Wednesday, November 8, 2017
TIGHT RACE BREWING WITH TWO WEEKS TO GO: There are just two weeks left in the 2017 volleyball regular season and it is shaping up to be a race to the finish between Western Washington and Northwest Nazarene.
The Vikings have been on a roll as of late, running their win streak to 14 matches with wins over the weekend over Alaska and Alaska Anchorage. Eight of their last nine matches have been three-set sweeps, the streak broken up by the four-set win over Alaska Anchorage on Thursday. Western Washington enters the week leading the GNAC at 15-1 and is 21-3 overall.
After opening the season with a 16-match win streak, Northwest Nazarene has kept pace by winning seven of its last nine matches. After taking a five-set loss at Alaska Anchorage or Oct. 28, the Nighthawks have won three straight, but had to come back from two sets down to beat Central Washington in five sets on Tuesday. Northwest Nazarene enters the week in second in the GNAC at 15-2 and is 23-2 overall.
The two teams will meet on the final weekend of the season, facing off in Bellingham on Nov. 16. The Nighthawks won the first meeting between the two teams in four sets in Nampa on Sept. 14. It was the last match Western Washington lost.
GNAC FLAVOR IN WEST REGION POLL: The GNAC continues to have four teams in the NCAA Division II West Region Rankings. The top three teams did not change position as Northwest Nazarene stayed at No. 2, Western Washington stayed at No. 3 and Central Washington stayed at No. 6. Alaska Anchorage dropped one spot to No. 9. The poll rankings at the end of the regular season will determine selection to the NCAA Division II National Tournament.
THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Madi Farrell, Northwest Nazarene
MB • 6-2 • Senior • Coeur d’Alene, Idaho
Farrell finished with 29 kills, 4.24 kills per set, 12 blocks and a .610 hitting percentage (29-3-42) to help the Nighthawks to a pair of home victories. She finished with 15 kills, a .480 hitting percentage and five blocks in Thursday’s four-set win over Saint Martin’s. Farrell then finished with 14 kills, a .824 hitting percentage and seven blocks in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Seattle Pacific.
Joellee Buckner, Western Washington
OPP • 5-10 • Senior • Colville, Wash.
Buckner had a solid all-around week for the Vikings with 26 kills, 37 digs and no attack errors with a .382 hitting percentage in two wins. She finished with 15 kills and 28 digs to go along with an ace and three blocks in Thursday’s four-set win over Alaska Anchorage. Buckner added 11 kills and a .524 hitting percentage along with nine digs in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Alaska.
Also Nominated: Shelby Mauritson (Central Washington), Lindsey Dorsey (Concordia), Maddi Vigil (Montana State Billings), Nicolette Nesbitt (Saint Martin’s), Christine Howlett (Simon Fraser).
DEFENSIVE
Katerina Dolguikh, Simon Fraser
L • 5-9 • Junior • North Vancouver, B.C.
Dolguikh led the Clan with 43 digs and averaged 7.17 digs per set as Simon Fraser swept the Alaska schools. She finished with 20 digs in the Clan’s three-set sweep of Alaska on Thursday and then finished with 23 digs and two aces to help led SFU to their first ever victory over Alaska Anchorage.
Also Nominated: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Colby Barnette (Concordia), Izela Alvarez (Montana State Billings), Hannah Neumann (Saint Martin’s), Aubrey Buckner (Western Washington).
AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Lost at Simon Fraser, 3-0. Nov. 4: Lost at Western Washington, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Concordia, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: vs. Western Oregon, 7 p.m.
• The Nanooks saw its current losing streak run to four matches after suffering a pair of three-set sweeps at home to Simon Fraser and Western Washington.
• Freshman outside hitter Markie Miller led Alaska with 14 kills in the two matches. She led the team with eight kills against Simon Fraser and six kills and a block against Western Washington. Miller leads the Nanooks with 221 kills and 2.54 kills per set.
• Sophomore middle blocker Kim Wong had 10 kills in the two matches. Her week was topped by a team-high seven kills against Western Washington. Wong is fifth in the GNAC with a .320 hitting percentage.
