Thursday, November 10, 2016

REGIONAL COUNTDOWN: With two weeks remaining in the volleyball regular season, the West Region Tournament is shaping to be a GNAC Tournament.

For the second straight week in the NCAA West Region Rankings, five GNAC teams rank among the top-eight, which would comprise the regional tournament field. Alaska Anchorage is once again at No. 1. Should that ranking hold, the Seawolves would earn the right to host the West Region Championships for the second consectuve season.

Simon Fraser leaped over Western Washington in the rankings, moving to No. 3 while the Vikings slipped to No. 4. Northwest Nazarene remained ranked No. 6 while Central Washington climbed one spot to No. 7.

The top-eight teams in the West Region Rankings will qualify for the NCAA West Region Championships, which will take place over the first weekend of December. The selection show for the Division II Volleyball Championship will be on Mon., Nov. 21, at 4:30 p.m. (Pacific).

IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS: Alaska Anchorage remained status quo in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. The Seawolves are ranked No. 11 for the third consecutive week. Western Washington slipped three spots after its loss to Northwest Nazarene to No. 18.

YOU’RE BLOCKED: The GNAC continues to be very strong at the net. Four conference teams are among the top-50 in Division II in blocking, with Central Washington leading the nation with an average of 3.03 blocks per set. In addition, six GNAC players are ranked among the top-50 individuals in blocking. The Wildcats’ Sabrina Wheelhouse is second in Division II with 1.72 blocks per set. Seattle Pacific’s Shaun Crespi is fifth with 1.48 blocks per set while Northwest Nazarene’s Madi Farrell is 11th with 1.27 blocks per set.

PACKING THEM IN: The crowd at the Oct. 28 Western Washington/Alaska Anchorage match was the second largest for a Division II volleyball match this season. A total of 1,762 fans packed into the Alaska Airlines Center. The largest crowd for a match this season was the 1,900 that saw Texas A&M-Kingsville play Tarleton State on Oct. 18.

Alaska Anchorage continues to lead Division II in average attendance with 1,130 fans per match over 11 matches. The Seawolves have welcomed eight of the top-20 crowds in Division II this season.

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
Kayleigh Harper, Western Washington
MB • 6-3 • Sophomore • Oak Harbor, Wash.

Harper finished with 31 kills and hit .519 to lead the Vikings in two matches. She finished with 18 kills and hit .485 at Northwest Nazarene and finished with 13 kills while hitting .572 on Saturday at Central Washington.

Also Nominated: Hailey Cook (Northwest Nazarene), Alisha Bettinson (Western Oregon), Stormy Siemion (Montana State Billings), Morgan Hooe (Alaska Anchorage), Jessica Wheeler (Concordia).

DEFENSIVE
Madi Farrell, Northwest Nazarene
MB • 6-2 • Junior • Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Farrell finished with 11 blocks and hit .380 with 25 kills to lead the Crusaders to two big wins. She finished with four blocks and 14 kills in a five-set upset of Western Washington on Thursday and had seven blocks against Simon Fraser on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Abby Phelps (Western Washington), Faith Taylor (Montana State Billings), Kyla Militante-Amper (Alaska Anchorage), Brianna Hogan (Concordia).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska continues to struggle, seeing its losing streak run to 15 matches with losses on the road to Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Angela Molesworth once again led the Nanooks with 25 kills and hit .250 in the two matches. She finished with 15 kills in the loss to Concordia on Saturday.

• Junior setter Rachel Nichols continues to rank seventh in the GNAC with 9.41 assists per set. She had 68 assists in last week’s matches, including a double-double of 30 assists and 11 digs against Concordia.

• The Nanooks rank third in the GNAC with an average of 1.46 aces per set. Junior Riley Podowicz leads the way, ranking fifth in the league with 0.39 aces per set.

• Senior defensive specialist Meagan Olsen is 10th in the GNAC in digs, averging 4.04 per set. She had 31 in the Nanooks’ last two matches, led by 17 against Concordia.

