Friday, December 28, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. – Western Oregon middle hitters Krissi Kemper and Becky Blees each set a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference records during the 2012 season.

Kemper set GNAC single-season records for hitting percentage for all matches (.425) and for conference matches (.446).

Blees, meanwhile, set career records for most assisted blocks per set for both all matches (1.07) and conference matches (1.11).

Two  team records were also set during the 2012 season, according to final official figures released by the conference office.

Northwest Nazarene set a single-match record for lowest opponent hitting percentage, holding Walla Walla to a minus .213 percentage in a 3-0 win Oct. 3 at Nampa.

Seattle Pacific set a GNAC record for highest hitting percentage in a conference match swinging at a .473 pace in its Nov. 1 3-0 home victory against Saint Martin’s.

Central Washington tied a GNAC record for most team blocks in a four-set match with 20 against UC San Diego on Sept. 7.

Kemper was one of four GNAC players who finished in the Top 10 in the final NCAA Division II national statistical report.

She finished second nationally in hitting percentage.  Also in the Top 10 were Samantha Hutchinson and Laurie Yearout of Western Washington and Erin Compton of Montana State Billings.

Hutchinson finished fifth in digs (6.41), earning her second straight GNAC dig title.   It was also the seventh time in the past nine seasons a WWU player has led the GNAC in digs.

Yearout finished sixth in assists, averaging 11.76 per set.  Compton finished ninth in digs averaging 6.01.

In addition to Kemper, Hutchinson and Yearout, other GNAC statistical champions included Blees in total blocks (1.33 per set), the Vikings’ Marlayna Geary in both points (4.72) and kills (4.12) and Kimya Jafroudi of Alaska Anchorage in aces (0.46 per set).

Geary won her second consecutive conference statistical title in both points and kills increasing her career totals to 1,479 and 1,354.  She finished her career ranked ninth in career points and sixth in kills in GNAC history.

Western Washington (24-4, 16-2), which won its sixth conference volleyball title (five outright) in the 12-year history of the conference, won four GNAC team statistical titles, finishing first in kills (13.6), percentage (.254), assists (12.96) and digs (17.42).

Western Oregon (21-6, 14-4), which tied Central Washington (21-8, 14-4) for second place in the final conference standings, led the GNAC in lowest opponent hitting percentage (.151), most aces (1.66) and most team blocks (2.24).

Western Washington and Central Washington advanced to the regional tournament.  The Vikings lost to eventually regional champion BYU-Hawaii 3-1 in the semifinals.  Geary and Hutchinson were selected to the regional all-tournament team.

The Wildcats fell to Cal State San Bernardino 3-2 in the opening round.

2012 GNAC RECORDS SET OR TIED

INDIVIDUAL

Season, All Matches: Hitting Percentage -  .425, Krissi Kemper, Western Oregon, 215-34-426 (old, .418, LeAnne McGahuey, CWU, 429-74-849, 2004) 

Career, All Matches: Blocking Assists Per Set (min. 150 sets) – 1.07, Becky Blees, Western Oregon, 243-261, 2010-12 (old, 0.98, Robyn Burton, UAA, 197-194, 2010-11)

Season, Conference Matches: Hitting Percentage -  .446, Krissi Kemper, Western Oregon, 154-23-294 (old, .434, Robyn Burton, UAA, 212-42-392, 2011))

Career, Conference Matches: Blocking Assists Per Set (min. 100 sets) – 1.11, Becky Blees, Western Oregon, 187-208, 2010-12 (old, Robyn Burton, UAA, 128-136, 2010-11)

Team

Single Match, All Matches: Lowest Opp. Hitting Percentage -  Minus .213, Northwest Nazarene, 5-15-47 vs. Walla Walla, 10-3-12 (old, .694, Northwest Nazarene, 34-0-49 vs. Walla Walla, 10-21-11).  Total Blocks, 4 set matches –  20, Central Washington vs.  UC San Diego, 9-7-12 (Ties, Northwest Nazarene  vs. Humboldt State, 11-10-01 and  Seattle, 9-7-06; Central Washington vs. Seattle Pacific, 10-4-07).

Single Match, Conference Matches: Hitting Percentage  -  .473, Seattle Pacific, 50-7-91 vs. Saint Martin’s, 11-1-12 (old, .461, Central Washington, 50-9-89 vs. Saint Martin’s, 9-22-05) 

FINAL NCAA NATIONAL STATISTICS: Team (Top 30): Assists – 17. Western Washington 12.96.  Blocks – 12.  Western Oregon 2.48.  Hitting PCT. – 13. Western Washington .254; 23. Western Oregon .247.  Kills – 27. Western Washington 13.60.  Individuals (Top 30): Assists – 6. Laurie Yearout, WWU, 11.76; 21. Shelby Swanson, SPU, 10.83.  Blocks – 12. Becky Blees, WOU, 1.33; 29. Kayla Erickson, WWU, 1.17. Digs – 5. Samantha Hutchinson, WWU, 6.41; 9. Erin Compton, MSUB, 6.01; 30. Kaely Kight, CWU, 5.13. Hitting PCT. – 2. Krissi Kemper, WOU, .425; 20. Erin Smith, CWU, .362.  Kills – 16. Marlayna Geary, WWU, 4.13; 21. Cailin Fellows, SPU, 3.97. Points – 15. Marlayna Geary, WWU, 4.72.