Wednesday, November 16, 2016

NORTHWEST BEST: With one week left in the regular season, the GNAC appears headed for a potential for record number of particpants in the upcoming NCAA Division II West Regional Tournament.

The GNAC had five teams ranked in the top-eight of the NCAA West Region Rankings for the third straight week. Alaska Anchorage remained at No 1, followed by Simon Fraser at No. 3, Western Washington at No. 4, Northwest Nazarene at No. 6 and Central Washington at No. 7.
The top-eight teams in the West Region Rankings will qualify for the NCAA West Region Championships, which will take place over the first weekend of December. The selection show for the Division II Volleyball Championship will be on Mon., Nov. 21, at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific).

The most teams the GNAC has ever placed in the regional is four teams in 2014. Should Alaska Anchorage hold on to the No. 1 seed, it will be the third straight year that the West Regional has been hosted by a GNAC school.

CHAMPIONSHIP SECURED: For the second straight year, Alaska Anchorage is assured no less than a share of the GNAC championship. The Seawolves clinched their second straight conference crown with a four-set win over Central Washington on Saturday. Alaska Anchorage will claim the title outright with a win in its final two matches. The championship is the third in team history for the Seawolves, who also were GNAC champions in 2009.

PACKING THEM IN: Alaska Anchorage set not only a season-best attendance figure for the Alaska Airlines Center on Saturday, but for all of Division II. The Seawolves welcomed 2,257 fans for the match against Central Washington. The total crowd well surpassed the previous season best of 1,900 that saw Texas A&M-Kingsville beat Tarleton State on Oct. 18.

Alaska Anchorage continues to lead Division II in average attendance with 1,228 fans per match over 13 matches. The Seawolves have welcomed 11 of the top-20 crowds in Division II this season.

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
Leah Swiss, Alaska Anchorage
OH • 6-0 • Sophomore • Anchorage, Alaska

Swiss finished with 41 kills and a .319 hitting percentage to lead the Seawolves to two home wins and a share of the GNAC championship. She finished with 27 kills and hit .393 in Thursday’s win over Northwest Nazarene, which included three of the final four kills in the deciding fourth set. Swiss added 14 kills in the four-set win over Central Washington on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Lindsey Dorsey (Concordia), Tamara Nipp (Simon Fraser), Angala Jensen (Montana State Billings), Shelby Mauritson (Central Washington), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington), Amanda Short (Western Oregon), Madi Farrell (Northwest Nazarene).

DEFENSIVE
Diana Fa’amausili, Alaska Anchorage
MB/RS • 5-11 • Freshman • Federal Way, Wash.

Fa’amausili finished with 13 blocks to go along with 30 kills in the Seawolves’ four-set wins over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday. She had eight of her blocks against the Crusaders and had the team-high with 15 kills against Central Washington.

Also Nominated: Kylee Cornelio (Montana State Billings), Joellee Buckner (Western Washington), Christie Colasurdo (Western Oregon), Shayli Siegfreid (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska saw its losing streak stretch to 17 matches, dropping their final home events of the season to Central Washington in four sets on Thursday and to Northwest Nazarene in five sets on Saturday.

• Sophomore Amberly Jeane posted 30 kills in the two matches to lead UAF. She finished with 17 kills and hit .282 against Central Washington and had 13 kills and 10 digs against Northwest Nazarene.

• Junior outside hitter Angela Molesworth added 10 kills against Central Washington while freshman middle blocker Kim Wong came up with 12 kills and five blocks against Northwest Nazarene.

• The Nanooks continue to rank third in the GNAC with an average of 1.46 aces per set. Junior Riley Podowicz leads the way, ranking fifth in the league with 0.37 aces per set.

• Junior setter Rachel Nichols is seventh in the GNAC with her 9.50 assists per set. She added 93 assists to her total in the last two matches, paced by 50 against Northwest Nazarene. In addition, senior defensive specialist Meagan Olsen ranks ninth in the GNAC with 4.00 digs per set.

