THE SCHEDULE 
Thursday, Sept. 14              Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon, 7:00 p.m. 
                                                New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore. 
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats 
 
Saturday, Sept. 16               Seattle Pacific at Saint Martin's, 3:00 p.m. 
                                                Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash. 
                                                Live Webcast        Live stats 
 
 
SEATTLE – Momentum is on their side. The next challenge for Seattle Pacific as it heads into the Great Northwest Athletic Conference portion of the volleyball schedule is to keep it there. 
 
Riding a five-match winning streak from a pair of preseason tournaments in California, the Falcons will remain on the road to start GNAC play. Up first is a trip to Western Oregon in Monmouth on Thursday, with the first serve at 7:00 p.m. 
 
Then on Saturday, they're off to Lacey for a contest at Saint Martin's. That one begins at 3:00 p.m. 
 
After splitting four matches at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego on Sept. 1 and 2, SPU headed to San Marcos for last weekend's Cougar Classic and went 4-0- inside The Sports Center at Cal State San Marcos. The Falcons were the only team to go undefeated through the tournament, beating Concordia Irvine, host CSUSM, St. Edward's and Colorado School of Mines. 
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE 
All GNAC matches home and away will have free live Webcasts on YouTube, and free live stats. The appropriate links for this week's matches are at the top of this story. 
 
SPELL IT M-V-P 
Senior outside hitter / opposite Sarah Brachvogel was named the Most Valuable Player of the Cougar Classic. 
 
 

Brachvogel started the tournament with a career-high 23 kills in a 3-2 victory against Concordia Irvine last Friday, and she did it on solid .321 hitting, also coming up with 11 digs. She added 14 more kills plus 11 digs in a 3-0 win against Cal State San Marcos. Then on Saturday, Brachvogel put 15 kills on the floor to help SPU beat St. Edward's, 3-1. She closed her preseason with eight kills on .316 hitting in a 3-0 sweep of Colorado Mines. 
 
For the weekend, she totaled 59 kills, 34 digs, seven blocks, and three service aces. 
 
Joining Brachvogel on the All-Tournament team were five fellow Falcons: middle blockers Hannah Hair, Erin Smith, and Allison Wilks, opposite Maddie Pruden, and setter Emily Tulino. 
 
SPELL IT P-O-W 
On Monday, Brachvogel's efforts gained some notice around the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, as she was named the Offensive Player of the Week. 
 
It is her first GNAC honor. 
 
A TOP-3 FINISH PREDICTED FOR FALCONS 
Seattle Pacific was  picked for a third-place finish in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in the preseason coaches poll that was announced on Aug. 16. 
 
The Falcons received 72 points in the voting, putting them one point ahead of No. 4 Simon Fraser. Central Washington was a unanimous selection at No. 1, receiving all 10 first-place votes and 100 points. 
 
It is SPU's highest preseason ranking since coming in No. 4 in 2012. In addition, the Falcons are in the top three for the first time since 2011, when they were picked No. 1. 
 




SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK? 
-- This week's matches will feature three of the top four hitting teams in the GNAC. SPU is No. 1 at .268, Western Oregon is No. 2 at .250, and Saint Martin's is No. 4 at .235.
-- SPU's five-match winning streak ties its longest streak from 2022.
-- If the Falcons win on Thursday, it will be their first six-match streak since 2021. 
-- The 6-2 start is the team's best since 2014. That team also was 6-2 on the way to a 9-2 start, but ultimately finished at 12-14. 
-- Seattle Pacific has a 9-12 record in GNAC openers. 
-- Last year, the Falcons were swept on the road in their opener at then-No. 11 Western Washington, 25-19, 25-17, 25-23.
-- Their most recent conference-opening win was 3-1 at home against Northwest Nazarene in 2021. 
-- In four of their six wins, the Falcons have taken the first set. In the other two, Concordia Irvine last Friday and St. Edward's last Saturday took Set 1. But SPU beat the Golden Eagles 3-2 and the Hilltoppers 3-1. 
-- Seattle Pacific took both matches from Western Oregon and from Saint Martin's last year. On the road, which came near the end of the season, they beat the Saints, 3-1, and swept the Wolves 3-0. 
-- Already with six out-of-town victories, SPU is one win away from matching last year's total of seven: 5-7 in true road matches and 2-3 on neutral courts. The Falcons are currently 1-1 in true road matches (losing at Point Loma Nazarene, but defeating Cal State San Marcos). 
-- Head coach Jason Rhine is 2-0 against both schools. 
 
