THE SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 16               Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, 7:00 p.m.
                                                New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
 
Saturday, Nov. 18                Seattle Pacific at Concordia-Portland, 7:00 p.m.
                                                LCEF Court / Portland, Ore.
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats
 
  
        Weekly release, with complete updated stats (PDF)
 
SEATTLE – And so it's down to this:
 
The final two volleyball matches of the season for the Seattle Pacific Falcons.
 
Having closed the home portion of their 2017 schedule on a winning note last Saturday, SPU will take to the road to conclude Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. First up is a trip to Monmouth for Thursday's match against Western Oregon. Then, it's off to the Rose City for Saturday's finale at Concordia-Portland. The first serve for both is at 7:00 p.m.
 
The Falcons have not seen these two teams for two months. They opened their GNAC calendar against them back in mid-September in Brougham Pavilion, falling to Concordia in four games, but sweeping the Wolves two nights later.
 
Seattle Pacific is coming off a split week at home, having taken No. 8-ranked Western Washington to five games before falling short last Thursday, then bouncing back for a four-game win against Simon Fraser two days later.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live stats and free live Webcasts will be available from all GNAC matches, home and away. Appropriate links for this week's contests are available at the top of this story.
 
THREESOME IN FINAL PUSH FOR MILESTONES
As they head to Oregon, three Seattle Pacific players are within reach of significant career marks.
 
Senior middle blocker / opposite Hannah Lautenbach is just 21 digs away from 1,000. If she can get there, she will be just the 10th player in school history with 1,000 digs. (Junior libero Amanda Ganete became No. 9 earlier this year.) And, it would be Lautenbach's second 'grand' in a month's time. She passed the 1,000-point mark on Oct. 19.
 
Junior setter Symone Tran is a mere six assists from 3,000. At 2,994, she has a better-than-average chance of reaching 3K by the end of Thursday's Game 1 at Western Oregon. And, depending on how far this week's matches go – three, four or five games each – she might be able to pick up the 79 assists she needs to move into the No. 5 spot on the school's all-time career list (3,073 for Heather Peterson from 1991-94).
 
Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Oddo heads into the week with 364 kills, and needs just 18 more to set the record for the most ever by an SPU sophomore. The mark to beat is 381, set by Alyssa Given during the 2005 season. Given went on to set (and still owns) the program record for career kills with 1,454.

 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- Even before stepping onto the court, SPU already has its highest win total (13) since the 2013 season, when it went 15-11. That also was the last time the team finished above .500.
-- Thursday's match at Western Oregon gives the Falcons a chance at their fourth series sweep of the season. They already have taken both matches from Saint Martin's, Montana State Billings, and Simon Fraser.
-- Seattle Pacific will go for a season split at Concordia-Portland. Their other split this season came against Alaska Fairbanks.
-- Although they went 4-6 at home, the Falcons are 9-7 away from Seattle, and have won at least one match on all but one of their multi-match road trips.
-- That road record includes three victories in Western Oregon's New P.E. Building. SPU was there in September for the D2 West Region Showcase, and won three out of four matches.
-- Two of those wins in Monmouth were among the most dramatic of the season. The Falcons came from 2-1 down to beat Cal State East Bay in five games, then dropped the first two against Fresno Pacific before coming back to win in five. SPU closed with a four-game win vs. Cal State San Marcos.
-- Against Western Oregon, however, the going has been tough in Monmouth recently. Seattle Pacific's last win there was a five-gamer in 2013. The Wolves swept in 2014 and '15, and took a four-gamer last fall.
-- The Falcons swept at home against WOU in September, but had to come from 21-16 down in Game 3 to put the 'W' in the books.
-- SPU has yet to win even a set at Concordia since the Portland school joined the GNAC in 2015.
-- In fact, the Cavaliers have won four straight matches from the Falcons after SPU took the inaugural conference contest between them in 2015, that one in Brougham Pavilion.
-- SPU sophomore outside hitter Gabby Oddo and Concordia senior middle blocker Colby Barnette had quite the individual statistical battle in Seattle on Sept. 24. Oddo had an error-free match with 10 kills on 26 attacks for a .385 hitting percentage. Barnette also swung 26 times, with 13 kills and just one error for a .462 percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: 6-19, 2-16 GNAC (11th)
All-time series: SPU leads, 28-18. Current series streak: SPU won 1. Last time: SPU 3, WOU 0 (25-17, 25-20, 26-24; Sept. 16 at Seattle). Wolves on the Web. Wolves in a nutshell: Western Oregon will take the court Thursday night looking to snap a 10-match losing streak. The Wolves have been swept in seven of their last eight, including both matches in Alaska last weekend. Alisha Bettinson, a 5-foot-10 senior outside hitter, is one of the GNAC's top offensive threats, with 314 kills, an average of 3.53 per game that ranks No. 7 in the conference. She had 11 against SPU in September. Senior 6-foot middle blocker Sydney Blankinship is No. 11 among GNAC hitters at .260. Another big option when the ball is on the Wolves' side of the net is 6-foot junior opposite Mariella Vandenkooy. She had 12 kills and hit .281 at Seattle Pacific in September.
 