• Alaska finishes its season on the road, playing at Saint Martin’s on Friday and at Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage secured no less than a share of its second straight GNAC championship last weekend, posting four-set home wins over Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

• The victories not only ran the Seawolves’ current win streak to six matches, but allowed UAA to move up two spots to No. 9 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25. The Seawolves are retained their No. 1 ranking in the NCAA West Region Rankings.

• Sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after leading UAA with 41 kills in the two matches. She finished with a UAA season high 27 kills and hit .393 in the win over Northwest Nazarene and added 14 kills and three blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Swiss enters the week second in the GNAC with 4.09 points per set and third with 3.49 kills per set.

• Freshman middle blocker Diana Fa’amausili was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 13 blocks and 30 kills in the two matches. She opened the week with 15 kills and eight blocks against NNU and  finished with 15 kills and five blocks against Central Washington. Fa’amausili enters the week ninth in the GNAC with 1.02 blocks per set.

• Senior middle blocker Erin Braun added 15 kills and 12 blocks and hit .400 in the two matches. Her best effort came against Northwest Nazarene with seven kills and eight blocks. Braun enters the week third in the GNAC with her .312 hitting percentage and is fifth in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with 10.17 blocks per set.

• Alaska Anchorage continues to lead Division II in attendance, averaging 1,228 fans per match. The Seawolves have attracted nine of the top-20 crowds this season, topped by the 2,257 fans that saw the match against Central Washington on Saturday. That is the biggest crowd in Division II this season.

• The Seawolves lead the GNAC opponent hitting percentage (.117) and service aces (1.81) and are second in hitting percentage (.230) and kills (13.87 per set). Alaska Anchorage is among one of three GNAC teams in the Division II top-20 in blocks, ranking 13th with 2.32 per set.

• Alaska Anchorage closes the regular season on the road at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington achieved a split on the Alaska road trip, winning in four sets over Alaska on Thursday and falling in four sets to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Shelby Mauritson led the way offensively with 29 kills in the two matches. She finished with 14 kills against Alaska and had 15 against Alaska Anchorage, both team match highs.

• Junior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse had 14 kills and 13 blocks in the two matches and finished with a .364 hitting percentage, with highs of seven kills and eight blocks against Alaska Anchorage, Wheelhouse continues to lead the GNAC and is second in Division II with 1.71 blocks per set. She is also fourth in the GNAC with a .301 hitting percentage.

• The Wildcats continue to lead Division II in blocking, averaging 3.05 blocks per set. In addition to Wheelhouse, senior middle blocker Erin Little is fourth in the GNAC and 11th in Division II with 1.11 blocks per set.

• Central Washington is in line for one of the region’s eight national tournament berths. The Wildcats remained No. 7 in the West Region Rankings this week.

• The Wildcats enter the week fifth in the GNAC with a .197 hitting percentage and a .178 opponent’s hitting percentage. Central Washington is second in Division II with 295.5 total blocks.

• Central Washington will complete the regular season at home, hosting Western Oregon on Thuesday and Concordia on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• The Cavaliers swept its matches last weekend and ran its win streak to three matches. Concordia defeated Western Oregon last Tuesday before returning home to knock off Montana State Billings in five sets on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Lindsey Dorsey once again led Concordia with 26 kills and a .345 hitting percentage in the two matches. She finished with 15 kills and two blocks against Western Oregon and added 11 kills and seven aces against MSUB. Dorsey enters the week leading the GNAC with 0.51 aces per set and fourth with 4.06 points per set and eighth with 3.23 kills per set.

• Junior middle blocker Colby Barnette also finished with 26 kills and a .364 hitting percentage. She finished with 14 kills and hit .310 in the win over MSUB and had 12 kills at Western Oregon. Barnette enters the week sixth in the GNAC with a .296 hitting percentage and seventh with 1.07 blocks per set.

• Junior setter Michele Brown added 107 assists to her total in the two matches and is third in the GNAC with 11.11 assists per set. She finished with a high of 60 assists to go along with 10 digs in the win over Montana State Billings.

• As a team, Concordia enters the week second in the GNAC with 1.61 aces per set, third with a .229 hitting percentage and fourth with 2.12 blocks per set.

