PORTLAND, Ore. – Part setter. Part blocker. Part defensive specialist. Even part attacker.
 
Emily Tulino did some of everything on the volleyball court for the Seattle Pacific Falcons last week.
 
The SPU senior had back-to-back assist / block career-highs and also had back-to-back assist / dig double-doubles to help the Falcons forge their first 2-0 week of the season, and on Monday was named the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
 
It is Tulino's first award and it's the first time since last October that a setter has won the weekly GNAC honor. Tulino is the first Falcon setter to win it since 2012 when Shelby Swanson got it for the third time.
 
In last Thursday's 3-2 victory against Western Oregon, Tulino had 45 assists – including the 2,000th of her career – plus four blocks Her previous highs were 41 assists and two blocks. She also had 10 digs and one kill.
 
Then in Saturday's 3-1 win against Saint Martin's, Tulino topped it with 49 assists and six blocks, along with another 14 digs, one kill, and five service aces. The 49 assists was the most by any GNAC player this season.
 
For the week, her totals of 94 assists, 10 blocks, five aces and two kills (on 13 attacks) gave her a hand in 111 of SPU's 213 total points. She has three career highs for assists in her last four matches (starting with 41 at Western Washington on Oct. 10.)
 
"She has had the chance to be running a 5-1 (offensive system) for some of the season and she has done a great job of handling all the different jobs that come with that," head coach Jason Rhine said. "Having to do some blocking, having to do some dumping, it shows her maturity that she is able to step in and run the offense well."
 
Seattle Pacific starts the second half of the conference schedule this week, playing host to co-leader Central Washington on Thursday at 7:00 p.m., followed by Northwest Nazarene on Saturday at 2:00 p.m.


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