Wednesday, October 12, 2016

TEAMS CLOSING FIRST HALF OF THE SCHEDULE: The first half of GNAC play closes this weekend and, much like it did last year, it is shaping up to be a four-team race.

And much like last year, Alaska Anchorage is in control of its own destiny. The Seawolves are 8-0 in league play and 18-1 overall. The team is enjoying a 17-match win streak, having not lost since a three-set loss at Chaminade back on Aug. 26.

Picked to finish fifth in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll, Simon Fraser has impressed with a 13-3 overall record. The Clan is one of three teams two games behind UAA in the standings at 6-2. Simon Fraser saw its season-long eight-match win streak snapped by the Seawolves on Sept. 24 and has won six of its last eight.

Central Washington and Western Washington enter the week with identical 6-2 GNAC records and 10-6 overall records. The Wildcats recovered from a five-set loss at Western Oregon on Sept. 17 to win five of its last six.

Picked unanimously to win the title in the coaches poll, Western Washington faltered to a 4-4 mark in a tough non-conference schedule, but has now won their last five matches. The Vikings’ two GNAC losses came in a five-set stunner at Simon Fraser and a four-set home loss to Alaska Anchorage.

NET GAINS: It’s another big year of the block in the GNAC. Four GNAC squads are ranked in the NCAA Division II top-50 in blocks per set this week and six are in the top-100. Central Washington slipped from first to second with an average of 2.78 blocks per set. Alaska Anchorage is third with 2.51 blocks per set and Seattle Pacific sixth at the 2.44 blocks per set. Simon Fraser is 46th at 2.11 blocks per set.

The GNAC also boasts eight individuals in the Division II top-50 in blocks per set. Central Washington’s Sabrina Wheelhouse leads the way, ranked third with 1.50 blocks per set. Seattle Pacific’s Shaun Crespi is fifth with 1.44 blocks per set. Northwest Nazarene’s Madi Farrell is 15th at 1.25 blocks per set and Central Washington’s Erin Little is 19th at 1.22 blocks per set.

PACKING THEM IN: Fans at GNAC schools love their volleyball. Alaska Anchorage is the current Division II leader in attendance, having welcomed 1,006 fans per match in eight matches. The Seawolves have seen two of the top-10 crowds in Division II this season and six of the top-20, topped by the 1,281 that saw UAA beat Seattle Pacific on Sept. 17. The GNAC enters the week having welcomed nine of the top-30 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: Alaska Anchorage moved up one spot in this week’s AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll to No. 8. The Seawolves started the season at No. 14 and have moved up one spot each of the last three weeks. For the fourth consecutive week, Western Washington remained at No. 20. Northwest Nazarene and Simon Fraser, both of which had been among teams receiving votes last week, did not earn any votes this week.

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
Morgan Hooe, Alaska Anchorage
S • 5-6 • Senior • Anchorage, Alaska

Hooe finished with 56 assists, 16 digs and 11 kills and hit .500 as the Seawolves ran its current win streak to 17 matches. She had 34 assists in Thursday’s win over Western Oregon and had 22 assists, six kills and 11 digs against Concordia on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Sydney Blankinship (Western Oregon), Kendra Bodine (Northwest Nazarene), Maddie Davis (Alaska), Nicolette Nesbitt (Saint Martin’s), Gabby Oddo (Seattle Pacific), Arielle Turner (Western Washington), Jordan Deming (Central Washington), Lindsey Dorsey (Concordia).

DEFENSIVE
Cassidy Apo, Saint Martin’s
DS/L • 5-6 • Sophomore • Honolulu, Hawaii

Apo recorded 52 digs in the two matches, averaging 7.43 digs per set. She finished with 28 digs and two assists in Saturday’s four-set win over Montana State Billings and had 24 assists in Tuesday’s match with Seattle Pacific.

Also Nominated: Christie Colasurdo (Western Oregon), Kylee Cornelio (Montana State Billings), Madi Farrell (Northwest Nazarene), Rachel Nichols (Alaska), Amanda Ganete (Seattle Pacific), Mae Thungc (Western Washington), Kyle Morgan (Central Washington), Anna Dols (Concordia).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska took a pair of tough losses to the Oregon schools. The Nanooks fell in a five-set seesaw battle with .Concordia on Thursday and fell in four sets to Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Maddie Davis led Alaska in the two matches with 27 kills. She finished with 15 kills, a .375 hitting percentage and nine digs against Concordia and added 12 kills and eight digs against Western Oregon.

