Thursday, November 1, 2018

TITLE IN HAND, BUT WILL THEY HAVE TO SHARE?: With its three-set sweep at Montana State Billings last Thursday, Western Washington assured itself of no less of a share of its second straight GNAC championship. The only question left is if the Vikings will have to share the trophy.

The answer should become clearer on Thursday. Western Washington needs just one win in its next four matches to claim the championship outright. The Vikings enter the week with an unblemished 16-0 conference record and a four-match lead over Central Washington and Alaska Anchorage, both of whom are tied for second at 12-4.

Now riding a 21-match win streak, Western Washington has been nearly unstoppable. The Vikings are hitting .281 in conference matches and have dropped just five sets in the 16 matches. Speaking of streaks, the Vikings enter Thursday’s match with Western Oregon on a 36-match conference winning streak.

The win streak has put Western Washington at the top of the rankings. In the NCAA Division II West Region Rankings, which will ultimately decide playoff qualification and seeding, the Vikings are at No. 1 for the second consecutive week. The Vikings are No. 2 in the AVCA Division II Top-25 Coaches Poll, receiving 20 of the poll’s 44 first-place votes. The Vikings sit just 12 points behind Cal State San Bernardino, a team which the Vikings beat in five sets back on Aug. 30.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Michaela Hall, Western Washington
MB • 6-1 • Senior • Centralia, Wash.

Hall led the Vikings with 26 kills, seven blocks and a .425 hitting percentage as Western Washington swept both Simon Fraser and Montana State Billings to claim a share of the GNAC championship. Hall finished with a match-high of 12 kills and a .478 hitting percentage to go with three blocks against Simon Fraser on Tuesday. She then finished with a match-high 14 kills, .522 hitting percentage and four blocks at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

Also Nominated: Tara Melton (Alaska Anchorage), Shelby Mauritson (Central Washington), Tori Johnson (Concordia), Rachel Gondrezick (Saint Martin’s), Biance Te (Simon Fraser), Mariella Vandenkooy (Western Oregon).

DEFENSIVE
Sarah Joffs, Central Washington
MB • 6-1 • Senior • Yakima, Wash.

Joffs finished with 14 blocks and also had seven kills in a pair of three-set road sweeps over Seattle Pacific and Saint Martin’s. Joffs finished with seven blocks and five kills against the Falcons on Thursday and then had seven blocks to go with a dig and two kills on Saturday against the Saints.

Also Nominated: Taylor Noga (Alaska Anchorage), Elyssa Rose (Concordia), Izela Alvarez (Montana State Billings), Courtney Misner (Saint Martin’s), Sierra Shultz (Western Oregon), Kayleigh Harper (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska split its matches on last week’s Oregon trip and has now won eight of its last 10 matches. After taking a three-set loss at Concordia on Thursday, the Nanooks scored a four-set win over Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Lahra Weber led all GNAC players last week with 33 kills in the two matches to go along with a .284 hitting percentage and 27 digs. Weber posted a double-double of 16 kills and 13 digs at Concordia and then came up with 17 kills, 14 digs and three blocks at Western Oregon. Weber enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 3.61 kills and 4.14 points per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Markie Miller finished with 27 kills and had a .298 hitting percentage on the road trip. She came off the bench to finish with 15 kills and two aces at Concordia before adding 14 kills and seven digs at Western Oregon. Miller averages 2.41 kills per set.

• Junior middle blocker Kim Wong was one of two GNAC player with 14 blocks last week, making seven blocks in each match. Wong is averaging 1.00 blocks per set, just outside the GNAC top-10.

• Alaska enters the week fifth in the GNAC with a .178 hitting percentage and fourth with 1.61 aces per set. The Nanooks are averaging 11.98 kills and 15.50 digs per set.

• The Nanooks close out their 2018 home schedule this weekend, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage made it three straight wins with a sweep on last week’s Oregon road trip. The Seawolves beat Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday, both in four sets.

• Senior outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson led the Seawolves with 31 kills and 30 digs in the two matches. On Thursday, Johnson finished with a double-double of 14 kills and 17 digs at Western Oregon. She then hit a double-double of 17 kills and 15 digs to go with three blocks at Concordia. Johnson enters the week averaging 2.84 kills and 3.41 digs per set.

