Wednesday, October 5, 2016

NET GAIN: Much like it was last year, the GNAC is developing a reputation for blocking at the net. Three GNAC teams rank in the top-20 of the NCAA Division II statistics in blocking while seven of the league’s 11 teams are ranked in the top-100 out of 291 Division II volleyball programs.

Central Washington leads Division II, averaging 2.80 blocks per set. Junior Sabrina Wheelhouse leads the Wildcats individually and leads seven GNAC players in the Division II top-50 as she ranks third with 1.53 blocks per set. Senior Erin Little is 13th nationally with 1.26 blocks per set.

Alaska Anchorage ranks fourth nationally with 2.49 blocks per set. Senior Erin Braun leads the way for the Seawolves, ranking 18th in Division II with 1.19 blocks per set. Seattle Pacific ranks 11th as a team with 2.40 blocks per set. Sophomore Shaun Crespi is fifth individually with an average of 1.39 blocks per set.

One of the top teams, however, isn’t even listed among the top teams nationally. Concordia is fourth among GNAC teams and would rank 27th in Division II with its 2.23 blocks per set, but does not qualify as the Cavaliers are in the third year of their transition to Division II membership.

MAKING A RUN: For the second year in a row, Alaska Anchorage is making quite a run to begin the season. With its win at Montana State Billings on Saturday, the Seawolves set a school record with 15 consecutive wins. That bettered the record of 14 consecutive wins by the 2015 GNAC championship team to start the season. The 2016 Seawolves have not lost since taking a three-set sweep at Chaminade on Aug. 26.

Alaska Anchorage was not the only GNAC team making an impressive run to start the year. Simon Fraser saw an eight-match win streak end on Sept. 24 with a three-set loss at home to Alaska Anchorage. The Clan has opened the season with a 12-2 record.

Neither team, however, is anywhere close to the all-time record for consecutive wins. That belongs to Central Washington, which won 31 straight matches between Nov. 1, 2003 and Nov. 13, 2004.

PACKING THEM IN: Fans at GNAC schools love their volleyball. Alaska Anchorage is the current Division II leader in attendance, having welcomed 968 fans per match in six matches. The Seawolves have seen two of the top-10 crowds in Division II this season and four of the top-15, topped by the 1,281 that saw UAA beat Seattle Pacific on Sept. 17. The GNAC enters the week having welcomed seven of the top-20 crowds in Division II so far in 2016. Central Washington had 923 fans watch its three-set sweep of Montana State Billings on Sept. 24, the 16th best crowd this season. Simon Fraser welcomed 823 fans to West Gym for their five-set win over Western Washington on Sept. 14, the 19th best crowd of the year, and Northwest Nazarene packed 802 fans in for its match with Central Washington on Sept. 20, the 20th best crowd of the year.

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Both Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington moved up in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll. The Seawolves climbed one spot to No. 9 while the Vikings leapt three spots to No. 20. The two teams join Cal State San Bernardino as the only West Region representatives in the top-25.

Simon Fraser and Northwest Nazarene each received votes in the poll for the third consecutive week. The Clan picked up 12 points while the Crusaders finished with two votes.

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
Abby Phelps, Western Washington
OH • 5-10 • Sophomore • Manson, Wash.

Phelps finished with 27 kills, 29 digs and five blocks in two matches as the Vikings scored road wins at Concordia and Western Oregon. She finished with 12 kills and 14 digs in the three-set win over Concordia on Thursday and added 15 kills, 15 digs and four blocks in Saturday’s five-set win at WOU.

Also Nominated: Sabrina Wheelhouse (Central Washington), Mataia Robinson (Montana State Billings), Michele Brown (Concordia), Hannah Lautenbach (Seattle Pacific), Morgan Hooe (Alaska Anchorage), Hailey Cook (Northwest Nazarene).

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

McKay finished with 74 digs in a pair of road wins. She finished with 35 digs and eight assists in Thursday’s four-set win at Western Oregon and then registered 39 digs in Saturday’s four-set win at Concordia.

Also Nominated: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Kylee Cornelio (Montana State Billings), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington), Colby Barnette (Concordia), Shaun Crespi (Seattle Pacific), Kyla Militante-Amper (Alaska Anchorage), Shayli Siegfreid (Northwest Nazarene).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska dropped both matches last week and have lost its last three matches in three sets. The Nanooks fell last Tuesday to Alaska Anchorage and fell on Friday at Montana State Billings.

