COLORADO PREMIER CHALLENGE SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 13                   Seattle Pacific vs. No. 23 Lewis, 1:00 p.m. PDT
                                         Seattle Pacific vs. No. 5 Concordia St. Paul, 5:00 p.m. PDT
                                         Regis Field House / Denver, Colo.
 
Saturday, Sept. 14              Bracket semifinal, opponent TBA, 8:00 a.m. PDT
                                        Bracket 3rd place, 3:30 p.m. PDT OR Bracket 1st place, 6:00 p.m. PDT
                                        Regis Field House OR Auraria Event Center / Denver, Colo
 
REGIS WEBCASTS        REGIS LIVE STATS
AURARIA WEBCASTS        AURARIA LIVE STATS

 
SEATTLE – After a tough week in California, the Seattle Pacific Falcons are out to turn things around in Colorado.
 
Having come up short in all four matches at the Yotes Classic Showcase volleyball tournament – three of those against top-25 teams – SPU heads to Denver this week for more national-caliber competition at the Colorado Premier Challenge.
 
The two day-event begins Friday with pool play at the Regis Field House. Up first for the Falcons is No. 14 Lewis at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time, followed by No. 5 Concordia St. Paul at 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
 
Saturday's opponents will be determined based on how each team places in its three-team pool. Regardless, Seattle Pacific will play its bracket semifinal match at 8:00 a.m. The second and final match of the day will be at either 3:30 p.m. or 6:00 p.m. PDT.
 
FOLLOW IT LIVE
Live Webcasts and live stats will be available from every match for both days of the tournament. The appropriate links can be found at the top of this story.
 
A TOURNEY IN THE TRUEST SENSE
Nearly all preseason volleyball tournaments give teams an opportunity to play at least three, but usually four matches. All of those matches are against pre-determined opponents. There are no brackets and there is no formal championship match at the end of the weekend (although it occasionally happens that the two top teams just happen to face each other in the final match on Saturday).
 
The Colorado Premier Challenge is different. It is considered one of the best, if not the best D2 preseason tournament in the country. The 12 teams in this year's field bear that out: 11 of them (including Seattle Pacific) played in last year's NCAA Tournament. Furthermore, 10 of the 12 were in the year's preseason top 25, and the other two were on the "also receiving votes" list.
 
The teams are divided into four brackets of three teams each. The teams in each bracket play each other on Friday. At the end of the day, the four pool winners advance to Saturday's Gold Bracket (at Metro State), the second-place teams go to the Silver Bracket (at Regis), and the third-place teams play in the bronze bracket (also at Regis).
 
For Saturday, semifinal pairings in all three brackets will be Pool 2 (SPU's pool) vs. Pool 3, all at 8:00 a.m. Pacific. The other semifinals will be Pool 1vs. Pool 4, all at 10:30 a.m. Pacific.
 
The semifinal losers play for third place in their respective brackets at 3:30 p.m. Pacific. All bracket finals will be at 6:00 p.m. Pacific.
 
BEEN THERE, BUT IT'S BEEN AWHILE
-- This is Seattle Pacific's second trip to the Colorado Premier Challenge.
-- The previous one was in 2011 on the heels of the Falcons' record-setting 2010 season when they went 26-3 and reached the West Region championship match.
-- SPU, ranked No. 16 at the time, split its two pool play matches, defeating Nebraska Omaha, 3-0, but falling to Cal Baptist, 3-0.
--That put the team into the Silver Bracket. The Falcons made the bracket final by beating Florida Southern, 3-1, but then fell to No. 6 Southwest Minnesota State, 3-0.





SO WHAT'S THE STORY THIS WEEK?
-- Seattle Pacific will be squaring off against Lewis for the second straight year. The Falcons and Flyers opened the 2022 season against each other at San Marcos, California, as part of the Seaside Invitational. SPU swept, 25-22, 25-21, 25-21.
-- Concordia St. Paul was on the 2022 docket at the CSP-St. Cloud Invite in Minnesota. It was just the second match for Jason Rhine as Seattle Pacific's head coach, and the perennial national power Golden Bears won in a sweep, 25-23, 25-19, 25-20.
-- Fifth-year middle Hannah Hair is already atop the GNAC blocking stats. With 20 total last week in four matches at the Yotes Classic Showcase, she is averaging 1.18 per set through 17 sets. Right behind is Esawa Mailish of Simon Fraser at 1.17 Hair led all of D2 last fall at 1.63.
-- Fellow fifth-year middle Allison Wilks is ninth on the blocking list at 0.88. She also is hitting a solid .340, but currently doesn't have enough attacks to rank among the GNAC leaders. Wilks has 50 attacks (2.94 per set); the minimum is 3.00 per set.
-- In spite of coming up short last week, SPU split the first two sets with all three ranked teams, taking the opener against No. 8 Cal State San Bernardino, then bouncing back from a Set 1 loss to take Set 2 against No. 1 Cal State Los Angeles (on the way to going all five sets) and against No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona.
-- Of the 19 Falcons on the roster, 14 saw action last week.(Two are out injured, and three did not play.) Half of those 14 played in all 17 sets: Abigail Cunningham, Wilks, Hair, Coco Barnett, Emily Tulino, Erin Smith, and Sydney Perry.
-- Wilks and Tulino played in all 101 sets last season and were in all 100 sets in 2022.
 
SCOUTING THE LEWIS FLYERS: 2-2, 0-0 GREAT LAKES VALLEY CONFERENCE
All-time series: SPU leads, 2-1. Current series streak: SPU won 1.  Last time: SPU 2, Lewis 0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-21; Sept. 1, 2023 at San Marcos, Calif.  Last Lewis series win:  Lewis 3, SPU 0 (25-17, 25-22, 25-17; Sept. 5, 2015 at Los Angeles).  Flyers on the Web.
Flyers in a nutshell: Lewis split four matches at the Florida Southern Tournament last weekend in Lakeland. One of the losses was a five-setter to Augusta University, which was on the "also receiving votes" AVCA preseason list. The Flyers have three solid go-to players on offense. Grad student 5-foot-11 outside / opposite Natalie Stefanski and grad student 6-2 middle Bella Ray each slammed 46 kills on the opening weekend, with Ray hitting .355 and Stefanski .234. Ray is also a force defensively, getting her hands on 25 blocks (five solo) through the first four matches. Hannah Alvey, a grad student 6-1 outside, added 35 kills, and grad student 6-2 middle Mallory Januski had 28 on .377 hitting. Last year in San Marcos, Alvey had a team-high 11 kills on .276 hitting against SPU.
 
SCOUTING THE CONCORDIA ST. PAUL GOLDEN BEARS: 3-1, 0-0 NORTHERN SUN CONFERENCE
All-time series: CSP leads, 1-0.  Current series streak: CSP won 1.  Last time: CSP 3, SPU 0 (25-23, 25-19,25-20; Aug. 26, 2022 at St. Paul, Minn.).  Golden Bears on the Web.
Golden Bears in a nutshell:  Concordia got off to a 3-1 start at last weekend's Oredigger Classic in Golden, Colo, defeating Missouri Western, Regis, and Gannon, and falling to No. 17 Colorado Mesa, 3-1. The nine-time national champions, whose most recent title was in 2017 and won seven in a row from 2007-13, won this tournament last year for the eighth time. Senior 5-foot-8 setter Teagan Starkey was the MVP, and she's back, averaging a whopping 12.12 assists per set. She has lots of options when distributing the ball. Senior 5-10 outside / opposite Emma Schmidt has 49 kills on .252 hitting, and Sophia Andersen has 44 on .200 hitting. Senior 5-11 middle blocker Claudia Stahlke gets the job done both ways, hitting .385 with 38 kills, and leading the team in blocks with 28 (three solo). Makenna Nold, a freshman 5-10 outside / opposite, has 12 blocks and 36 kills on .355 hitting.
 
SCOUTING SATURDAY'S OPPONENTS
The Falcons, playing in Pool 2, won't know until the end of Friday which team they will be facing in Saturday's first match. But it will be one of these three teams in Pool 3.
 
Missouri-St. Louis Tritons: 4-0, 0-0 Great Lakes Valley Conference
All-time series: First match.  Tritons on the Web. 
 
Regis Rangers: 1-3, 0-0 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference
All-time series:  Regis leads, 1-0.  Current series streak:  Regis won 1.  Last time:  Regis 3, SPU 0 (15-13, 15-6, 15-13; Oct. 20, 1995 at Denver).  Rangers on the Web.
 
West Texas A&M Lady Buffs:  3-1, 0-0 Lone Star Conference
All-time series: WTAM leads, 4-0.  Current series streak: WTAM won 4.  Last time:  WTAM 3, SPU 2 (15-25, 25-23, 25-23, 20-25, 15-13; Sept. 12, 2009 at Bellingham).  Lady Buffs on the Web.
 
While SPU has never played Missouri-St. Louis and last played West Texas in 2009, it hosted both of those teams in Brougham Pavilion in the 2022 Elite Eight as part of the NCAA Division II Fall Sports Festival. Concordia-St. Paul also was in Seattle that weekend, and WTAM beat the Bears in the final, 3-1. Missouri-St. Louis reached the semifinals before falling to West Texas.

 

COACH RHINE SAYS ...
(On last week's tournament)
"It was really valuable for us to see a lot of high-level volleyball and a lot of different situations, pushing teams to five sets after we got down (against Cal State Los Angeles). Even a really close four-setter against Cal Poly Pomona was a really god performance even though we were a little tired. I think that shows a lot about what our team is willing to fight for and the level at which they're capable of playing.

(Looking ahead to Colorado)
"Looking at Lewis and Concordia, they're obviously two competitive teams with a mix of retureners and new players, kind of similar to us in that way. They've played at some really high levels and some good teams the past couple years, but also having some new people come in as well. It'll be a fun battle of teams trying to figure out each other but also to continue trying to figure out what they're doing on their own side. I think teams that can consistently play at a high level are going to do well in this tournament, so we're hoping to do that."
 
 

TOURNEY HONOR FOR CUNNINGHAM
Senior libero Abigail Cunningham was named to the All-Tournament team from last weekend's Yotes Classic Showcase in San Bernardino.
 
In four matches, Cunningham came up with 73 digs, 13 assists and five service aces. She had 20 digs in the opener against Cal State San Bernardino and 20 more against Cal Poly Pomona.
 
The 73 digs put her at 814 for her career, well within reach of 1,000 with 22 matches still on the schedule.
 
This is the first such award in Cunningham's career.
 
PERRY OFF TO A POWERFUL START
Fifth-year outside hitter Sydney Perry is having the best start in her career.
 
 

Through the first four matches, Perry has put 35 kills onto the floor. Previously, her best total through four matches was 29, which she had last year.
 
Perry is averaging 2.06 kills per set. Her best single-season average was as a sophomore in 2021 when she logged a single-season best 150, an average of 1.88 per set.
 
But it's not just offense where she has stepped up. Perry also has 30 digs, with 12 of those last Friday against Cal State Los Angeles to go along with 12 kills for her second career double-double. Her previous best dig total through four contests was 27 last season.
 
BARNETT IS BRINGING IT
Of the seven Falcons who have played all 17 sets so far, four are fifth-year players and two are true seniors.
 
 

The one exception is sophomore opposite Coco Barnett – and she is making the most of those opportunities.
 
Barnett has 28 kills on 103 attacks, ranking No. 2 on the team in both categories. She also has 13 block assists, tied with Allison Wilks in that department
 
On a veteran-laden team last fall, Barnett, who hails from Fitchburg, Wisconsin, saw action in just four sets. But with Maddie Pruden having graduated and Sarah Brachvogel out with a knee injury, that created a couple of front row openings. She has started the last three matches and has been on the court for the first serve in 10 of the 17 sets.
 
DOUBLE-DOUBLE DELIGHTS
Sarah Brachvogel (6 career)
 
Sophia Chambers (11 career)
 
Abigail Cunningham (1 career)
 
Hannah Hair (3 career)
 
Sydney Perry 1 in 2024 / 2 career)
12K-12D vs. Cal State Los Angeles, Sept. 6
 
Emily Tulino (24 career)
 
MARCH TO A MILESTONE
In the making
200th dig         Zoe Shuckhart (has 191)
300th dig         Sarah Brachvogel (has 293)
                  Christina Lopez (has 275)
500th assist      Sophia Chambers (has 448)
500th block       Hannah Hair (has 491)
500th kill        Allison Wilks (has 462)
                  Sydney Perry (has 454)
                  Erin Smith (has 446)
600th kill        Sarah Brachvogel (has 564)
1,000th dig       Abigail Cunningham (has 814)
2,000th assist    Emily Tulino (has 1,652)
 
Made last week
300th block       Allison Wilks (has 306)
400th assist      Sophia Chambers (has 448)
600th dig         Emily Tulino (has 609)
 
POLLING PLACE
The Falcons, who started the preseason at No. 19, fell out of the top 25, but are still receiving votes in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. SPU has 29 points, putting it at No. 35 on the overall list.
 
Tampa, with a 3-0 record, moved up one place to No. 1. Wayne State of Nebraska is No. 2. Among this week's SPU opponents in Denver, Lewis is No. 23 (down from 14th) and Concordia St. Paul remains No. 5. For Saturday's three potential opponents in the bracket round, Missouri-St. Louis is No. 4, West Texas A&M is No. 9, and Regis is No. 24.
 
From the West Region, Cal Poly Pomona (4-0) jumped 11 places from No. 21 to No. 10 and even received five first-place votes. Cal State Los Angeles (2-2) fell from No. 1 to No. 11, Chaminade dropped one spot to No. 13, and Cal State San Bernardino fell eight places to No. 16. Point Loma Nazarene is receiving votes and tied for No. 30. Central Washington, No. 22 last week, is receiving votes and is No. 33.
 
AROUND THE WEST
With the first weekend of play in the books, only four of the 36 West Region teams have unbeaten records – in large part because they spent much of the week battling with each other, as is usually the case.
 
One of those four unbeatens – and the only one from the GNAC – is Western Oregon, which went 4-0 at the Hawaii Fall Volleyball Challenge in Hilo. Simon Fraser went 3-1 at the San Diego Invitational. Montana State Billings was 3-1 at its own Yellowjacket Invitational. Alaska Fairbanks, which already had played three matches in Hawaii during the last week of August, went 4-0 at the Golden Eagle Classic in Irvine, and is now 5-2. Western Washington and Central Washington were both 1-2 at the WWU Invitational in Bellingham.
 
The California Collegiate Athletic Association has two of the West's four unbeatens in Cal Poly Pomona and Stanislaus State, both 4-0. Pomona won all four at the Yotes Classic, starting with a sweep of No. 10 St. Cloud State and a 3-1 decision against No. 12 Chaminade. Stanislaus was 4-0 at the Sunbird Classic in Fresno.
 
Point Loma Nazarene is the lone Pacific West Conference unbeaten, having gone 3-0 as the San Diego Invitational, which it co-hosted. One of those was a come-from-behind 3-2 victory against Simon Fraser after the Red Leafs won the first two sets. Concordia Irvine, Fresno Pacific and Westmont are all 3-1.
 
A huge tournament is set for Ellensburg this Thursday through Saturday. Along with host Central Washington, it will feature Western Washington, Simon Fraser, No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona, No. 11 Cal State Los Angeles, and No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino. Central, Western, and Simon were picked 1-2-4 in the GNAC. L.A., Pomona, and Bernardino were the 1-2-3 picks in the CCAA.
 
UP NEXT
The Falcons begin GNAC play on Saturday, Sept. 21, with a trip to Montana State Billings. The first serve in Alterowitz Gymnasium is at noon Pacific time. That will be the first of three straight road matches for SPU to start the conference slate.


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