Tuesday, August 28, 2018

HEADING SOUTH FOR THE SHOWCASE: With the opening weekend of the 2018 season in the books, all 11 GNAC teams will head south to California for the fifth D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. Hosted this year by the PacWest Conference, the tournament’s six pods are spread out across three sites in the Los Angeles area, two in the Bay Area and one in Fresno.

This is the third year that the Showcase will feature teams from all three West Region conferences, which has gone a long way to help the GNAC earn postseason bids. In the first two years with all three conferences, the GNAC has seen nine teams advance to the NCAA Division II West Regional: five in 2016 and four in 2017.

The GNAC enters with a .599 win percentage in the four years of the crossover tournament. The conference has a 69-45 record in four years against PacWest Conference teams and a 28-12 record in three years against CCAA programs.

Northwest Nazarene has the GNAC’s best record in the Showcase with a 14-2 mark in four years. The Nighthawks went 4-0 in 2014, 2016 and 2017. Both Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington are 13-3 in the Showcase.

LANE, LANE GO AWAY: A trip to paradise to open the season turned into a stormy experience for the Saint Martin’s and Simon Fraser volleyball teams. The two programs each lost two matches at the Hawai’i Challenge in Hilo thanks to the effects of Hurricane Lane. While the storm did not make a direct hit on the Big Island, the outer bands of the storm dropped as much as 40 inches of rain in Hilo itself and as much as 51 inches on other parts of the island.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE NAMED GNAC TEAM OF THE WEEK: As far as season openers go, Alaska Anchorage volleyball couldn't have asked for a better start to the 2018 campaign. 

Wins over Western New Mexico, Barton and Michigan Tech in the UAA Invitational allowed the Seawolves to jump out to a 3-0 start to the season, earning them this week's GNAC Team of the Week award in the process. 

On Thursday, head coach Chris Green's club got off on the right foot with a three-set sweep of the visiting Mustangs. They followed that up with a four-set win against Barton, then capped the weekend with a victory over the Huskies. The final match went to five sets, with the Seawolves ultimately prevailing after Michigan Tech rallied from a 2-0 deficit.

Alaska Anchorage was led by outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson, who was named as the GNAC co-Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. Johnson was named the most outstanding player of the tournament after posting a pair of double-doubles over the weekend.

"Our setters did a good job in spreading the offense when we were in system," said Green. "We saw some gritty long-rally wins during the weekend, especially against a very good Michigan Tech team." 

Leading the Seawolves' defensive efforts was sophomore Vera Pluharova, who currently leads the conference with 22 blocks. She has also posted 14 kills so far this season and was named the GNAC's Volleyball Defensive Player of the Week.

"We put up a big block against some big swinging teams," Green said. "Although we didn't stop teams completely, our block forced teams to make hitting errors, which gave us some easy points. Offensively, if we can become more consistent and efficient, we will be a very strong team down the road."

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Chrisalyn Johnson, Alaska Anchorage
OH • 5-9 • Senior • Anchorage, Alaska

Johnson was named the most outstanding player of the UAA Invitational after she led the Seawolves to three wins with 33 kills (2.75 kills per set), 36 digs (3.00 per set) and a .230 hitting percentage. After registering seven kills on Thursday against Western New Mexico, Johnson had a double-double of 15 kills and 15 digs to go along with a .412 hitting percentage in a four-set win over Barton on Friday. In Saturday’s five-set win over Michigan Tech, Johnson added another double-double of 11 kills and 14 digs. She scored the set points in both the first and fifth sets.

Eavan Taylor, Montana State Billings
MB • 6-2 • Freshman • Richardson, Texas

Taylor led the Yellowjackets to a 4-0 sweep to open the season at the Minnesota St. Moorhead Invitational, finishing with 36 kills (2.12 per set), 15 blocks and a .391 hitting percentage in the four matches. Her best effort came in Friday’s five-set win over Mary, finishing with 12 kills and eight blocks. Taylor then had 10 kills and a .600 hitting percentage as MSUB closed the tournament with a three-set sweep of Western State on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Tatum Upchurch (Alaska), Shelby Mauritson (Central Washington), Jessica Wheeler (Concordia), Cami Heninger (Northwest Nazarene), Gabby Oddo (Seattle Pacific), Mariella Vandenkooy (Western Oregon), Abby Phelps (Western Washington).

