Wednesday, October 9, 2019

ALASKA ANCHORAGE SINGLED OUT WITH TEAM OF WEEK AWARD: The Alaska Anchorage volleyball team picked up a pair of sweeps at home last week over Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday to improve to 5-1 in GNAC play. For their dominant performance, the Seawolves were selected as the GNAC Team of the Week.

Alaska Anchorage had a .302 hitting percentage as a team in the win over Central Washington. Four of the Seawolves’ starters had a hitting percentage of .250 or better. The Seawolves also recorded eight blocks and 55 digs in the match.

In the rout of Northwest Nazarene, Alaska Anchorage had a hitting percentage of .305 as a team while limiting the Nighthawks to a .065 hitting percentage. The Seawolves dominated the first set, 25-7.

Junior middle blocker Kayla McGlathery was named the GNAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the week after leading the Seawolves with 23 kills, seven blocks and a .487 hitting percentage in the two three-set wins. McGlathery opened the week with 12 kills, three blocks, two digs and a .455 hitting percentage on Thursday against Central Washington. She followed that with 11 kills, four blocks, a dig and a .529 hitting percentage on Saturday against Northwest Nazarene.

This is the second straight week that a team from the Last Frontier has earned GNAC Team of the Week honors. Alaska earned the honor last week.

VIKINGS CONTINUE TO ROLL: There seems to be little that can stop Western Washington. The Vikings enter the week with an unblemished 14-0 record and a 6-0 conference mark. With this year’s surge, the Vikings have now won 44 straight GNAC matches dating back to the 2017 season.

Western Washington would need to win out to eclipse the GNAC record of 57 consecutive conference victories. The Vikings own that record, which was set between 2001 and 2004.

Ranked No. 2 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, The Vikings lead the GNAC and are ranked fifth in Division II with a .283 hitting percentage. Western Washington also leads the conference with 14.33 kills per set, 13.58 assists per set and 2.64 blocks per set. The Vikings rank second in Division II in blocks per set, sixth in kills per set and ninth in blocks per set.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Kayla McGlathery, Alaska Anchorage
MB • 6-0 • Junior • Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

McGlathery led the Seawolves to a pair of wins with 23 kills, a .487 hitting percentage and seven blocks. She opened the week with totals of 12 kills, three blocks and a .455 hitting percentage in Thursday’s three-set sweep of Central Washington. McGlathery followed that up with 11 kills, four blocks and a .529 hitting percentage in a three-set sweep of Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Makala Swart (Central Washington), Zoe DiNardo (Concordia), Hannah Hashbarger (Montana State Billings), Mackenzie Carter (Saint Martin’s), Allyson Crisp (Western Oregon), Calley Heilborn (Western Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Elyssa Rose, Concordia
MB • 6-1 • Junior • Florence, Ore.

Rose shared the GNAC lead last week with 14 blocks as she helped lead the Cavaliers to a pair of road wins. Rose finished seven blocks to go with eight kills and a .438 hitting percentage in Thursday’s four-set win at Seattle Pacific before coming up with seven more blocks and two kills in a three-set sweep at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Talia Leauanae (Alaska Anchorage), Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Lauren Smith (Western Oregon), Gabby Gunterman (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska saw its four-match GNAC win streak end on Thursday with a hard-fought five-set loss to Northwest Nazarene. The Nanooks rebounded, though, took take a five-set win from Central Washington on Saturday.

• Senior middle blocker Kim Wong led the Nanooks with her 28 kills, 14 blocks and a .500 hitting percentage in the two matches. She led all players with 19 kills, a .613 hitting percentage and six blocks against Northwest Nazarene before adding nine kills, six digs and eight blocks against Central Washington. Wong is third in the GNAC with a .336 hitting percentage and ranks fifth with 1.08 blocks per set.

• Junior outside hitter AveRee Reynolds posted totals of 25 kills and seven blocks. She contributed 11 kills, five digs and two blocks against Northwest Nazarene and then had 14 kills and five blocks against Central Washington. Reynolds enters the week averaging 2.41 kills and 0.81 blocks per set.

• Sophomore libero Makena Overbey paced the UAF defense with her 35 digs in the two matches, paced by her 22 digs against Central Washington.

• The Nanooks had 11 aces in the two matches, including three aces each for junior setter Cate Whiting, freshman middle blocker Sophie Schilling and junior middle blocker Emily Moorhead. Alaska is third in the GNAC with 1.70 aces per set.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 12.17 kills and 14.72 digs per set. The Nanooks rank third in the GNAC with a .208 hitting percentage while also ranking third in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with 2.24 blocks per set

• The Nanooks head to Oregon this week for meetings with Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage succeeded in a pair of solid three-set sweeps last week, knocking off Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene.

