Wednesday, September 21, 2016

BLOCK PARTY: Once again, the GNAC is proving to be one of the top conferences in Division II when it comes to blocking. Three conference teams are ranked in the Division II top-10 in blocks per set: Central Washington (2.64, second), Alaska Anchorage (2.54, fifth) and Seattle Pacific (2.45, ninth). All three programs are also in the Division II top-20 in total blocks. Four conference teams are averaging over two blocks per set (Concordia is at 2.00) and all but one team is averaging over 1.50 blocks per set.

The GNAC currently boasts 10 athletes that average over a block per set and six that are among the top-50 in Division II. Central Washington’s Sabrina Wheelhouse is third in Division II with 1.50 blocks per set and Seattle Pacific’s Shaun Crespi is eighth at 1.39 blocks per set.

PACKING THEM IN: Fans at GNAC schools love their volleyball. Alaska Anchorage is the current Division II leader in attendance, having welcomed 968 fans per match in six matches. The Seawolves have seen two of the top-five crowds in Division II this season and four of the top-11, topped by the 1,281 that saw UAA beat Seattle Pacific on Sept. 17. Simon Fraser welcomed 823 fans to see the Clan beat Western Washington in five sets last Wednesday, the 15th best crowd this season. Northwest Nazarene had 802 see the Crusaders face Central Washington on Tuesday, the 16th best crowd of the year.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Four GNAC teams found their names listed in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. Alaska Anchorage remained at No. 12 for the third consecutive week, picking up 705 points. Western Washington slipped two positions to No. 20 with 243 points. Only one other West Region program, Cal State San Bernardino, is in the top-25 at No 13.

Northwest Nazarene, who was No. 24 last week, dropped out of the top-25, but was second among teams receiving votes with 62 points. Simon Fraser picked up its first votes of the season, gaining nine points.

FIRST D2 WEST REGION VOLLEYBALL SHOWCASE GOES TO GNAC: The first D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase was a great stage for the GNAC, which came away as the big winner between the three competing conferences.

The GNAC finished with a 31-13 record, a .704 win percentage, in the three-day event, which featured all 38 volleyball teams from the GNAC, the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and the PacWest Conference. The CCAA finished with a 28-25 record while the PacWest finished 17-38.

The tougher the pods were, the better the GNAC did. The league went 7-1 in the Sonoma State pod, which featured the first and second place finishers in last year’s regular season standings. The GNAC swept the UC San Diego pod with an 8-0 record and went 6-2 in the San Francisco State pod. Five GNAC teams finished the tournament with 4-0 records: Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Saint Martin’s and Simon Fraser.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Tamara Nipp, Simon Fraser
S • 5-9 • Senior • Vancouver, B.C.

Nipp finished the week with 118 assists as the Clan opened conference play 2-0. She finished with 63 assists and an ace in the Clan’s five-set upset of No. 19 Western Washington and then added 49 assists in Friday’s three-set sweep of Montana State Billings.

Also Nominated: Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington), Lindsey Dorsey (Concordia), Alisha Bettinson (Western Oregon), Maddie Davis (Alaska), Madi Farrell (Northwest Nazarene), Kiah Jones (Central Washington), Erin Braun (Alaska Anchorage), Rebecca Mitchell (Saint Martin’s).

DEFENSIVE
Colby Barnette, Concordia
MB • 6-0 • Junior • Puyallup, Wash.

The junior finished the week with 16 blocks (1.78 blocks per set) as Concordia split their opening GNAC weekend. Barnette led the Cavaliers with 10 blocks (1 solo, 9 assists) as Concordia set a GNAC record for blocks in a four-set match with 21 in its four-set win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Alison McKay (Simon Fraser), Christie Colasurdo (Western Oregon), Meagan Olsen (Alaska), Mari Thomas (Northwest Nazarene), Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Kyla Militante-Amper (Alaska Anchorage), Cassidy Apo (Saint Martin’s).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska took a split in a pair of five-set matches at home to open the GNAC schedule. The Nanooks held off a Seattle Pacific comeback to win on Thursday before falling short in a five-set loss to Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Maddie Davis was Alaska’s top performer in both matches. She finished with 20 kills and 11 digs in the win on Thursday and added 16 kills, 10 digs and two aces in the loss to Saint Martin’s.

• Junior setter Rachel Nichols finished with 118 assists in the two matches, paced by a 64-assist performance in the win over Seattle Pacific. Davis enters the week fifth in the GNAC with 9.54 assists per set.

