Wednesday, October 7, 2015

BLOCKBUSTERS: If there is any one place that the GNAC has excelled in this season, it is in the blocking department. Five GNAC teams enter the week ranked in the top-30 among NCAA Division II teams in blocks per set while four are also ranked in the national top-30 in total blocks. Central Washington is the national leader in blocks per set at 3.07 and is third in total blocks with 156.5. The Wildcats’ Kaitlin Quirk and Western Washington’s Kayleigh Harper share the GNAC individual lead, ranking fourth nationally with an average of 1.43 blocks per set. Central Washington’s Sabrina Wheelhouse ranks 10th nationally at 1.40 blocks per set.

PACKIN’ AND STREAKIN’: It was a record-setting week for Alaska Anchorage. The No. 7 ranked Seawolves won their 14th consecutive match to open the season, beating Saint Martin’s in three sets. The victory eclipsed the previous UAA record of 13 consecutive matches won set during the 2009 season. At the same match, 1,488 fans came out to the Alaska Airlines Center, resetting their single-match attendance record. The previous record was 1,366, which was set on Sept. 26 against Montana State Billings.

ADD RECORDS: Conference teams have broken three individual match records this season. Alaska Anchorage’s .410 hitting percentage against Alaska on Sept. 22 set a record for kill percentage in four sets. That bettered the mark of .407 which Alaska set against Western Oregon on Oct. 31, 2009.

Western Washington finished with 20 blocks at Northwest Nazarene on Sept. 26, bettering the mark of 19.5 in a five-set match by Central Washington againsy Cal State San Bernadino on Nov. 18, 2005. In the same match, Kayleigh Harper registered 13 blocks, tying the GNAC record for a five-set match.

GNAC ROLLS IN THE CROSSOVER: For the second straight year, the GNAC proved the dominant team in the GNAC/PacWest Crossover, held Sept. Sept. 10-12 in Ellensburg, Wash., and Seattle. In their host year, The GNAC went 17-15 against the PacWest, including 7-1 record of GNAC programs against the PacWest’s top-25 ranked program. In the two years of the tournament, the GNAC has a 37-27 record against the PacWest. In 2016, the crossover will expand to include the California Collegiate Athletic Association.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC VOLLEYBALL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Sam Harthun, Alaska
OH • 6-1 • Senior • Oregon City, Ore.

Harthun led Alaska to their first two wins of the season with 35 kills, 10 aces, 16 digs and a .200 hitting percentage. She finished with 20 kills, seven aces and nine digs in Thursday’s five-set win over Saint Martin’s and added 15 kills, three aces and seven digs in the four-set win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday. Harthun now has 1,274 kills, No. 2 all-time at Alaska and No. 9 on the GNAC all-time list. Also Nominated: Sabrina Wheelhouse (Central Washington), Elayna Rice (Northwest Nazarene), Arielle Turner (Western Washington), Katelynn Zanders (Alaska Anchorage).

DEFENSIVE
Madi Farrell, Northwest Nazarene
MB • 6-2 • Sophomore • Coeur D’Alene, Idaho

Farrell finished with 12 blocks and 22 kills to help lead the Crusaders to two victories. She finished with 11 blocks (second best individual match performance in the GNAC this season) and 11 kills in their five-set win over Concordia on Thursday. Farrell then added 11 kills in a block in NNU’s three-set sweep Saturday at Western Oregon. Also Nominated: Kyra Davidson (Saint Martin’s), Samantha Hesterman (Alaska), Jennica McPherson (Western Washington), Kyla Militante-Amper (Alaska Anchorage), Kaitlin Quirk (Central Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska finally put two in the win column in a pair of hard-fought victories on their own Alaska Airlines Court. The Nanooks picked up their first win of the year in a five-set victory over Saint Martin’s on Thursday before coming out charged for a four-set win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• The Nanooks won the first two sets over Saint Martin’s on Thursday, but had to hold off a rally that saw the Saints win the next two sets before taking the fifth 15-7. The Nanooks hit .176 for the match with 12 blocks. Alaska also won the first two sets against Seattle Pacific before putting the match away in the fourth set.

