Wednesday, September 7, 2016

IT'S THE FABULOUS THREE DAY D2 WEST REGION VOLLEYBALL SHOWCASE: After two seasons of the GNAC and PacWest Conference coming together for a September crossover tournament, it is now becoming a truly regional affair.

Every West Coast Division II volleyball team will be in action this weekend in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. A total of 38 teams from the GNAC, PacWest and the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) will play at six different sites determined by each team’s finish in their conference standings.

The first D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase is being hosted by CCAA. The No. 1 and No. 2 teams in each conference, including Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington from the GNAC, will play at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, Calif. The No. 3 and 4 teams (including Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene) play at UC San Diego while the No. 5 and No. 6 seeded teams (including Concordia and Simon Fraser) will play at San Francisco State.

The No. 7 and 8 teams from each league (including Western Oregon and Alaska) will meet at Stanislaus State in Turlock, Calif. The No. 9 and No. 10 seeds (including Seattle Pacific and Montana State Billings) play at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson, Calif. The remaining teams, including Saint Martin’s, will play at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif.

This is the first year of a three-year agreement for the three conferences to compete in the showcase, which is scheduled for the second weekend of each season. The GNAC will host in 2017 and the PacWest will host in 2018.

“The crossover concept in volleyball has been well received the past two seasons and we’re excited to broaden its scope to include all three West Region conferences in 2016,” said GNAC Commissioner Dave Haglund. “In-region non-conference play is vitally important to the regional ranking process and ultimate determination of postseason bids. Having a majority of programs from all three conferences facing off in a structured format will only benefit everyone in our region. We’re excited to have worked out a format that will showcase Division II volleyball in the west.”

GNAC SHOWS WELL IN CONTESTANT'S ROW: The two years of the GNAC/PacWest Crossover were a bonanza for the Northwest schools, with the GNAC holding the 37-27 edge over the two years. The GNAC went 17-15 in the 2015 tournament and 20-12 in the inaugaral 2014 event. In match-ups between the three conferences during the opening weekend of play, the GNAC went 7-6. The GNAC was 3-2 against CCAA programs and 5-5 against PacWest schools.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: The GNAC is well represented in the first AVCA Division II Coaches Poll of the regular season. Alaska Anchorage, based on their four-match sweep in their own UAA Spring Hill Suites Invitational, climbed two spots to No. 12. Western Washington, picked in the preseason poll at No. 5, dropped to No. 14 after taking three losses at the Concordia-St. Paul Tournament, including two to the No. 1 ranked tournament hosts and then No. 17 ranked Northern State. Northwest Nazarene was among teams receiving votes for the second straight week.

The D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase features a total of eight teams in the AVCA poll (either in the top-25 or receiving votes), led by Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington. Cal State San Bernardino enters the tournament ranked No. 15 and Cal Baptist is ranked No. 25. Sonoma State is just out of the top-25 as the first of teams listed as receiving votes. Those five teams, plus Dixie State, will square off against each other at Somona State.

Also among showcase teams receiving votes in the poll are Chaminade (22 points), Dixie State (8 points) and Northwest Nazarene (8 points).

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Ashlynn Ward, Montana State Billings
OH • 6-1  Senior • Rexburg, Idaho

Ward finished the four-match Hawai’i Invitational with 67 kills, a .369 hitting percentage, 21 digs and 10 blocks. She finished with no fewer than 14 kills in any of the four matches, topped by a 21-kill performance in Friday’s four-set match at Chaminade.

Also Nominated: Brenna Huwe (Concordia), Kendra Bodine (Northwest Nazarene), Abby Phelps (Western Washington), Tamara Nipp (Simon Fraser), Alisha Bettinson (Western Oregon), Amberly Jeane (Alaska), Gabby Oddo (Seattle Pacific), Morgan Hooe (Alaska Anchorage).

DEFENSIVE
Shayli Siegfreid, Northwest Nazarene
L • 5-5 • Sophomore • Highland Ranch, Colo.