• Senior setter Rachel Nichols finished with 32 assists and three aces in the two matches, topped by a double-double of 17 assists and 11 digs against Western Washington. All three of her aces came against Simon Fraser. Nichols is 10th in the GNAC with 0.29 aces per set.
• Alaska enters the week third in the GNAC with 1.57 aces per set and fourth with a .203 hitting percentage. The Nanooks also rank sixth in the GNAC with 12.63 kills per set.
ALASKA ANCHORAGE
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Lost at Western Washington, 3-1. Nov. 4: Lost to Simon Fraser, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Western Oregon, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: vs. Concordia, 1:30 p.m.
• Alaska Anchorage suffered its second road loss sweep of the season, dropping a four-set match to Western Washington and a three-set sweep to Simon Fraser.
• Despite the losses, the Seawolves are still among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll with seven points. The Seawolves dropped to No. 9 in the NCAA West Region Rankings.
• Junior outside hitter Leah Swiss led Alaska Anchorage with 31 kills and 4.43 kills per set in the two matches. She finished with a double-double of 17 kills and 15 digs to go with an ace and three blocks at Western Washington and had 14 kills, seven digs, an ace and a block at Simon Fraser. Swiss is sixth in the GNAC with 3.95 points per set. She is also second in the GNAC and 37th in Division II with 0.47 aces per set.
• Freshman setter Casey Davenport finished with 73 assists and 30 digs in the two matches. She had double-doubles in both matches, finishing with 41 assists and 20 digs at Western Washington and 32 assists and 10 digs at Simon Fraser. Davenport is 10th in the GNAC with 6.62 assists per set.
• Alaska Anchorage is tops in the GNAC and is 35th in Division II with 1.83 aces per set. In addition to Swiss, senior libero Keala Kaio-Perez leads the GNAC and is 26th in Division II with 0.49 aces per set. She is also 11th in Division II with 51 total aces.
• Alaska Anchorage enters the week third in the GNAC with 2.18 blocks per set and is fourth with a .165 opponent hitting percentage. The Seawolves are averaging 12.17 kills per set with a .186 hitting percentage. Nationally, the Seawolves are 19th in Division II with 190 team aces, 34th with 219.5 total blocks and 46th with 1,828 digs and 3,921 total attacks.
CENTRAL WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Beat Seattle Pacific, 3-0. Nov. 4: Beat Saint Martin’s, 3-0. Nov. 7: Lost at Northwest Nazarene, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 11: vs. Montana State Billings, 7 p.m.
• The Wildcats scored a pair of three-set sweeps over the weekend, defeating Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s. Central Washington opened this week by watching Northwest Nazarene come back from two sets down on Tuesday to win in five sets.
• Central Washington enters the week having received 14 votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Wildcats also stayed at No. 6 in this week’s NCAA West Region Rankings.
• Junior outside hitter Shelby Mauritson finished with 42 kills over the three matches. She led CWU with 14 kills and 14 digs against Seattle Pacific, added 12 kills against Saint Martin’s and had 16 kills, 21 digs, three aces and four blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Mauritson is fourth in the GNAC with 3.63 kills per set and is 15th in Division II with 12.03 attacks per set.
• Senior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse had another 13 kills in the three matches and continues to lead Division II with 1.55 blocks per set. She had four blocks against Seattle Pacific and then added seven blocks to go with 10 kills at Northwest Nazarene. Wheelhouse is also fourth in the GNAC with a .323 hitting percentage.
• Senior middle blocker Sarah Joffs also had 13 kills in the three matches while sophomore outside hitter Bridgette Webb had 12 blocks. Joffs finished with seven blocks at Northwest Nazarene while Webb had four blocks in each match. Joffs is seventh in the GNAC with 1.08 blocks per set while the Wildcats are second in Division II as a team with 2.79 blocks per set.
• Central Washington enters the week second in the GNAC with a .149 opponent hitting percentage and third with a .208 hitting percentage. The Wildcats are averaging 12.66 kills per set.