• Senior outside hitter Sam Harthun was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after finishing with 35 kills, 10 aces and 16 digs in the two sets. She opened the week with 20 kills in the five-set win over Saint Martin’s and 15 in the win over Seattle Pacific. Harthun enters the week third in the GNAC with 3.47 kills per set and is tied for sixth with 0.37 aces per set. Harthun also enters the week with 1,274 career kills, No. 2 on the Alaska all-time list and No. 9 on the GNAC all-time list.

• Harthun and sophomore middle blocker Riley Podowicz fell just short of a GNAC record as each had seven service aces against Saint Martin’s. The GNAC record for aces in a five-set match is eight, held by four different players. The totals helped the Nanooks to a 20-ace performance, fourth best in a five-set match in conference history.

• Podowicz continues to lead the GNAC and now ranks sixth in Division II with 0.63 aces per set. Her 32 total aces ranks seventh among Division II players. As a team, Alaska leads the GNAC and is 14th in Division II with 2.06 aces per set. The second place team in the conference, Concordia, averages 1.56 aces per set.

• Alaska will try to parlay their wins into momentum into their toughest road trip of the season thus far. The Nanooks will play at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• The record run for Alaska Anchorage continues. The Seawolves picked up three-set sweeps over Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday to move to 14-0 on the season. The 14 consecutive victories eclipses the previous school record of 13 set by the 2009 squad.

• With the victories, the Seawolves climbed one more spot to No. 7 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, which included a first place vote for the second consecutive week. Alaska Anchorage began the season among teams receiving votes.

• Freshman outside hitter Leah Swiss put together another solid week, finishing with 20 kills, 15 digs and two blocks in the two matches, led by 11 kills against Saint Martin’s on Saturday. Swiss enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 0.43 aces per set, eighth with a .292 hitting percentage and ninth with 3.41 points per set.

• Senior outside hitters Katelynn Zanders and Julia Mackey each had 19 kills in the two matches. Mackey had a double-double of 13 kills and 16 digs against Saint Martin’s while Zanders finished with 10 kills and 14 digs. Zanders enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 31st in Division II with 3.96 kills per set. Mackey ranks second in the GNAC and 36th in Division II with a .356 hitting percentage and is ranked sixth in the GNAC with 3.14 kills per set.

• Setter Morgan Hooe enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 25th in Division II with 10.73 assists per set. She finished with 60 assists in the two matches and now has 1,823 career assists, No. 6 on the UAA all-time list.

• As a team, Alaska Anchorage leads the GNAC in hitting percentage (.289), opponent hitting percentage (.114), kills (13.89 per set) and assists (12.63 assists per set). The Seawolves are second in blocks (2.67 per set) and third in aces (1.55 per set).

• In the Division II statistics, the Seawolves are ranked No. 1 in winning percentage as one of three Division II teams that remain undefeated. Alaska Anchorage is also fourth in blocks, seventh in hitting percentage, 10th in opponent hitting percentage (.114), 29th in team total blocks (131), 33rd in assists per set and 34th in kills per set (13.59).

• Alaska Anchorage continues to set attendance records. A total of 1,488 fans saw the Seawolves beat Saint Martin’s on Saturday. That topped the 1,366 fans who saw the Seawolves beat Montana State Billings on Sept. 26. The previous record was 1,200 in the first night match played at the Alaska Airlines Center against LIU Post on Sept. 5, 2014.

• The Seawolves finished with a .410 hitting percentage (44 kills, 10 errors, 83 attempts) in their victory over Alaska on Sept. 22. The performance is the Seawolves’ best hitting percentage in the rally scoring era (2001 to present) and is the highest in GNAC history for a four-set match. (Previous Record: .407 (66-16-123), Alaska vs. Western Oregon, Oct. 31, 2009).

