CONCORDIA IRVINE LABOR DAY CLASSIC SCHEDULE
All matches at CU Arena / Irvine, Calif.
 
Friday, Sept. 2             Seattle Pacific vs. Concordia Irvine, 1:15 p.m.
                                       Seattle Pacific vs. Azusa Pacific, 5:45 p.m.
 
Saturday, Sept. 3       Seattle Pacific vs. Colorado Christian, 8:45 a.m.
                                       Seattle Pacific at UC San Diego, 3:30 p.m.
 
LIVE WEBCASTS AND LIVE STATS (all matches)
TOURNAMENT HOME PAGE

 
        Weekly release (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – A fresh start.
 
More than anything right now, that's what the Seattle Pacific Falcons want on the volleyball court. And that's what they'll get this weekend in Southern California.
 
Coming off a tough 2015, the Falcons will leave the past in the past, and focus on the present when they serve it up in the 2016 season-opening competition on Friday and Saturday at the Concordia Irvine Labor Day Classic.
 
SPU will play two matches on each day of the two-day tournament in CU Arena. Up first are the host Eagles on Friday at 1:15 p.m., followed by Azusa Pacific at 5:45. Saturday has an early start against Colorado Christian at 8:45 a.m. The tournament concludes for the Falcons at 3:30 p.m. against West Region power UC San Diego.
 
Those will the first of 10 straight road matches to start the season, which includes two tournaments and the first two Great Northwest Athletic Conference contests.
 
Seattle Pacific is seeking to boost its record considerably from last year's 7-21 overall mark. Coach Chris Johnson, entering his 12th year in charge, has nine returners, four of whom were regular starters in 2015, along with six freshmen.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
All 12 tournament matches will have a live webcast and live stats. The appropriate link can be found at the top of this story. The webcast will be through Stretch Internet, which also is the official Internet provider to the GNAC and will have live webcasts of every conference match beginning in mid-September.
 
ABOUT THE TOURNAMENT
With Concordia Irvine entering its second year of transition to NCAA Division II from NAIA, this is Seattle Pacific's first trip to the Eagles' preseason tournament.
 
It features six teams, including fellow GNAC member Simon Fraser. CU Irvine is a Pacific West Conference member, as is Azusa Pacific. UC San Diego is from the California Collegiate Athletic Association and is coming off an appearance in last year's NCAA West Region semifinals. Colorado Christian is from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference.
 
All four of SPU's matches will factor into the West Region rankings that eventually determine who qualifies for the NCAA Tournament. Irvine, Azusa, and San Diego are all West Region schools. Colorado Christian is in the Rocky Mountain Region, but because the RMAC is contiguous to the West, matches against that conference's schools also count for region ranking purposes.
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- The SPU-Irvine match will be the first ever between the schools.
-- The Falcons didn't play Azusa Pacific for the first time until 2013 when the Cougars were transitioning into D2.
-- This is the first time since 1995 that Colorado Christian has been on the SPU schedule. Back then, games were still played to 15 with no rally scoring.
-- Seattle Pacific and UC San Diego played three years in a row from 2011-13, but haven't met since then. How many more times they might play after this weekend is uncertain, as the Triton student body voted overwhelmingly this past spring to move to NCAA Division I.
-- SPU's only victory against the Tritons was a five-gamer at the 2007 Coyote Classic in San Bernardino, Calif. UCSD was ranked No. 4 nationally at the time.
-- The Falcons won two of their eight preseason tournament matches last year, beating Molloy College at the Cal State Los Angeles Invitational, and Academy of Art at the GNAC-Pacific West Crossover in Seattle.
-- SPU and Azusa also tangled in Seattle, with the Cougars winning in three games.
-- With matches against Azusa Pacific in both preseason tournaments, this will mark the third time in five years that the Falcons will play one non-conference opponent twice. It happened in 2012 against Sonoma State (the Seawolves won both) and in 2013 against Cal State Los Angeles (the teams split).
-- The road was not friendly to the Falcons last fall. They got one win on a neutral court (against Molloy in L.A.) and one in a true away match (at Saint Martin's).
-- Of the seven overall victories in 2015, SPU took the opening game in five of those.
-- With next week's D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase taking place at Cal State Dominguez Hills, just 36 miles west of CU Irvine, the team will stay and practice in Southern California before beginning that tournament on Thursday, Sept. 8.
 
SCOUTING THE CONCORDIA IRVINE EAGLES: 14-15 10-10 Pac West (tie 7th)
All-time series: First meeting. Eagles on the Web.
Eagles in a nutshell: Concordia put together some very respectable results last fall, its first year of playing a full Division II schedule. That included a five-match winning streak in the middle of Pac West play, and an early-season four-game victory against eventual NCAA qualifier Point Loma Nazarene. Leading the flock of returners is 6-foot-1 junior outside hitter Rachel Flynn, the team's pacesetter in kills (413), hitting percentage (.239), and solo blocks (15). Middle blocker Kyra Auten, a 6-foot junior, had a team-high 96 total blocks with 13 solos, and added 155 kills and .222 hitting. Setter Logan Grove, now a sophomore, racked up 481 assists, topping the Eagles in that department. Concordia was tough on its home court, going 8-3.
 
