THE SCHEDULE
Friday, May 14                Western Washington at Seattle Pacific, 5:00 p.m.
                                         Brougham Pavilion / Seattle, Wash.
                                         Live Webcast        Live stats
 
Saturday, May 15             Seattle Pacific at Western Washington, 12:30 p.m. / 5:00 p.m.
                                         Carver Gymnasium / Bellingham, Wash.
                                         Live Webcast        Live stats
 

SEATTLE – What began in Kirkland on the last weekend of February will end in Seattle and Bellingham on the middle weekend of May.
 
The first springtime volleyball season in Seattle Pacific history – and presumably, the only springtime volleyball season in Seattle Pacific history – will conclude with a three-match series against arch-rival Western Washington.
 
SPU will be at home for the first contest, set for Friday at 5:00 p.m. in Brougham Pavilion. Then, it will be a trip to Bellingham on Saturday for a doubleheader in Carver Gymnasium. The first match is at 12:30 p.m., and the second will follow at 5:00 p.m.
 
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic forced the cancelation of the 2020 season for the usual fall sports, which includes volleyball. Teams within the Great Northwest Athletic Conference were given the option to schedule independently, and the Falcons put together a busy slate that has stretched nearly three months, beginning with a doubleheader sweep at Northwest University on Feb. 27.
 
Seattle Pacific (10-5) is coming off a pair of three-game sweeps against Western Oregon last Saturday in Brougham.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, fans will not be allowed to attend any of this year's matches, home or away. However, they can keep up with all the action online with free live Webcasts and free live stats. The appropriate links for all three of this weekend's matches can be found at the top of this story.
 
SAYING SO LONG TO STEG
Gabi Stegemoller, who became a big presence as a middle blocker during her time at SPU, will be honored with a senior salute prior to Friday's match against Western Washington.

 

Stegemoller, who hails from Beaverton, Oregon, joined the Falcons as a freshman in 2017 and saw playing time in 19 of the 28 matches, starting 11 of them, and accumulated 43 total blocks to go along with 86 kills.
 
By her sophomore year, Stegemoller was seeing regular playing time, starting 24 of the 26 matches she played. In those 26 matches, she had at least one block in 25 of them, multiple blocks in 19 others, and hit .300 or better eight times.
 
She also racked up impressive numbers during her junior season that ultimately was cut short by an injury. Stegemoller recorded 72 blocks, hit in the .600s twice, the .400s five times, and the .300s three times.
 
That injury ultimately kept Stegemoller out of action throughout the 2021 spring schedule. She finished her career with 193 total blocks, 349 kills, and a .228 hitting percentage.
 
A nursing major, Stegemoller made the GNAC All-Academic team three times.
 
Maddie Batiste is SPU's other senior, but she is electing to come back and play next fall. The NCAA granted an additional year of eligibility to all fall sports athletes if they choose to use it.
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN WASHINGTON VIKINGS: 7-1
All-time series: WWU leads, 52-27. Current series streak: WWU won 1. Last time: WWU 3, SPU 1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23 (Match 2); April 24 at Seattle). Last SPU series win: SPU 3, WWU 1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-17, 25-20 (Match 1); April 24 at Seattle ). Vikings on the Web.
Vikings in a nutshell: The Vikings have the top hitter in the GNAC, as junior 6-foot-2 middle blocker Olivia Fairchild is at .348. That's a 37-point jump from the .311 she was hitting before SPU and Western met for their April three-match series. In fact, the Vikings are 1-2 in GNAC hitting, as junior 6-foot middle blocker Chloe Roetcisoender is close behind at .340. Fairchild and Roetcisoender also ranks Nos. 1 and 3 on conference blocking list, with Fairchild at 1.52 and Roetcisoender at 1.27. Sophomore 6-1 outside hitter Calley Heilborn averages 3.52 kills per set, ranking No. 2 in the GNAC. When she's not putting the ball on the floor, she's keeping it off the floor with an average of 4.22 digs per set, the No. 6 GNAC mark. Sending the ball her way is sophomore 5-7 setter Malia Aleaga, who averages 10.62 assists per set – the only conference player with an average in the 10s. In the GNAC, the Vikings are atop both sides of the hitting equation: They hit .254; their opponents are at just .128.
 
SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- With a 10-5 record, the Falcons have clinched a winning season.
-- That will be the second such season in the four-year tenure of head coach Abbie Wright. Her first Falcons team in 2017 went 15-13. She comes into this weekend with her record now level at 49-49.
-- When the Falcons won the opener of a doubleheader on April 24, it snapped a 13-match losing streak against Western Washington. Prior to that, the last time SPU had beaten the Vikings was Oct. 24, 2013 in Bellingham.
-- That also gave Wright at least one win against each of the of the other nine GNAC schools.
 

-- Redshirt freshman opposite Maddie Pruden went for double-digit kills in all three matches against WWU last time: 12 on Western's court, then 12 and 11 on SPU's court.
 

-- The Falcons have had just one performance of 20 kills this season, and that was senior outside hitter Maddie Batiste in the four-set victory against Western Washington on April 24. She hit .319 in that match, her second-highest mark of the spring.
-- SPU had not hit .300 in any of its first 13 matches, but then did so twice against Western Oregon last Saturday: .340 in the first, .347 in the second.
-- The Falcons had dropped below .200 hitting for the season, coming into last Saturday's twin bill against Western Oregon with a .188 mark. But they added 15 percentage points and start the final weekend at .203.
 

-- In her last three matches, freshman Sydney Perry has hit a combined .480 (15 kills-3 errors-25 attacks). That included eight kills, .375 hitting, and four blocks assists when she got the start against Western Washington in the second match of the April 24 doubleheader.
-- SPU comes into the final weekend with two players hitting in the .300s: Hannah Hair at .326 and Pruden at .302. If both maintain that, it will be the first time since 2012 that two Falcons have hit .300 or better for the season. That year, Jackie Arnold finished at .326 and Nikki Lowell hit .310.
 
COACH ABBIE WRIGHT SAYS …
 

(On getting to play three more matches against WWU)
"We played well against them (last time) and I think we've gotten better. I'm excited to see our team play with more and more confidence."
 
(On reaching the final weekend of the season)
"It's kind of weird that this covid year is almost done. We're excited for it to be almost done, but we're excited for our growth. I'm glad we got a mini-season in. We're going to be blessed later on that we got this time to grow, and the girls are really taking advantage of it."
 
GNAC SPOTLIGHT SHINES ON GOULD, HAIR
Erin Gould, who slammed 19 kills and hit .500 in two matches combined against Western Oregon, and Hannah Hair, who recorded 10 total blocks were named GNAC Players of the Week on Monday.
 
Junior outside hitter Gould was honored for her work on offense, and freshman middle blocker Hair for hers on defense.
 
 

Gould slammed 19 kills and hitting .500 in the two matches combined. That included a dazzling .800 with eight kills and no errors on 10 attacks in the opener. She had 11 kills and just two errors on 24 attacks in the nightcap for a .375 hitting percentage.
 
 

Hair recorded 10 total blocks – five in each match. Her numbers were the same for: four blocks assists and one solo. She was just as effective on offense as she was on defense, with 15 kills in the two matches combined and just one error for the entire day on 24 attacks for a .583 hitting percentage.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Ashley Antoniak (1 season / 1 career)
10K-17D at Saint Martin's 2, March 2
 
Maddie Batiste (3 season / 19 career)
13K-12D vs. Alaska Anchorage 2, March 20
16K-14D vs. Central Washington 1, April 3
15K-15D vs. Central Washington 2, April 3
12K-17D vs. Northwest Nazarene, April 10
 
Lindsey Lambert (7 season / 12 career)
33 AST-15D at Saint Martin's 1, March 2
31 AST-11D at Saint Martin's 2, March 2
25 AST-11D vs. Alaska Anchorage 2, March 20
34 AST-12D vs. Central Washington 1, April 3
37 AST-14D vs. Central Washington 2, April 3
47 AST-18D vs. Western Washington 1, April 24
31 AST-14D vs. Western Washington 2, April 24
 
Lindsay Rosenthal (1 season / 1 career)
12K-13D vs. Northwest Nazarene, April 10
 
MARCH TO A MILESTONE
In the making
100^th block            Hannah Hair (has 78.0)
200^th assist           Austin Ibale (has 154)
200^th kill              Erin Gould (has 193)
200^th point            Hannah Hair (has 182.5)
300^th point            Erin Gould (has 272.5)
 
Made last week
None