• Freshman middle blocker/right side Eve Stephens added 30 kills and finished with a .292 hitting percentage. She opened with 15 kills and three digs ay Western Oregon before finishing with 15 kills, two digs and two blocks at Concordia. Stevens is sixth in the GNAC with a .323 hitting percentage.

• Senior middle blocker Tara Melton also had 30 digs and a .436 hitting percentage for the Seawolves, finishing with 13 kills at Western Oregon and 17 kills at Concordia. Melton is fourth in the GNAC and 44th in Division II with a .353 hitting percentage.

• Freshman setter Ellen Floyd came up big with 102 assists and 28 digs in the two matches. She scored a double-double of 46 assists and 18 digs at Western Oregon and then added 56 assists, 10 digs and four blocks at Concordia. Floyd is sixth in the GNAC with 8.41 assists per set.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week fourth in the GNAC with 13.26 kills per set and a .220 hitting percentage. The Seawolves are third in the GNAC and 18th in Division II with 2.33 blocks per set.

• Despite the two wins, Alaska Anchorage dropped to No. 7 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region Rankings.

• The Seawolves close their 2018 home schedule with matches against Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington has built a five-match win streak thanks to a pair of victories over Seattle Pacific on Thursday, Seattle Pacific on Saturday and Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday, all in three-set sweeps.

• Senior middle blocker Sarah Joffs was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she finished with 14 blocks and also had seven kills. Joffs finished with seven blocks and five kills against the Falcons and then had seven blocks to go with a dig and two kills against the Saints. She followed that up with six kills and four blocks against Northwest Nazarene. Joffs is seventh in the GNAC and 45th in Division II with 1.12 blocks per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Makala Swart and senior Shelby Mauritson each had 25 kills last week to lead the Wildcats. The two mirrored each other in the matches, finishing with 14 kills each at Seattle Pacific, 11 kills at Saint Martin’s and 13 kills against Northwest Nazarene. Mauritson enters the week in second in the GNAC and 39th in Division II with 3.83 kills per set. Swart is third in the GNAC and 45th in Division II with 3.80 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Bridgette Webb finished with 19 kills, eight blocks and a .342 hitting percentage in the matches last week, topped by her 14 kills and four blocks at Saint Martin’s. Webb enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with a .372 hitting percentage.

• Central Washington is now just outside the top-25 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll, listed second among teams receiving votes with 43 points. The Wildcats are also No. 6 in the latest NCAA Division II West Region Rankings.

• Central Washington enters the week leading the GNAC and ranked eighth in Division II with 13.70 assists per set. The Wildcats also lead the GNAC and are seventh in Division II with 14.65 kills per set while ranking 29th in Division II with a .244 hitting percentage.

• Central Washington closes the week by hosting Montana State Billings on Thursday. The Wildcats close the regular season with four straight home matches.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split against the Alaska schools in Portland, last week, taking a three-set sweep of Alaska on Thursday before suffering a four-set loss to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler paced the CU offense with 27 kills, 15 digs and six aces in the two matches. After collecting 11 kills against Alaska, Wheeler finished just short of a double-double with 16 kills, nine digs and five aces against Alaska Anchorage. Wheeler enters the week leading the Cavaliers with 2.46 kills per set and is seventh in the GNAC with 0.33 aces per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Elyssa Rose finished with 14 kills and 10 blocks in the two matches. She opened by finishing with nine kills and four blocks against Alaska before compiling five kills and six blocks against Alaska Anchorage. Rose is eighth in the GNAC with 1.06 blocks per set.

• Freshman libero Callie Wilkins added 34 digs in the matches to lead the Cavaliers. She had 14 digs against Alaska and then had 20 digs to go with a pair of assists against Alaska Anchorage. Wilkins is second in the GNAC and 31st in Division II with 5.59 digs per set.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 11.84 kills and 16.94 digs per set with a.154 hitting percentage. The Cavaliers are sixth in the GNAC and 42nd in Division II with 2.15 blocks per set.

• Concordia heads north this week for matches at Simon Fraser on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• The Yellowjackets took three home losses last week. After taking a five-set loss to NAIA power Rocky Mountain on Tuesday, MSUB dropped three-set matches to Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Maddi Vigil finished with 30 kills and 44 digs in the three matches. She opened the week with 14 kills and 24 digs against Rocky Mountain, Vigil finished with six kills against Western Washington and a double-double of 10 kills and 13 digs against Simon Fraser. Vigil enters the week averaging 2.59 kills and 3.21 digs per set.