CONCORDIA
LAST WEEK: Oct. 31: Won at Western Oregon, 3-0. Nov. 4: Won at Montana State Billings, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: at Alaska, 7 p.m. Nov 11: at Alaska Anchorage, 1:30 p.m.
• Concordia snapped a four-match losing streak with a pair of three-set sweeps on the road over Western Oregon and Montana State Billings.
• Senior opposite Lindsey Dorsey finished with 31 kills, 33 digs and eight blocks in the two matches to lead the Concordia offense. She finished with a double-double of 12 kills and 18 digs to go with four blocks against Western Oregon and added 19 kills, 15 digs and four blocks against MSUB. Dorsey is fourth in the GNAC with 4.18 points per set and sixth with 3.52 kills per set.
• Senior middle blocker Colby Barnette added 29 kills and 14 blocks and finished with a .387 hitting percentage in the two matches. She came off the bench to finish with 11 kills and six blocks at WOU and had 18 kills and eight blocks at MSUB. Barnette is sixth in the GNAC and 33rd in Division II with 1.17 blocks per set and is sixth in the GNAC with a .298 hitting percentage.
• Senior setter Michele Brown added 97 assists in the two matches and is now third in the GNAC with 10.23 assists per set. She finished with 38 assists at Western Oregon and had a double-double of 59 assists and 15 digs at MSUB.
• Concordia enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 12.91 kills and 12.10 assists per set. The Cavaliers own a .196 hitting percentage.
MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Beat Western Oregon, 3-2. Nov. 4: Lost to Concordia, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: at Northwest Nazarene, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: at Central Washington, 7 p.m.
• Montana State Billings played a pair of hard-fought five-set matches last week, beating Western Oregon on Thursday before falling to Concordia on Saturday.
• Freshman middle blocker Hali Ehresmann finished with 27 kills and 12 blocks to lead the Yellowjackets. She finished with 14 kills and five blocks against Western Oregon and added 13 kills and seven blocks against Concordia. Ehrresmann leads MUSB with 67 blocks and 0.72 blocks per set.
• Freshman outside hitter Bayli Monck added 21 kills and finished with a .315 hitting percentage in the two matches, paced by 11 kills against Concordia. Freshman outside hitter Maddi Vigil had 32 kills, topped by her 19 kills and 22 digs against Western Oregon. Vigil is ninth in the GNAC with 3.24 kills per set.
• Freshman libero Izela Alvarez added 57 digs in the two matches, which included 26 against Western Oregon and 31 against Concordia. Alvarez enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 21st in Division II with 5.69 digs per set. She is also 39th in Division II with 529 total digs.
• Montana State Billings enters the week fourth in the GNAC and 48th in Division II with 17.94 digs per set. The Yellowjackets are averaging 11.17 kills per set with a .153 hitting percentage.
NORTHWEST NAZARENE
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Beat Saint Martin’s, 3-1. Nov. 4: Beat Seattle Pacific, 3-0. Nov. 7: Beat Central Washington, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Montana State Billings, 7 p.m.
• The Nighthawks have won three in a row and seven of their last eight matches after wins over Saint Martin’s and Seattle Pacific over the weekend and five-set victory over Central Washington on Tuesday. Northwest Nazarene had to rebound from two sets down to win over Wildcats.
• With the weekend wins, the Nighthawks held steady at No. 13 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll and held at No. 2 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region Rankings.
• Senior middle blocker Madi Farrell was named GNAC Co-Offensive Athlete of the Week after an impressive performance last week where she finished with 29 kills, 4.24 kills per set, 12 blocks and a 610 hitting percentage. She finished with 15 kills and five blocks in the win over Saint Martin’s and then had 14 kills, seven blocks and a .824 hitting percentage against Seattle Pacific. On Tuesday, Farrell added 14 kills and eight blocks in the win over Central Washington. Farrell leads the GNAC and is second in Division II with a .429 hitting percentage. She is also third in the GNAC with 3.91 kills per set and 1.40 blocks per set.
• Senior outside hitter Kendra Bodine had 44 kills in the three matches. She has 15 kills against Saint Martin’s and 16 against Central Washington to go along with 18 digs. Bodine leads the GNAC and is 12th in Division II with 4.31 kills per set. She is 36th in Division II with 384 total kills.