• Alaska returns home for its final two home matches of the season, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage’s current win streak is at four matches. The Seawolves scored a pair of road wins last week, beating Concorda in four sets on Friday and Western Oregon in three sets on Saturday.

• Freshman middle blocker Diane Fa’amausili led the Seawolves with 27 kills and a .328 hitting percentage. She came off the bench to finish with 16 kills and four blocks against Concordia. In the starting lineup against Western Oregon, Fa’amausili finished with 11 kills and hit .286.

• Sophomore outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson added a performance of 25 kills and 27 digs in the two matches, capped by 16 kills and 16 digs against Concordia. Johnson enters the week 10th in the GNAC with 3.11 kills per set.

• Senior middle blocker Erin Braun enters the week third in the GNAC with a .307 hitting percentage. She is also sixth in the GNAC and 31st in Division II with 1.14 blocks per set. She had highs of nine kills, two aces and two blocks against Concordia on Friday.

• Alaska Anchorage maintained its places in the rankings, staying at No. 11 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll and No. 1 in the NCAA West Region Rankings.

• Alaska Anchorage continues to lead Division II in attendance, averaging 1,130 fans per match. The Seawolves have attracted eight of the top-20 crowds this season, topped by the 1,762 fans that saw the match against Western Washington on Oct. 22, the second most fans in Division II this season.

• The Seawolves enter the week leading the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.115) and service aces (1.84 per set) and is second in hitting percentage (.231) and kills (13.74 per set). In the NCAA Division II stats, the Seawolves are fifth in win/loss percentage (.926) and 16th in blocks (2.27 per set).

• Alaska Anchorage returns to the Alaska Airlines Center for its final two regular season home matches, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington finished with a third consecutive weekend split at home, defeating Simon Fraser in five sets on Thursday before falling to Western Washington in three sets on Saturday.

• Junior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse put together a good all-around performance for the Wildcats, hitting .308 with 12 kills and 20 blocks. She had an impressive night with seven kills and 14 blocks in the win over Simon Fraser. Wheelhouse enters the week leading the GNAC and is second in Division II with 1.72 blocks per set. She is also fifth in the GNAC with a .295 hitting percentage.

• In addition to Wheelhouse’s blocking, outside hitters Madison Weg and Jordan Deming each had 10 blocks last week. Weg had eight blocks while Deming had six against Simon Fraser. As a team, Central Washington leads the GNAC and Division II with 3.03 blocks per set.

• Freshman defensive specialist Kyla Morgan enters the week sixth in the GNAC with 4.63 digs per set. .She came up with 15 digs against Simon Fraser and 16 against Western Washington.

• Central Washington moved up one spot in this week’s NCAA West Region Rankings to No. 7. The Wildcats are one of five GNAC teams to make the rankings.

• The Wildcats enters the week third in Division II in total blocks (229.5) and si 17th with 38.80 team attacks per set.

• Central Washington is in Alaska for its final road trip of the regular season, playing at Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its matches last weekend against the Alaska schools, falling to Alaska Anchorage in four sets on Friday and beat Alaska in four sets on Thursday. The Cavaliers opened the week with another four-set win on Tuesday at Western Oregon.

• Junior outside hitter Lindsey Dorsey paced Concordia with 35 kills in the three matches. She finished with 18 kills and four aces in the win over Alaska and had 15 kills in the win over Western Oregon. Dorsey enters the week leading the GNAC with 0.46 aces per set, second with 4.07 points per set and seventh in the GNAC with 3.29 kills per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Jessica Wheeler hit .400 in the two weekend matches. All 13 of her kills came in the win against Alaska.

• In the GNAC stats, Colby Barnette is fourth in the GNAC with a .295 hitting percentage and seventh with 1.11 blocks per set. Michele Brown is third with 11.06 assists per set.