• Freshman middle blocker Kim Wong led Alaska against Alaska Anchorage with seven kills and three blocks. Junior outside hitter Maddie Davis led the Nanooks against Montana State Billings with seven kills and seven digs.

• Junior setter Rachel Nichols had two more 20-plus assist performances. She had 22 assists against Alaska Anchorage and finished with 26 assists, seven digs and two blocks against Montana State Billings. Nichols enters the week seventh in the GNAC with 9.20 assists per set.

• The Nanooks enter the week with a .162 hitting percentage and is averaging 11.08 kills, 10.48 assists and 1.64 blocks per set. The Nanooks are third in the GNAC in service aces with 1.70 per set. Riley Podowicz is seventh in the GNAC in aces with 0.40 per set.

• Alaska hosts the Oregon schools this weekend with Concordia coming to Fairbanks on Thursday and Western Oregon visiting on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• It is now a school record 15 consecutive victories for Alaska Anchorage. The Seawolves scored a three-set sweep over Alaska on Tuesday and then won in three sets at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Alaska Anchorage was dominant over Alaska, winning the first set 25-14 and hit .312 for the match. Sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss finished with 13 kills in the win while senior setter Morgan Hooe finished with 30 assists and eight digs.

• No player had more than nine kills in the win over Montana State Billings, led by Swiss with nine kills and 13 digs. The sophomore enters the week leading the GNAC and 48th in Division II with 4.29 points per set. Swiss is also third in the GNAC with 3.66 kills per set and fifth with 0.42 aces per set.

• Senior middle blocker Erin Braun enters the week fifth in the GNAC in both hitting percentage (.305) and blocks (1.19 per set). In the Division II stats, Braun is 18th in blocks per set and 12th with 70 total blocks.

• Alaska Anchorage climbed one more spot in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Poll to No. 9. The Seawolves opened the season at No. 14 and have climbed three spots over the last two weeks.

• As a team, Alaska Anchorage leads the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.109) and service aces (1.92 per set), second in hitting percentage (.229) and third in blocks (2.49 per set). The Seawolves are fourth in Division II in blocks per set, fifth in total blocks (147) and eighth in opponent hitting percentage.

• The Seawolves are once again leading Division II in attendance, having averaged 968 fans per game in six matches this season. Alaska Anchorage lead Division II in attendance in 2015, averaging 1,481 fans per match.

• Alaska Anchorage returns home this weekend to host the Oregon schools. The Seawolves play Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington is on a four-match winning streak and is 5-1 in GNAC play. The Wildcats added two wins last week, sweeping Saint Martin’s in three sets on Thursday and outlasting Seattle Pacific in five sets on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Madison Weg led CWU in the win over Saint Martin’s with 15 kills and a .464 hitting percentage. She then added five kills and six blocks in the win over Seattle Pacific. Weg enters the week ninth in the GNAC with .273 hitting percentage.

• Senior outside hitter Jordan Deming led CWU in the win over Seattle Pacific with nine kills. Sophomore outside hitter Shelby Mauritson finished with eight kills, 12 digs and three blocks. Senior outside hitter Kiah Jones finished with eight kills, six digs and three blocks and freshman setter Gaby Aihara added 23 assists and 11 digs.

• Junior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse enters the week second in the GNAC with a .319 hitting percentage. She also leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with 1.53 blocks per set.

• Central Washington enters the week leading Division II with an average of 2.80 blocks per set. The Wildcats had an impressive 20 blocks in the win over Seattle Pacific on Saturday, the second best single match performance in the GNAC this season.

• In addition to Wheelhouse, senior middle blocker Erin Little is third in the GNAC and 13th in Division II with 1.26 blocks per set.

• Central Washington is back on the road after a three-match home stand, playing at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia saw its three-match win streak ended with a pair of losses at home. The Cavaliers dropped a three-set match to Western Washington on Thursday and a four-set match to Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Tori Johnson led the Cavaliers against Western Washington with 11 kills and added 12 kills and seven digs against Simon Fraser.