• Sophomore libero Itzel Alvarez posted 57 digs in the three matches. She opened with 31 digs against Rocky Mountain, added 16 digs against Western Washington and 10 digs against Simon Fraser. Alvarez enters the week eighth in the GNAC with 4.57 digs per set.

• Freshman middle blocker Eavan Taylor had another solid blocking week with 12 over the three matches. She had seven of those blocks on Saturday against Simon Fraser. Taylor enters the week averaging 0.98 blocks per set.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 11.14 kills and 15.71 digs per set with a .163 hitting percentage.

• The Yellowjackets take their last road trip of the season this weekend, traveling to Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split its weekend matches, losing a four-set match at Saint Martin’s before taking a three-set sweep from Seattle Pacific on Thursday, The Nighthawks opened the week with a three-set loss at Central Washington.

• Senior outside hitter Cami Heninger led NNU in the weekend matches with 22 kills, 30 digs and a .309 hitting percentage. She finished with a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs against Saint Martin’s and then added eight kills and 15 digs at Seattle Pacific. Heninger then finished with nine kills and 14 digs at Central Washington. Heninger enters the week averaging 2.47 kills and 3.66 digs per set.

• Senior libero Shayli Siegfreid finished with 42 digs in the two matches. She finished with 22 digs and two assists at Saint Martin’s and added 20 digs, five assists and two aces at Seattle Pacific. Siegfreid then finished with 19 digs at Central Washington. Siegfreid enters the week third in the GNAC and 38th in Division II with 5.45 digs per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Abbey Blum finished with 19 kills and 12 digs in the two weekend matches. She opened with 13 kills and seven digs at Saint Martin’s and then had six kills and five digs at Seattle Pacific. She also had six kills at Central Washington. Blum enters the week averaging 3.01 kills per set.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 11.63 kills per set and is fourth in the GNAC with 18.07 digs per set.

• The Nighthawks close the season with three straight matches at home, beginning on Saturday against Montana State Billings.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s is now on a five-match losing streak after taking a four-set loss to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and a three-set loss to Central Washington on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Rachel Gondrezick led the Saints as she finished with 25 kills and seven aces in the two matches.  She notched a double-double with 16 kills and 16 digs to go with four aces against Northwest Nazarene and then finished with nine kills, six digs and three aces against Central Washington. Gondrezick enters the week averaging 2.78 kills and 2.77 digs per set.

• Junior outside hitter Ililani Kamaka added 29 kills and 12 digs in the weekend matches. She opened the week with 19 kills and seven digs against Northwest Nazarene and finished with 10 kills and five digs against Central Washington. Kamaka is averaging 2.63 kills per set.

• Senior libero Courtney Misner had another strong week with 45 digs in the seven sets. She collected 28 digs and three assists against Northwest Nazarene and then finished with 17 against Central Washington. Misner is fifth in the GNAC with 4.93 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 11.51 kills and 15.57 digs per set with a .163 hitting percentage.

• Saint Martin’s is in Alaska for its final road trip of the season, playing at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped a pair of three-set home matches last week, losing to Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Senior opposite Hailey Gaines led the Seattle Pacific offense with 21 kills in the weekend matches. She shared the team lead with 10 kills against Central Washington and led the Falcons with 11 kills and two service aces against Northwest Nazarene. Gaines is averaging 2.56 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Gabby Oddo finished with 18 kills and 20 digs. After tallying 10 kills and nine digs against Central Washington, Oddo finished with eight kills and 11 digs against Northwest Nazarene. Oddo enters the week fifth in the GNAC with 3.35 kills per set and sixth with 3.88 points per set.

• Senior setter Symone Tran compiled 66 assists and 38 digs in the two matches. She notched a double-double of 30 assists and 18 digs against Central Washington before adding 36 assists and 20 digs against Northwest Nazarene. Tran is fourth in the GNAC with 10 assists per set while also averaging 3.20 digs per set.

• As a team, Seattle Pacific enters the week fifth in the GNAC with 12.07 kills per set with a .161 hitting percentage. The Falcons are fourth in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with 2.29 blocks per set. Senior middle blocker Shaun Crespi is second in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with 1.22 blocks per set.

• Seattle Pacific heads to Alaska for its final road trip of the season, playing at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split its two matches last week, dropping a three-set travel partner match on Tuesday to Western Washington before beating Montana State Billings in three sets in Billings on Saturday.