• For its two clean sweeps and a .303 hitting percentage over six sets, the Seawolves were named the GNAC Team of the Week.

• Junior middle blocker Kayla McGlathery was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after finishing with 23 kills, seven blocks and a .487 hitting percentage in the wins. She led the Seawolves with 12 kills, three blocks and a .455 hitting percentage against Central Washington before posting totals of 11 kills, four blocks and a .529 hitting percentage against Northwest Nazarene. Back on the court after a four-year absence, McGlathery is fifth in the GNAC with a .305 hitting percentage while averaging 2.16 kills per set.

• Sophomore right-side hitter Eve Stephens came up with 22 kills, three aces, 15 digs and five blocks last week. She finished with 11 kills in both matches, adding an ace, eight digs and three blocks against Central Washington along with two aces, seven digs and two blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Stephens leads the GNAC and is 26th in Division II with 3.98 kills per set and is also 15th in Division II with 4.68 points per set.

• The Seawolves padded their GNAC-leading totals with 13 more aces. In addition to Stephens’ three, freshman defensive specialist Maggie Schlueter had three while three other players had two each. Alaska Anchorage averages 2.27 aces per set, eighth in Division II. Senior outside hitter Vanessa Hayes is fifth in Division II with 0.63 aces per set while Schlueter is ninth with 0.60 per set.

• Alaska Anchorage is averaging 12.19 kills and 13.48 digs per set. The Seawolves lead the GNAC with a .152 opponent hitting percentage and is second in the GNAC and ninth in Division II at 2.51 blocks per set.

• The Seawolves hit the road to play at Concordia on Thursday and at Western Oregon on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• After starting the GNAC season with a 3-1 record, Central Washington has now lost three straight. The Wildcats took a three-set loss at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before dropping five-set decisions to Alaska on Saturday and Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday.

• Junior outside hitter Makala Swart led the Wildcats with 45 kills, 29 digs and seven blocks in the three matches. After opening the road trip with 11 kills and eight digs at Alaska Anchorage, Swart finished with a double-double of 15 kills and 12 digs at Alaska. She then led the way with 19 kills, nine digs and five blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Swart is fifth in the GNAC with 3.34 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Bridgette Webb added 29 kills, 10 digs and 14 blocks with a .241 hitting percentage in the three matches. She opened her week with seven kills, two digs and two blocks at Alaska Anchorage and added 10 kills, five digs and five blocks at Alaska. Webb then finished with 12 kills, three digs and seven blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Webb enters the week averaging 2.24 kills and 0.85 blocks per set.

• Junior Julia Mellander had 10 blocks to go along with 23 kills. She had high marks of 11 kills at Alaska and seven blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Mellander ranks third in the GNAC with 1.14 blocks per set.

• Central Washington enters the week third in the GNAC with 12.93 kills per set, 17.56 digs per set and 12.07 assists per set. The Wildcats entered the week ranked 48th in Division II in digs per set and 49th in blocks per set.

• Central Washington continues to rank among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, receiving nine votes.

• The Wildcats wrap up their week on Thursday, hosting Montana State Billings.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia had a successful road trip to the Puget Sound region last week, scoring a four-set win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a three-set sweep at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Junior middle blocker Elyssa Rose was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 14 blocks in the two wins with 10 kills. She had her high-water mark of the week with eight kills, seven blocks and a .438 hitting percentage at Seattle Pacific. Rose finished out with two kills and seven more blocks at Saint Martin’s. Rose enters the week ranked 11th in the GNAC with 0.87 blocks per set while averaging 1.20 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler led the offensive side of the house with 23 kills and 26 digs. She notched double-doubles in both matches, finishing with 13 kills, 10 digs and a .250 hitting percentage at Seattle Pacific. Wheeler finished out with 10 kills, 16 digs and two aces at Saint Martin’s. Wheeler enters the week 10th in the GNAC with 3.10 kills per set.

• Sophomore libero Callie Wilkins added 45 digs and two aces to her totals last week. She posted 32 digs at Seattle Pacific before coming up with 13 digs and two aces at Saint Martin’s. Wilkins leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with 5.75 digs per set. She is also third in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II with 0.55 aces per set.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 11.78 kills per set. The Cavaliers are second in the GNAC and 41st in Division II with 17.69 digs per set while also ranking 43rd in Division II with 1.94 aces per set.