DEFENSIVE
Vera Pluharova, Alaska Anchorage
MB • 6-2 • Sophomore • Nechanice, Czech Republic

Pluharova led the Seawolves and the GNAC with 22 blocks and contributed 14 kills in the three-match sweep at the UAA Invitational. She opened her UAA career with eight blocks and four kills against Western New Mexico on Thursday, added six blocks against Barton on Friday and ended the weekend with eight blocks and seven kills against Michigan Tech on Saturday. Pluharova averaged 1.83 blocks and 1.17 kills per set.

Also Nominated: Kyla Morgan (Central Washington), Callie Wilkins (Concordia), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska had an impressive start to the year at the UAA Invitational. After a five-set loss to Michigan Tech on Thursday, the Nanooks beat Western New Mexico in four sets on Friday and swept Barton in three sets on Saturday. Both Michigan Tech and Barton qualified for the NCAA Championships in 2017.

• Sophomore outside hitter Tatum Upchurch led the Nanooks with 42 kills in the three matches to go along with 31 digs. She had a double-double of 12 kills and 14 digs against Michigan Tech and notched another double-double with 11 kills and 10 digs against Barton. Upchurch is third in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set and 38th in Division II with 11.08 attacks per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Lahra Weber added 30 kills and 33 digs in the three matches. She opened the year with a double-double of 14 kills and 12 digs against Michigan Tech and notched an 11-kill effort against Barton.

• Sophomore setter Cate Whiting is fourth in the GNAC with 9.00 assists per set and fourth with 0.58 aces per set. She topped the week with a 24-assist, four-ace effort against Barton on Saturday.

• Alaska enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 41st in Division II with a .119 opponent hitting percentage. The Nanooks are also tied for third in the GNAC with 1.67 aces per set and fourth with 17.33 digs per set and 1.83 blocks per set.

• The Nanooks will be in San Rafael, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Challenge. Alaska will take on Cal St. Monterey Bay and Dominican (Calif.) on Friday and Point Loma and Cal State LA on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage made the most of the home court at their own UAA Invitational. The Seawolves swept Western New Mexico on Thursday, beat Barton in four sets on Friday and Michigan Tech in five sets on Saturday. Both Barton and Michigan Tech were fellow NCAA Tournament qualifiers in 2017.

• Senior outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson shared the first GNAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week award after she had 33 kills and 36 digs in the three matches. Her top effort came against Barton on Saturday where Johnson finished with a double-double of 15 kills and 15 digs along with a .412 hitting percentage. Against Michigan Tech on Saturday, Johnson had 11 kills and 14 digs and scored set points in both the first and fifth sets. She was named the tournament’s most outstanding player. Johnson enters the week averaging 2.75 kills and three digs per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Vera Pluharova earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week accolades after she finished with 22 blocks in the three matches. She slammed eight blocks to go along with four kills against Western New Mexico and added eight blocks and seven kills against Michigan Tech. Pluharova enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked third in Division II with 1.83 blocks per set.

• The Seawolves lead Division II in blocking after the first week of play, averaging 3.50 blocks per set. In addition to Pluharova’s numbers, freshman Eve Stephens is third in the GNAC and 28th in Division II with 1.42 blocks per set while senior middle blocker Tara Melton is fifth in the GNAC and 41st in Division II with 1.25 blocks per set.

• Alaska Anchorage is third in the GNAC with a .204 hitting percentage. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and are 36th in Division II with a .136 opponent hitting percentage.

• The Seawolves will be in Irvine, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. They face Cal St. San Marcos and Concordia-Irvine on Friday and Cal St. Easy Bay and Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington went 2-1 while co-hosting the Falcon-Wildcat Invitational. The Wildcats beat Metro State in four sets on Friday and swept Fresno Pacific on Saturday before falling to Cal St. San Bernardino in three sets on Saturday night.

• Senior outside hitter Shelby Mauritson led the way with 34 kills and 35 digs in the three matches. She posted a double-double of 13 kills and 19 digs against Metro State, had 10 kills against Fresno Pacific and 11 against Cal St. San Bernardino. Mauritson is fourth in the GNAC with 3.40 kills per set and ranks 11th in Division II with 12.80 attacks per set.