SCOUTING THE CONCORDIA-PORTLAND CAVALIERS: 12-13, 7-11 GNAC (7th).
All-time series: SPU leads, 7-5. Current series streak: CU won 3. Last time: CU 3, SPU 1 (25-23, 25-17, 21-25, 25-23; Sept. 14 at Seattle). Cavaliers on the Web.
Cavaliers in a nutshell: Concordia has won three of its last four after halting a four-match losing streak. The Cavs split last week in Alaska, winning a four-gamer at Fairbanks before falling in three at Anchorage. They know how to find the floor, ranking No. 4 in the GNAC at 12.83 kills per game. Having a lot to do with that is 5-foot-9 senior opposite Lindsey Dorsey. She has 335 kills, a 3.56 per-game average that ranks No. 6 in the conference. The Falcons are fully aware of what she's capable of doing, as she had 14 kills in September's four-game victory at Seattle, and went off for 23 in a match against SPU year. Just as dangerous is senior 6-foot middle blocker Colby Barnette. She hits .306 to rank No. 6 in the GNAC, and her 2.88 kills per game is No. 14 on the conference list. Barnette also is effective on the block with an average of 1.18 per game that is sixth-highest among GNAC players.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
The Falcons racked up six double-doubles last week – two apiece for Gabby Oddo, Hannah Lautenbach, and Symone Tran. In the Western Washington match, Lautenbach's and Tran's each included a career high: 26 digs for Lautenbach, 68 assists for Tran. With two matches left, Tran now has matched last season's output of 16 double-doubles.

Shaun Crespi
(1 season / 1 career)
11K-12B vs. Saint Martin's, Sept.26
 
Colleen Hannigan
(0 season / 4 career)
 
Hannah Lautenbach
(14 season / 25 career)
15K-14D vs. UC Colo. Springs, Aug. 31
12K-11D at Hawaii Pacific, Sept. 1
11K-10D at Chaminade, Sept. 2
11K-15D vs. Cal State East Bay, Sept. 8
17K-12D at Alaska Fairbanks, Sept. 21
10K-14D at Alaska Anchorage, Sept. 23
14K-11D vs. Saint Martin's, Sept. 26
12K-17D at Montana State Billings, Sept. 28
12K-23D vs. Northwest Nazarene, Oct. 5
20K-19D vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Oct. 21
11K-11D vs. Montana State Billings, Oct. 28
15K-15D at Central Washington, Nov. 2
20K-26D vs. Western Washington, Nov. 9
14K-14D vs. Simon Fraser, Nov. 11
 
Gabby Oddo
(7 season / 20 career)
10K-10D vs. Western Oregon, Sept. 16
18K-10D at Alaska Anchorage, Sept. 23
20K-10D vs. Saint Martin's, Sept. 26
21K-15D vs. Alaska Anchorage, Oct. 19
15K-16D vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Oct. 21
21K-10D vs. Western Washington, Nov. 9
17K-10D vs. Simon Fraser, Nov. 11
 
Symone Tran
(16 season / 45 career)
47 AST-16D vs. UC Colo. Springs, Aug. 31
48 AST-14D vs. Cal State East Bay, Sept. 8
43 AST-12D vs. Concordia-Portland, Sept. 14
31 AST-14D vs. Western Oregon, Sept. 16
58 AST-10D at Alaska Fairbanks, Sept. 21
34 AST-17D at Alaska Anchorage, Sept. 23
54 AST-14D vs. Saint Martin's, Sept. 26
55 AST-16D at Montana State Billings, Sept. 28
36 AST-22D vs. Northwest Nazarene, Oct. 5
45 AST-17D vs. Central Washington, Oct. 7
51 AST-14D vs. Alaska Fairbanks, Oct. 21
32 AST-10D at Saint Martin's, Oct. 24
30 AST-13D vs. Montana State Billings, Oct. 28
43 AST-12D at Central Washington, Nov. 2
68 AST-17D vs. Western Washington, Nov. 9
50 AST-26D vs. Simon Fraser, Nov. 11

CLASSY PERFORMANCES IN CLASS
With seniors Colleen Hannigan and Sophie Kuehl each making it for the third time, Seattle Pacific placed eight players on the GNAC All-Academic volleyball team.
 
