Thursday, November 5, 2015

STILL A CLOSE RACE: Four teams enter the week still at the top of the GNAC standings. Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene and Western Washington all enter the week with identical 12-2 conference records with three weeks to go. That is bound to change this weekend with the first of four remaining matchups between the teams. Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene will play at Alaska Anchorage this weekend.

In the remaining showdowns, Western Washington will host Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 14 and Northwest Nazarene will host Central Washington on Nov. 17.

NORTHWEST FLAVOR IN THE REGIONAL RANKINGS: The GNAC took the top-three spots in the first NCAA Division II West Region Rankings, which were released on Wednesday. Western Washington claimed the top spot, with Alaska Anchorage ranked second and Central Washington ranked third. Northwest Nazarene claimed the No. 8 position. The regional rankings determine qualification and seeding for the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

HOLDING DOWN THE MIDDLE: The GNAC boasts five of Division II’s top-35 teams in blocking. Northwest Nazarene claimed the top spot this week, averaging 2.86 blocks per set, while Central Washington slipped to second with 2.85 blocks per set. Alaska Anchorage is ranked sixth with 2.69 blocks per set, Western Washington is 18th with 2.40 blocks per set and Simon Fraser is 35th with 2.23 blocks per set. Northwest Nazarene’s Madi Farrell leads nine GNAC players in the Division II top-50, ranking fourth with an average of 1.49 blocks per set.

RECORD EFFORTS: 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. Alaska’s Miranda Grieser tied the record for blocks in a five-set match with eight aces on Oct. 31 against Saint Martin’s.

PACKING THEM IN: Alaska Anchorage knows how to put people in the seats. The Seawolves enter the week leading Division II with an average home attendance of 1,228 per game. They have two of the top-five single match attendance marks in Division II this season and set a new record with 1,837 coming to the Alaska Airlines Center on Oct. 17 to watch the Seawolves beat Simon Fraser. Alaska Anchorage has had six matches this season that have drawn 1,000 or more fans. Four of the top-10 attendance figures this season have come at GNAC facilities. Central Washington set a school record by drawing 1,687 to their Sept. 24 match against Western Washington. The Wildcats enter the week ranked 13th in Division II in attendance, averaging 546 fans per match.

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

Harthun finished with 47 kills, four aces, 27 digs and four blocks as she led Alaska to a pair of five-set road victories, their first GNAC road sweep since 2009. She finished with 27 kills, 19 digs and a .205 hitting percentage in the Nanooks’ Thursday win over Seattle Pacific and added 20 kills in Saturday’s win at Saint Martin’s. In the process, Harthun set the Alaska career record for kills. Also Nominated: Kendra Bodine (Northwest Nazarene), Catie Fry (Central Washington), Caitlin Hanson (Alaska Anchorage), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Alison McKay, Simon Fraser
DS/L • 5-6 • Junior • Port Moody, B.C.

McKay finished with 53 digs and five assists in the Clan’s two matches. She finished with 31 digs in Tuesday’s match against Western Washington and added 22 digs and three assists in Thursday’s three-set sweep of Montana State Billings. Also Nominated: Miranda Grieser (Alaska), Abby Phelps (Western Washington), Elayna Rice (Northwest Nazarene), Breanne Wiekamp (Seattle Pacific), Katelynn Zanders (Alaska Anchorage).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• For the second time this season, Alaska completed a GNAC weekend sweep. And for the first time since 2009, the Nanooks completed a road weekend sweep with five-set wins over Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s.

• Senior outside hitter Sam Harthun became the Nanooks’ all-time career leader in kills with 47 in the the two matches.  She had 27 kills and a .205 hitting percentage against Seattle Pacific and added 20 kills against Saint Martin’s. The effort earned Hartung the GNAC’s Offensive Player of the Week award. Harthun now has 1,390 kills, which ranks her No. 4 on the GNAC all-time list.

• Harthun enters the week as the GNAC leader in kills and ranks 35th in Division II with 3.86 kills per set.

• Senior setter Miranda Grieser added 11 aces to go along her her 92 assists, paced by eight aces against Saint Martin’s that tied the GNAC record for aces in a five-set match. The Nanooks lead the GNAC and rank 27th in Division II with 1.89 aces per set. Riley Podowitz is ranked first in the GNAC and 36th in Division II with 0.49 aces per set. Grieser is second in the GNAC at 0.44 aces per set.

• As a team, Alaska leads the GNAC and is 34th in Division II with 1.85 aces per set.

