Sept. 17, 2015.
-- The earlier sweep of Western Oregon is one of six sweeps the Falcons have recorded in their eight victories this season. Of those, three have been in GNAC play.
-- There are a number of teams SPU would love to turn the tables during the second go-round through the GNAC. Concordia is one of five teams that scored five-game victories against the Falcons during the first half.
-- By beating Simon Fraser last Thursday in Brougham for their eighth victory of the season, the Falcons have exceeded the seven wins they logged for the entire 2015 season.
-- SPU is 3-2 all-time at Concordia. The Cavaliers won in three games last season.
-- The last time either SPU or Western Oregon swept the season series was in 2013, when the Falcons pulled out five-game victories at home and in Monmouth.
-- The Falcons have four wins outside of Brougham Pavilion. Of those, three were on a neutral court, and one (at Cal State Dominguez Hills) was a true road victory.
-- Hannah Lautenbach (13), Gabby Oddo (12) and Mallie Donohoe (11) went for double-digit kills in the first match against Concordia. Symone Tran had a career-high seven total blocks (two solo).
-- It was even better in the Western Oregon match as Oddo (11), Lexi Biondi (11), Hannah Lautenbach (10) and Shaun Crespi (10) had double-digit kills.
-- Crespi, with a .447 combined hitting performance in last week's two matches, has pushed her season percentage back above .200, now at .202. That makes her the leading hitter among SPU's regulars.
-- Coach Chris Johnson's teams are 1-2 against Concordia and 16-7 against Western Oregon. This will be just his third match against Cavaliers coach Melanie Hambelton and just his second against new WOU coach Tommy Gott.
 
SCOUTING THE CONCORDIA CAVALIERS: 10-8, 6-4 GNAC (5th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 7-3. Current series streak: CU won 2. Last time: CU 3, SPU 2 (21-25, 25-23, 25-23, 16-25, 15-8; Sept. 24, 2016 at Seattle). Cavaliers on the Web.
Cavaliers in a nutshell: Concordia comes in having won three of its last four, including homecourt victories last week against Western Oregon in three and Montana State Billings in five. The Cavs are one of the better-hitting teams in the conference, ranking No. 3 at .229. Concordia has two of the GNAC's top 10 hitters in 6-foot junior middle blocker Colby Barnette (No. 6 at .292), and 6-1 senior middle blocker Brianna Hogan (No. 10 at .268). One of the most dangerous weapons for the Cavaliers is 5-9 junior opposite Lindsey Dorsey, who has 200 kills for the season, an average of 3.12 per game to rank No. 8 in the GNAC. Of those 200, she slammed 23 in last month's match at SPU, hitting .321 that day. Brenna Huwe, a 5-10 senior outside hitter, actually has one more kill (201) and a 2.91 per-game average. Dorsey also is a very effective server with 29 aces and an 0.45 average that is first in the conference.
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: 6-11, 3-7 GNAC (8th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 27-17. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 3, WOU 0 (25-22, 25-17, 25-19; Sept. 22, 2016 at Seattle). Wolves on the Web.
Wolves in a nutshell: Western Oregon is trying to snap out of a rut, having dropped five of its last six, including a five-gamer last Saturday at home against Montana State Billings. The Wolves have had their moments, such as a five-game win against Central Washington in Monmouth last month. Alisha Bettinson is getting the job done on offense for WOU. The 5-foot-11 redshirt junior outside hitter is tied for No. 4 in the conference at 3.45 kills per game, and has 228 for the season. While she finds the floor most often, fellow redshirt junior Sydney Blankinship, a 6-foot middle blocker, finds it most accurately for the Wolves. She hits at a .342 clip, the GNAC's second-highest mark, and has 104 kills. Libbie Hoene, a 5-5 redshirt freshman defensive specialist, has 29 service aces. Paige Orth, a 5-9 senior middle, has a team-leading 51 blocks, with 12 solos. Also with 12 solos is 5-8 redshirt sophomore outside Amanda Short.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Sophomore setter Symone Tran continues to rack up the double-doubles. She had two more last week and now is on a stretch of seven in a row. Her performance in Saturday's five-gamer against Western Washington also was a double-career high, with 58 assists and 35 digs.
 
The Falcons had five double-doubles for the week, pushing their season total to 31. That leaves them just two short of the 33 logged by record-setting 2010 team that went all the way to the NCAA West Regional championship match.
 