Siegfreid finished with 83 digs in three matches as the Crusaders went undefeated to win the Dixie State Tournament. She averaged 6.92 digs per set and had a weekend-high of 34 digs and two service aces in Northwest Nazarene’s five-set win over Dixie State on Friday.

Also Nominated: Colby Barnette (Concordia), Christie Colasurdo (Western Oregon), Rachel Nichols (Alaska).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• The Nanooks opened the 2016 season by going 1-2 on their trip to the Hawai’i Invitational on Oahu. Alaska started with a four-set win over BYU-Hawaii on Friday before taking four set losses to Hawaii Pacific on Firday and Chaminade on Saturday.

• Alaska hit .224 in the victory over BYU-Hawaii and registered 13 service aces. Amberly Jeane led the way in the win with 12 kills and four service aces. Angela Molesworth had 12 kills and a .400 hitting percentage while Riley Podowicz added four aces.

• Jeane led Alaska in the tournament with 39 kills while Molesworth finished the three matches with a .228 hitting percentage.

• The Nanooks enter the week leading the GNAC with 2.58 service aces per set.Podowicz, who finished ranked 48th in Division II in the category last year, is second in the GNAC with 0.83 aces per set. Maddie Davis is ninth (0.45 per set) and Paola Oliver-Otero is tied for 10th (0.44 per set).

• Freshman Kim Wong is ranked second in the GNAC in hitting percentage after three matches at .356 (21 kills, 5 errors, 45 attempts) and is tied for seventh in blocks (1.08 per set). Junior Rachel Nichols is ranked eighth in assists (8.58 per set).

• Alaska will be in Turlock, Calif., for their D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase matches. The Nanooks face Chico State on Thursday, Stanislaus State and Hawaii Pacific on Friday and Concordia-Irvine on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• The Seawolves swept all four of their matches in their own UAA Spring Hill Suites Invitational to improve to 6-1 on the season. Alaska Anchorage scored three-set wins over Westminster on Thursday and Rollins and Stanislaus State on Friday before going five sets with Arkansas-Fort Smith to win the title.

• Setter Morgan Hooe was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament after she averaged 9.71 assists, 3.93 digs and 1.07 kills per set in the four-matches. She dished out a season-high 47 assists in the five-set win over Arkansas-Fort Smith. Hooe enters the week tied for sixth in the GNAC at 9.50 assists per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss was named to the All-Tournament Team as she finished with 3.79 kills per set, 2.71 digs per set, 11 aces and a .322 hitting percentage. She had an 18-kill, 13-dig double-double in the win over Arkansas-Fort Smith. Swiss enters the week ranked 10th in the GNAC with a .261 hitting percentage through seven matches.

• Sophomore libero Kyla Militanate-Amper also earned All-Tournament honors. She finished with 23 digs in the five-set win over Arkansas-Fort Smith and has at least 15 digs in all seven matches this week. She ranks third in the GNAC with her average of 5.50 digs per set.

• Entering the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, the Seawolves are second in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.096), service aces (2.00 per set) and blocks (2.50 per set) and rank third in kills (12.79 per set).

• Alaska Anchorage climbed two spots in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Poll to No. 12. They were ranked No. 14 in the preseason rankings and are one of two GNAC programs in the top-25 and one of four teams in the Showcase in the poll.

• The Seawolves will be in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase’s Sonoma State pod in Rohnert Park, Calif. They will face Cal State San Bernardino on Thursday, Dixie State on Friday and Cal Baptist and Sonoma State on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington endured a challenging week at the Flyer Festival tournament in Romeoville, Ill., dropping all four matches and enter the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase with an 0-4 record.

