Wednesday, September 18, 2019

ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SHOWCASE: After a rough start, the GNAC’s teams bounced back to put the finishing touches on another successful D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase.

The conference finished with a 22-22 record in the tournament, which features all 36 West Region volleyball programs. This marks the second straight year that the conference has finished 22-22 in the Showcase. The GNAC has finished no worse than .500 in all six years in the tournament.

As it has for much of the tournament’s history, Western Washington led the way for the GNAC with a 4-0 record. The Vikings improved to 21-3 all-time in the Showcase. Western joined Cal State San Bernardino, Stanislaus State, Cal St. Dominguez Hills and UC San Diego as teams with 4-0 records.

Alaska Anchorage, Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene all emerged from the Showcase with 3-1 records. In all, nine of the GNAC’s 11 programs finished with 2-2 records or better.

In the six years of the D2 West Region Showcase, the GNAC has an all-time record of 139-101 (.579 win percentage). GNAC History In Showcase

SHOWCASE SHOWDOWN PERFORMERS: The GNAC saw seven players named to the 24-person D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase All-Tournament Team. The honor roll is comprised of four players from each of the Showcase’s six pods.

Earning selection from the San Bernardino pod was Alaska Anchorage setter Ellen Floyd and right-side hitter Eve Stephens. Selected from the Pomona Pod was Western Washington senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper and freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn along with Seattle Pacific junior outside hitter Maddie Batiste. Central Washington senior libero Kyla Morgan was named from the Los Angeles pod while Northwest Nazarene junior outside hitter Abbey Blum was honored from the Turlock pod.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Kayleigh Harper, Western Washington
MB • 6-3 • Senior • Oak Harbor, Wash.

Harper was named to the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase All-Tournament Team after she finished with a .520 hitting percentage, 56 kills and 20 blocks as Western Washington improved to 8-0 on the year. She averaged four kills and 1.43 blocks per set. Harper finished with highs of 23 kills and eight blocks in Saturday’s five-set win over Hawaii Hilo. She added 12-kill efforts against both Cal Poly Pomona and Chaminade and had a .500 hitting percentage in all four matches.

Also Nominated: Eve Stephens (Alaska Anchorage), Makala Swart (Central Washington), Katelyn Brandenburg (Concordia), Abbey Blum (Northwest Nazarene), Kylie Coon (Saint Martin’s), Julia Tays (Simon Fraser), Sianna DeCarli (Western Oregon).

DEFENSIVE
Kyla Morgan, Central Washington
DS/L • 5-4 • Senior • Graham, Wash.

Morgan was named to the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase after she finished with 104 digs in four matches, averaging 6.50 digs per set, as the Wildcats went 3-1 in the tournament. She finished with 33 digs and six assists in Friday’s five-set win over Cal State LA and then notched her week’s high of 35 digs in a five-set loss to Azusa Pacific later in the day. Morgan closed the tourney with 24 digs in a three-set sweep of Hawaii Pacific on Saturday.

Also Nominated: Vera Pluharova (Alaska Anchorage), Callie Wilkins (Concordia), Brooke Foster (Northwest Nazarene), Kylie Alos (Saint Martin’s), Allie Spear (Western Oregon), Calley Heilborn (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska went 1-3 at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Nanooks’ win was in a five-set thriller over Hawaii Pacific on Friday.

• Senior outside hitter Lahra Weber led Alaska with 39 kills, seven aces and 37 digs in the four matches. She saved her best matches for the second half of the showcase, finishing with 17 kills, two aces and 17 digs against Hawaii Pacific to go with 13 kills, four aces and eight digs against Azusa Pacific on Saturday. Weber is averaging 3.03 kills per set and is third in the GNAC with 0.62 aces per set. She also ranks seventh in Division II with 18 total aces.

• Junior outside hitter AveRee Reynolds continued to impress with 34 kills, a .180 hitting percentage and 14 blocks in the tournament. Her biggest numbers came against Hawaii Pacific with 14 kills, a .235 hitting percentage, four digs and six blocks. Reynolds is averaging 2.21 kills and 0.90 blocks per set.

• Senior middle blocker Kim Wong added 30 kills and 14 blocks in the four matches. She finished with 10 kills against Cal State East Bay on Thursday and then notched seven blocks against Hawaii Pacific. Wong is seventh in the GNAC with 1.04 blocks per set.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 11.69 kills and 13.79 digs per set. The Nanooks rank fourth in the GNAC and 29th in Division II with 2.24 blocks per set.

• Alaska opens conference play on the road with matches at Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage went 3-1 in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, collecting a four-set win over Cal State San Marcos on Thursday, a five-set win over Biola on Friday and a three-set sweep of Point Loma on Saturday. The one loss was a three-set sweep to now No. 1 Cal St. San Bernardino on Thursday.

