SEATTLE – Seattle Pacific University women's volleyball head coach
Jason Rhine announced the Falcons' 2026 schedule on Wednesday, featuring a 26-match slate with two early-season tournaments, eight home contests at Royal Brougham Pavilion and another challenging Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule.
Seattle Pacific begins the season in Southern California at the Cal State San Bernardino Invitational
. The Falcons open their season with a match against CUI on Thursday, Aug. 27 at 5:00 p.m. The Falcons continue competition Friday, Aug. 28, with matches against Cal Poly Pomona at 12:00 p.m. and the host Coyotes at 7:00 p.m., before closing the tournament Saturday, Aug. 29, against Westmont at 10:00 a.m.
The Falcons remain on the road the following week for the Hawaii Challenge in Honolulu. SPU opens tournament play Thursday, Sept. 3 against Emmanuel College at 6:00 p.m. before facing Hawai'i Hilo at 1:00 p.m. and host Chaminade at 10:00 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 4. Seattle Pacific wraps up the weekend Saturday, Sept. 5 against Hawai'i Pacific at 4:00 p.m.
Seattle Pacific begins GNAC play with a road trip to Alaska, facing Alaska Anchorage on Thursday, Sept. 10 at 8:00 p.m. before taking on Alaska Fairbanks Saturday, Sept. 12 at 3:00 p.m.
"Our schedule this year provides great opportunities and unique challenges," head coach
Jason Rhine said. "For opening weekend, we are playing in a familiar venue down at San Bernardino, and that group of opponents always provides fun matches and a preview of potential NCAA regional-type teams. We are going to Hawaii for the first time in a couple of years, and the team is super excited to take a trip out there and play some solid regional competition. Of course, we imagine there could be some distractions to face during that trip, as well as the added challenge of immediately traveling up to Alaska the following weekend to start conference play."
The Falcons make their Royal Brougham Pavilion debut Thursday, Sept. 17 against Western Oregon at 7:00 p.m. Saint Martin's visits Seattle on Saturday, Sept. 19 for a 2:00 p.m. first serve before SPU welcomes MSU Billings on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 2:00 p.m.
October begins with another road swing as the Falcons travel to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, Oct. 1 at 6:00 p.m. and Central Washington on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 1:00 p.m. Seattle Pacific returns home the following weekend to host Simon Fraser on Thursday, Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m. and Western Washington on Saturday, Oct. 10 at 2:00 p.m.
The Falcons continue GNAC play with road matches at Saint Martin's on Thursday, Oct. 15 at 7:00 p.m. and Western Oregon on Saturday, Oct. 17 at 1:00 p.m. SPU closes its road trip at MSU Billings on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 1:00 p.m.
Seattle Pacific returns home for the final portion of the regular season, hosting Central Washington on Thursday, Oct. 29 at 7:00 p.m. and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 2:00 p.m.
The final road trip of the regular season sends SPU North to face Western Washington on Thursday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 p.m. and Simon Fraser on Saturday, Nov. 7 at 5:00 p.m.
The Falcons close the regular-season schedule at home against Alaska Fairbanks visiting on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 7:00 p.m. before Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 14 against Alaska Anchorage at 2:00 p.m.
The regular season concludes with two road games as SPU travels to face Simon Fraser on Thursday, Nov. 19 and Western Washington on Saturday, Nov. 21.
"The GNAC itself is coming off a monumental five teams in the national tournament, and we anticipate that as per usual, there will be no nights off in the conference schedule," Rhine said. "We need to battle each week and be one of the teams that fights to keep improving from day 1 all the way through to the end of the season."
Sophia Chambers,
Christina Lopez, and
Megan Omlid return to the Falcons after strong seasons in 2025. Chambers appeared in 97 sets across 26 matches for the Falcons, leading the team with 640 assists and 6.60 assists per set. She surpassed 1,000 career assists against Western Washington on Oct. 23 while adding 31 kills, 19 service aces, and 236 digs for an average of 2.43 digs per set. Also contributed three solo blocks and 20 assisted blocks for 23 total blocks while finishing the season with 63 points.
Lopez appeared in 98 sets across 26 matches for the Falcons, leading the team with 476 digs and an average of 4.86 digs per set. Surpassed 1,000 career digs against Montana State Billings on Nov. 8 while adding 108 assists and 19 service aces. Finished the season with 21 points and earned GNAC Honorable Mention recognition.
Omlid appeared in 98 sets across 26 matches for the Falcons, leading the team with 343 kills, 3.50 kills per set, 36 service aces, 394.5 points, and 4.03 points per set. She also ranked second on the team with 305 digs and 3.11 digs per set while adding five solo blocks and 21 assisted blocks for 26 total blocks. Omlid joined Lopez as a GNAC Honorable Mention last season.
The Falcons welcome four newcomers to the roster in
Charlize Espinosa,
Charlotte Hastings,
Mackenna Golden, and
Stella Pollack. Espinosa, a 5-foot-8 defensive specialist/libero from Renton, Washington, joins the Falcons following a decorated career at Liberty High School. She earned three All-League selections, the 2024 KingCo Defensive Player of the Year award, and First Team All-League honors as a senior.
Hastings, a 6-foot hitter from Santa Barbara, California, joins Seattle Pacific after a standout career at San Marcos High School. She earned First Team All-League honors as a junior and was named League MVP as a senior while helping lead her team to the CIF Division 2 state semifinals.
Golden, a 6-foot-5 middle blocker from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, joins Seattle Pacific after three years of varsity volleyball at Chaska High School. She earned Most Improved honors and Academic All-Conference recognition while developing into a key contributor for her team.
With a demanding nonconference slate featuring two tournaments and a competitive GNAC schedule, the Falcons will look to build momentum throughout the fall while pursuing a return to postseason play.
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