• Concordia returns home to host the Alaska schools this week, hosting the Seawolves on Thursday and the Nanooks on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings dropped a pair of home matches last week, losing in four sets to Western Washington on Thursday before taking a three-set sweep at the hands of Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Skylar Reed led the Yellowjackets with 22 kills, a .319 hitting percentage and three blocks. Reed finished with 11 kills in both matches, posting a .391 hitting percentage with four digs against Western Washington and three digs and three blocks against Simon Fraser. Reed enters the week averaging 2.1 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Maddi Vigil added 19 kills, 14 digs and four blocks last week. She finished with 14 kills against Western Washington to go with six digs and three blocks. Vigil then had five kills and eight digs against Simon Fraser. Vigil enters the week leading MSUB with 2.65 kills per set.

• Freshman setter Hannah Hashbarger finished with 76 assists in the two matches. She surged for 49 kills against Western Washington to go with two kills and six digs. Hashbarger then finished with 27 assists against Simon Fraser. Hashbarger enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with 8.69 assists per set.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 11.02 kills and 15.26 digs per set.

• The Yellowjackets hit the road for a pair of matches at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its Alaska road trip last week, stopping the Nanooks’ four-match win streak with a five-set win in Fairbanks on Thursday before taking a three-set loss at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. The Nighthawks ended the three-match road swing with a five-set win over Central Washington on Tuesday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Foster paced NNU with 34 kills and 39 digs in the three matches. She notched a double-double with 18 kills and 15 digs at Alaska before finishing with six kills and six digs at Alaska Anchorage. At CWU, Foster finished with 10 kills, 18 digs and three blocks. Foster is seventh in the GNAC with 3.29 kills per set and sixth with 3.84 points per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Tayler Markland also had 34 kills in the three matches to go with seven blocks. Markland opened with 14 kills and a .423 hitting percentage at Alaska. She started the current week strong as well, registering 18 kills, four blocks and a .316 hitting percentage at Central Washington. Markland enters the week averaging 1.93 kills and 0.61 blocks per set.

• Senior setter Megan Nelson came up with 117 assists in the three matches and enters Saturday’s match ranked sixth in the GNAC with 9.24 assists per set. Nelson finished short of a double-double with 59 assists and nine digs at Alaska before adding 17 assists at Alaska Anchorage. She then posted totals of 41 assists and eight digs at Central Washington.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 11.61 kills per set and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 16.88 digs per set.

• The Nighthawks wrap up the week at home, hosting Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped two more matches at home last week, dropping a four-set decision to Western Oregon on Thursday and a three-set match to Concordia on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Carter paced the Saints once again with 34 kills and 16 digs. She finished with 19 kills, two assists, two aces and seven digs against Western Oregon and was just short of a double-double against Concordia with 15 kills and nine digs. Carter is third in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Kylie Coon provided 22 kills and 12 digs in the two matches. She notched a double-double of 12 kills and 10 digs against Western Oregon and then added 10 kills against Concordia. Coon has started in five matches as a freshman and is averaging 2.63 kills per set.

• Sophomore defensive specialist Kylie Alos led the Saints defensively with her 21 digs. She finished with 10 digs against Western Oregon and added 11 digs against Concordia. Alos is currently third in the GNAC with 4.97 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 9.66 kills and 15.13 digs per set.

• The Saints head north for their next two matches, playing at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific split its home matches last week, dropping a four-set decision to Concordia on Thursday before scoring a three-set sweep over Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Gabby Oddo was the Falcons’ prime mover once again, finishing with 26 kills and 30 digs in the two matches. Otto opened with a double-double of 12 kills and 15 digs to go with two assists against Concordia and then finished with 14 kills and 15 digs against Western Oregon. Oddo is sixth in the GNAC with 3.29 kills per set while also averaging 3.08 digs per set.

• Junior outside hitter Maddie Batiste finished with 19 kills and 22 digs in the home week. Against Concordia, Batiste finished with eight kills, 15 digs and two blocks. She then posted totals of 11 kills and seven digs along with a .333 hitting percentage against Western Oregon. Batiste enters the week leading SPU with 3.40 kills per set to go with 3.06 digs per set.

• Freshman setter Lindsey Lambert posted 81 assists in the two matches, accounting for all but 13 assists for the week. Lambert opened with 35 assists, four kills, two aces and two blocks against Concordia before finishing with 46 assists, four aces, three kills and six digs against Western Oregon. Lambert enters the week ranked eighth in the GNAC with 7.80 assists per set.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 12.54 kills, 11.77  assists and 1.67 aces per set. The Falcons are ranked 41st in Division II with 37.77 team attacks per set.