• Senior libero Jacquelyn Johnson finished with 65 digs and averaged 5.42 digs per set in the three matches. She had 21 digs against Saint Martin’s and 29 against Central Washington.
• Northwest Nazarene leads the GNAC and is ranked 13th in Division II with a .256 hitting percentage. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC with a .147 opponent hitting percentage and is second in the GNAC and 31st in Division II with 13.87 kills per set. Northwest Nazarene also leads the GNAC and is 16th in Division II with 13.35 assists per set.
SAINT MARTIN’S
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Lost at Northwest Nazarene, 3-1. Nov. 4: Lost at Central Washington, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Simon Fraser, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: vs. Western Washington, 8 p.m.
• The Saints are looking to snap a five-match losing streak after taking losses to Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene last week.
• Senior outside hitter Rebecca Mitchell once again led Saint Martin’s with 25 kills and three aces in the two matches. She finished with 19 kills and two aces against the Nighthawks and had six kills and five digs against Central Washington. Mitchell is seventh in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set and eighth with 3.90 points per set.
• Senior setter Nicolette Nesbitt finished with 54 assists in the two matches, which included a double-double of 38 assists and 10 digs against Northwest Nazarene and 16 digs against Central Washington. Nesbitt is seventh in the GNAC with 8.12 assists per set.
• Senior defensive specialist Hannah Neumann added 35 digs in the two digs, paced by her 21 digs at Northwest Nazarene. Neumann is 10th in the GNAC with 4.31 digs per set.
• Saint Martin’s enters the week with a .153 hitting percentage and averages 11.74 kills and 16.74 digs per set.
SEATTLE PACIFIC
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Lost at Central Washington, 3-0. Nov 4: Lost at Northwest Nazarene, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: vs. Western Washington, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: vs. Simon Fraser, 4 p.m.
• Seattle Pacific will look to return to the win column this week after taking a pair of three-set road losses at Central Washington at Northwest Nazarene.
• Senior outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach and sophomore outside hitter Gabby Oddo each had 21 kills to lead the Falcons. Lautenbach led SPU with 15 kills and 15 digs against Central Washington. Oddo had 11 kills against the Wildcats and had 10 against Northwest Nazarene. Oddo is eighth in the GNAC with an average of 3.40 kills per set.
• Senior outside hitter Colleen Hannigan finished with a .314 hitting percentage in the two matches. Her week was paced by a 13-kill performance against Central Washington where she hit .417.
• Junior setter Symone Tran led all GNAC setters with 12.33 assists per set in the two matches (74 total). She had a high of 43 assists in the loss at Central Washington. Tran enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC at 9.89 assists per set.
• Junior middle blocker Shaun Crespi had eight blocks in the two matches, topped by her five at Central Washington. Crespi is 11th in the GNAC with 1.02 blocks per set.
• Seattle Pacific enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 2.09 blocks per set. The Falcons are averaging 12.26 kills and 16.58 digs per set with a .173 hitting percentage.
SIMON FRASER
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Beat Alaska, 3-0. Nov. 4: Beat Alaska Anchorage, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: at Saint Martin’s, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: at Seattle Pacific, 4 p.m.
• The Clan put together a great home week last week, scoring a three-set sweep of Alaska before sweeping Alaska Anchorage in three sets for the team’s first-ever win over the Seawolves.
• Junior libero Katerina Dolguikh was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 43 digs and averaged 7.17 digs per set in the two wins. She finished with 20 digs against Alaska and 23 digs and two aces against Alaska Anchorage. Dolguikh is averaging 3.78 digs per set for the Clan, second on the team behind Jayme Bratsberg, who is second in the GNAC with 5.37 digs per set.
• Senior outside hitter Christine Howlett led the Clan offensively with 24 kills and four kills per set in the two matches while amassing a .500 hitting percentage. She led all players with 14 kills and hit .650 against Alaska and came back for 10 kills against Alaska Anchorage. Howlett is averaging 2.57 kills per set.