SCOUTING THE WESTERN OREGON WOLVES: 6-2, 0-0 GNAC 
All-time series: SPU leads, 38-13.  Current series streak: SPU won 2.  Last time: SPU 3, WOU 0 (25-20, 25-19, 25-23; Oct. 29, 2022 at Monmouth).  Last WOU series win: WOU 3, SPU 0 (25-17, 25-21, 25-22; Oct. 28, 2021 at Monmouth, Ore.).  Wolves on the Web. 
Wolves in a nutshell: After winning all four matches at the season-opening Stanislaus State Tournament – three of them in 3-0 sweeps – Western Oregon split four matches in last weekend's Mountain Lion Classic at UC Colorado Springs. Junior outside hitter Madison Hornback is the biggest threat up front for the Wolves, having put 96 kills on the floor through the first eight matches, a 3.56 per-set average that ranks No. 2 in the GNAC. And she does it with .302 hitting accuracy, ranking No. 8. Hornback has had double-digit kills in seven of the eight matches, with a season-high 15 on .528 hitting in a 3-0 sweep of Western Colorado last Saturday. Right in front of her at No. 7 on the conference hitting list is teammate Bailee Hartsock, a junior 5-9 outside hitter who is at .305. Sophomore 6-2 middle blocker Chloe Asciutto has delivered 18 service aces for a GNAC-leading average of 0.67.  
 
SCOUTING THE SAINT MARTIN'S SAINTS: 5-3, 0-0 GNAC. 
All-time series: SPU leads, 63-6.  Current series streak: SPU won 5.  Last time: SPU 3, STM 1 (14-25, 25-16, 25-16, 25-16; Oct. 27, 2022 at Lacey).  Last STM series win: STM 3, SPU 2 (17-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-22, 15-12; March 2, 2021 at Lacey).  Saints on the Web. 
Saints in a nutshell: Saint Martin's split four contests to start the season at the Westminster Tournament in Salt Lake City, even getting a set off then-No. 17 Nebraska Kearney. The Saints joined Western Oregon at the Mountain Lion Classic last week, winning their first three before falling to now-No. 10 Nebraska-Kearney, this time by a 3-0 margin. Freshman 5-foot-10 outside hitter Emily Garten is already establishing herself as a force up front with 104 kills through eight matches, averaging 3.47 per set to rank No. 4 in the GNAC. She had 23 kills in a 3-2 loss to Texas Woman's University. Saint Martin's has two of the top 10 conference hitters: junior 6-foot middle blocker Jennifer Soha is No. 3 at .372, and senior 6-1 middle blocker Maddy Gooding tied for No. 9  at .302. Gooding also has 27 blocks Setting them up is 5-10 senior Karla Soto, whose 315 total assists and 10.50 average are easily top in the GNAC. 
 
THEY'RE NO. 1 
Along with being the best-hitting team in the GNAC, Seatlte Pacific is also the toughest team to hit against. Falcons opponents hit just .165. Western Oregon's defense is close behind at .172.
 
SPU also ranks No. 2 in kills per set at 13.38 (Simon Fraser is No. 1 at 13.41) and is No. 1 in assists at 12.45, just ahead of No. 2 Saint Martin's at 12.40. 
 

 

Individually, it's a similar story. Senior middle blockers Allison Wilks and Hannah Hair are 1-2 in GNAC hitting percentage at .455 and .409. Between the two of them, they have a combined 111 kills and just 19 errors on 214 attacks. Senior outside hitter / opposite Sarah Brachvogel ranks No. 3 in kills at 3.48. 
 
Defensively, Hair is still her usual solid self, tied for No. 1 in blocking average at 1.48 per set, with 40 total. The only player with more is Central Washington's Emma Doud-Hebert with 43 total and the same 1.48 per-set average. Hair's 10 solos are tied for the most in the league.

Click on this link for a complete look at GNAC statistical leaders.
 
NATIONALLY SPEAKING 
Those are certainly all solid numbers. But how about within the entirety of NCAA Division II?

Allison Wilks is No. 5 and Hannah Hair is No. 17 on the hitting list. The leaders is Kiera Washington of Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama. 
 
SPU's team hitting percentage ranks No. 15. On top is Grand Valley State of Michigan at .379. The Falcons are No. 12 in blocks at 2.50 per set and No. 28 in assists at 12.45.

Click on this link to see the Falcons' rankings within D2. Click on this link to see how other GNAC teams and players stack up in D2.
 