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington continues to be on a roll, having won three straight and nine of their last 10 matches. The Wildcats added two road wins over the weekend, dispatching Western Oregon in three sets before holding off an impressive rally by Concordia to win in five sets.

• For the fourth straight week, Central Washington was among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, picking up 22 points.

• Sophomore middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse had a smashing week for the Wildcats, finishing with 20 kills and seven blocks. She had a .679 hitting percentage in the matches (20 kills, 1 error, 28 attempts) and hit .722 (13-0-18) against Concordia. The performance is among the top-20 hitting percentages in GNAC history in a five-set match. Wheelhouse enters the week leading the GNAC and is 15th in Division II with a season .407 hitting percentage. In addition, she is ranked third in the GNAC and 10th in Division II with 1.40 blocks per set.

• Senior outside hitter Linden Firethorne added 27 kills and 19 digs with a .239 hitting percentage in the two matches, topped by a double-double of 16 kills and 14 digs against Concordia. Firethorne enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 3.60 kills per set and 4.07 points per set.

• Central Washington continues to lead Division II in blocking, averaging 3.07 blocks per set. The Wildcats added another 40 blocks in the two matches and had 15 blocks in the win over Concordia. Kaitlin Quirk led the way with 12 blocks in the two matches, 10 of which came in the Concordia match. Quirk enters the week tied for first in the GNAC and fourth in Division II with 1.43 blocks per set.

• As a team, Central Washington enters the week third in the GNAC in hitting percentage (.230), kills (12.82 per set) and assists (12.02 per set). In the Division II stats, the Wildcats are third in Division II in total blocks (156.5) and 39th in hitting percentage.

• The Sept. 24 match against Western Washington drew 1,687 fans, setting a school single-match attendance record. It is also the most fans for a Division II match this season.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia found themselves on the losing end of a pair of hard-fought five set losses at home last week. The Cavaliers came back from two sets down to tie Northwest Nazarene on Thursday, but the Crusaders dominated the fifth set for the win. Concordia led 2-0 against Central Washington Saturday before the Wildcats roared back to steal the win.

• Sophomore middle blocker Colby Barnette finished the weekend with 29 kills, a .323 hitting percentage and 12 blocks. Her week was topped by a near double-double of 12 kills and nine blocks against Central Washington. Barnette enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 1.20 blocks per set.

• Junior setter Jenessa Taylor added 89 assists in the two matches, nearly evenly split between the two matches. Taylor enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 9.98 assists per set.

• Senior defensive specialist Shantel Gritsch ranks third in the GNAC with 5.52 digs per set. She led the Cavaliers with 43 digs in the two matches.

• Concordia enters the week ranked second in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.125), digs (16.54 per set) and service aces (1.56 per set). The Cavaliers are fifth in hitting percentage at .193.

• Concordia is in the second year of their three-year transition from the NAIA to NCAA Division II. As such, the Cavaliers are not eligible for postseason competition or listing in the Division II statistics.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• After winning their first GNAC match of the season at Alaska on Sept. 26, the Yellowjackets dropped a pair of weekend matches at home, falling in three sets to Western Washington on Thursday and four sets to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward led the way for the Yellowjackets with 34 kills, seven blocks and a .271 hitting percentage in the two matches. She finished with 19 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in the loss to Western Washington and 15 kills against Simon Fraser. Ward enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 3.42 kills per set and fifth with 3.76 points per set.

• Senior setter Kyndal Williams added 77 assists to her ledger last week, topped by a 44-assist performance against Simon Fraser. Williams continues to rank fifth in the GNAC with an average of 9.54 assists per set and ninth with 0.33 aces per set.

• Freshman middle blocker Taylor Albertson added 17 kills in the two matches. She had her week-high with 11 kills against Simon Fraser.