Junior opposite Hannah Lautenbach hit a milestone of sorts on Saturday, breaking into double-double double digits for the 10th time in her career (13 kills-20 digs).
 
Colleen Hannigan (1 season / 1 career)
16K-15D vs. Hawaii Hilo, Sept. 9.
 
Hannah Lautenbach (6 season / 10 career)
14K-19D vs. Hawaii Hilo, Sept. 9;
10K-10D vs. Western Oregon, Sept. 22;
13K-14D vs. Concordia-Oregon, Sept. 24;
20K-21D at Northwest Nazarene, Sept. 29;
10K-13D vs. Montana State Billings, Oct. 6;
13K-20D vs. Western Washington, Oct. 15.
 
Gabby Oddo (13 season / 13 career)
14K-11D at Concordia Irvine, Sept. 2;
10K-10D vs. Colo. Christian, Sept. 3;
16K-21D vs. UC San Diego, Sept. 3;
14K-13D vs. Humboldt State, Sept. 8;
19K-13D vs. Azusa Pacific, Sept. 10;
19K-10D at Alaska Fairbanks, Sept. 15;
10K-12D at Alaska Anchorage, Sept. 17;
12K-18D vs. Concordia-Oregon, Sept. 24;
16K-12D at Northwest Nazarene, Sept. 29;
16K-10D at Central Washington, Oct. 1;
16K-10D vs. Montana State Billings, Oct. 6;
14K-17D vs. Simon Fraser, Oct. 13;
14K-32D vs. Western Washington, Oct. 15.
 
Symone Tran (11 season / 24 career)
32 AST-21D at Concordia Irvine, Sept. 2;
43 AST-13D vs. UC San Diego, Sept. 3;
48 AST-16D vs. Hawaii Hilo, Sept. 9.
36 AST-24D vs. Azusa Pacific, Sept. 10;
42 AST-13D vs. Concordia-Oregon, Sept. 24;
55 AST-13D at Northwest Nazarene, Sept. 29;
55 AST-18D at Central Washington, Oct. 1;
39 AST-15D vs. Saint Martin's, Oct.4;
48 AST-13D vs. Montana State Billings, Oct. 6;
31 AST-11D vs. Simon Fraser, Oct. 13;
58 AST-35D vs. Western Washington, Oct. 15
 
DOUBLE-DIGIT DELIGHT
As is plain to see in her numbers above, Symone Tran is a model of steadiness and consistency on the court. Whether it's assists or digs, the sophomore setter can be counted upon to deliver.

 

Those deliveries to the Falcon hitters have added up to a nice accomplishment for Tran. She is now averaging 10 assists per set for the season. Heading into Thursday's match at Concordia, Tran had 713 assists in 71 sets, an average of 10.04.
 
It has been a long while coming. The last – and only time – her average was above 10 was after her very first match as a Falcon. On Sept. 4, 2015 at the Cal State Los Angeles Invitational, Tran had 31 assists in a three-set sweep of Molloy College, giving her an average of 10.33. A few hours later in a three-set loss to Dixie State, she had 19 assists, dropping her average to 8.33. She has been in the 8s and 9s ever since.
 
Tran has been inching closer to the 10 average all year. She was at 9.90 after racking up 48 in a four-set win at home against Montana State Billings on Oct. 6, then pushed it to 9.92 with 31 in a three-set of Simon Fraser last Thursday. Finally, in last Saturday's five-setter against Western Washington in Brougham Pavilion, Tran had a career-high 58 assists, putting her at 713 through 71.
 
HOME SWEET HOMECOMING
They won't exactly be playing in their own back yard or their old neighborhood. But five SPU players won't be far from either one when they take the court at Concordia on Thursday.

 

Of the 15 players on the Falcons' roster, three call Portland their hometown. Junior opposite Hannah Lautenbach and freshman middle blocker Abbey Lautenbach (Hannah's cousin) both played high school volleyball at Westview, 17 miles west of Concordia. Sophomore setter Symone Tran prepped at Jesuit High School in Beaverton, 12 miles to the southwest of the university.
 
Sophomore setter Amanda Ganete hails from Hillsboro, where she attended Liberty High, 19 miles to the west. Junior defensive / serving specialist Sophie Kuehl isn't from Oregon, but grew up right across the Columbia and attended Columbia River High School in Vancouver, 26 miles north of Concordia.
 