• Three SFU players hit over .400 last week. In addition to Howlett, sophomore middle blocker Angelica Kilberg hit .500 with 10 kills and junior middle blocker Tessa May hit .414 with 13 kills to go along with six blocks. May is second in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with a .358 hitting percentage.
• Sophomore outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney added 21 kills in the two matches. Her week was topped by 12 kills off the bench in Thursday’s win over Alaska.
• Simon Fraser enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with 18.63 digs per set. The Clan is third in the GNAC with 12.98 kills per set and is fifth with .200 hitting percentage.
WESTERN OREGON
LAST WEEK: Oct. 31: Lost to Concordia, 3-0. Nov. 2: Lost at Montana State Billings, 3-2.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: at Alaska Anchorage, 7 p.m. Nov. 11: at Alaska, 7 p.m.
• Western Oregon hopes to put an end to its nine-match losing streak on the road in Alaska this weekend after taking losses last week to Concordia and Montana State Billings.
• Senior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led Western Oregon with 25 kills in the two matches. She finished with a team-high seven kills and nine digs against Concordia and had a double-double of 18 kills and 22 digs at Montana State Billings. Bettinson is fifth in the GNAC with 3.53 kills per set and seventh with 3.92 points per set.
• Freshman outside hitter Sierra Stultz finished with 24 kills and led WOU with her .296 hitting percentage in the two matches. Her week was paced by a team-leading 19 kills to go along with 19 digs against Montana State Billings.
• Junior setter Leila Holt added 64 assists in the two matches. She came up with 12 assists against Concordia and surged for 52 assists and 12 digs at Montana State Billings. Holt is ninth in the GNAC with 6.63 assists per set.
• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 12 kills per set and is fifth in the GNAC with 17.73 digs per set while amassing a .165 hitting percentage.
WESTERN WASHINGTON
LAST WEEK: Nov. 2: Beat Alaska Anchorage, 3-1. Nov. 4: Beat Alaska, 3-0.
THIS WEEK: Nov. 9: at Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m. Nov. 9: at Saint Martin’s, 8 p.m.
• The win streak for Western Washington is now at 14 matches after the Vikings scored home wins over Alaska Anchorage and Alaska.
• The Vikings remained at No. 8 in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25. It is the 77th consecutive poll, dating back to the 2012 season, where WWU has been ranked. Western Washington also remained No. 3 in the latest NCAA West Region Rankings.
• Senior opposite Joellee Buckner shared GNAC Offensive Player of the Week honors after she finished with 26 kills and 48 digs and hit .382 in the two matches. She finished with a double-double of 15 kills and 28 digs to go with three blocks against Alaska Anchorage and finished with 11 kills, nine digs and a block against Alaska. Buckner is second for the Vikings with 2.93 kills per set while also ranking eighth in the GNAC with 4.69 digs per set.
• Junior middle blocker Michaela Hall finished with a .407 hitting percentage in the two matches with 14 kills and 10 blocks. She had six kills and eight blocks against Alaska Anchorage and finished with eight kills against Alaska. Hall is fourth in the GNAC and 21st in Division II with 1.24 blocks per set and is third in the GNAC with a .326 hitting percentage.
• Junior outside hitter Abby Phelps paced WWU offensively with 31 kills, 4.43 kills per set and 37 digs over the two matches. She led all players with 19 kills and 25 digs against Alaska Anchorage and added 12 kills and 12 digs against Alaska. Phelps is second in the GNAC and 31st in Division II with 3.96 kills per set. She is also 12th in Division II with 12.25 attacks per set.
• Junior defensive specialist Aubrey Buckner finished with 48 digs and averaged 6.86 digs per set in the two matches. She finished with 30 digs and two aces against Alaska Anchorage and added 18 digs and an ace against Alaska. Buckner is fifth in the GNAC with 4.99 digs per set.
• Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 20th in Division II with 14.05 kills per set. The Vikings also lead the league and eighth in Division II with 19.76 digs per set. In addition, Western Washington is second in the GNAC and third in Division II with 2.78 blocks per set.