Wednesday, December 4, 2013

PORTLAND, Ore. - The NCAA Division II West Regional volleyball tournament begins Thursday at San Bernardino, Calif., with four quarterfinal matches.

The opening match will pit third-seed UC San Diego against sixth-seed Dixie State at noon.  That is the only quarterfinal without a GNAC team.

Alaska Anchorage will play defending champion and No. 2 seed BYU-Hawaii at 2:30 p.m.  GNAC champion Western Washington will then take on fourth-seed Sonoma State at 5 p.m. 

Central Washington will face top-seed Cal State San Bernardino in the day's final match at 7:30 p.m. The Seawolves, Vikings and Wildcats are seeded seventh, fifth and eighth, respectively. 

Thursday's four winners will advance to the semifinals on Friday at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.  Saturday's championship match will be played at 7 p.m.

CSU San Bernardino is hosting the tournament for the seventh time in the past eight years.  The Coyotes lost to UC San Diego in 2006 and then were swept by Western Washington in 2007 in the title matches, but won the region crown at home in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.  Last year BYU-Hawaii hosted and won the tournament.

CSUSB started this season losing four of its first eight matches, including 3-1 to Central Washington and 3-2 to Seattle Pacific, but breezed through its conference schedule winning 21 of 22 matches, including its final nine matches. 

BYU-Hawaii brings a 17-match win streak to the regional since losing its only match in five sets to Hawaii Pacific on Sept. 26. 

Western Washington has won its last nine matches.  Twenty of its 23 wins have been sweeps. 

The Vikings have gone five sets just once, losing at home to Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 19. 

The Seawolves won six of their last seven losing only at home 3-1 to Western Washington on Nov. 14.  Both WWU and UAA completed their conference road schedules with perfect 9-0 records.

While Cal State San Bernardino is the No. 1 seeded team, it is just the fourth highest ranked team in the latest AVCA national poll.  Second-seed BYU-Hawaii is ranked fourth.  Western Washington is ranked 10th, UC San Diego is ranked 12th and CSUSB is ranked 14th. 

Sonoma State is ranked fifth.  Three regional qualifiers are unranked – Dixie State, Alaska Anchorage and Central Washington.  Dixie is among “others receiving votes”.

HEAD-TO-HEAD:   Western Washington, which is making its eighth playoff appearances in Diane Flick’s 14 seasons as head coach, played only one match against a non-GNAC West Region qualifier losing 3-1 to Sonoma State.  Central Washington won one of three non-conference matches against playoff qualifiers, defeating Cal State San Bernardino 3-1 and losing to UC San Diego 3-0 and Sonoma State 3-1.  Alaska Anchorage was winless in three matches against non-GNAC qualifiers, losing 3-0  to BYU-Hawaii, UC San Diego and CSU San Bernardino ... In conference matches, Western Washington swept Central Washington.  Both the Vikings and Wildcats split their two matches with the Seawolves.

PLAYOFF HISTORY: GNAC teams are just 10-23 all-time in the NCAA regional tournament during the GNAC era (since 2001).  Western Washington has accounted for six of the wins going 6-6 (in seven appearances including 2001-03, 2006-07, 2010 and 2012) including 3-0 in 2007 when they reached the NCAA Division II national championship game.  Central Washington is 1-4 in four appearances (2004-06, 12) and Alaska Anchorage is 1-3 in three appearances (2009-11).

NCAA WEST REGIONALS (Dec. 5-7 at San Bernardino): Thursday - #3 UC San Diego (25-5) vs. #6 Dixie State (17-9), noon; #2 BYU-Hawaii (24-1) vs. #7 Alaska Anchorage (21-9), 2:30 p.m.; #4 Sonoma State (25-5) vs. #5 Western Washington (23-3); #1 CSU San Bernardino (25-5) vs. #8 Central Washington (15-11), 7:30 p.m. Friday – Semifinals at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m..  Saturday – Championship match at 7 p.m.

Erickson, Hutchinson, Terpstra Earn Two All-Region Awards

Middle blocker Kayla Erickson and libero Samantha Hutchinson of Western Washington and middle blocker Andrea Terpstra of Northwest Nazarene were each named to two all-region teams this week.

On Tuesday Erickson and Hutchinson were first team picks and Terpstra was a second team selection on the Daktronics team selected by the region's sports information directors.  Also named to the Daktronics second team was Western Washington setter Taylor Dillard.

On Wednesday, Erickson, Hutchinson, Terpstra and Alaska Anchorage outside hitter Katelynn Zanders were all named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association West Region first team.

Setter Catie Fry of Central Washington and outside hitter Sam Harthun of Alaska Fairbanks were honorable mention selections.

ALL-REGION TEAMS

AVCA (Coaches): First Team – Kayla Erickson, Western Washington (MB, Jr., Gig Harbor); Samantha Hutchinson, Western Washington (L, Jr., University Place, WA); Andrea Terpstra, Northwest Nazarene (MB, Jr., Ripon, CA); Katelynn Zanders, Alaska Anchorage (OH, So., Anchorage, AK). Honorable Mention – Catie Fry, Central Washington (S, So., Tacoma, WA); Sam Harthun, Alaska Fairbanks (OH, So., Oregon City, OR).

Daktronics (SIDs): First Team -  Kayla Erickson, Western Washington (MB, Jr., Gig Harbor, WA); Samantha Hutchinson, Western Washington (L, Jr., University Place, WA). Second Team: -  Andrea Terpstra, Northwest Nazarene (MB, Jr., Ripon, CA); Taylor Dillard, Western Washington (S, Jr., Milton, WA).