UPWARD TREND
Through the first half of GNAC play, Seattle Pacific has improved in most of the major statistical categories.
 
Stat                         Start of GNAC      Start of 2^nd half GNAC
Hitting          .128             .146
Opponent hit     .151             .161
Kills/game      11.07            11.57
Assists/game    10.43            11.00
Aces/game        1.53             1.48
Digs/game       16.87            17.02
Blocks/game      2.57             2.50       
 
FINALLY BACK IN ACTION
 

Senior middle blocker Maddi Hommes got into a match last Saturday for the first time in nearly two years. She last played on Nov. 15, 2014, in all three games of a season-ending sweep at Saint Martin's.
 
Hommes, who led SPU in total blocks that fall with 85, missed the entire 2015 season while recovering from knee surgery.
 
Coach Chris Johnson sent Hommes onto the court for the start of Game 4 against Western Washington, and she stayed on the court the rest of the way. Hommes had three kills with just one error on eight attacks for a .250 hitting percentage.
 
HALF-MILLENNIUM MILESTONES
Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi and sophomore libero Amanda Ganete hit the big 5-0-0 in one stat category apiece last week.

 

Biondi, with a kill midway through the first game against Western Washington, logged her 500th point. She heads into this week with 520.
 
Ganete, with her fourth dig of the night against WWU, reached 500 in that category. She is now at 526, coming off a career-high 30 vs. the Vikings.
 
Biondi is now 28 kills away from her 500th. Symone Tran is 29 digs short of 500.

 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Here's how the Falcons rank in NCAA Division II:
 
TEAM
4th blocks per game 2.60 (2bd GNAC).
7th attacks per game 39.75 (1st GNAC).
9th total blocks 184.5 (2nd GNAC).
39th digs per game 17.89 (5th GNAC).
 
INDIVIDUAL
Shaun Crespi tie 3rd blocks per game 1.59 (2nd GNAC).
Shaun Crespi tie 3rd total blocks 113 (1st GNAC).
Gabby Oddo 25th attacks per game 11.49 (2nd GNAC).
Gabby Oddo 27th total attacks 816 (2nd GNAC).
Symone Tran 59th total assists 713 (3rd GNAC).
 
Click on this link to see where the Falcons rank nationally. Click on this link to how other GNAC teams and players stack up in D2.
 
AROUND THE WEST
Riding a 19-match winning streak and with a 20-1 overall mark – including 10-0 in the GNAC – Alaska Anchorage not only has the inside track to the conference crown, it has the same inside track to a spot in the NCAA West Region tournament. The Seawolves start the second half of the GNAC schedule up by two matches on Western Washington (8-2, 12-6 overall) and up by three on Simon Fraser (7-3, 14-4 overall) and Central Washington (7-3, 11-7).
 
The CCAA, which has a postseason tournament (the only West Region conference that does) is far from clear. Chico State (North) and Cal State Los Angeles (South) lead their respective divisions at 8-2. Chico is 14-5 overall, CSULA is 12-6. The best record in the conference belongs to Cal State San Bernardino at 12-4 (6-2 for second place in the South). UC San Diego, which was the last team to lose a CCAA match, is now 7-3 (10-8 overall) and third in the South.
 
Cal Baptist is atop the Pacific West Conference at 9-1, with a 14-4 overall record. Concordia Irvine is 10-2, with a 19-2 overall mark. The Eagles likely would be a shoo-in for the NCAAs if they were eligible, but they are in their third year of transitioning to Division II and not eligible for postseason play until 2017-18.
 
UP NEXT
October has been a home-friendly month for that Falcons, and that will conclude next week when they return to Brougham Pavilion for matches against Central Washington on Thursday the 27th, and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday the 29th. The first serve for both is at 7:00 p.m. SPU took both teams to five games on the road in the first half of GNAC play before falling just short.
 
Seattle Pacific will follow that with four straight on the road, then will close out the season at home on Nov. 17 and 19 against the Alaska schools.

 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                            Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage               10-0                        20-1
Western Washington             8-2                        12-6
Simon Fraser                          7-3                        14-4
Central Washington               7-3                        11-7
Concordia                                6-4                        10-8
Northwest Nazarene             5-5                         12-5
Seattle Pacific                         4-6                          8-10
Western Oregon                     3-7                          6-11
Saint Martin's                          2-8                          6-8
Montana State Billings          2-8                          3-16
Alaska Fairbanks                   1-9                          2-15