SCOUTING THE AZUSA PACIFIC COUGARS: 14-15, 10-10 Pac West (tie 7th)
All-time series: APU leads, 2-0. Current series streak: APU won 2. Last time: APU 3, SPU 0 (25-18, 25-16, 25-18; Sept. 10, 2013 at Seattle). Cougars on the Web.
Cougars in a nutshell: Azusa lost six seniors to graduation. But that departing group did not include the top three threats on offense (two of whom also combined for the most blocks on the team) or the top setter. Out in front of that firepower is 6-1 senior middle blocker Ashley Midland, who logged team highs in kills (224), hitting (.322), and added 93 total blocks. Sophomore outside hitter Ally Gonzalez, a 6-footer, was close behind with 211 kills, and 6-2 middle blocker Crystal Dedes had a team-high 103 blocks (16 solos) to go along with 151 kills, .255 hitting, and 21 service aces, the latter also best for Azusa. Setter Jewels Tavera, now a sophomore, racked up a team-high 640 assists.
 
SCOUTING THE COLO. CHRISTIAN COUGARS: 17-17, 8-10 RMAC (tie 9th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 2-0. Current series streak: SPU won 2. Last time: SPU 3, CCU 2 (15-5, 16-14, 10-15, 9-15, 15-12; Oct. 21, 1995 at Denver). Cougars on the Web.
Cougars in a nutshell: The Cougars had three players with more than 300 kills last year, and two of them are back: 6-foot senior outside hitter Mollie Bailey (316) and 5-11 redshirt junior middle hitter / opposite Sophia Proano (305). They ranked Nos. 2 and 3, respectively, close behind graduated Kaylee Pierce (320), Hope Baldrica, a 6-1 sophomore middle hitter, added 231 kills, was CCU's third-best hitter (.224), and set the pace for total blocks (161) and solos (24). Proano had 82 total blocks, and Bailey was one of the best servers, with a team-leading 34 aces. Also returning is sophomore setter Kylee Wurster, who topped the Cougars in assists with 834, and served up 25 aces. Keeping the ball in play is junior defensive specialist Joelle LeFevre, with 550 digs in 2015.
 
SCOUTING THE UC SAN DIEGO TRITONS: 20-12, 14-6 CCAA (3rd)
All-time series: UCSD leads, 8-1. Current series streak: UCSD won 4. Last time: UCSD 3, SPU 0 (25-11, 25-15, 25-21; Sept. 7, 2013 at San Bernardino, Calif.). Tritons on the Web.
Tritons in a nutshell: Meagan Wright can get the job done offensively and defensively for UC San Diego. The 6-foot senior, who can play outside hitter or middle blocker, led the team with 460 kills last season, and recorded 23 kill-dig double-doubles in 32 matches. She also served up 27 aces and had 52 total blocks. Rebecca Seaberry, a 6-foot middle blocker who's now a junior, led the Tritons with 110 total blocks, including a team-high 14 solos. She also hit .267, hammering 163 kills. Helping give the offense a chance by keeping the ball off the ground is junior Amanda Colla, who has the unusual roster listing of libero and outside hitter. The 5-10 Colla had team highs of 560 digs and 38 service aces.
 
SCOUTING THE 2016 FALCONS
The team kills leader is back. And the blocks leader. And the assists leader.
 
Then add in six other veterans with varying degrees of experience. Finally, roll out the welcome mat for six talented freshmen, any of whom could wind up earning considerable playing time.
 
Put it all together, and it's easy to see why the Seattle Pacific Falcons are excited to take the court.
 
On the list of four returning starters are senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi, junior outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach, sophomore setter Symone Tran, and sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi.

 

The 5-foot-10 Biondi put down a team-high 274 kills last fall. Her average of 3.19 per game ranked sixth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, and Biondi earned a place on the All-GNAC honorable mention list at season's end.

 

Lautenbach, a 6-footer who can be effective anywhere across the net, did a lot of everything for SPU in 2015. She racked up 247 kills (2.60), 232 digs, 70 total blocks and 15 service aces.
 
Tran and Crespi both made big impacts as freshmen. Tran earned 832 assists, an average of 8.95 per game that ranked No. 6 in the GNAC. She also had 232 digs, and put together 13 assist-dig double-doubles in 28 matches. Crespi, at 6-foot-2, got her hands on 80 blocks, including 11 solos, and added 150 kills, as well. She had a block-kill double-double (10 of each) in a match against Alaska Fairbanks.
 
