THE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Nov. 1                  Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 7:00 p.m.
                                                Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
                                                Live Webcast       Live stats
 
Saturday, Nov. 5                 Seattle Pacific at Mont. St. Billings, 6:00 p.m. PDT
                                                Alterowitz Gymnasium / Billings, Mont.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 

        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – They found some success at home in October.
 
Now, the Seattle Pacific Falcons will try to carry that onto the road in November.
 
After winning four out of six in Brougham Pavilion during the past four weeks, SPU will wind up the 2016 season by playing four of its final six in other gymnasiums. That starts on Tuesday night about 60 miles down Interstate 5 when the Falcons visit Saint Martin's in Lacey. The first serve in Marcus Pavilion is at 7:00 p.m.
 
The final air trip of the year will come later this week when Seattle Pacific heads to Montana State Billings for Saturday night's match against the Yellowjackets. That one begins at 6:00 p.m. Pacific time.
 
SPU is coming off of a split at home last week, downing Central Washington in five games, then taking the first one from Northwest Nazarene before the Crusaders came back to win in four. In addition to the victory against the Wildcats, the Falcons also beat Saint Martins, Billings, and Simon Fraser in Brougham during October.
 
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.
 
IT WAS A MILESTONE KIND OF NIGHT
A five game victory against any team – particularly a quality team such as Central Washington – is never about any one individual performance.
 
Still, the Falcons did have a handful of noteworthy individual milestones that were achieved when they took down the Wildcats last Thursday in Brougham Pavilion.

-- Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi hammered her 500th career kill. It was part of a productive week for her, as she totaled 31 in the two matches (14 against Central, 17 more on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene) and has 525heading into the final month of her college career.
-- Junior opposite Hannah Lautenbach came up with her 600th career dig, one of 19 she had in that match. Lautenbach had 28 for the week and now totals 612.
-- Sophomore setter Symone Tran put her 500th dig into the book. She had 18 that night, added seven more in the NNU match, and now has 514.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- SPU has won four times outside of Brougham Pavilion this fall, but is still looking for its first GNAC road victory.
-- The Falcons certainly have come close, as three of their previous six conference away matches have gone to the maximum five games (at Alaska Fairbanks, Northwest Nazarene, and Central Washington).
-- There's a chance for Seattle Pacific to sweep both season series. It beat Saint Martin's in three games and Montana State Billings in four during October.
-- Those two home contests were part of a season-high three-match winning streak.
-- The last time either SPU or Billings won both matches was in 2013 when the Falcons swept at home, then pulled out a five-gamer at Billings after dropping the first two games.
-- The Falcons have a 29-match winning streak against Saint Martin's that began in 2002. They have won in three games 13 of the last 14 times.

-- Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi certainly enjoys playing against these teams. She had 16 kills and hit .263 against Saint Martin's last month, and followed up with 13 kills against Billings. Last year, Biondi had a 10 kill-.240 hitting match in Lacey, then came back four days later with a career-high 27 kills, along with .458 hitting in Brougham vs. Billings. For last year's two MSUB matches, Biondi totaled 40 kills and hit .436.
-- SPU had back-to-back .200 hitting matches when these two teams visited Seattle: .204 against the Saints, .205 against the Yellowjackets.
-- Coach Chris Johnson is 23-0 against Saint Martin's and 12-8 against Montana State Billings. That includes 1-0 marks against the first-year coaches for each team: Jon Killingbeck of the Saints and Casey Williams of the Yellowjackets.
 
SCOUTING THE SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS: 6-12, 2-12 GNAC (10th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 50-5. Current series streak: SPU won 28. Last time: SPU 3, Saint Martin's 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-15; Oct. 4 at Seattle). Saints on the Web.
Saints in a nutshell: After a solid start when it won four in a row and five of its first six, things have gotten tough for Saint Martin's. The team will be looking to snap a six-match losing streak, and dropped 11 of 12. Rebecca Mitchell, a 5-foot-9 junior outside hitter, leads the Saints with 193 kills, an average of 3.02 per game, a mark that ranks 11th in the GNAC. Right behind her is 5-10 sophomore outside Rachel Gondrezick, with 182 kills (2.84 average). Mitchell had a team-leading 10 kills against SPU on Oct. 4 in Seattle. Sophomore libero Cassidy Apo helps keep the ball in play with her 276 digs. Vegas Casey, a 6-1 sophomore middle, leads the team with 47 total blocks. She had five, including a solo in the first match vs. the Falcons.
 
SCOUTING THE MSU BILLINGS YELLOWJACKETS: 5-19, 3-11 GNAC (9th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 27-10. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 3, MSUB 1 (25-16, 25-21, 23-25, 25-19; Oct. 6 at Seattle). Yellowjackets on the Web.
Yellowjackets in a nutshell: Billings won two out of three last week, although the first one was a non-conference contest against in-state rival Rocky Mountain College. The GNAC win was a four-gamer against Alaska Fairbanks in which the Jackets bounced back after dropping the first game. Billings has a poternt one-two attacking punch in 6-foot-1 senior outside hitter Ashlyn Ward and 5-8 senior outside Stormy Siemion. Ward's 336 kills are more than anyone else in the GNAC, and her average of 3.61 per game ranks second. The closest person to her in total kills? That would be Siemion, with 322 and a 3.46 average that is No. 3 on the GNAC list. Ward also hits a solid .255 and has 54 total blocks. The Falcons saw plenty of Ward in the match at Seattle Pacific on Oct. 6, when she went for 18 kills, hit .214, and made it a double-double with 10 digs. Coming up biggest on the block for Billings is 5-9 junior middle Casey Rich with 84.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
A trio of Falcons came up with double-doubles last Thursday at home against Central Washington. Colleen Hannigan had her second of the year, thanks to a career-high 20 digs and a career high-tying 16 kills.
 