• After opening the season with their first eight matches on the road, Montana State Billings has played four of their last six matches at home.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• The defending GNAC champions won two road matches last week to keep pace with the top of the league standings ladder. The Crusaders held off a late rally by Concordia to beat the Cavaliers in five sets before downing Western Oregon on Saturday in three sets.

• Senior outside hitter Elayna Rice led the Crusaders in the two wins with 32 kills, a .409 hitting percentage and 22 digs. She finished with 20 kills, 14 digs and an impressive .410 hitting percentage in the win over Concordia and had 12 kills and a .407 hitting percentage against Western Oregon. Rice enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC with 2.91 kills per set.

• Sophomore Madi Farrell was selected as the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after her 12 blocks and 22 kills to her totals in the two matches, led by a double-double of 11 kills and 11 blocks against Concordia. Farrell enters the week third in the GNAC with a .344 hitting percentage. She is also fifth in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with 1.23 blocks per set.

• Northwest Nazarene added 24 blocks to their total in the two matches. The Crusaders enter the week 12th in Division II with an average of 2.60 blocks per set and 22nd with a total of 138 blocks. Both Farrell and Jenna Caywood are averaging over one block per set.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in hitting percentage (.208), kills (12.09 per set) and assists (11.30).

SAINT MARTIN’S
• After winning their first GNAC match in a year over Western Oregon on Sept. 24, the Saints have lost four straight matches. Saint Martin’s took a pair of losses on the Alaska road trip, falling in five sets at Alaska on Thursday and in three sets to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. The Saints returned home to Lacey for the Tuesday travel partner match with Seattle Pacific, falling in three sets.

• Senior middle blocker Kyra Davidson and senior outside hitter Julia Wabinga each finished with 24 kills in the three matches. Davidson topped the week with 12 kills at Alaska while Wabinga finished with 10 kills and 10 digs in the loss to Seattle Pacific. Wabinga leads SMU with an average of 2.58 kills per set.

• Junior setter Cassanda Fenton continues to rank eighth in the GNAC in assists, averaging 6.65 assists per set. Her week was capped by a 27-assist performance against Seattle Pacific.

• Saint Martin’s home win over Douglas on Sept. 12 snapped a 19-match losing streak that dated back to September 2014. The Saints then snapped a 15-match GNAC losing streak with their five-set win over Western Oregon on Sept. 24.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific took a pair of tough losses on the Alaska trip. The Falcons fell to Alaska Anchorage in three sets and in four sets to Alaska on Saturday. They rebounded in the Tuesday travel partner match, knocking off Saint Martin’s in three sets.

• Sophomore outside hitter Lexi Biondi and senior outside hitter Ellie Britt each had 28 kills in the three matches. Biondi finished with 13 kills at Alaska and 10 kills against Saint Martin’s. Britt finished with 12 kills against Alaska.

• Freshman setter Symone Tran finished with 91 assists in the three matches. She had a double-double of 34 assists and 10 digs at Alaska on Saturday and had 33 assists in the win over Saint Martin’s. Tran enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 8.98 assists per set.

• Senior libero Breanna Wiekamp is ranked fourth in the GNAC and 46th in Division II with 5.34 digs per set. Wiekamp finished with 21 digs in both of last week’s three-set matches at Alaska Anchorage and Saint Martin’s.

• Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach enters the week ranked 10th in the GNAC with an average of 2.88 kills per set. She finished with 22 kills in the three matches, led by 12 kills, nine digs and five blocks in the win over Saint Martin’s.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser opened the week by taking the first set off of Western Washington in last Tuesday’s travel partner match, but the Vikings came back to win the next three for the four-set victory. The Clan rebounded on the Montana swing on Saturday, coming back from one set down for a four-set win over Montana State Billings. The victory evened SFU’s record at 7-7 overall, 3-3 GNAC.

• Saturday’s win was just the second road victory for SFU in seven road matches. The Clan also went 3-2 in neutral site matches to open the season.