CoSIDA (Academic): First Team - Emily Boerger, WWU (Anthropology/Biology, Sr., 3.89, Marysville, WA).

Hutchinson Ranked Second in Digs

Western Washington libero Sam Hutchinson is ranked second in digs in this week's NCAA Division II national statistical report.  Hutchinson is averaging 6.90 digs per set.

She is one of five GNAC players ranked in this week's Top 10.

The Vikings' Kayla Erickson is ranked fifth in hitting percentage (.385) and WWU setter Taylor Dillard is ranked eighth in assists, averaging 11.80 per set. 

Sam Harthun of Alaska Fairbanks ranks seventh in both points (4.91) and kills (4.39). Nikki Lowell of Seattle Pacific is ranked seventh in blocks, averaging 1.33 per set.

In team categories, Western Washington ranks fifth in digs (19.28), seventh in hitting percentage (.274) and ninth in kills (14.29).  Seattle Pacific ranks seventh in blocks, averaging 2.55 per set.

NCAA NATIONAL STATISTICS (Prior to regionals): Individuals (Top 30): Points – 7. Sam Harthun, UAF, 4.91; 23. Kayla Erickson, WWU, 4.44; 30. Katelynn Zanders, UAA, 4.33. Kills – 7. Sam Harthun, UAF, 4.39.  Hitting Percentage – 5. Kayla Erickson, WWU, .385. Assists – 8. Taylor Dillard, WWU, 11.80.  Blocks – 7. Nikki Lowell, SPU, 1.33; 19. Andrea Terpstra, NNU, 1.25; 21. Kayla Erickson, WWU, 1.22; 25. Jodi Huddleston, UAA, 1.16; 29. Erin Smith, CWU. 1.12.  Digs – 2. Samantha Hutchinson, WWU, 6.90; 17. Kaely Kight, CWU, 5.49.  Team (Top 30): Kills – 9. Western Washington 14.29.  Hitting Percentage – 7. Western Washington .274.  Assists – 11. Western Washington 13.26.  Blocks – 7. Seattle Pacific 2.55; 19. Western Washington 2.38; 29. Central Washington 2.30.  Digs – 5. Western Washington 19.28.

FROM THE RECORD BOOK: Becky Blees of Western Oregon finished her career as the GNAC’s all-time leader in blocking assists with 383, four more than Nikki Lowell of Seattle Pacific.  Blees also became the first player in GNAC history to average 1.00 or more block assists per set, finishing with a 1.07 average,  Lowell ended up No. 2 on both the GNAC total blocks (419) and assisted blocks (379) career lists.  She also finished sixth in GNAC history in career hitting percentage (.308) becoming just the seventh player to hit .300 or better ... Western Washington’s Samantha Hutchinson will take a 6.37 digs per set career average into the playoffs.  That ranks No. 2 all-time in the conference.

TEAM NOTES

Alaska Anchorage: Katelynn Zanders takes a string of 10 consecutive matches with 10 or more kills into the playoffs.  She posted 13 double-doubles, including eight in her last 10 matches.

Alaska Fairbanks: Sam Harthun, who finished the season as the GNAC leader in kills (4.39) and points (4.91), had 25 kills, five blocks and three service aces in matches at Seattle Pacific and MSUB Billings.  Lilah Hudson led UAF with seven blocks.

Central Washington:  Linden Firethorne led Central Washington with 23 kills and nine blocks in 3-0 sweeps of Saint Martin’s and Western Oregon.  The Wildcats outhit their opponents in the two contests by a combined margin of .250 to .097.

MSU Billings: Monica Grimsrud had 25 kills and Chelsey Walter had a team-high 14 blocks as the Yellowjackets split two matches to close out their season.  Grimsrud finished her junior season ranked 23^rd in GNAC history in career kills with 1,079 and 34^th in career points with 1,194.

Northwest Nazarene: Elayna Rice had a team-high 37 kills in wins over Western Oregon and Saint Martin’s.  Michelle Terpstra led the Crusader defense with 23 digs and also had 48 assists, six kills and two service aces in a 3-1 win over Western Oregon.  She had seven more digs and a block along with four kills and 41 assists in a sweep of Saint Martin’s

Saint Martin’s: Larissa Hamilton had 15 kills and hit for a .364 percentage (15-3-33) in matches at Ellensburg and Nampa.  The Saints also got 15 kills and a team-high seven blocks from Brooke Good.

Seattle Pacific: Lexi Biondi and Madi Cavell each had 16 kills and Nikki Lowell had eight blocks as the Falcons split two matches.  Cavell had 12 of her kills, and a career-tying five aces in Thursday’s win against Alaska Fairbanks.

Simon Fraser: Kelsey Robinson had 22 kills in a pair of losses to Western Washington.  The Clan was also led by Madeline Hait with 16 kills and Devon May with 12.

Western Oregon:  Becky Blees had team-highs of 14 kills and seven blocks in a pair of road contests.  The Wolves also got 13 kills from Hannah Deede and 12 each by Christie Colasurdo and Cherene O’Hara.

Western Washington: Kayla Erickson, who has had 18 double-doubles, had 27 kills and Kelsey Moore had 26 in a pair of wins over Simon Fraser.  The Vikings, who have won eight of the 13 GNAC titles, take a nine-match win streak into the regional playoffs.