• Junior setter Rachel Nichols had a pair of 40-plus assist performances, finished with 52 assists and seven digs against Concordia and 46 assists and 10 digs against Western Oregon. Nichols enters the week seventh in the GNAC with 9.46 assists per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Amberly Jeane finished with 12 kills and nine digs against Concordia while freshman middle blocker Kim Wong had 10 kills against Western Oregon.

• As a team, Alaska is second in the GNAC with 1.68 service aces per set. Junior  middle blocker Riley Podowicz is sixth in the GNAC with an average of 0.42 aces per set. Wong is 10th in the GNAC with a .277 hitting percentage.

• Alaska is on the road this weekend, traveling to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage extended its school-record win streak to 17 matches with two three-set wins at home, beating Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

• With the wins, the Seawolves improved one spot to No. 8 in the latest AVCA Division Coaches Top-25.

• Senior setter Morgan Hooe was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after she led the Seawolves with 56 assists, 16 digs and 11 kills in the two matches. Hooe finished with 34 assists against Western Oregon and 22 assists, six kills and 11 digs against Concordia. Hooe enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 9.66 assists per set.

• Senior middle blocker Erin Braun led Alaska Anchorage at the net with 17 kills and eight blocks in the two matches, led by an effort of 12 kills, a .706 hitting percentage and three blocks against Western Oregon. Braun enters the week third in the GNAC with a .330 hitting percentage, ranks 16th in Division II with 78 total blocks and 21st with 1.20 blocks per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Leah Swiss leads the GNAC and is 50th in Division II with 0.48 aces per set. Swiss notched three aces in both matches against the Oregon schools.

•Alaska Anchorage enters the week leading the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.107) and aces (2.02 per set) and is second in blocks (2.51 per set). The Seawolves rank third in Division II in blocks per set, fifth in win percentage (.947), sixth in opponent hitting percentage and 18th in aces per set.

• Alaska Anchorage continues to lead Division II in attendance, averaging 1,006 fans per match in eight matches. The Seawolves have three of the top-10 and six of the top-20 attended matches this season, topped by the 1,281 fans that saw the Seawolves beat Seattle Pacific on Sept. 17.

• Alaska Anchorage is on the road for two matches, playing at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• After a hot start to the conference season, Central Washington saw its four-match win streak snapped by Western Washington in three sets on Thursday. The Wildcats rebounded on Saturday to beat Simon Fraser in three sets.

• Senior outside hitter Jordan Deming led the Wildcats with 19 kills in the two matches. She had nine kills and two blocks in the loss to Western Washington and finished with 10 kills and eight digs in the win over Simon Fraser. Senior outside hitter Kiah Jones also had 10 kills in the win over the Clan.

• Junior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked third in Division II with 1.50 blocks per set. She is also fourth in the GNAC with a .316 hitting percentage. Wheelhouse finished with four kills and six blocks against Central Washington and added four blocks against Simon Fraser.

• Senior middle blocker Erin Little enters the week fourth in the GNAC and 19th in Division II with 1.22 blocks per set and added five blocks last week, topped by a four-block performance against Simon Fraser.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and second in Division II with 2.78 blocks per set. The Wildcats lead four GNAC teams to rank in the Division II top-50.

• Central Washington returns home for three matches. The Wildcats will host Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia succeeded in gaining a split at the Alaska schools. The Cavaliers took a five-set win at Alaska on Thursday and lost in three sets at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• The Cavaliers opened this week with a three-set sweep of Willamette Valley rival Western Oregon on Tuesday.

• Junior opposite Lindsey Dorsey led the Cavaliers over the weekend with 25 kills and a .309 hitting percentage. She led four Concordia players in double-figure kills at Alaska with 14 kills and had 11 kills against Alaska Anchorage. She also led the Cavaliers in the win over Western Oregon with 13 kills. Dorsey enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 0.47 aces per set, third with 4.05 points per set and eighth with 3.25 kills per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Tori Johnson had 10 kills in the victory over Concordia. Junior outside hitter Colby Barnette had 11 kills and three blocks against Alaska while senior outside hitter Brenna Huwe and senior middle blocker Brianna Hogan each had 10 kills against the Nanooks.

• Barnette enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with a .281 hitting percentage and eighth with 1.12 blocks per set. Junior setter Michele Brown is third in the GNAC at 10.89 assists per set and freshman defensive specialist Anna Dols is 10th with 4.20 digs per set.