• The Wildcats took a three-set loss to Michigan Tech and a four-set loss to Wis.-Parkside on Friday before falling in five sets to No. 22 Augustana (S.D.) and three set to host No. 8 Lewis on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Madison Weg led Central Washington in the four matches with 41 kills, a .263 hitting percentage and 17 blocks. She had her top performance on Saturday against Augustana (S.D.) with 18 kills and a .395 hitting percentage. Weg ranks ninth in the GNAC in hitting percentage.

• Senior outside hitter Kiah Jones had the Wildcats’ top individual performance on Friday, finishing with 14 kills and a .333 hitting percentage in the four-set loss to Wis.-Parkside.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC with an average of 2.60 blocks per set (8 solo, 62 assists). Junior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse leads the league individually with 1.69 per set while Weg is ranked sixth with 1.13 per set.

• Central Washington will be in San Diego for their D2 West Region Volleyball showcase matches. The Wildcats face Point Loma on Thursday, BYU-Hawaii and Cal Poly Pomona on Friday and UC San Diego on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• One of two GNAC schools to host opening weekend tournaments, Concordia went 2-2 in their own Concordia-Portland Labor Day Classic. The Cavaliers beat Embry-Riddle (Fla.) in four sets before losing to No. 15 Florida Southern on Thursday. Concordia fell to Metro State in four on Friday before ending with a three-set win over Missouri S&T on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Brenna Huwe led the Cavaliers in the four matches with 54 kills, a .258 hitting percentage and 27 digs. Against Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Thursday, Huwe finished with 23 kills, nine digs and a .347 hitting percentage. She enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in kills (3.86 per set) and sixth in points (4.11 per set).

• Junior middle blocker Colby Barnette enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with a .320 hitting percentage and fifth in blocks at 1.14 per set. She had weekly highs of 12 kills and six blocks in Thursday’s win over Embry-Riddle.

• Junior opposite Lindsay Dorsey ranks second in the GNAC with 4.50 points per set and leads the league with 0.90 sewrvice aces per set. She finished with 11 kills in Thursday’s loss to Florida Southern and had eight kills, six aces and 11 digs in Saturday’s win over Missouri S&T.

• As a team, Concordia is third in the GNAC in hitting percentage (.220) and service aces (1.79 per set) and is fourth in assists (11.64 per set).

• Concordia will play their D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase matches at San Francisco State. The Cavaliers will face Fresno Pacific on Thursday, Cal State LA and Chaminade on Friday and San Francisco State on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets opened head coach Casey Williams’ career with a 1-3 trip to the Hawai’i Invitational. After posting a four-set win in their opener over BYU-Hawaii on Thursday, Montana State Billings took a four-set loss to Chaminade on Friday and five-set losses to Hawaii Pacific and San Francisco State on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after she amassed 67 kills, a .369 hitting percentage, 21 digs and 10 blocks in the four matches. She finished with 14 or more kills in all four matches, led by a 21-kill performance against Chaminade on Friday. Ward enters the week leading the GNAC in hitting percentage and is fifth in kills (3.72 per set).

• Senior outside hitter Stormy Siemion finished with 75 kills, a .215 hitting percentage and 35 digs in the four matches. She smashed a GNAC season-high 28 kills against San Francisco State and had 23 kills earlier in the day against Hawaii Pacific. Siemion is currently second in the GNAC in kills (4.17 per set) and third in points (4.36 per set).

• Junior setter/defensive specialist Mataia Robinson is ranked fourth in the GNAC in service aces (0.72 per set) while freshman setter Angala Jensen is fourth in assists (9.61). Junior middle blocker Casey Rich is 10th in the GNAC in blocks (1.06 per set).

• Montana State Billings will be in the D2 West Region Showcase’s Carson, Calif., pod and will face Azusa Pacific on Thursday, Hawaii-Hilo and Humboldt State on Friday and Cal State Dominguez Hills on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene opened their season by going 3-0 to win the Dixie State Tournament in St. George, Utah. The Crusaders scored a three-set sweep of Cal State Monterey and a five-set win over Dixie State on Friday before ending with a four-set win over Black Hills State on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Kendra Bodine led the way with 52 kills, a .209 hitting percentage and 43 digs in the three matches. She had a double-double of 21 kills and 20 digs in the win over Dixie State on Friday and 17 kills and 18 digs in Saturday’s win over Black Hills State. Bodine enters the week leading the GNAC with 4.33 kills per set and 4.58 points per set.

