LACEY, Wash. – The Seattle Pacific Falcons got a sweep.
 
Hannah Hair and Allison Wilks got a grand.
 
Sydney Perry slammed 11 kills on an error-free hitting, Hair had 10 – also with an error-free performance – and SPU notched a 3-0 Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball victory against Saint Martin's.
 
Scores in Marcus Pavilion on Thursday night were 25-17, 25-22, 25-21.
 
Hair and fellow fifth-year middle blocker Allison Wilks capped an unusual kind of accomplishment. They came into the match with 999 total blocks between them for their careers: 618 for Hair, 381 for Wilks.
 
When Hair got credit for a block assist (combining with Eva LaRochelle) on the fourth point of the match, that pushed their combined total to exactly 1,000. By the end of the night, Hair had another one and Wilks also had one, making it 1,002.
 
 

"You hear a thousand kills and a thousand digs sometimes. But a thousand blocks is not going to be arrived at every day – not for one player or not even for two," head coach Jason Rhine said. "They're roommates, they're close friends, so it's fun for them to share a big achievement on the court, as well.
 
"They've both worked very hard to develop our defense and develop our blocking over their time here, so I'm excited for them," Rhine added. "That's a cool milestone."
 
The Falcons (8-16, 8-8 GNAC) took control of the first set with a 4-0 run, extending a 13-12 lead to 18-13. Another 4-0 burst took it from 18-14 to 22-14 on a kill by freshman outside hitter Eva LaRochelle, a service ace by fifth-year opposite Erin Smith, and two kills by Hair.
 
Saint Martin's (5-18, 3-12 GNAC) made some adjustments and kept the second set close from start to finish. It was tied at 21-21 when Seattle Pacific gained the upper hand with three straight points: a combined block by Hair and Emily Tulino, a kill by Perry that deflected out off a Saints blocker, and a Christina Lopez service ace for a 24-21 advantage. Saint Martin's saved one set point before a well-placed tip by Perry finished it off for a 2 sets to 0 lead.
 
The Falcons led for most of Set 3, pushing it all the way to six on three occasions, the last time at 20-14. The Saints climbed back in, getting within 23-21.
 
Then a pair of freshman who have seen very limited playing on a roster stacked with veterans combined to close out the match. At 23-21, outside hitter Amaya Evans hammered one that bounced off a Saint Martin's player and went out. Then defensive specialist Makayla Hickman delivered a service ace.
 
"Saint Martin's did a good job of keeping the ball alive. But I thought we did a good job of taking a lot of high-percentage swings and making them have to send over some free balls and some balls we could dig and we got some good second and third chances," SPU coach Jason Rhine said. "We did a good job of continuing to attack at a high percentage."
 
BY THE NUMBERS
-- The Falcons by far had their best hitting match of the season, finishing at .340 (42 kills-7 errors-103 attacks).
-- SPU hit better than .300 in all three sets: .310 in the first, .344 in the second and .379 in the third.
-- The  previous best this season for the Falcons was .296 (60-18-142) in a 3-1 win against Central Washington on Oct. 24.
 

-- SPU's percentage included .769 for Hannah Hair (10-0-13) and .458 for Sydney Perry (11-0-24). Combined, that was a .567 mark. It also was a season best for both. Hair's previous was an error-free .727 (8-0-11) against Concordia-St. Paul on Sept. 13. Perry's was .419 (14-1-31) at Western Washington on Oct. 10.
-- "Sydney has developed  a ton throughout her career," coach Jason Rhine said. "She's developing all the tools that she has, and she did a great job today. She was recognizing on her own that there was a spot on the floor that was open that wasn't even in the scouting report because they changed up their lineup a little bit. Once she found it, she kept going back to it and kept getting some kills that way, and then was able to find some other kills."
-- Saint Martin's also hit very well at .273 (41-11-110). The Saints also had an error-free performance, as Kingsley Mason went 13-0-28--.464.
-- The Falcons tied their season high with 10 service aces. Senior defensive specialist Abigail Cunningham set a career high with four. SPU's previous 10-ace match was against Saint Martin's on Oct. 19.
-- The win closed out the first series sweep of the season. Seattle Pacific won by a 3-1 margin on Oct. 19 in Brougham Pavilion.
 
UP NEXT
SPU plays its final road match of the season on Saturday, visiting Western Oregon in Monmouth at 1:00 p.m. That will present an opportunity for another series sweep, as the Falcons won 3-2 in Brougham on Oct. 17. The Wolves beat Montana State Billings on Thursday, 3-1 (25-7, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22).
 
 
NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024
Marcus Pavilion / Lacey, Wash.
 
Seattle Pacific 3, Saint Martin's 0
 
Set scores – 25-17, 25-22, 25-21.
 
Service aces – SPU 10 (Cunningham 4), SSTM 3 (Garten 2).
Kills – SPU 42 (Perry 11, Hair 10), STM 52 (Mason 13).
Assists – SPU 40 (Tulino 33), STM 36 (Griffin 30).
Digs – SPU 52 (Lopez 124, LaRochelle 10), STM 49 (Mason 10).
Block assists / solo – SPU 6 / 0 solo (Hair 2 / 0 solo), STM 0 / 1 solo (Crimin 1 solo).
Hitting (kills-errors-attacks) – SPU 42-7-103—340 (Hair 10-0-13—769, Perry 11-0-24—458); STM 41-11-110—273 (Kingsley 13-0-28—464).
Attendance – NA.
 
 
Records
Seattle Pacific 8-16, 8-8 GNAC.
Saint Martin's 5-18, 3-12 GNAC.
 
 
Next match
Seattle Pacific at Western Oregon
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
New P.E. Building / Monmouth, Ore.