That ties the program record, originally set in 2014, for most players on the elite squad.
 
Hannigan (photo left) is a business administration major with a 3.60 grade-point average. Kuehl (photo right) is a communications major with a 3.53.
 
Making the team for the second time are juniors Symone Tran and Amanda Ganete. Tran, a biochemistry major, has the highest GPA among the eight-player group with a 3.71.
 
First-time honorees are senior Hannah Lautenbach, and sophomores Mallie Donohoe, Gabby Oddo, and Nicole Tchabanov.
 
To make the team, players must have at least a 3.20 GPA, be a sophomore or higher, and must be in at least their second year with the team.
 
THAT WAS SOME KINDA SENIOR DAY
Before taking the court against Simon Fraser last Saturday, seniors Colleen Hannigan, Sophie Kuehl, and Hannah Lautenbach were honored for their contributions to the SPU program.
 
Then, they went out and kept contributing.
 
Lautenbach had a double-double of 14 kills and 14 digs, Hannigan added seven kills and three blocks assists, and Kuehl came up with 11 digs and three service aces in the four-game win.
 
Appropriately, all three had a role in the final surge to win the match. Hannigan started it with a kill for a 20-19 lead in Game 4. After Simon Fraser tied it up at 20, a Lautenbach kill put SPU ahead for good. That gave the serve to Kuehl, and she never gave it back. After a pair of Clan attack errors, Lautenbach slammed a kill to set up match point.
 
Kuehl then smacked a serve that nicked the net cord on the way over, took a dip, and landed onto a wide-open hunk of hardwood to clinch it.
 
NOTEWORTHY NUMBERS
SPU players have a handful of places among the top 10 in the GNAC – and this week, there's a new name on the list. Freshman middle blocker Gabi Stegemoller (photo left) now has enough attacks to qualify in hitting percentage, and she immediately jumped into No. 7 at .289.

 
Symone Tran No. 2 in total assists with 1,077.
Tran No. 4 in assists per game at 10.16.
Nicole Tchabanov No. 4 in blocks per game at 1.12.
Gabby Oddo No. 5 in total kills with 364.
Oddo No. 6 in total points at 402.5
Gabi Stegemoller No. 7 in hitting percentage at .289.
Oddo No. 8 in kills per game at 3.47.
Oddo No. 9 in points per game at 3.83.
Amanda Ganete No. 9 in digs per game at 4.55.

 AROUND THE WEST
The GNAC championship and ensuing automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament could be determined on Thursday night when second-place Northwest Nazarene (16-2) visits first-place Western Washington (17-1). The Vikings' only loss in conference play was at NNU on Sept. 16. They have won 16 straight since then. A WWU win clinches the crown. A Nighthawks victory creates a tie and gives them the tiebreaker if it's still deadlocked after Saturday's regular-season finales (NNU at Simon Fraser, Central Washington at Western). Regardless, both are a lock to make NCAAs.
 
Cal Baptist is officially the Pacific West Conference champion, winning two more matches last week to improve to 26-0 overall, 18-0 in conference. The Lancers play their final two regular-season matches this week, and as of now have the inside track to serve as the West Region host.
 
Sonoma State (20-7 14-4 conference) won the California Collegiate Athletic Association's North Division title at 11-1. Cal State San Bernardino (18-7 14-3 conference), riding a seven-match winning streak, claimed the South with an 8-2 record. The CCAA plays a postseason tournament (the only West Region conference to do so) to determine its automatic qualifier.

UP NEXT: 2018
When the Falcons return to action late next summer, they will head to a yet-to-be-determined Pacific West Conference venue for the Division II West Region Showcase. This will be the third year of the initial three-year agreement between the GNAC, Pac West and California Collegiate Athletic Association. The Showcase is set for Labor Day weekend.
 
That will be the only preseason tournament next year. The GNAC schedule begins a week earlier than normal (Thursday and Saturday, Sept. 6 and 8) because 2018 is a Division II Fall Sports Festival, which takes place every three years. The regular season will end on the second weekend of November instead of the third weekend.
 
 
GNAC STANDINGS
                                                Conference                  Overall
Western Washington       17-1           23-3
Northwest Nazarene       16-2           24-2
Central Washington       14-4           19-7
Alaska Anchorage         13-5           18-9
Simon Fraser             10-8           13-13
Seattle Pacific           8-10          13-13
Concordia-Portland        7-11          12-13
Alaska Fairbanks          4-14           7-15
Saint Martin's            4-14           9-17
Montana State Billings    4-14           8-20
Western Oregon            2-16           6-19