• Junior transfer Mari Thomas posted a .272 hitting percentage in her first four matches for the Crusaders. Her week was topped by a 15-kill effort against Cal State Monterey Bay in the opener. Thomas enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC in hitting percentage and third in kills (4.08 per set).

• Sophomore libero Shayli Siegfreid was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 83 digs and three aces in the three matches, topped by her 34 digs and two aces against Dixie State. Siegfreid enters the week leading the GNAC with 6.92 digs per set.

• The Division II leader in 2015 in blocks (2.90 per set), Northwest Nazarene is currently fourth in the GNAC with 1.92 blocks per set (5 solo, 36 assists). Junior middle blocker Madi Farrell is the only NNU player ranked individually, third in the GNAC at 1.25 blocks per set.

• For the second straight poll, Northwest Nazarene is among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Crusaders received eight points compared to three in the preseason poll.

• Northwest Nazarene will be in San Diego for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. They will play Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday, UC San Diego and BYU-Hawaii on Friday and Point Loma on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s was the only GNAC team not to play matches over the Labor Day weekend. The Saints open play in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase at Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif.

• The Saints will play Academy of Art on Thursday, Holy Names on Friday and Notre Dame de Namur and Dominican on Saturday.

• The matches will be the first for new head coach Jon Killingbeck. A graduate of Central Washington, Killingbeck spent the last five seasons at Iona in New Rochelle, New York.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific opened its 2016 campaign with a 1-3 record at the Concordia-Irvine Labor Day Classic. The Falcons opened with a four-set loss to the host Eagles on Friday before picking up a three-set sweep of Azusa Pacific. They dropped both matches on Satruday, falling to Colorado Christian in three sets and UC San Diego in four.

• Freshman outside hitter Gabby Oddo led Seattle Pacific with 50 kills, 51 digs and a .222 hitting percentage in her first four collegiate matches. Her week was topped by a double-double of 16 kills and 21 digs in Saturday’s loss to UC San Diego. Oddo enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC in kills (3.57 per set) and 10th in digs (3.64 per set).

• Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi is ranked second in the GNAC in blocking at 1.29 blocks per set. Crespi notched six-block matches against both Azusa Pacific and UC San Diego. As a team, the Falcons are ranked third in the GNAC with 2.14 blocks per set.

• Sophomore setter Symone Tran enters the week tied for fifth in the GNAC at 9.50 assists per set. Her week was topped by a 32-assist, 21-dig effort against Concordia-Irvine on Friday.

• Seattle Pacific will play thier D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase matches at Carson, Calif. The Falcons take on Humboldt State on Thursday, Cal State Dominguez Hills and Hawaii Hilo on Friday and Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser opened the season with a 3-1 record at the Concordia-Irvine Labor Day Classic. Friday featured a five-set victory over UC San Diego and a three-set win over Colorado Christian. After a three-set loss to the host Eagles on Saturday, the Clan closed with a three-set sweep of Azusa Pacific.

• Senior outside hitter Emma Jennings paced Simon Fraser with 44 kills, a .221 hitting percentage and 34 digs in the four matches. She led the Clan with 20 kills, 11 digs and three blocks in Friday’s win over UC San Diego and added a 14-kill, 10-dig effort later in the day over Colorado Christian. Jennings enters the week tied for ninth in the GNAC with 3.38 kills per set.

• Junior libero Alison McKay had 57 digs, five assists and five aces in the two matches. She finished with 29 digs, four assists and three aces at Concordia. McKay enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 16th in Division II with 5.89 digs per set.