• As a team, Concordia ranks third in the GNAC with a .224 hitting percentage and 1.64 aces per set and is fourth with 2.16 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.

• Concordia finishes the week on the road, playing Thursday at Montana State Billings.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings dropped both matches on its trip to the Puget Sound region last week. The Yellowjackets fell to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday, both in four sets.

• Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward led the Yellowjackets with 33 kills and a .261 hitting percentage in the two matches. She led MSUB with 18 kills and 10 digs in the loss to Seattle Pacific and finished with 15 kills against Saint Martin’s. Ward enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 3.55 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Stormy Siemion finished with 14 kills against Saint Martin’s and had eight kills and 13 digs against Seattle Pacific. Siemion enters the week tied for fourth in the GNAC with 3.49 kills per set.

• Senior defensive specialist Kylee Cornelio had 55 digs and averaged 6.88 digs per set in the two matches. She had 25 digs against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and had 30 digs against Saint Martin’s.

• Freshman setter Angala Jensen is eighth in the GNAC with an average of 8.68 assists per set. Junior setter Mataia Robinson is ninth in the GNAC with 0.34 aces per set.

• Montana State Billings is home for its next five matches before finishing the season with six of its final eight matches on the road. The Yellowjackets will host Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene dropped both matches last weekend. The Crusaders fell in three sets at Simon Fraser and dropped a four-set match to Western Washington on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Kendra Bodine led the Crusaders with 22 kills and 3.12 kills per set in the two matches. She finished with six kills and seven digs against Simon Fraser and led NNU with 16 kills and 14 digs against Western Washington. Bodine leads the GNAC and is 38th in Division II with 3.89 kills per set. She also ranks second in the GNAC with 4.12 points per set.

• Junior middle blocker Madi Farrell added 15 kills and five blocks against Western Washington and posted seven blocks against Simon Fraser. Farrell is third in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with 1.25 blocks per set. She is also fifth in the GNAC with a .304 hitting percentage.

• Among other GNAC leaders, junior setter Hailey Cook is second in the league and 17th in Division II with 11.14 assists per set. She had weekend highs of 43 assists and 11 digs against Western Washington. Sophomore defensive specialist Shayli Siegfreid is third in the GNAC with 5.64 digs per set. She had a weekend high of 17 digs against Western Washington.

• The two losses knocked Northwest Nazarene off the radar of voters for the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25. The Crusaders had been either ranked or among those receiving votes in each of the first six polls of the season and was ranked as high as No. 24.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene is second in the GNAC with 18.36 digs per set and is third with a .157 opponent’s hitting percentage and 12.54 assists per set. In the NCAA Division II stats, the Crusaders are 21st in digs per set, 33rd in assists per set and 35th with 38.09 team attacks per set.

• Northwest Nazarene is home for its next two matches, hosting Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s split its GNAC matches last week, falling in three sets to Seattle Pacific on Tuesday before beating Montana State Billings in four sets on Saturday. The Saints made it two in a row with a non-conference win at Evergreen State on Tuesday

• Sophomore libero Cassidy Apo was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 52 assists and averaged 7.43 digs per set in two matches. Her weekend was topped by a 28-dig performance in the win over Montana State Billings. Apo enters the week eighth in the GNAC with 4.27 digs per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Gondrezick and junior outside hitter Rebecca Mitchell each had 30 kills in the two GNAC matches. Gondrezick had a high of 24 kills to go along with 11 digs in the win over Montana State Billings. Mitchell had 20 kills, a .409 hitting percentage and 15 digs in the match. Gondrezick enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC with 3.06 kills per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Brooklyn Tacke enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with 0.35 aces per set. She added one ace to her total against Montana State Billings.

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is fourth in the GNAC with a .217 hitting percentage and fifth with 11.94 assists and 17.15 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s plays its next two matches at home, continuing a string of five straight matches in the Evergreen State. The Saints host Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific won both matches last week, winning back-to-back conference matches for the first time this season. The Falcons knocked off Saint Martin’s in three sets on Tuesday and beat Montana State Billings in four sets on Thursday.

• Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi led the Falcons with 29 kills and 4.14 kills per set. She led the Falcons with 16 kills in the win over Saint Martin’s and had 13 kills and four blocks in the win over Montana State Billings.