• Senior middle blocker Sarah Joffs is again among the leaders in blocking, ranking second in the GNAC and 15th in Division II with 1.50 per set. She opened the year with four blocks against Metro State and had five against Fresno Pacific. Sophomore middle blocker Julia Mellander is fourth in the GNAC and 38th in Division II with 1.30 per set, topped by her six-block performance against Metro State.

• Sophomore outside hitter Makala Swart had 33 kills, 37 digs and 10 blocks for the Wildcats in the three matches. She is fifth in the GNAC with 3.30 kills per set and is tied for eighth with 1.00 blocks per set. Swart opened the season with 15 kills, 11 digs and four blocks against Metro State and finished with 12 kills and 13 digs against Cal St. San Bernardino.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked 12th in Division II with 20.10 digs per set. The Wildcats are also second in the GNAC and ninth in Division II with 2.80 blocks per set and is third in the GNAC with a .130 opponent hitting percentage.

• Central Washington will be in Irvine, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Wildcats face Notre Dame de Namur and Cal State San Marcos on Friday and Concordia-Irvine and Cal State East Bay on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• The Cavaliers went 2-1 at its own Concordia Portland Tournament. They split a pair of matches on Thursday, beating Tiffin in four sets before falling to No. 9 Northern State. The Cavaliers then swept Colorado Christian on Friday.

• Junior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler was named to the All-Tournament Team after finish with 23 kills and 15 digs in the three matches. She finished with nine kills and seven digs against Tiffin and added eight kills against Northern State. Wheeler enters the week averaging 2.30 kills and 1.50 digs per set.

• Freshman libero Callie Wilkins also earned All-Tournament Team honors after coming up with 59 digs and 16 assists over the weekend. She opened her collegiate career with 28 digs and four assists against Tiffin and registered 18 digs and eight assists against Colorado Christian. Wilkins enters the week averaging 5.90 digs and 1.60 assists per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Camille Guerrero opened her college career with 18 kills in six sets and enters the week leading the GNAC with a .462 hitting percentage. She had nine of her 18 kills on the week in the opener against Tiffin on Thursday.

• Concordia enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with a .208 hitting percentage and third in kills at 12.40 per set.

• The Cavaliers will travel to San Rafael, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. Concordia faces Point Loma and Cal St. Monterey Bay on Friday and Cal State LA and Dominican (Calif.) on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets opened the season 4-0 at the Minnesota St. Moorhead Classic. Montana State Billings beat South Dakota Mines and Mary on Friday, both in five sets. That was followed was a four-set win over Minot State and a three-set sweep of Western State (Colo.) on Saturday.

• Freshman middle blocker Eavan Taylor earned a share of the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award after she finished with 36 kills and 15 blocks in the four matches. She finished with 12 kills and eight blocks against Mary, added five blocks against Minot State and had 10 kills against Western State. Taylor is second in the GNAC with a .391 hitting percentage.

• Sophomore right side Bayli Monck had 13 aces in the four matches. She enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 24th in Division II with 0.76 aces per set. Five of those aces came in the season-opener with South Dakota Mines.

• Sophomore outside hitter Maddi Vigil each had 43 kills in the tournament while senior middle blocker Miranda McConnell and freshman outside hitter Riley Moore had 40 kills each. Vigil went off for 20 kills against South Dakota Mines. Moore had her high of 14 kills against Minot State while McConnell had 11 kills against Western State.

• Montana State Billings leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division II with 2.76 aces per set. The Yellowjackets are third in the GNAC with 11.41 assists per set and fourth with 12.12 kills per set and a .170 opponent hitting percentage.

• The Yellowjackets will play their D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase matches in San Francisco, facing Academy of Art and San Francisco St. on Friday and Cal St. Dominguez Hills and Hawaii Hilo on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• It was a rough weekend for a new look Northwest Nazarene team with a four-set loss to Cal St. Monterey Bay on Friday and five-set losses to Dixie State on Friday and Biola on Saturday at their own Fairfield Inn Invitational.

• Sophomore outside hitter Abbey Blum led the Nighthawks with 44 kills in the three matches. She came off the bench for 15 kills against Cal State Monterey Bay and then had 15 kills in a starting role against Dixie State. Blum enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with 3.14 kills and 3.32 points per set.