• As a team, Concordia is second in the GNAC with 1.60 aces per set, third with a .229 hitting percentage and fourth with 2.18 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 with its home finale, hosting Montana State Billings on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets suceeded in a weekend sweep of its final home matches of the season. Montana State Billings knocked off Saint Martin’s in four sets on Thursday and swept Seattle Pacific in three sets on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Ashlynn Ward led the Yellowjackets with 23 kills in the two matches, led by 15 kills against Saint Martin’s. Ward is fifth in the GNAC with 3.92 points per set.

• Senior outside hitter Stormy Siemion registered 21 kills and 39 digs in the two wins. She had a double-double of 10 kills and 18 digs against Saint Martin’s and added 11 kills and 21 digs against Seattle Pacific. Siemion enters the week third in the GNAC with 3.43 kills per set and is 22nd in Division II with 11.52 attacks per set.

• Sophomore Miranda McConnell finished with 10 blocks in the two matches, among the top performances in the GNAC last week. She had six blocks in Saturday’s win over Seattle Pacific.

• Freshman setter Angala Jensen finished with 74 assists in the two matches and is eighth in the GNAC with 8.73 assists per set. She had a weekend high of 48 assists against Saint Martin’s.

• As a team, Montana State Billings is eighth in the GNAC with 12.28 kills per set and ninth with a .171 hitting percentage.

• Montana State Billings is in Oregon for its next two matches, playing at Western Oregon on Thursday and at Concordia on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished with a sweep of its matches last weekend at home, knocking off Western Washington in five sets on Thursday and beating Simon Fraser in three sets on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Kendra Bodine led the way with 36 kills and a .380 hitting percentage in the two matches. She led the Crusaders with 25 kills, 13 digs, two blocks and a .359 hitting percentage against Western Washington. Bodine enters the week leading the GNAC and 32nd in Division II with 4.04 kills per set. She is also 49th in Division II with 4.30 points per set.

• Junior middle blocker Madi Farrell was named GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 11 blocks, 25 kills and a .380 hitting percentage in the two matches. She finished with 14 kills and four blocks against Western Washington and had 11 kills and six blocks against Simon Fraser. Farrell is fourth in the GNAC with 3.98 points per set and is third in the GNAC and 11th in Division II with 1.27 blocks per set.

• Northwest Nazarene reamined at No. 6 in this week’s NCAA West Region Rankings. The Crusaders are one of five GNAC teams in the region’s top-eight.

• As a team, Northwest Nazarene is second in the GNAC with 13.05 assists per set and is third with 13.62 kills per set and 18.70 digs per set. The Crusaders 16th in Division II in digs per set and 18th in assists per set.

• Northwest Nazarene makes its last road trip of the regular season this weekend, playing at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and at Alaska on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s saw its current losing streak go to eight matches with a three-set loss to Seattle Pacific on Tuesday and a four-set loss at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Gondrezick led Saint Martin’s with 24 kills in the two matches, notching 12 kills in each of the matches. Gondrezick is among the Saints’ leaders with 206 kills and 2.90 kills per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Ililani Kamaka finished with a .282 hitting percentage with 15 kills. She came off the bench to finish with nine kills against Seattle Pacific.

• In the GNAC statistics, sophomore defensive specialist Cassidy Apo is ninth in the GNAC with 4.20 digs per set and junior setter Nicolette Nesbitt is 10th with 6.17 assists per set.

• As a team, Saint Martin’s is seventh in the GNAC with a .184 hitting percentage and eighth with 16.56 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s finishes its road schedule this weekend, play at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons split a pair of three-set matches last week, beating Interstate 5 rival Saint Martin’s on Tuesday and winning at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Lexi Biondi and junior outside hitter Hannah Lautenbach each had 18 matches in the two matches to lead the Falcons. Lautenbach led SPU with 12 kills in the win over Saint Martin’s while Biondi had eight kills against Montana State Billings.

• Sophomore middle blocker Shaun Crespi continues to rank among the national leaders in blocks, ranking second in the GNAC and fifth in Division II with 1.48 blocks per set. Crespi had five blocks last week, including four in the win over Montana State Billings.