• Freshman outside hitter Gabby Oddo had 25 kills in the two matches. She led the Falcons with 16 kills and 10 digs against Montana State Billings and had nine kills and 11 digs against Saint Martin’s. Oddo enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 3.40 kills per set and seventh with 3.77 points per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi added 13 blocks to her total in the two matches, which included seven blocks in the win over Saint Martin’s. Crespi enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and fifth in Division II with 1.44 blocks per set.

• As a team, Seattle Pacific is third in the GNAC and sixth in Division II with 2.50 blocks per set and fourth in the GNAC with a .161 opponent’s hitting percentage. The Falcons are also 13th in Division with 39.00 team attacks per set and 15th with 153.5 total blocks per set.

• Seattle Pacific closes a four-match home stand by hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split last week’s matches at home, opening with a three-set sweep of Northwest Nazarene on Friday before falling to Central Washington in three sets on Saturday.

• Sophomore middle blocker Tessa May led the Clan with 25 digs, an average of 4.17 kills per set and 14 blocks in the two matches. She led the Clan with 16 kills and nine blocks in Friday’s win over NNU and finished with nine kills and five blocks against CWU. May enters the week ranked sxith in the GNAC with a .283 hitting percentage. She is also sixth in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II with 1.19 blocks per set.

• Freshman middle blocker Nicole Chevrier hit .444 in the loss to Central Washington, coming off the bench to finish with nine kills. She enters the week ninth in the GNAC with a .277 hitting percentage.

• Setter Tamara Nipp leads the GNAC and is 13th in Division II with 11.40 assists per set. The senior finished with 44 assists in the win over Northwest Nazarene and 31 assists, 13 digs and two blocks against Central Washington.

• Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is 19th in Division II with 12.86 assists per set. The Clan is also first in the GNAC and 12th in Division II with 19.07 digs oer set. One of four GNAC teams in the Division II top-50 in blocking, the Clan is 46th with 2.11 blocks per set.

• After being among teams receiving votes each of the last three weeks, Simon Fraser did not receive votes in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25.

• Simon Fraser is on the road for its next two matches, at Seattle Pacific on Thursday and at Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon earned a split of its two matches in Alaska. The Wolves lost in three sets to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before beating Alaska in four sets on Saturday. Western Oregon then opened the week with a three-set loss at Concordia.

• Junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led the Wolves in the Alaska matches with 21 kills. She led the Wolves with 15 kills, 12 digs and a .244 hitting percentage in the win over Alaska. Bettinson enters the week third in the GNAC with 3.54 kills per set and is 18th in Division II with 11.79 attacks per set. She is also ninth in the GNAC with 3.71 points per set.

• Junior middle blocker Sydney Blankinship finished with 15 kills and a .560 hitting percentage in the Alaska matches, topped by 10 kills in the win over UAF. Blankinship enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 39th in Division II with a .341 hitting percentage.

• Freshman defensive specialist Libbie Hoene enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 0.44 aces per set. She finished with three aces against Alaska and had one against Concordia.

• Sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 10.09 assists per set. She finished with 43 assists, two aces, six digs and three blocks in the win over Alaska and had 25 assists against Concordia.

• As a team, Western Oregon is third in the GNAC and 22nd in Division II with 18.00 digs per set.

• Western Oregon finishes the week on Saturday on the road at Montana State Billings.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington extended its current win streak to five matches with a pair of quality home wins. The Vikings scored a three-set win over Central Washington on Thursday and a four-set win over Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Arielle Turner led the Vikings with 29 kills in the two matches. She finished with 14 kills and a .387 hitting percentage against Central Washington and 15 kills against Northwest Nazarene. Turner enters the week 10th in the GNAC with 3.63 points per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Kayleigh Harper leads the GNAC and is 43rd in Division II with a .343 hitting percentage and is ninth in the GNAC with 1.10 blocks per set. She finished with nine kills and three blocks against Central Washington and had 14 kills and five blocks against Northwest Nazarene.

• Sophomore middle blocker Michaela Hall enters the week eighth in the GNAC with a .281 hitting percentage. She came off the bench against Central Washington to finish with seven kills and a .778 hitting percentage. Against NNU on Saturday, Hall finished with 10 kills and five blocks.

• With the two wins, Western Washington maintained its position at No. 20 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, spot it has retained four consecutive weeks. The Vikings are one of two teams in the poll with six losses (Central Missouri is the other).

• As a team, Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 23rd in Division II with a .247 hitting percentage. The Vikings also lead the GNAC and are 21st in Division II with 13.79 kills per set.

• Western Washington heads to the Puget Sound region this week, playing at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Seattle Pacific 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.