• Senior outside hitter Cami Heninger had 34 kills and 46 digs in the three matches, all double-doubles. She posted 12 kills and 13 digs against Cal State Monterey Bay and added 10 kills and 16 digs against Dixie State. Heninger finished the tournament with 12 kills and 17 digs against Biola. Heninger enters the week averaging 2.43 kills and 3.29 digs per set.

• Junior setter Megan Nelson finished with 75 assists as the Nighthawks adjust to life with two new regular setters. The week was topped by a double-double of 28 assists and 15 digs against Biola. Nelson enters the week ranked ninth in the GNAC with 5.36 assists per set.

• The Nighthawks enter the week averaging 11.64 kills per set and a .158 hitting percentage.

• Northwest Nazarene will be in Azusa, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Nighthawks face Biola and Sonoma State on Thursday, Cal St. San Bernardino on Friday and Azusa Pacific on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s saw its opening weekend at the Hawai’i Challenge cut short due to Hurricane Lane. The Saints lost both matches they got in, losing to host Hawaii Hilo in three sets and Chaminade in four sets on Friday.

• Senior outside hitter Rachel Gondrezick led the Saints with 19 kills to go along with 17 digs. She opened the year with eight kills and seven digs against Hawaii Hilo and then finished with 11 kills against Chaminade.

• Playing in her home state, junior outside hitter Ililani Kamaka finished with a double-double of 10 kills and 14 digs in the loss to Chaminade.

• Freshman setter Alyssa Bartlett finished with 42 assists in her first two collegiate matches, topped by a double-double of 28 assists and 10 digs against Chaminade. Bartlett enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with six assists per set.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 10.71 kills per set with a .109 hitting percentage. The Saints are fifth in the GNAC in digs with 16.86 per set.

• The Saints will march into San Francisco for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. Saint Martin’s will face San Francisco St. and Hawaii Hilo on Friday and Academy of Art and Cal St. Dominguez Hills on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• The Falcons went 1-2 in three tough matches in the Falcon-Wildcat Invitational. After winning the opener over Fresno Pacific in four sets on Friday, SPU dropped to Cal St. San Bernardino in three sets on Friday night and to Metro State in five sets on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Gabby Oddo paced the SPU offense with 43 kills, 36 digs and a .214 hitting percentage in the three matches. She opened the year with a double-double of 19 kills and 12 digs against Fresno Pacific and had another double-double of 13 kills and 17 digs against Metro State. Oddo enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with 3.58 kills per set. She leads the GNAC with 4.25 points per set and is 49th in Division II with 145 total attacks.

• Senior setter Symone Tran had double-doubles two of three matches as she finished with 102 assists and 44 digs. Tran had 34 assists and 19 digs against Fresno Pacific and also added 39 assists and 20 digs against Metro State. Tran is sixth in the GNAC with 8.50 assists per set.

• Senior middle blocker Shaun Crespi added 21 kills and 11 blocks in the three matches. Her week was topped by her 12 kills and four blocks in the win over Fresno Pacific.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 41st in Division II with 2.08 aces per set. Senior opposite Hailey Gaines is third in the GNAC and 40th in Division II with 0.67 aces per set while both Oddo and Tran are tied for 10th in the GNAC with 0.42 aces per set.

• The Falcons also enter the week with a .157 hitting percentage, averaging 10.75 kills per set.

• Seattle Pacific will be in Fresno for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Falcons play Chico State and Chaminade on Friday and Fresno Pacific and UC San Diego on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split both of its matches in a hurricane-shortened Hawai’i Challenge. In the first match after Hurricane Lane on Thursday, the Clan lost in three sets to Chaminade and posted a three-set sweep over St. Cloud State in their lone match on Friday.

• Junior outside hitter Betsie de Beer paced SFU with 17 kills and 12 digs in the two matches. She led the Clan with nine kills against Chaminade and then finished with eight kills and eight digs against St. Cloud State. de Beer enters the week ranked 10th in the GNAC with 2.83 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Lauren Fridman had 16 kills in the two matches and finished with a .379 hitting percentage, ranking her third in the GNAC. She was the leading offensive player against St. Cloud State with 15 kills. Fridman is also sixth in the GNAC with 3.20 kills per set. Junior outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney also had 16 kills in the games, paced by a nine-kill performance against St. Cloud State.