• Senior middle blocker Tessa May led the Clan with 24 kills and a .415 hitting percentage in the two matches. After finishing with eight kills and two blocks against Western Washington, May came alive with 16 kills, two aces, three blocks and a .577 hitting percentage at Montana State Billings. May is ranked fifth in the GNAC with a .348 hitting percentage and ninth with 3.20 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney added 20 kills in the two matches. She led the Clan with nine kills off the bench at Western Washington and finished with 11 kills at Montana State Billings. Pinkney enters the week averaging 3.10 kills per set.

• Sophomore setter Julia Tays kept busy in the passing department with 71 assists. She finished with 26 assists, two aces and seven digs at Western Washington before contributing 45 assists, an ace and three bigs at Montana State Billings. Tays is third in the GNAC and 32nd in Division II with 10.76 assists per set.

• Simon Fraser enters the week ranked second in the GNAC and 24th in Division II with 13.15 assists per set. The Clan is third in the GNAC and 36th in Division II with 13.74 kills per set while also ranking third in the league with a .222 hitting percentage.

• Simon Fraser closes out its home schedule this week, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped both matches in its final homestand of the 2018 season, falling to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday in four sets.

• Senior outside hitter Mariella Vandenkooy led the Wolves with 25 kills to go along with 12 digs and four blocks in the two matches. She finished just short of a double-double with 16 kills, eight digs and two blocks against Alaska Anchorage and then added nine kills and two blocks against Alaska. Vandenkooy leads the Wolves with 2.59 kills per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Sierra Stultz finished with 17 kills and 25 digs over the two matches. She opened with an eight-kill, 11-dig performance against Alaska Anchorage and closed with nine kills, 14 digs and three aces against Alaska. Stultz enters the week averaging 4.14 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Morgan Hassett enters the week ranked 10th in the GNAC with 1.02 blocks per set. Haskett added nine blocks last week to go along with nine kills, which included seven blocks against Alaska Anchorage.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 11.18 kills and 15.25 digs per set with a .152 hitting percentage.

• The Wolves finish the 2018 season with four road matches, beginning at Western Washington on Thursday and at Simon Fraser on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington moved within one win of claiming its second straight GNAC title outright, extending its impressive win streak to 21 matches with a pair of three-set wins over Simon Fraser on Tuesday and Montana State Billings on Thursday.

• The Vikings remained at No. 2 in the latest AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25, receiving 20 first-place votes. They are just 12 points behind Cal State San Bernardino for the No. 1 spot. It is the 91st consecutive poll that the Vikings have been ranked in dating back to the first regular-season poll of the 2012 season. Western Washington also retained the No. 1 spot in the NCAA Division II West Region Rankings.

• Senior middle blocker Michaela Hall was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week for her 26 kills, seven blocks and a .425 hitting percentage in the two matches. Hall finished with a match-high of 12 kills and a .478 hitting percentage to go with three blocks against Simon Fraser. She then finished with a match-high 14 kills, .522 hitting percentage and four blocks at Montana State Billings. Hall ranks third in the GNAC and 34th in Division II with her .365 hitting percentage. She is also third in the GNAC and 25th in Division II with 1.21 blocks per set.

• Junior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper finished with 21 kills, seven blocks and a .425 hitting percentage in the two matches. She finished with nine kills, three assists and three blocks against Simon Fraser and then came alive for 12 kills, four blocks and a .579 hitting percentage at Montana State Billings. Harper leads the GNAC and is seventh in Division II with 1.36 blocks per set. She also leads the league and is 12th in Division II with her .396 hitting percentage.

• Senior setter Brette Boesel added 79 assists to her total which ranks her ninth in Division II with 11.99 assists per set. She notched a double-double with 36 assists and 10 digs against Simon Fraser and then had 43 assists and nine digs at Montana State Billings.

• Senior outside hitter Abby Phelps had two more double-doubles and has had 20 in the Vikings’ 24 matches. She finished with 12 kills and 15 digs against Simon Fraser and added 12 kills and 17 digs at Montana State Billings. Phelps leads the GNAC and is 23rd in Division II with 3.99 kills per set.

• Western Washington leads the GNAC and is 14th in Division II with a .261 hitting percentage. The Vikings also lead the league and rank fourth in Division II with 2.84 blocks per set.

• Western Washington plays its final home matches of the regular season this week, hosting Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.