• Alaska will finish the season with four of six matches at home at Alaska Airlines Court in Fairbanks. Their final road trip will be Nov. 12 & 14 at Western Washington & Simon Fraser.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage extended a five-match winning streak with a pair of three-set sweeps, knocking off Saint Martin’s in a Friday night match and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• The Seawolves enter the week staying put at No. 11 in this week’s AVCA Division II Top-25 Poll. Alaska Anchorage is also one of four GNAC teams to appear in the first NCAA West Region Rankings, appearing at No. 2.

• Senior outside hitter Katelynn Zanders led five Alaska Anchorage players with double-digit kills with 21 in the two matches to go along with 23 digs and four blocks, topped by a 12-kill effort against Saint Martin’s. Zanders leads the GNAC and is ranked 28th in Division II with 4.44 points per set. She also ranks second in the GNAC and 35th in Division II with 3.78 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Caitlin Hanson slammed home 19 kills with a .417 hitting percentage (19-4-36) and seven blocks in the two matches. Her top effort of 11 kills and four blocks came in the sweep over Seattle Pacific. Hanson is now ranked 10th in the GNAC with a .297 hitting percentage. She is also ranked ninth in the GNAC and 43rd in Division II with 1.11 blocks per set.

• Junior setter Morgan Hooe added 57 assists to her ledger. She enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 34th in Division II with 10.50 assists per set. She has moved into No. 6 on the UAA all-time list with 2,176 assists.

• Alaska Anchorage is one of five GNAC teams ranked in the Division II top-50 in blocks, entering the week in sixth at 2.69 blocks per set (on of three top-10 GNAC teams). Erin Braun leads the way, ranking eighth in the GNAC and 27th in Division II with 1.21 blocks per set. Braun had eight blocks in last week’s matches.

• As a team, Alaska Anchorage leads the GNAC in hitting percentage (.266) and opponent hitting percentage (.122) and is second in kills (13.46 per set), assists (12.53 per set) and aces (1.55 per set).

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week leading Division II in average attendance with 1,228 per game. The Seawolves set another attendance record with 1,748 fans at the Western Washington match on Oct. 15 and promptly broke it with 1,837 fans in the Oct. 17 match against Simon Fraser. To date, UAA has hosted five record crowds and has three of the top five crowds in Division II this season 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).

• Alaska Anchorage will have the advantage of playing four of the six remaining regular season matches at their Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, including matches against Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington added a pair of hard-fought victories over the Oregon schools last weekend, beating Concordia on Thursday in five sets and Western Oregon on Saturday in four sets. The wins extended the Wildcats’ current win streak to six matches and allowed them to stay in a four-way for first place in the GNAC standings.

• The Wildcats maintained their No. 25 ranking in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Poll and emerged at No. 3 in the first NCAA Division II West Region rankings of the season, one of three GNAC teams in the top-three.

• Senior outside hitter Linden Firethorne led Central Washington with 35 kills, a .312 hitting percentage and 18 digs. She came alive for 22 kills in the five-set win over Concordia. Firethorne enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in both kills (3.72 per set) and points (4.21 per set).

• Junior outside hitter Kiah Jones finished with 30 kills in the two matches for the second straight week. She had 16 of her kills in the victory over Concordia.

• Senior Kaitlin Quirk enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC with a .297 hitting percentage after adding 18 kills in last week’s matches.

• Sophomore middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse had a light week, finishing with 12 kills in the two matches, 10 of which came against Concordia. Wheelhouse enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 32nd in Division II with a .353 hitting percentage (137-37-283).

• Central Washington, who had led Division II in blocking each of the last three weeks, dropped to No. 2 with an average of 2.85 blocks per set. Wheelhouse is ranked second in the GNAC and No. 7 in Division II with 1.38 blocks per set. Quirk is fourth in the GNAC and 13th in Division II with 1.29 blocks per set.

• Central Washington is also ranked 13th in Division II in team total blocks (234.0), 30th in hitting percentage (.236) and 43rd in win/loss percentage (.762). Among GNAC teams, the Wildcats are second in the GNAC in blocks and third in hitting percentage, kills (12.94 per set) and assists (12.09 per set).

• Central Washington enters the week ranked 16th in Division II in attendance, averaging 512 fans per match. The Sept. 24 match against Western Washington drew 1,687 fans, setting a school single-match attendance record.

• Central Washington closes the regular season with three of six matches at home, but will play two of the three co-GNAC leaders (Alaska Anchorage, Northwest Nazarene) on the road. The Wildcats are in Alaska this weekend.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia saw their five-match win streak stopped with a pair of tough road losses. The Cavaliers fell to Central Washington in five sets on Thursday and a three-set sweep by Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Sophomore opposite Lindsey Dorsey led the Cavaliers with 26 kills and a .259 hitting percentage in the two matches, including 16 in the five-setter with Central Washington. Dorsey enters the week ranked eighth in the GNAC in points (3.48 per set) and 10th in kills (2.97 per set).