• Junior outside hitter Emma Jennings led Simon Fraser in the two matches with 22 kills with 12 digs and five blocks. She had a huge double-double of 19 kills and 11 digs in the four-set win over Montana State Billings. Jennings currently ranks fourth for the Clan with 93 kills and 1.75 kills per set.

• Freshman middle blocker Tessa May finished with 20 kills, a .311 hitting percentage and 11 blocks in the two matches. She had 10 kills in both of last week’s matches and had six blocks at Montana State Billings. May enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with a .331 hitting percentage. May is also fourth in the GNAC and 21st in Division II with 1.26 blocks per set and 15th in Division II with 72 total blocks.

• Junior defensive specialist Allison McKay added 53 digs in the two matches, topped by a 33-dig performance at Western Washington. McKay continues to lead the GNAC and ranks ninth in Division II with 5.89 digs per set.

• Simon Fraser enters the week ranked 21st in Division II with an average of 2.37 blocks per set.

• As a team, Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 49th in Division II with 17.32 digs per set. The Clan is also ranked 14th in Division II with 38.95 team attacks per set and 28th with 1,593 total attacks.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon has lost four straight after earning their first GNAC win over Alaska on Sept. 19. The Wolves took a pair of three-set losses over the weekend to Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led Western Oregon for the third straight week with 19 kills, an average of 3.17 kills per set and 19 digs. Bettinson finished with a double-double of 10 kills and 15 digs against Northwest Nazarene.

• Junior libero Christie Colasurdo enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 30th in Division II with an average of 5.58 digs per set. Colasurdo finished with 27 digs in the two matches, led by 16 against Central Washington.

• Sophomore middle blocker Sydney Blankinship enter the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with a .293 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Leila Holt is ranked seventh in the GNAC with 7.12 assists per set and Maddie Machiz is 10th with 6.32 assists per set.

• Western Oregon needs just one win away from equaling their total from the entire 2014 season. The Wolves finished 2014 with a 5-21 record, 3-15 GNAC.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington extended its win streak to 12 matches after losing their first two matches of the season to top-25 opponents. The Vikings took a four-set victory at home over Simon Fraser on Tuesday before scoring a three-set sweep at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• The wins allowed Western Washington to maintain their No. 15 ranking in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll.

• Senior outside hitter Rachel Roeder led the Vikings’ offense once again with 25 kills and a .271 hitting percentage. She finished with 12 kills against Simon Fraser and added 13 at Montana State Billings. The three-time GNAC Offensive Player of the Week enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 3.25 kills per set.

• Senior opposite Jennica McPherson finished the week with 18 kills, a .383 hitting percentage and 37 digs, paced by a double-double of 11 kills and 23 digs against Simon Fraser. McPherson enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with a .293 hitting percentage, eighth with 0.34 aces per set and ninth with 3.92 digs per set.

• One of five GNAC teams ranked in the Division II top-30 in blocks, Western Washington enters the week 14th with an average of 2.50 blocks per set. Kayleigh Harper is tied with Central Washington’s Kaitlin Quirk for fourth nationally with 1.43 blocks per set and is 11th with 73 total blocks.

• Western Washington set a GNAC record for blocks in a five-set match with 20 at Northwest Nazarene on Sept. 26. Harper tied the GNAC single match record for blocks in a five-set match with 13 in that match.

•As a team, Western Washington ranks second in the GNAC in hitting percentage (.231), kills (13.35 per set) and assists (12.49 per set) and ranks third in digs (16.43 per set). The Vikings rank 16th in Division II in win percenrtage (.857), 40th in assists per set and 45th in kills per set.

• Western Washington has played five matches this season against nationally-ranked teams. The Vikings have a 3-2 record in those matches.

• Western Washington will play all of their 2015 home matches at Bellingham’s Whatcom Community College while their on-campus arena, Carver Gymnasium, undergoes a two-year renovation.