• Sophomore setter Symone Tran had 70 assists and three aces in the two matches, topped by 39 assists, two aces and six digs against Saint Martin’s. Tran enters the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 10.22 assists per set.

• As a team, Seattle Pacific is second in the GNAC and fifth in Division II with 2.44 blocks per set. The Falcons are also third in the GNAC in opponent hitting percentage (.163).

• Seattle Pacific takes its final road trip of the season this weekend, playing at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split their weekend matches on the road, falling to Central Washington in five sets on Thursday and defeating Northwest Nazarene in three sets on Saturday.

• Despite the loss, the Clan jumped from No. 4 to No. 3 in this week’s NCAA West Region Rankings. Simon Fraser is one of five GNAC teams in the regonal top-eight.

• Senior outside hitter Emma Jennings led the Clan offensively with 31 kills in the two matches. She put together an 18-kill, 16 dig performance in the loss to Central Washington and added 13 kills in the win over Northwest Nazarene.

• Sophomore middle blocker Tessa May finished with 26 kills and six blocks in the two matches. She led the Clan with 20 kills against Central Washington. May enters the week fifth in the GNAC and 17th in Division II with 1.20 blocks per set snd is ninth in the GNAC with a .271 hitting percentage.

• Senior defensive specialist Alison McKay finished with 50 assists in the two matches, topped by a 34-assist performance at Central Washington. McKay leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 6.62 digs per set and is 18th in Division II with 563 total digs.

• As a team, Simon Fraser leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II with 19.73 digs per set. The Clan is second in the league with a .155 opponent hitting percentage and fourth with 13.48 kills and 1.34 aces per set.

• Simon Fraser will play three of its final regular season matches at home on Burnaby Mountain. The Clan will host Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 1-2 in its last three matches. The Wolves split against the Alaska schools, beating Alaska in three sets on Thursday before falling in three sets to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday. In this week’s Tuesday match, the Wolves fell to Concordia in four sets.

• Junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson finished with 29 kills in the three matches, topped by a 16-kill performance against Alaska Anchorage. Bettinson enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 3.36 kills per setand ninth with 3.56 points per set.

• Senior defensive specialist Christie Colasurdo registered 54 digs in the three matches, which included 21 against Alaska Anchorage on Saturday and 18 against Concordia on Tuesday. Colasurdo enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 5.26 digs per set.

• Junior middle blocker Sydney Blankinship is eighth in the GNAC with a .283 hitting percentage and added 18 kills to her total over the last three matches. Sophomore setter Maddie Mehciz is fourth in the GNAC with 10.34 assists per set.

• As a team, Western Oregon is second in the GNAC and 10th in Division II with 18.89 digs per set.

• Western Oregon concludes its home schedule on Thursday against Montana State Billings.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington saw its 11-match win streak come to an end on Thursday as it lost in five sets to Northwest Nazarene. The Vikings rebounded on Saturday with a three-set sweep at Central Washington.

• Sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after finished with 31 kills and a .519 hitting percentage in the two matches. She finished with 18 kills and a .485 hitting percentage in the loss to Northwest Nazarene and was one of three WWU players with 13 kills in the over over Central Washington. Harper enters the week leading the GNAC and is 24th in Division II with a .362 hitting percentage.

• Junior outside hitter Arielle Turner also had 13 kills in the CWU match while sopgomore outside hitter Abby Phelps finished with 13 kills and 17 digs. Phelps enters the week ranked eighth in the GNAC with 3.57 points per set and ninth with 3.15 kills per set.

• With the loss, Western Washington dropped some in both major rankings. The Vikings dropped three spots to 18th in the AVCA Division II Coaches and dropped one spot to No. 4 in the NCAA West Region Rankings. The Vikings are mong five GNAC teams to rank in the top-eight regionally.

• As a team, Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 15th in Division II with a .254 hitting percentage. The Vikings also lead the GNAC and rank 13th in Division II with 14.12 kills per set.

• Western Washington plays at home for its final four regular season matches. The Vikings will host Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s 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.