• The Falcons take to the road for two matches this week, playing at Simon Fraser on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• After dropping a four-set border battle at Western Washington last Tuesday, Simon Fraser closed the week with a three-set sweep at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney led the Clan with 25 kills in the two matches. She came off the bench to finish with 14 kills and a .225 hitting percentage against Western Washington. Pinkney then finished with 11 kills and a .400 hitting percentage at Montana State Billings. Pinkney is 11th in the GNAC with 2.98 kills per set.

• Senior Betsie de Beer closed with 16 kills and 19 digs last week. She opened the week with seven kills and 10 digs at Western Washington and then added a nine-kill, nine-dig performance at Montana State Billings. de Beer owns a team-best .239 hitting percentage while averaging 2.90 kills and 2.88 digs per set.

• Junior libero Bianca Te led the Clan with her 44 digs, finishing with 22 kills in each match. She ranks fourth in the GNAC with 4.94 digs per set. Junior setter  Julia Tays, meanwhile, finished with 52 assists in the two matches. She had 23 assists against Western Washington and 29 at Montana Stater Billings. Tays is fourth in the GNAC with 9.55 assists per set.

• Simon Fraser enters the week second in the GNAC with 13.08 kills per set. The Clan leads the GNAC and is 30th in Division II with 18.09 digs per set. The Clan is also second in the GNAC and 38th in Division II with 12.42 assists per set.

• Simon Fraser hosts the Puget Sound region schools this week with Seattle Pacific visiting on Thursday and Saint Martin’s visiting on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon picked up its first GNAC win of the Stacy Metro era on Thursday, scoring a four-set win over Saint Martin’s. The Wolves wrapped up the road trip with a three-set loss at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Senior middle blocker Allyson Crisp led the way for the Wolves with her 19 kills, .326 hitting percentage and nine blocks on the road trip.  She led WOU with 12 kills, a .310 hitting percentage and six blocks at Saint Martin’s and wrapped up the trip with seven kills, a .353 hitting percentage and three blocks at Seattle Pacific. Crisp enters the week averaging 1.62 kills per set and is sixth in the GNAC with a .304 hitting percentage.

• Freshman defensive specialist Sarah Crowell finished with 18 kills and 10 digs in the two matches. She came up with 10 kills and six digs in the win at Saint Maritn’s before finishing with eight kills and four digs at Seattle Pacific. Crowell is averaging 2.03 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Sianna DeCarli also finished with 18 kills while adding four blocks over the two matches. She finished with 10 kills and a block at Saint Martin’s and then added eight kills and three blocks at Seattle Pacific. DeCarli enters the week averaging a team-high 2.62 kills per set.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 10.43 kills and 11.52 digs per set.

• The Wolves return home to host the Alaska schools this week with Alaska Anchorage visiting on Thursday and Alaska visiting on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The Vikings continue to pile up wins. The Vikings improved to 14-0 on the season and 6-0 in GNAC play with four-set wins over Simon Fraser on Tuesday and at Montana State Billings on Friday.

• Freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn led the Vikings as she finished with 28 kills, 29 digs and eight blocks in the two matches. She led all players with her 14 kills to go with 12 digs and two blocks against Simon Fraser. She had another double-double at Montana State Billings with 14 kills, 17 digs and six  blocks. Heilborn enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 3.58 kills per set and 10th with 3.63 digs per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman added 23 kills and 44 digs in the two matches. She had double-doubles in both matches, finishing with 11 kills and 29 digs against Simon Fraser along with 12 kills and 15 digs at Montana State Billings. Gunterman is eighth in the GNAC with 3.23 kills per set and fifth with 4.50 digs per set.

• Senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper added 19 kills and 11 blocks. She finished with 10 kills and six blocks against Simon Fraser before adding totals of nine kills and five  blocks at Montana State Billings. Harper is second in the GNAC with a .366 hitting percentage. She leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II with 1.39 blocks per set and sits 15th nationally with 68 total blocks.

• Western Washington is at No. 2 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll for the fourth consecutive week after sitting at No. 3 for the first two weeks of the season. The Vikings earned three first-place votes.

• The Vikings lead the GNAC and are ranked fifth in Division II with a .283 hitting percentage. Western Washington also leads the conference with 14.33 kills per set, 13.58 assists per set and 2.64 blocks per set. The Vikings rank second in Division II in blocks per set, sixth in kills per set and ninth in blocks per set.

• Western Washington returns home this week for matches against Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.