COACH JASON RHINE SAYS ...
(On going 4-0 in the tournament) 
"I think we knew it was a fun weekend and it would be competitive matches, and we thought that if we played our vest, we could compete with every team here. Obviously, it was one game at a time. There were some close ones, some really close sets. But we're obviously happy to come out 4-and-0. I thought we played really well as the tournament progressed." 

  

(On what that means going forward) 
"It just showed us a lot of what we're capable of and what it means to work every point of every single set. You can only get to experience that by playing against other teams, and that was just a fun way to get some matches against competitive teams." 
 
(On the offensive and defensive play) 
"I thought they complimented each other really well. Defensively, Colorado Mines has a very complex offense, and I thought we did a good job of keying into it early and slowing it down and giving ourselves a lot of transition opportunities for our hitters. I thought our hitters did a really good job of taking advantage of the sets that we were getting out of the situation. It was a fun way to finish with offense and defense performing really well in that (Mines) match." 
 
EARLY-SEASON IRONWOMEN 
Last fall, five Falcons got onto the court for all 100 sets that the team played. Of those five, four of them are back, and three of them – Maddie Pruden, Emily Tulino, and Allison Wilks – have been in all 29 sets through the first two weekends. 
 
Joining them for all 29 are Sarah Brachvogel, Abigail Cunningham, Erin Smith, and freshman setter Sophia Chambers. 
 
Going ironwoman in any capacity is a sizable challenge, whether it's for a season or for an entire career. While seven are on that path so far this year and five pulled it off in 2022, nobody played in all 91 sets of the 2021 season  
 
In fact, in the 37-year history of the SPU program just two players –Nikki Lowell (2010-13) and Breanne Wiekamp (2012-15) played every single set in their entire careers. 
 
MARCH TO A MILESTONE 
In the making 
100th block     Sydney Perry (has 94) 
100th dig       Brianna Ingram (has 99) 
200th dig       Sarah Brachvogel (has 158) 
300th kill      Erin Smith (has 259) 
600th kill      Maddie Pruden (has 552) 
700th dig       Abigail Cunningham (has 657) 
 
Made last week 
100th assist    Sophia Chambers (has 127) 
100th dig       Sydney Perry (has 104) 
200th assist    Abigail Cunningham (has 214) 
300th kill      Sarah Brachvogel (has 325) 
400th dig       Emily Tulino (has 427) 
600th kill      Hannah Hair (has 626) 
 
AROUND THE WEST 
While most GNAC schools will start their conference schedules this week, Alaska Anchorage already has a win, sweeping Alaska Fairbanks last Thursday in the Denali State Ice Block Classic in Fairbanks. Although it was a tournament match, it also counted as their conference opener. Seattle Pacific, Western Oregon, and Central Washington all finished preseason play at 6-2. Central won all four matches last week at the Up North Tournament in Duluth, Minnesota, including a 3-0 sweep of No. 7 Minnesota Duluth, and a 3-2 win against No. 5 St. Cloud State, coming from two sets down and saving a match point at 14-13 in the fifth to win, 16-14. 
 
Cal Poly Pomona and Cal State San Bernardino are both 7-1 heading into the start of the California Collegiate Athletic Association schedule. Bernardino took its first loss of the season, 3-2 against host Sonoma State at the Seawolves Classic. Pomona comes into conference play on a four-match winning streak. Chico State is 3-1. 
 
The only remaining undefeated team in the West Region is Chaminade. The Pacific West Conference favorite is now 11-0 after winning all three at the Cal Poly Pomona-Azusa Pacific Crossover. That included the first five-setter of the season for the Silverswords, 3-2 against San Francisco State after winning the first two sets then having to pull it out in the fifth, 15-6. The only other team with a winning record heading into conference play is Biola at 4-3, while Concordia Irvine is 4-4. 
 
UP NEXT 
After 10 matches on the road, the Falcons finally to play a couple at home next week. Northwest Nazarene comes to Brougham Pavilion on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7:00 p.m. Then GNAC favorite Central Washington is in town on Saturday the 23rd at 2:00 p.m. 


GNAC STANDINGS
                                                      GNAC         Overall
Alaska Anchorage          1-0      5-7
Central Washington        0-0      6-2
Seattle Pacific           0-0      6-2
Western Oregon            0-0      6-2
Saint Martin's            0-0      5-3
Simon Fraser              0-0      5-3
Northwest Nazarene        0-0      4-4
Montana State Billings    0-0      2-6
Western Washington        0-0      0-8
Alaska Fairbanks          0-1      4-8