• On Sept. 17, 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.

• Concordia concludes the season with matches at Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings dropped both matches in the Willamette Valley last week, falling in four sets to Western Oregon on Thursday and in five sets to Concordia on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Stormy Siemion led the way offensively with 29 kills in the two matches. She finished with 14 kills and 13 digs against Western Oregon and with 15 kills, nine digs and four blocks against Concordia. Siemion enters the week fifth in the GNAC with 3.41 kills per set and seventh with 3.68 points per set. In the NCAA Division II stats, Siemion is 25th with 11.48 attacks per set.

• Freshman setter Angala Jensen put together the first triple-double in the GNAC this season and the 36th in Division II volleyball in 2016 with a performance of 10 kills, 37 assists and 14 digs against Western Oregon. Jensen enters the week eighth in the GNAC with 8.67 assists per set.

• Freshman right side Bre Rodrigues hit .351 in the two matches with 14 kills against just one attack error. She topped her week with an eight-kill performance against Concordia.

• Freshman defensive specialist Mataia Robinson added four aces to her total last week, all in the match at Western Oregon. She enters the week seventh in the GNAC with 0.32 aces per set.

• As a team, Montana State Billings is eighth in the GNAC with 12.26 kills per set and 1.71 blocks per set.

• Montana State Billings closes the season at home, hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its matches in Alaska last week, falling to Alaska Anchorage in four sets on Thursday and defeating Alaska in five sets on Saturday.

• With the split, Northwest Nazarene remained at No. 6 in the NCAA Division II West Region Rankings.

• Junior middle blocker Madi Farrell led the Crusaders with 40 kills, 11 blocks and a .530 hitting percentage. She finished with 20 kills and four blocks against Alaska Anchorage and had 20 kills and seven blocks against Alaska. Farrell enters the week second in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with a .365 hitting percentage. She is also third in the GNAC and 10th in Division II with 1.27 blocks per set.

• Junior outside hitter Kendra Bodine also came up big with 34 kills and nine blocks in the two matches. She had a double-double of 20 kills, 17 digs and five blocks in the win over Alaska and had 14 kills, 12 digs and four blocks against Alaska Anchorage. Bodine enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 29th in Division II with 4.01 kills per set. She also leads the GNAC and ranks 42nd in Division II with 4.32 points per set.

• Junior setter Hailey Cook continues to lead the GNAC and is 11th in Division II with 11.54 assists per set She added 107 assists to her total last week, paced by 57 in the win over Alaska.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene is second in the GNAC and 17th in Division II at 13.04 assists per set. The Crusaders are also fourth in the GNAC in hitting percentage (.220), kills (13.58 per set) and digs (18.58 per set).

• Northwest Nazarene finishes the regular season at home, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s dropped both matches along the border last week, falling in three sets to Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Gondrezick led the Saints once again with 19 kills. She finished with nine kills, four digs and two blocks against Simon Fraser and added 10 kills, eight digs and two blocks against Western Washington.

• Junior outside hitter Rebecca Mitchell shared top honors with her nine kills at Simon Fraser to go along with nine digs.

• Sophomore defensive specialist Cassidy Apo enters the week eighth in the GNAC with 4.25 digs per set. She added 29 in the two matches last week, paced by 15 against Western Washington.

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is eighth in the GNAC with a .180 hitting percentage and ninth with 1.00 aces per set and 1.69 blocks per set.

• Saint Martin’s is at Marcus Pavilion for its final two matches of the season, hosting Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific lost both matches on its final road trip of the season, falling in three sets to Western Washington on Thursday and in four sets to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi finished with 20 kills and hit .389 in the two matches. She has eight kills against Western Washington and 12 kills to go along with six blocks against Simon Fraser. Crespi enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and sixth in Division II with 1.44 blocks per set. She is also sixth in Division II with 144 total blocks.

• Junior outside hitter Colleen Hannigan added 17 kills in the two matches, led by an effort of 11 kills and 12 digs against Western Washington.

• Sophomore setter Symone Tran enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 10.17 assists per set. She added 67 assists in last week’s matches, paced by 34 assists and 11 digs against Simon Fraser.