• The Nanooks continue to rank 39th in Division II with an average of 1.84 aces per set and 49th with 68 total aces. Junior middle blocker Riley Podowicz currently ranks ninth in the GNAC with an average of 0.43 aces per set.

• Alaska takes its first GNAC road trip of the season this weekend against two of the league’s tougher opponents. The Nanooks are at Simon Fraser on Friday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage ran its current win streak to 11 matches after a pair of three-set sweeps to open the GNAC season. The Seawolves dispatched Saint Martin’s on Friday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Senior setter Morgan Hooe turned in a solid performance on Friday, finishing with 24 assists, four kills, two aces, seven digs and four blocks in Friday’s win over Saint Martin’s. Hooe enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 9.46 assists per set and is 10th with 0.39 aces per set. In the NCAA stats, Hooe is 17th with 435 total assists and 41st with 18 aces.

• Sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss led Alaska Anchorage with 13 kills, a .429 hitting percentage and three blocks in Saturday’s win over Seattle Pacific. Swiss is ranked third in the GNAC with 3.63 kills per set. She also leads the league with 4.33 points per set. In the NCAA stats, Swiss is sixth with 53 total blocks and 21st with 1.20 blocks per set.

• Sophomore libero Kyla Militante-Amper finished with 42 digs in the four matches. She enters the week ranked third in the GNAC and 14th in Division II with 5.85 digs per set. She is also ranked second in Division II with 269 total digs.

• The two wins allowed Alaska Anchorage to remain at No. 12 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week.

• Alaska Anchorage leads the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.111) and service aces (2.04 per set) and is second in blocks (2.54 blocks per set). In the Division II team stats, Alaska Anchorage is third in team service aces (94) and team total blocks (117), fifth in blocks per set and eighth in team total kills (595).

• The Seawolves are once again leading Division II in attendance, having averaged 968 fans per game in six matches this season. Alaska Anchorage lead Division II in attendance in 2015, averaging 1,481 fans per match.

• Alaska Anchorage are on the road for two tough matches. The Seawolves are at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington improved to 2-1 in the young conference season. The Wildcats went 1-1 on the season-opening Oregon trip, defeating Concordia in five sets on Thursday before falling to Western Oregon in five sets on Saturday. The Wildcats closed a three-match GNAC road trip on Tuesday with a four-set win at Northwest Nazarene.

• Sophomore outside hitter Shelby Mauritson led the Wildcats in two of the three matches. She finsihed with 17 kills and eight digs in the win over Concordia on Thursday and had 15 kills, four aces and eight digs at Northwest Nazarene. .

• Senior outside hitter Kiah Jones finished with 19 kills, a .346 hitting percentage, 15 digs and five blocks in Saturday’s loss at Western Oregon and added 13 kills and nine digs in the win over Northwest Nazarene.

• Junior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with 1.50 blocks per set. She is also 16th in Division II with 48 total blocks and fourth in the GNAC with an average of 0.47 aces per set. Wheelhouse added six blocks to go along with six kills and two aces in Thursday’s win over Concordia.

• Central Washington leads the GNAC and is second in Division II with an average of 2.70 blocks per set and rank third with 117 total blocks. The Wildcats also rank 40th in Division II with 37.74 team attacks per set.

• After opening the season with 11 road matches, Central Washington returns home for their next three matches. The Wildcats host Montana State Billings on Saturday in their lone remaining match of the week.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split a pair of matches to open the GNAC season. The Cavaliers took Central Washington to five sets before taking the loss on Thursday. Concordia rebounded to score a four-set win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• In Saturday’s match, Concordia broke the GNAC record for blocks in a four-set match with 21. That surpassed the record of 20 held by six different teams, most recently Northwest Nazarene vs. Seattle Pacific on 11/12/15.

• Junior middle blocker Colby Barnette was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she came up with 15 blocks in the two matches, including a team-high 10 in the win over Northwest Nazarene. Barnette enters the week tied for fifth in the GNAC with 1.13 blocks per set and is eighth with a .295 hitting percentage.

• Junior opposite Lindsey Dorsey led Concordia offensively in the two matches. She finished with 16 kills and 20 digs in Thursday’s loss to Central Washington and finished with 13 kills and nine blocks in the win over Northwest Nazarene. Dorsey enters the week leading the GNAC with 0.70 aces per set and is fourth with 4.12 poinrs per set.