• Senior libero Jayme Bratsberg is fourth in the GNAC with five digs per set. Her week was topped by a 17-dig performance against St. Cloud State.

• Sophomore setter Julia Tays finished with 46 assists in the pair of matches, paced by her double-double of 38 assists and 17 digs against St. Cloud State. Tays is third in the GNAC with 9.20 assists per set.

• Simon Fraser enters the week leading the GNAC with 13.17 kills per set. The Clan is also third in the GNAC and 44th in Division II at 18 digs per set. Simon Fraser is one of four GNAC teams with a hitting percentage above .200 at .204.

• The Clan will be in Fresno for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. Simon Fraser will face Fresno Pacific and Chico State on Friday and UC San Diego and Chaminade on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped all three opening matches at the Concordia Portland Tournament. The Wolves lost in three sets to No. 9 Northern State and in five sets to Colorado Christian on Thursday and in four sets to Tiffin on Friday.

• Freshman outside hitter Descinda Slaughter opened her collegiate career by leading the Wolves with 30 kills along with 25 digs. She paced WOU with a double-double of 12 kills and 12 digs against Colorado Christian on Friday and then added 14 kills against Tiffin on Friday. Slaughter leads Western Oregon with 2.50 kills per set.

• Senior opposite Mariella Vandenkooy was named to the All-Tournament Team after she finished with 28 kills and 27 digs in the three matches. Her best effort came against Tiffin on Friday, finishing with 15 kills to go along with eight digs. Vandenkooy enters the week averaging 2.33 kills and 2.25 digs per set.

• Senior setter Leila Holt leads the GNAC and is 12th in Division II with 0.83 aces per set after finishing with 10 in three matches. Five of those aces came against Tiffin where she also finished with a double-double with 21 assists and 11 digs.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 9.75 kills per set with hitting .152 as a team. The Wolves are tied for third in the GNAC in aces with 1.67 per set.

• The Wolves will be in Oakland for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. Western Oregon faces Holy Names and Humboldt State on Friday and Stanislaus State and Hawaii Pacific on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington went 1-3 against four top-25 teams as the Vikings opened the season at the West Florida Invitational. Western Washington lost to No. 24 Wheeling Jesuit and No. 2 SW Minnesota State on Friday, both in three sets. The Vikings lost to No. 7 Regis in four sets on Saturday before beating host No. 15 West Florida in five sets.

• With the losses, Western Washington dropped 10 spots to No. 15 in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25. The Vikings have held a spot in the top 25 since 2012.

• Senior outside hitter Abby Phelps led the Western Washington efforts with 55 kills and 65 digs in the four matches. Phelps had double-doubles in three of the matches, finishing 12 kills and 13 digs against Wheeling Jesuit, 11 kills and 20 digs against Regis and 24 kills and 15 digs against West Florida. The 24 kills was the most by a GNAC player last weekend. Phelps leads the GNAC with 3.67 kills per set and is second with 3.39 points per set. She is also eighth in Division II with 13 attacks per set.

• In her return after a year off the court, junior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper finished with 39 kills and 17 blocks in the four matches. She opened with eight kills in the opener against Wheeling Jesuit, had 11 kills and three blocks against Regis 12 kills and eight blocks against West Florida. Harper enters the week ranked seventh in the GNAC with 1.13 blocks per set and ninth with 3.23 points per set.

• Senior defensive specialist Aubrey (Buckner) Stephens led the team with 73 digs, paced by her 27 against West Florida. Senior setter Brette Boesel leads the GNAC and is 37th in Division II with 10.47 assists per set. Her weekend was topped by 58 assists against West Florida.

• Western Washington enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 40th in Division II with 18.53 digs per set. The Vikings are also second in the GNAC in kills (13.00 per set) and assists (11.80 per set) while ranking third in the GNAC with 2.13 blocks per set.

• The Vikings will be in Azusa, Calif., for the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. They will play Cal St. San Bernardino and Azusa Pacific on Thursday, Sonoma State on Friday and Biola on Saturday.