Symone Tran logged her ninth in 10 matches, giving her 13 for the season, and Hannah Lautenbach recorded her seventh of the season.
 
Seattle Pacific now has 35 double-doubles in 2016.
 
Colleen Hannigan (2 season / 2 career)
16K-15D vs. Hawaii Hilo, Sept. 9;
16K-20D vs. Central Washington, Oct. 27
 
Hannah Lautenbach (7 season / 11 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;
14K-19D vs. Central Washington, Oct. 27.
 
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 (13 season / 26 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;
40 AST-14D at Western Oregon, Oct. 22;
53 AST-18D vs. Central Washington, Oct. 27.

 

IT'S A HUNDRED FOR HANNIGAN
Already enjoying the best season of her career, junior outside hitter Colleen Hannigan notched a couple of nice numbers last week – both of the triple-digit variety.
 
In Thursday's five-game victory against Central Washington, Hannigan's career-high 20 digs pushed her past 100 for the year. She starts this week with 109.
 
Then, the last of her seven kills on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene gave her exactly 100 for the year.
 
Hannigan (Brentwood, Calif.) long ago passed her previous single-season highs in both categories, both of which she set last year: 30 kills and 26 digs.
 
2016 IRONWOMEN INTHE MAKING
Although none of the current Falcons has the possibility of becoming a career ironwoman, four of them are at least on track of achieving that status for this season.
 
Junior opposite Hannah Lautenbach, sophomore libero Amanda Ganete, sophomore setter Symone Tran, and sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi all have been on the court for each of the 87 sets SPU has played.
 
Ganete and Tran have missed just three sets apiece during their careers. An illness kept Ganete home from last year's three-set loss at Montana State Billings. Likewise, Tran missed the three-setter at home against Central Washington last year because of an illness.
 
Lautenbach has been a steady presence for the Falcons, as well. In addition to all 87 sets this year, she played 94 of 99 as a freshman in 2014, and 95 of 96 last season.

 

TAKING OPPORTUNITIES WHERE THEY COME
As the Falcons have gotten further into the second half of the season, freshman libero Katie Mansfield has been earning some regular chances to get onto the court as a serving specialist.
 
Mansfield (Lynnwood, Wash. / Lynnwood HS) saw action in just two of Seattle Pacific's first 14 contests. But now, she has played in the last three in a row and four of the last five. Of her 58 service attempts for the season, she has put 52 of them into play, a percentage of .896.
 
Among those 52 live serves, two have dropped in for aces.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING
Here's how the Falcons rank in NCAA Division II:
 
TEAM
5th blocks per game 2.46 (2nd GNAC).
8th attacks per game 39.59 (1st GNAC).
16th total blocks 214.0 (2nd GNAC).
39th digs per game 17.82 (6th GNAC).
70th total attacks 3,444 (1^st GNAC).
 
INDIVIDUAL
Shaun Crespi 3rd total blocks 133 (1st GNAC).
Shaun Crespi 4th blocks per game 1.53 (2nd GNAC).
Amanda Ganete 74th digs per game 4.80 (5th GNAC).
Amanda Ganete 80th total digs 418 (5th GNAC)
Gabby Oddo 27th attacks per game 11.49 (2nd GNAC).
Symone Tran 57th assists per game 10.11 (5th GNAC)
Symone Tran 60th total assists 880 (2nd GNAC).
 
Click in 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
Following a five-game loss at home to Western Washington on Oct. 22 that ended its 21-match winning streak, Alaska Anchorage had no trouble starting another streak last week, sweeping Alaska Fairbanks and Montana State Billings to retain control of the GNAC. In only one of those six sets did either opponent reach 20 points (Fairbanks got to 21 in the third). The Seawolves (23-2, 13-1 GNAC) remain one match ahead of Western Washington (16-6, 12-2 GNAC). While Anchorage is a shoo-in to be in the NCAA West Regional, Simon Fraser (17-5) and Northwest Nazarene (16-5) are making strong cases for themselves.
 
Chico State (17-6, 11-3 conference) and Cal State San Bernardino (17-4, 11-2 conference) are both pushing themselves closer to the NCAAs. Chico is on top of the North Division in the California Collegiate Athletic Association, one match ahead of Sonoma State (12-9, 10-4). San Bernardino is just barely ahead of Cal State Los Angeles (15-7, 11-3 South Division). All other CCAA teams (except Cal State San Marcos, not yet eligible for postseason) has double-digit losses.
 
Concordia Irvine leapfrogged Cal Baptist to the top of the Pacific West Conference. The Eagles (21-2, 12-2) won their only match, while CBU (16-5, 11-2) split a pair, the loss coming in four games at Chaminade. The Lancers are still in position to win the Pac West's automatic bid to NCAAs, as Concordia Irvine, in its third year of transitioning to Division II, is not yet eligible for postseason play.
 
UP NEXT
Seattle Pacific plays its final road matches of the season next week when it travels to Western Washington and Simon Fraser. The match against the Vikings on Thursday, Nov. 10, will be at Whatcom Community College while renovations continue at WWU's Carver Gymnasium. It will start at 7:00 p.m., as will the match at Simon Fraser on Saturday the 12th in Burnaby, B.C.
 
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference          Overall
Alaska Anchorage          13-1         23-2
Western Washington        12-2         14-6
Simon Fraser              10-4         17-5
Northwest Nazarene         9-5         16-5
Central Washington         9-5         13-9
Concordia                  8-6         12-10
Seattle Pacific            5-9          9-13
Western Oregon             5-9          8-13
Montana State Billings     3-11         5-19
Saint Martin's             2-12         6-12
Alaska Fairbanks           1-13         2-19