• Senior middle blocker Brianna Hogan is ranked second in the GNAC with a .357 hitting percentage and finished with 13 kills in the two weekend matches. Concordia is the only GNAC team with two players in the top-10 for hitting percentage.

• Concordia enters the week leading the GNAC with a .244 hitting percentage, is second with 2.00 aces per set and fourth with 2.05 blocks per set.

• Concordia takes to the road for its next two matches, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings saw its losing skid run to 10 matches as the Yellowjackets dropped their first two GNAC matches to Simon Fraser on Friday and Western Washington on Saturday, both in three sets.

• The Yellowjackets closed out its non-conference season last Monday against Rocky Mountain, falling to the crosstown NAIA rival in four sets.

• Senior outside hitter Stormy Siemion led the Yellowjackets in both matches. She finished with 13 kills, two aces and nine digs in the loss to Simon Fraser and came up with nine kills and 10 digs in the loss to Western Washington. Siemion ranks second in the GNAC and 49th in Division II with 3.82 kills per set. Siemion is also third in the GNAC with 4.17 points per set.

• Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward had seven kills apiece in the two matches. She enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 3.42 kills per set.

• Freshman setter Angala Jensen continues to rank eighth in the GNAC with her average of 9.16 assists per set and finished with 49 in the Yellowjackets’ two weekend matches.

• As a team, Montana State Billings ranks 36th in Division II with 538 total kills, and 39th with 1.557 total attacks.

• Montana State Billings will be on the road for its next two matches, playing at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and at Central Washington on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• After winning its GNAC opener in three sets at Western Oregon on Thursday, Northwest Nazarene saw its season-opening eight-match win streak come to an end with a four-set loss at Concordia on Saturday. The Crusaders then took a four-set loss to Central Washington in their home opener on Tuesday.

• Junior outside hitter Kendra Bodine was the Crusaders’ top player in two of the last three matches. She finished with 12 kills and seven digs in Thursday’s sweep of Western Oregon and had team highs of 20 kills and 22 losses in Tuesday’s loss to Central Washington. Bodine enters the week leading the GNAC and 33rd in Division II with 4.05 kills per set. She is also second in the GNAC with 4.28 points per set.

• Junior middle blocker Madi Farrell lead NNU with 18 kills and four blocks in Saturday’s loss to Concordia. Farrell is fifth in the GNAC and is 26th in Division II with 1.13 blocks per set. She is also ranked seventh in the GNAC with 3.71 points per set.

• Sophomore libero Shayli Siegfreid is third in the GNAC and seventh in Division II with 5.82 digs per set. She finished with 15 digs apiece against Concordia on Saturday and Central Washington on Tuesday.

• After its loss to Concordia, Northwest Nazarene dropped out of the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, but is second among teams receiving votes with 62 points. The Crusaders had been ranked No. 24.

• Northwest Nazarene is ranked second in the GNAC with a .143 opponent’s hitting percentage and 18.58 digs per set. The Crusaders are 20th in Division II in digs per set, 35th in opponent hitting percentage and 50th with 12.32 assists per set.

• The Crusaders finish the week at home on Thursday, hosting Montana State Billings.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s continued its strong start under first year head coach Jon Killingbeck, splitting its GNAC openers in Alaska. The Saints took a three-set loss to Alaska Anchorage on Friday and finished with a five-set win at Alaska on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Rebecca Mitchell led the Saints in both matches. She finished with eight kills and 11 digs at Alaska Anchorage on Friday and then finished with 17 kills, 10 digs and two blocks in the win over the Nanooks.

• Sophomore middle blocker Brooklyn Tacke enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II with 0.58 aces per set. She added two aces last weekend, both against Alaska Anchorage.

• Sophomore outside hitter Megan Vernoy enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC with a .284 hitting percentage. Sophomore libero Cassidy Apo is 10th in the GNAC with 4.04 digs per set.

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is ranked fourth in the GNAC with a .217 hitting percentage, 12.13 assists per set, 1.74 aces per set and 18.00 digs per set. The Saints are ranked 32nd in Division II in digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s will play its first home matches this weekend after opening the year with six on the road. The Saints host Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific took two losses to open its GNAC schedule. The Falcons dropped a hard-fought five-set match at Alaska on Thursday before falling in three sets at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Freshman outside hitter Gabby Oddo led the Falcons offensively in both matches. Oddo finished with 19 kills, a .354 hitting percentage and 10 digs in the five-set loss at Alaska and had 10 kills and 12 digs at Alaska Anchorage. Oddo enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set and 3.88 points per set.

• Sophomore setter Symone Tran is ranked seventh in the GNAC with 9.18 assists per set. She finished with a weekend-high 44 assists in the loss at Alaska. Sophomore libero Amanda Ganete is ranked fifth in the GNAC with 4.53 digs per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi is second in the GNAC and eighth in Division II with an average of 1.39 blocks per set, which included seven against Alaska on Thursday. As a team, Seattle Pacific is ninth in Division II with 2.45 blocks per set and 18th with 93 total blocks.

• After playing its first 10 matches on the road, Seattle Pacific opens the home schedule by hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser ran its current win streak to nine matches with a pair of home victories to open the GNAC season. Last Wednesday, the Clan opened with a thrilling five-set win over Western Washington and capped the week with a three-set road sweep at Montana State Billings on Friday.

• Senior setter Tamara Nipp was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after finishing with 112 assists in the two matches (the second straight setter selected for the honor). Nipp finished with 63 assists and 11 digs to go along with three kills and three blocks in the win over Western Washington. Nipp enters the week second in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 10.92 assists per set.

• Senior outside hitter Emma Jennings was Simon Fraser’s offensive leader in the two matches. She finished with 19 kills and 21 digs in the five-set win over Western Washington and added 13 kills and 10 digs in the win at Montana State Billings. Jennings enters the week eighth in the GNAC with 3.20 kills per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Tessa May is ranked eighth in the GNAC and 40th in Division II with 1.11 blocks per set. She added eight blocks in the five-set win over Western Washington.

• The strong start of the Clan is finally earning the notice of pollsters. Simon Fraser received votes in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Poll.

• As a team, Simon Fraser is second in the GNAC in kills (13.19 per set) and assists (12.13 per set) and third in opponent hitting percentage (.145) and digs (18.33). In the Division II stats, the Clan is 23rd in digs per set.

• Simon Fraser returns home to host two GNAC teams this weekend. The Clan will host Alaska on Friday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon opened the GNAC season with a split of two home matches. The Wolves took a three-set loss to Northwest Nazarene before scoring a five-set win over Central Washington on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led Western Oregon offensively in both matches. She finished with nine kills and 10 digs in the loss to Northwest Nazarene and then finished with 22 kills and 13 digs in the win over Central Washington. Bettinson enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 3.62 kills per set.

• Junior middle blocker Sydney Blankinship is currently fourth in the GNAC with a .323 hitting percentage.

• Senior libero Christie Colasurdo enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC and 48th in Division II with 5.09 digs per set, paced by 26 digs in the win over Central Washington.

• As a team, Western Oregon enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 14th in Division II with 19.03 digs per set.

• Western Oregon is on the road this weekend, playing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington took an unexpected split in its opening GNAC last week. The Vikings took a five-set loss at Simon Fraser to open the season on Wendesday, the first time the Clan had beat the Vikings as a GNAC program. Western Washington rebounded to knock off Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• The loss did not hurt the Vikings much in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll as they fell two spots to No. 20.

• Sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper led the Vikings offensively in both matches. She finished with 12 kills and seven blocks in Wednesday’s loss to Simon Fraser and rebounded for 14 kills, a .571 hitting percentage and four blocks in the win over Montana State Billings. Harper leads the GNAC and is 28th in Division II with a .372 hitting percentage. Harper is also ninth in the GNAC with 1.03 blocks per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Abby Phelps had nine kills and 20 digs in the loss to Simon Fraser and seven kills against Montana State Billings. Phelps enters the week ninth in the GNAC in both kills (3.17 per set) and digs (4.14 per set) and is 10th in points (3.60 per set).

• As a team, Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 21st in Division II with 13.71 kills per set. They also leadthe GNAC and are 27th in Division II with 12.67 assists per set. The Vikings are also second in the GNAC and 38th in Division II in hitting percentage (.235).

• Western Washington is in Bellingham this weekend, hosting Alaska Anchorage in a top-25 showdown on Thursday before hosting Alaska on Saturday.

• Western Washington will play all of their 2016 home matches at Bellingham’s Whatcom Community College while their on-campus arena, Carver Gymnasium, undergoes the second year of a two-year renovation.