• Junior middle blocker Amanda Goringe came alive for 21 kills, a .395 hitting percentage and 12 block assists in the two matches. She slammed home 19 kills and nine blocks against Central Washington on Thursday. Junior outside hitter Brenna Huwe added 20 kills, 16 digs and nine blocks in the two matches.

• Junior setter Jenessa Taylor enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 10.44 assists per set and added 86 in the two matches. If Concordia was eligible for the NCAA Division II stats, she would rank 40th.

• Concordia enters the week ranked second in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.146) and digs (16.35 per set) and is ranked fifth in blocks (2.39 per set). The blocking total would rank Concordia 19th in Division II.

• 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
• Montana State Billings has lost three straight matches after taking two road losses over the weekend. The Yellowjackets fell in three sets to Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward finished with 21 kills in the two matches to lead the Yellowjackets, led by 11 kills at Western Washington. Ward enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 3.27 kills per set.

• Audri Marrs and Stormy Siemion were the other MSUB players to finish with double digit kills in the two matches. Marrs finished with 13 kills to go along with five blocks while Siemion had 10 kills and 26 digs.

• Junior defensive specialist Kimmy Kirk enters the week ranked 10th in the GNAC with 3.46 digs per set. She added 12 in the two matches last week.

• Senior setter Kyndal Williams enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC in assists (9.83 per set) and 10th in service aces (0.27). She added 53 assists and one ace in the two matches and had 26 assists against Simon Fraser.

• Montana State Billings will play their final home matches this weekend, hosting Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday. They will finish the season with road trips to the Oregon schools, Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene is now on a 10-match win streak after a pair of home victories over the Oregon schools. The Crusaders scored a four-set win over Western Oregon on Thursday and then swept Concordia on Satrurday. The wins allowed NNU to stay in the four-way tie for first in the GNAC standings at 12-2.

• The Crusaders received votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll for the second straight week, picking up six points. They are also ranked eighth in the first NCAA Division II West Region Rankings, one of four GNAC teams in the rankings.

• Sophomore outside hitter Kendra Bodine led the Crusaders with 24 kills in the two matches, including 15 against Western Oregon. Bodine enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC in points (3.54 per set) and seventh in kills (3.12 per set).

• Madi Farrell had a big week with 21 kills, a .429 hitting percentage and 15 blocks in the two matches, topped by 15 kills and seven blocks against Western Oregon. Farrell enters the week leading the GNAC and is 16th in Division II with a .367 hitting percentage. She also leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 1.49 blocks per set.

• Setter Hailey Cook now leads the GNAC and is 26th in Division II with 10.65 assists per set. She had 80 assists and 13 digs in the two matches last week, led by assists against Western Oregon.

• Northwest Nazarene has assumed the Division II national lead in blocks from Central Washington, averaging 2.86 blocks per set. They lead five GNAC teams in the Division II top-50 in the category.

• The Crusaders enter the week ranked third in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.154) and fourth in hitting percentage (.221), kills (12.65 per set) and assists (11.89 per set).

• Northwest Nazarene plays their final road matches of the regular season this weekend at the Alaska schools. The Crusaders will play their final four matches at home, including a Nov. 17 matchup with Central Washington.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s is looking to end a 12-match losing streak this weekend with their lone match at Montana State Billings on Saturday. The Saints took a three-set loss to Alaska Anchorage on Friday, a five-set loss to Alaska on Saturday and a three-set loss at Seattle Pacific on Tuesday.

• Freshman middle blocker Megan Vernoy and sneior middle blocker Kyra Davidson each had 16 kills in the three matches to lead Saint Martin’s offensively. Davidson also added an impressive 21 blocks in the three matches, nine of which came in the five-set loss to Alaska. Davidson enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC and 35th in Division II with 1.22 blocks per set.

• Sophomore Nicolette Nesbitt finished with 11 kills, 19 assists, 12 digs and 11 blocks in the three matches. She finished with five kills, seven assists and nine digs in the loss to Seattle Pacific on Tuesday.

• 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.