• As a team, Seattle Pacific is second in the GNAC and eighth in Division II with 2.37 blocks per set. The Falcons are also third in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.170).

• Seattle Pacific is home for its final two matches of the season, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser won both of its matches last week, knocking off Saint Martin’s in three sets on Thursday and Seattle Pacific in four sets on Saturday. The Clan opened this week by taking a four-set loss at Western Washington.

• Simon Fraser remained at No. 3 in the latest NCAA West Region Rankings and appears headed to a West Region Tournament appearance.

• Sophomore middle blocker Tessa May led the way with 37 kills in the last three matches for the Clan. She led SFU with 16 kills in the win over Seattle Pacific and had 11 kills against Saint Martin’s. May enters the week sixth in the GNAC and 26th in Division II with 1.14 blocks per set. She is also ninth in the GNAC with her .271 hitting percentage.

• Senior outside hitter Emma Jennings and junior outside hitter Christine Howlett each had 34 kills over the last three matches. Jennings led the Clan with 12 kills in the win over Saint Martin’s while Howlett finished with 12 kills in the win over Seattle Pacific..

• Senior defensive specialist Alison McKay leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 6.60 digs per set. McKay had 71 digs over the last three matches, topped by 33 in Tuesday’s loss to Western Washington.

• Senior Tamara Nipp enters the week second in the GNAC and 14th in Division II with 11.45 assists per set. She added 132 assists to her total over the last three matches, topped by a double-double of 40 assists and 15 digs against Western Washington and 43 assists against Saint Martin’s.

• As a team, Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II with 20.09 digs per set. The Clan is second in the league with a .157 opponent hitting percentage and third with 13.66 kills per set.

• Simon Fraser closes the regular season at home on Saturday, hosting Montana State Billings.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon earned a split in its final home weekend. The Wolves dropped a four-set match to Concordia on Tuesday before taking a four-set match from Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Short finished with 30 kills in the the two matches and hit .310. She came off the bench for 17 kills against Concordia and added 13 kills in the win over Montana State Billings.

• Junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson added 24 kills over the two matches, paced by a 19-kill, nine-dig effort against Montana State Billings. Bettinson enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 3.42 kills per set and eighth with 3.63 points per set.

• Sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz is fourth in the GNAC with 10.43 assists per set. She added 92 to her total last week, including a double-double of 48 assists and 10 digs against Montana State Billings.

• As a team, Western Oregon is second in the GNAC and 14th in Division II with 19.00 digs per set. The Wolves are seventh in the league with a .181 hitting percenrage and 12.65 kills per set.

• Western Oregon closes the season on the road, playing at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington opened a four-match home stand with a pair of three-set wins, beating Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday. The Vikings added to the run with a four-set win over Simon Fraser on Tuesday.

• The wins extended the Vikings’ current win streak to four matches. They have also won 15 of their last 16 matches. The wins assures Western Washington of no worse than second place in the GNAC standings.

• Western Washington remained at No. 18 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 and No. 4 in the NCAA West Region Rankings.

• Sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper finished with 31 kills, 12 blocks and a .482 hitting percentage in the last three matches. She finished with 11 kills and five blocks in the win over Saint Martin’s and had 11 kills and three blocks in the win over Simon Fraser. Harper enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 21st in Division II with a .374 hitting percentage.

• Sophomore outside hitter Abby Phelps finished with 33 kills and 48 kills in the three matches. She led five WWU players in double-figure kills with 15 kills and 24 digs in the win over Simon Fraser. Phelps enters the week seventh in the GNAC with 4.48 digs per set and ninth with 3.57 points per set.

• Junior outside hitter Joellee Buckner was also solid with 27 kills and 64 digs in the three matches. She finished with 20 digs in the win over Seattle Pacific and had a double-double of 10 kills and 30 digs against Simon Fraser.

• As a team, Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 11th in Division II with a .260 hitting percentage. The Vikings also lead the GNAC and rank ninth in Division II with 14.34 kills per set.

• Western Washington closes the regular season on Thursday, hosting Montana State Billings.

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