SPU has some additional blocking talent back on the court this ball with the return of Maddi Hommes. Now a senior, she missed the entire 2015 season with a knee injury. As a sophomore in 2014, Hommes led the team in total blocks with 85.

 

Depth at other positions is bolstered by junior outside hitter Colleen Hannigan, junior libero Sophie Kuehl, sophomore libero Amanda Ganete, and sophomore setter Molly Langdon.
 
Among the freshmen, outside hitters Gabby Oddo and Mallie Donohoe, both 5-9, were high school league MVPs last fall. Jaeden Hooker, who helped her team reach the Arizona state quarterfinals in 2015, also plays on the outside.
 
Abbey Lautenbach and Nicole Tchabanov are vying for action at middle blocker. Tchabanov was an East Bay Athletic League honorable mention pick last fall at California High School in San Ramon. Katie Mansfield, a libero, was an all-league first-teamer and an all-area second teamer as a senior in 2015.
 




COACH CHRIS JOHNSON SAYS …
Click on the photo above for a complete video interview with head coach Chris Johnson that looks ahead to the season and to this weekend's tournament.

GNAC COACHES TAB FALCONS FOR 7TH
Coaches from around the Great Northwest Athletic Conference have voted SPU for a seventh-place finish in their preseason poll.
 
The Falcons received 53 points in the polling.
 
Western Washington, which advanced to the national semifinals last fall, is a unanimous pick to win the conference crown. With all 11 first-place votes, the Vikings tallied 121 points. Defending champion Alaska Anchorage was tabbed for second with 104 points, and Northwest Nazarene is picked third with 98.
 
THEY'RE SENIORS NOW
Lexi Biondi and Maddi Hommes have decided that this will be their final season on the volleyball court for SPU.
 
Athletically, both are entering their junior year of eligibility. Biondi missed all but three sets of the 2014 season with a knee injury, and Hommes was out for all of 2015, also with a knee injury. Under NCAA rules, each would have a medical redshirt year available.
 
However, they are also academic seniors and are choosing to move on after graduating in 2017. Biondi is majoring in communications and minoring in business. Hommes is a nursing major.
 
STARTING THE NEXT 300
When the Falcons take the court against Concordia Irvine on Friday, it will Chris Johnson's 301st match as head coach.
 
Through his first 11 seasons since taking the helm in 2005, Johnson has a 181-119 record. His 100th match was in Brougham Pavilion against Alaska Anchorage in 2008, and the 200th came in California against UC San Diego in 2012. The 300th was last year's home and season finale against Simon Fraser.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
SPU has three returning players this fall who have recorded double-doubles.

 

Leading the way is sophomore setter Symone Tran (Portland, Ore.), who has 13, all of them assist-dig. It took her five matches as a freshman last fall to get her first one, but after that, they started coming with regularity. Tran had one stretch of four straight matches with a double-double. She comes into the year on a two-match streak, having gotten one against Western Washington and against Simon Fraser to finish off 2015.
 
Junior outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach (Portland, Ore.) has four career double-doubles, with three of them last year. And sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi (Camarillo, Calif.) has one, hers being a kill-block (10 of each) last Oct. 29 at home against Alaska Fairbanks.
 
IT RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Hannah and Abbey Lautenbach no doubt will be hearing the question a lot: Are you two sisters?
 
Same hometown (Portland, Ore.), same high school (Westview), and of course, same last name. But Hannah (the junior) and Abbey (the freshman) are cousins.
 
That's not the only current family connection on the team. Assistant coach Lindsey Wodrich was the second from her household to play volleyball at SPU. She was on the court from 2008-11. Older sister Angie was a Falcon from 2004-07.
  
CRESPI, TRAN OFF TO A GOOD START
In the 30-year history of the program, the Falcons have had just four players lead a particular statistical category for all four years of their career.

 

Sophomores Shaun Crespi and Symone Tran have at least started on their way to joining that still-very exclusive club.
 
Middle blocker Crespi topped SPU in total blocks last year with 80. Setter Tran was by far and away the leader in assists with 895.
 
Of the previous Falcons who went 4-for-4, two are on the assists list: Deri Paulson from 1986-89, and Jenna Von Moos from 2003-06.
 
The others are Anna Herold (digs from 2008-11) and Nikki Lowell (total blocks from 2010-13).
 
UP NEXT
SPU will play the last of its two preseason tournaments next week in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase at Cal State Dominguez Hills. The Falcons will face Humboldt State on Thursday, Sept. 8, at 2:00 p.m., host Dominguez Hills on Friday the 9th at 2:30 p.m., Hawaii Hilo that same day at 7:30 p.m., and Azusa Pacific on Saturday the 10th at 1:00 p.m.
 
The GNAC schedule begins in Alaska, with a trip to Fairbanks on Sept. 17 and then to Anchorage on Sept. 19, both starting at 8:00 p.m. Pacific time. The home opener is Thursday, Sept. 22, against Western Oregon at 7:30 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion.