SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific University athletics features a full slate of action this weekend with women's volleyball, women's soccer, men's soccer, and men's and women's cross country competing in 10 events, all of which are on the road.
VOLLEYBALL
Thursday, Friday & Saturday, Sept. 11-13
Four matches at The Hampton Inn Nighthawks Classic
watch –
live stats
FROM THE COACH
"We have a quick turnaround to head out to Nampa on Wednesday and start competing on Thursday this week," head coach
Jason Rhine said. "As a team, we want to keep growing and improving on how we played in California. We know that some of the teams we are facing also had success in week one and will present new challenges for our offense and defense. We will need to continue adapting and learning to compete at a high level. We have specific goals for this week in practice, and it will be great to see a fun combination of opponents in a gym we are at least relatively familiar with. We are excited for week 2."
ABOUT THE FALCONS
- The Falcons opened the season with four wins at the Otter Invitational last weekend.
- The Falcons are 4-0 for the first time since 2010.
- Sophia Chambers was named the Otter Invitational's Most Valuable Player.
- The SPU offense ran through Chambers, as she dished out 9.21 assists per set.
- Chambers set a new career-high with 39 assists against Westminster on Sept. 6.
- Elle McCandless was named to the Otter Invitational All-Tournament team.
- McCandless finished the weekend with 14 total blocks, four of which were solo blocks.
- McCandless had 28 kills over four matches, including 10 kills on a .563 hitting percentage against Westminster for a new career-high.
- Joslyn Greff was named to the Otter Invitational All-Tournament team.
- Greff had an excellent offensive weekend for the Falcons, accumulating 42 kills on a .271 hitting percentage.
- Greff set a new career-high with 15 kills against Westminster on Sept. 6.
- Megan Omlid was solid for the Falcons in her first weekend with the team, with double-digit kills in three of her first four matches at SPU.
- Amaya Evans was efficient for SPU, getting 35 kills on a .301 hitting percentage in four matches.
- Christina Lopez led the team with 59 digs for an average of 4.21 digs per set in the first four matches of the season.
- As a team, the Falcons hit .257 while holding opponents to a .121 hitting percentage.
- The Falcons averaged 12.4 kills per set while opponents had 11.2 kills per set.
- SPU had an advantage from the service line, collecting 36 aces in four matches to just 20 from their opponents.
- Defensively, the Falcons had 2.3 blocks per set while opponents averaged 1.1. blocks per set during opening weekend.
WOMEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 11 – 5:00 p.m. PST
at MSU Denver –
watch –
live stats
Saturday, Sept. 13 – 12:00 p.m. PST
at Regis –
watch –
live stats
FROM THE COACH
"Our team is excited to go on the road this week," head coach
Arby Busey said. "We had the opportunity to travel a couple of times for scrimmages earlier this season and really enjoyed those experiences together. Looking forward to competing with two great RMAC opponents. MSU Denver has a very challenging nonconference schedule coming off an awesome season last fall. They are a veteran team that has had success together. Regis scored a ton of goals in their opening game and then went on the road to a difficult place we are familiar with, and faced Dallas Baptist on the road. Both teams will be prepared for us, and we are eager to get down there and compete."
ABOUT THE FALCONS
- The Falcons opened the 2025 season with a 1-0 victory over ninth-ranked Point Loma last Thursday.
- Taylor Krueger scored the first goal of the season for the Falcons to put the team up 1-0 in the 22nd minute.
- Andie Buckley assisted on Krueger's game-winning goal.
- Krueger's goal was the 11th of her career with the Falcons, and was the third game-winner of her career.
- Mercedes Cullen and the defense stood tall against the Sea Lions, shutting out the ninth-ranked team in the country.
- Cullen faced 14 shots from the Sea Lions and made four saves in the shutout.
- Cullen recorded the 12th shutout of her career in Thursday's 1-0 win over Point Loma.
- Krueger was selected as this week's Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week.
- It's the second GNAC Player of the Week Award of Krueger's career.
- The Falcons were ranked 21st in the country in this week's United Soccer Coaches National Poll.
- The Falcons were picked third in the 2025 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll.
- SPU had seven players earn GNAC All-Conference recognition last season, with Krueger, Ashlyn Valdovinos, Nora Patters, and Cullen returning in 2025.
- The Falcons have welcomed 12 newcomers to the roster in 2025.
MEN'S SOCCER
Thursday, Sept. 11 – 7:00 p.m.
at #2 Cal State LA –
watch –
live stats
Saturday, Sept. 13 – 12:00 p.m.
at Dominguez Hills –
watch –
live stats
FROM THE COACH
"It's a big week for the group and we have a big opportunity on the road against two top CCAA teams," head coach
Kevin Sakuda said. "We grew a lot from our games last week. Chico and Stanislaus both presented different challenges, and I think we learned some lessons that will serves us well as we move through the season. Training this week has been sharp and we are excited to be getting some injured guys back into the fold. LA and Dominguez Hills will require us to be at our best. They are both well coached and have quality players. We are looking forward to the match up and are excited to showcase how much we have grown."
ABOUT THE FALCONS
- The Falcons split their opening weekend matches against Stanislaus State and Chico State to start the 2025 season 1-1.
- Rafael Lucio scored his first career goal for the SPU men's soccer team in the 83rd minute on the road against Stanislaus State last Thursday night, but a goal in the 88th minute from the Warriors lifted them over the Falcons 2-1.
- Lucio stepped forward to take and make a penalty kick for the Falcons, leveling the game 1-1.
- Chester March, Lucio, Brian Lanier, Sebastian Rangel, and Lucas Witthauer all made their first career starts against Stanislaus State.
- Cristian Chel Lara recorded his first multi-goal game for the Seattle Pacific University men's soccer team on Saturday against Chico State, leading the Falcons to a 3-1 victory over the Wildcats for their first win of the season.
- The Falcons got on the board early on Saturday when Connor Tollan supplied a perfect pass to Chel Lara, who found the back of the net.
- SPU started the second half quickly as well when Brady Fendrich set up Tollan for a goal.
- Shortly after, Chel Lara scored again for the Falcons, with an assist from Isaac Ketcham that put SPU up 3-0 in the 54th minute.
- Chal Lara's third-minute goal was the first of his career with the Falcons.
- Chal Lara recorded his first multi-goal game for the Falcons against Chico State.
- Tollan racked up his eighth career goal with the Falcons and 16th career assist with SPU.
- Fendrich recorded his first assist since the 2022 season.
CROSS COUNTRY
Saturday, Sept. 13 – 11:00 a.m.
at Green River Invitational –
live results
FROM THE COACH
"We really just want to use this first meet to get back into competition mode," assistant coach
Eric Hansen said. "Most people haven't raced since the end of track season, so this will be a good opportunity to put the spikes back on and see where we are at. Lots of our athletes had a great summer of training and have looked strong in our first few team workouts back. We are looking forward to seeing how we stack up against some good teams this weekend."
ABOUT THE FALCONS
- The Seattle Pacific University men's and women's cross country teams compete in their first meet of the year this Saturday.
- The SPU women's team was selected for a fifth-place finish in this year's GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Maya Ewing, Katelyn Flolo, and Matise Mulch return with experience for the Falcons in 2025.
- Ewing had a strong 2024 campaign, accruing All-GNAC honors, USTFCCCA All-West Region honors, and USTFCCCA All-Academic honors a season ago.
- Flolo and Mulch are both two-time GNAC All-Academic Team members.
- The SPU men were picked to finish eighth in this year's GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll.
- Isaac Venable and Nathaniel Gale are experienced returners for the Falcons in 2025.
- Both Venable and Gale are two-time GNAC All-Academic team members.
- Avery Erickson, Mason Borland, Darian Penn, Sam Wieland, and Alex Venable will compete for the Falcons for the first time in 2025.
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