• Senior outside hitter Devon May also had 44 kills for the Clan in the four matches to fo along with 37 digs. She opened the season with a 25-kill, 12-dig double-double in the win over UC San Diego on Friday. May is tied with Jennings for ninth in the GNAC in kills and is ninth in the league in points (3.92 per set).

• Senior setter Tamara Nipp is third in the conference with an average of 9.86 assists per set while McKay is second with an average of 6.14 digs per set.

• In the team statistics, Simon Fraser is second in the GNAC in digs (19.14 per set), third in assists (11.79 per set) and forurth in kills (12.57 per set).

• Simon Fraser will be at San Francisco State for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Clan face the host Gators in Thursday, Fresno Pacific on Friday and Chaminade and Cal State LA on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 0-3 at the Concordia-Portland Labor Day Tournament to open Tommy Gott’s tenure as head coach. The Wolves started with a thriller, taking the first two sets off of No. 15 Florida Southern before the Mocs came back to win in five on Thursday.

• The Wolves finished the week with a three-set loss to Embry-Riddle (Fla.) on Friday and a four-set loss to Metro State on Saturday.

• Western Oregon hit .230 as a team with five aces and seven team blocks in the loss to Florida Southern, led by 17 kills and 13 digs from junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson. She led the Wolves for the week with 40 kills and also had a team-leading 13 kills in Friday’s loss to Embry-Riddle.

• Sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz proved a well-rounded threat for the Wolves with 17 kills, 102 assists, four aces, 28 digs, six blocks and a .424 hitting percentage in the four matches. She fell three kills short of a triple-double against Florida Southern with seven kills, 45 assists and 17 digs.

• Senior libero Christie Colasurdo enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 4.75 digs per set after finishing 2015 ranked second in Division II (6.44). Freshman defensive specialist Libbie Hoene is third in the GNAC with av average of 0.75 aces per set.

• Thanks to Colasurdo efforts, Western Oregon enters the week tied for fourth in the GNAC with an average of 17.42 digs per set.

• Western Oregon will be in Turlock, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Wolves will play Concordia-Irvine on Thursday, Hawaii Pacific and Chico State on Friday followed by Stanislaus State on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Ranked fifth in the preseason AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, Western Washington dropped to No. 14 this week after going 1-3, which included three matches against nationally-ranked teams at the Concordia-St. Paul Tournament.

• The Vikings took a pair of three-set loss to defending national champion and No. 1 ranked Concordia-St. Paul on Thursday. Western Washington suffered a five-set loss to No. 17 Northern State on Friday before closing the tournament with a three-set win over Truman State on Saturday. The Vikings as a team hit a respectable .223 in the four matches.

• Sophomore outside hitter Abby Phelps led Western Washington with 51 kills, 63 digs and four blocks in the four matches. She finished with 10 kills and 16 digs in Friday’s loss to Concordia-St. Paul and then went off for 15 kills and 16 digs in the win over Truman State. Phelps enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC in digs (4.50 per set), sixth in hitting percentage (.281) and kills (3.64 per set) and 10th in points (3.86 per set).

• Sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper compiled a .352 hitting percentage in the four matches with 32 kills and 15 blocks. She had weekend highs on 13 kills and seven blocks in Friday’s five-set loss to Northern State. Harper enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in hitting percentage.

• A NCAA Division II national semifinals team last year, Western Washington is still a relatively young program. Of the 18 players on the roster, 14 are either freshman or sophomores. The Vikings return four starters plus their libero from last season and were the unanimous pick to win the GNAC by conference coaches.

• As a team, Western Washington leads the GNAC in kills (13.79 per set), is second in hitting percentage (.223) and assists (11.79 per set) and third in digs (17.71 per set).

• The Vikings will play their D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase matches at Sonoma State in Rohnert Park, Calif. Western Washington will face Dixie State on Thursday, Sonoma State and No. 25 Cal Baptist on Friday and No. 15 Cal State San Bernardino 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.