• Junior middle blocker Colby Barnette led Concordia with 17 kills and nine blocks in the loss to Simon Fraser. Barnette enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 1.23 blocks per set and sixth with a .301 hitting percentage.

• Junior opposite Lindsey Dorsey finished with double-digit kills in both matches, slamming 10 kills against Western Washington and 12 against Simon Fraser. Dorsey enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with 4.08 points per set and eighth with 3.21 kills per set.

• As a team, Concordia is second in the GNAC with 1.75 aces per set, third with a .229 hitting percentage and fourth with 12.06 assists per set and 2.23 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.

• The Cavaliers are in the 49th state for their next two matches, playing at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings put an end to its 12-match losing streak with a three-set win over Alaska on Thursday before taking a three-set loss to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Sophomore Miranda McConnell led the Yellowjackets in the win with 10 kills, a .588 hitting percentage and two blocks.

• Senior outside hitter Stormy Siemion paced MSUB in the loss to Alaska Anchorage with nine kills and 16 digs. Siemion enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC in both kills (3.60 per set) and blocks (3.90 per set). Siemion ranks 11th in Division II in total attacks (673) and 16th in attacks per set (11.81).

• Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 3.47 kills per set. She finished with eight kills in both matches last week.

• Among others in the GNAC stats, junior setter Mataia Robinson is eighth in the GNAC with 0.39 aces per set while freshman setter Angala Jensen is eighth with 8.49 assists per set.

• Montana State Billings visits the Puget Sound region this weekend, playing at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene is on a three-match winning streak and ended a four-match home stand with a pair of wins. The Crusaders scored a five-set win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Mari Thomas led four NNU players with double-figure kills against Seattle Pacific with 19 to go along with 25 digs and three blocks. Junior middle blocker Madi Farrell added 17 kills and eight blocks. Junior outside hitter Kendra Bodine finished with 15 kills and 17 digs and sophomore outside hitter Cami Heninger had 15 kills and five blocks.

• Farrell enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with a .316 hitting percentage and sixth in the GNAC and 19th in Division II with 1.18 blocks per set. Bodine leads the GNAC and is 30th in Division II with 4.00 kills per set.

• Junior setter Hailey Cook leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with 11.39 assists per set. She finished an impressive line of 62 assists and 18 digs in the win over Seattle Pacific and finished with 42 assists in the win over Saint Martin’s.

• For the third consecutive week, Northwest Nazarene is among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll with two votes. The Crusaders were ranked as high as No. 24 back on Sept. 12.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene leads the GNAC and is 19th in Division II with 12.82 assists per set. The Crusaders are second in the GNAC with a .144 opponent hitting percentage and third with 18.49 digs per set. In the Division II stats, NNU is 18th in digs per set and 35th with 13.37 kills per set.

• Northwest Nazarene is on the road for its two matches this week, playing at Simon Fraser on Friday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• After its hot start, Saint Martin’s has lost five matches. The Saints dropped two weekend matches, losing in thee sets at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday. Saint Martin’s opened this week with a three-set loss on Tuesday at Seattle Pacific.

• Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Gondrezick led the Saints offensively in both weekend matches, finishing with 10 kills, a .417 hitting percentage and nine digs at Central Washington and finished with eight kills against Northwest Nazarene.

• Junior outside hitter Rebecca Mitchell was the offensive leader on Tuesday, finishing with 10 kills and 14 digs at Seattle Pacific.

• Sophomore middle blocker Brooklyn Tacke enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 0.41 aces per set. Sophomore libero Cassidy Apo is 10th in the GNAC with 4.05 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s is home for its next three matches. The Saints finish the week on Saturday by hosting Montana State Billings.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific finished just short in a pair of five-set matches over the weekend, falling to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday. The Falcons snapped a three-match skid on Tuesday with a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s.

• Junior outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach led Seattle Pacific offensively against Northwest Nazarene with 20 kills, a .327 hitting percentage and 21 digs. Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi led the Falcons against Central Washington with 18 kills and had 16 kills and four blocks in the win over Saint Martin’s.