• Saint Martin’s is in the midst of a four-match road trip. The Saints will close the season at home with matches against Simon Fraser and Western Washington.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons went 1-2 in three home matches last week. Seattle Pacific took a five-set loss to Alaska on Saturday and a three-set sweep by Alaska Anchorage on Saturday before snapping a six-match losing streak with a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Tuesday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Lexi Biondi led the way for the Falcons again with 27 kills and a .219 hitting percentage in the three matches. She had 11 kills in the five-set loss to Alaska. Biondi enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 3.14 kills per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach also had a big week with 21 kills, 12 digs and 14 blocks in the three matches. She finished just short of a triple-double against Alaska with 11 kills, nine digs and nine blocks.

• Sophomore libero Breanne Wiekamp enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 5.49 digs per set. She added 62 digs in the three matches, topped by 33 in the five-set loss to Alaska.

• Setter Symone Tran enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 9.12 assists per set. Tran finished with 73 assists and 20 digs in the three matches, including 39 assists and 13 digs against Alaska.

• Seattle Pacific will play their next three matches in three different states, traveling to Montana State Billings on Thursday and then to Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene next week. The Falcons end the season at home, hosting Western Washington and Simon Fraser.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser snapped a four-match losing streak by splitting two home matches last week. The Clan lost the Tuesday travel partner match to Western Washington on Tuesday before sweeping Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Devon May, Tessa May and Madison Power each finished with 22 kills in the two matches, with Power amassing a .463 hitting percentage. Power finished with a high 12 kills in the win over Montana State Billings. Tessa May also had 10 blocks and put together highs of 13 kills and five blocks against MSUB.

• Junior libero Alison McKay was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 57 digs in the two matches, led by 31 assists in the loss to Western Washington. McKay enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with an average of 5.78 digs per set.

• Simon Fraser is one of five GNAC teams ranked in the Division II top-50 in blocks, ranking 35th with 2.23 per set. Tessa May leads the Clan individually, ranked 25th with an average of 1.21 blocks per set.

• As a team, Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 35th in Division II with 17.85 digs per set. The Clan is also ranked eighth in Division II in team attacks per set with 39.90.

• Simon Fraser will finish the season with four of six matches on the road. After traveling to Oregon this weekend, the Clan will host the Alaska schools to close the home schedule on Nov. 13 & 14.

WESTERN OREGON
• After winning three straight home matches, Western Oregon dropped two over the weekend on the road. The Wolves lost in four sets to both Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

• Freshman outside hitter Amanda Short led the Wolves offensively with 21 kills in the two matches. Short came off the bench to finsih with 13 kills in the loss to Northwest Nazarene.

• Sophomore middle blocker Sydney Blankinship enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with a .300 hitting percentage. Freshman setter Maddie Machiz ranks seventh in the league with 7.04 assists per set.

• Junior libero Christie Colasurdo leads the GNAC and is ranked sixth in Division II with an average of 6.08 digs per set. Colasurdo added 38 digs in the two matches last week, topped by 25 digs against Central Washington.

• Western Oregon host Simon Fraser and Western Washington this weekend before ending the season with three of their final four matches on the road.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• After seeing their 16-match win streak ended, Western Washington returned to their winning ways. The Vikings scored two road wins, beating Simon Fraser in four sets last Tuesday and a three-set sweep over Montana State Billings on Saturday. The two wins allowed the Vikings to keep pace in the four-horse race at the top of the GNAC standings at 12-2.

• Western Washington stayed at No. 16 in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, but emerged as the top ranked team in the West Region in the initial NCAA Division II West Region rankings. The Vikings lead four GNAC teams to make the rankings.

• Freshman outside hitter Abby Phelps turned in 27 kills, a .296 hitting percentage and 40 digs in the two matches. She posted highs of 16 kills and 25 digs in the win over Simon Fraser. Phelps enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC in points (3.53 per set) and eighth in kills (3.04 per set).

• Freshman middle blocker Kayleigh Harper finished with 24 kills and an impressive .575 hitting percentage (24-1-40) in the two matches. Her .882 hitting percentage (15-0-17) in the sweep of Montana State Billings on Saturday is the fourth best individual match hitting percentage in GNAC history.

• Sophomore opposite Joellee Buckner finished with 21 kills and 25 digs in the two matches, while senior opposite Jennica McPherson added 20 kills and 27 digs.

• One of five GNAC teams ranked in the Division II top-50 in blocks, Western Washington is ranked 18th in Division II and fourth in the GNAC with 2.40 blocks per set. The Vikings lead the GNAC in kills (13.77 per set) and assists (12.81 per set). Western Washington is second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II in hitting percentage (.250).

• 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.

• Western Washington plays four of their remaining six matches on the road. The Vikings, however, will face only one of their three co-leaders in that span, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Nov. 14.

• 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.