• Freshman outside hitter Gabby Oddo finished with double-digit kills in the two five-set matches, amassing 16 digs and 12 kills against NNU and 16 kills and 10 digs against Central Washington. Oddo enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 3.36 kills per set and seventh with 3.75 points per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi tallied 21 blocks over the last three matches, topped by eight blocks on Saturday against Central Washington. She had seven in the three-set win over Saint Martin’s on Tuesday. Crespi enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and fifth in Division II with 1.49 blocks per set. As a team, Seattle Pacific is second in the GNAC and 11th in Division II with 2.52 blocks per set.

• In other NCAA statistics categories, the Falcons rank 15th with 134.5 total blocks and 21st with 38.55 attack per set. In the GNAC stats, the Falcons are fourth in opponent hitting percentage (.166) and aces per set (1.54).

• Seattle Pacific will close the week on Thursday as they host Montana State Billings.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser continues to roll, having won 10 of its last 11 matches. The Clan scored a pair of four-set wins on the road over the weekend, beating Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

• Senior defensive specialist Alison McKay was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 74 digs in the victories. She posted 35 digs and eight assists against Western Oregon and 15 digs and four blocks at Concordia. McKay enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked fourth in Division II with 6.75 digs per set.

• Senior outside hitter Emma Jennings led Simon Fraser with 13 kills, 11 digs and three blocks in Thursday’s win at Western Oregon. Junior outside hitter Christine Howlett added a performance of 17 kills and a .412 hitting percentage in the win at Concordia.

• Simon Fraser’s success has been a true team effort with only four SFU players ranked in the GNAC statistics. Sophomore middle blocker Tessa May ranks seventh in hitting percentage (.280) and ninth in blocks per set (1.06). Senior setter Tamara Nipp is second in the GNAC and 16th in Division II with 11.27 assists per set and 10th in the GNAC with 0.37 aces per set.

• As a team, Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 29th in Division II with 13.53 kills per set. The Clan also leads the league and is 10th in Division II with 19.00 digs per set. Simon Fraser is also second in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with 12.76 assists per set.

• Simon Fraser picked up votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll for the third consecutive week. The 12 points the Clan received this week is the most this season.

• Simon Fraser returns home and will host Northwest Nazarene on Friday and Central Washington on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon took two losses in a row in conference play for the first time this season. The Wolves suffered a four-set loss to Simon Fraser on Thursday before Western Washington won a seesaw battle in five sets on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson and sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz came up big for the Wolves against Western Washington. Bettinson finished with 20 kills and 16 digs while Mehciz finished with 52 assists, 14 digs and three blocks. Bettinson enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 3.71 kills per set and fifth with 3.89 points per set. Mehciz is fourth in the GNAC with 10.14 assists per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Amanda Short led WOU in the Simon Fraser match with nine kills and six digs.

• Junior middle blocker Sydney Blankinship enters the week ranked third in the GNAC with a .318 hitting percentage. Sophomore defensive specialist Libbie Hoene is tied for second in he league with 0.47 aces per set. Senior defensive specialist Christie Colasurdo is fourth in digs with 4.96 per set.

• As a team, Western Oregon is second in the GNAC and 17th in Division II with 18.49 digs per set.

• Western Oregon heads north to Alaska this week. The Wolves play at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and at Alaska on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington is now on a three-match win streak after sweeping its matches in Oregon. The Vikings scored a three-set win at Concordia on Thursday and survived a five-set battle with Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Abby Phelps was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after she finished with 27 kills, 29 digs and five blocks in the two matches. She led the way with 12 kills and 16 digs in the win over Concordia and added 15 kills, 15 digs and four blocks in the win over Western Oregon. Phelps enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with 3.25 kills per set and eighth with 3.74 points per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Kayleigh Harper enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 45th in Division II with a .347 hitting percentage. She is also eighth in the league with 1.10 blocks per set. Harper finished with five kills and three blocks against Concordia and with 16 kills and eight blocks against Western Oregon.

• Junior outside hitter Arielle Turner is tied for second in the GNAC with 0.47 aces per set. Turner finished with three aces against Western Oregon and one against Concordia.

• Western Washington improved three spots in the AVCA Division II Top-25 Coaches Poll to No. 20 with the two wins. With six losses, WWU has the most losses of any team in the top-25.

• As a team, Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 27th in Division II with a .238 hitting percentage. The Vikings are also 31st in Division II with 13.47 kills per set and 34th with 12.51 assists per set.

• Western Washington is home this week, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• 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.