• Sophomore right-side hitter Eve Stephens was named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with 56 kills, a .231 hitting percentage, 27 digs and 16 blocks in the tournament. Stephens had 16 kills, 10 digs and three blocks against Cal St. San Marcos and then notched 15-kill, five-block performances against Biola and Point Loma. Stephens leads the GNAC with 3.81 kills per set and ranks 16th in Division II with 118 total kills.

• Sophomore setter Ellen Floyd was also named to the All-Tournament Team with 129 assists, 40 digs and nine blocks in the four matches. She finished with a double-double of 39 assists and 13 digs against Cal St. San Marcos and 39 assists and 14 digs against Biola. Floyd is fourth in the GNAC with 9.16 assists per set.

• Senior outside hitter Vanessa Hayes continued to play strong, finishing with 41 kills, eight aces, 22 digs and eight blocks in the Showcase. She opened the tourney with 13 kills, five blocks and a .278 hitting percentage against Cal St. San Marcos. She then finished with 14 kills and 13 digs against Biola. Hayes is tied for first in the GNAC and 19th in Division II with 0.68 aces per set and is averaging 3.08 kills per set.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 11.42 kills and 13.06 digs per set. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank fifth in Division II with 2.63 blocks per set. Junior middle blocker Vera Pluharova leads the GNAC and is 17th in Division II with 1.39 blocks per set. The Seawolves also lead the GNAC and rank ninth in Division II with 2.48 aces per set.

• Alaska Anchorage is on the road for the opening week of GNAC play, traveling to Seattle Pacific on Thursday and Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington joined the parade of 3-1 GNAC teams at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Wildcats collected three-set wins over Cal State East Bay on Thursday and Hawaii Pacific on Saturday to go along with a five-set win over Cal State LA on Thursday.

• Senior libero Kyla Morgan was named to the All-Tournament Team and earned GNAC Defensive Player of the Week honors after she finished with 104 digs and 16 assists in the four matches. Her best efforts came in the five-set matches, with 33 digs and six assists against Cal State LA and a 35-dig, four-assist effort against Azusa Pacific on Friday. Morgan is second in the GNAC and 23rd in Division II with 5.75 digs per set.

• Offensively, junior outside hitter Makala Swart led the Wildcats with 51 kills, 54 digs and eight blocks in the tournament. She finished with double-digit kills in all four matches and had double-doubles in three, topped by her 17 kills and 20 digs against Azusa Pacific. Swart is eighth in the GNAC with 3.18 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter Diana Fa’amausili had 43 kills and 13 blocks in the four matches while freshman outside hitter Ashley Kaufman also finished with 43 kills. Fa’amausili finished with 17 kills against Azusa Pacific and had a high of five blocks against Hawaii Pacific. Kaufman had 16 kills and 10 digs against Azusa Pacific.

• Central Washington enters GNAC play ranked third in the GNAC with 12.72 kills and 17.34 digs per set. The Wildcats are second in the GNAC and 20th in Division II with 2.31 blocks per set. They also lead the GNAC with a .165 opponent hitting percentage.

• The Wildcats dropped out of the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, but are still fifth among teams receiving votes with 62 points.

• Central Washington will be on the road to open the conference season, playing at Simon Fraser on Thursday and at Western Washington on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split its matches at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, closing the tournament with a three-set victory over Dominican (Calif.) on Friday and a four-set win over Fresno Pacific on Saturday. The Cavaliers opened conference play on Tuesday with a three-set sweep of Western Oregon.

• Sophomore outside hitter Camille Guerrero led the way at the Showcase with 38 kills and 66 digs. She had her highs in both of victories, notching a double-double of 12 kills and 18 digs against Dominican and 14 kills and 16 digs against Fresno Pacific. Against Western Oregon, Guerrero added seven kills, 10 digs, two aces and two blocks. Guerrero is averaging 2.16 kills per set. She ranks seventh in the GNAC with 3.97 digs per set and is tied for sixth with 0.55 aces per set.

• Senior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler finished with 32 kills and 28 digs in the three matches in the Showcase. She had her high of 14 kills with a .243 hitting percentage against Cal State Dominguez Hills on Thursday. Freshman outside hitter Zoe DiNardo matched Wheeler’s 32 kills, with her high of 15 coming against Fresno Pacific.

• Freshman middle blocker Simoné Gordon led CU in the win over Western Oregon with 10 kills and a .750 hitting percentage.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 11.77 kills per set and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 17.10 digs per set. The Cavaliers third in the GNAC with 1.97 aces per set.

• Concordia closes the week with a match at Montana State Billings on Thursday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• Montana State Billings dropped all four of its matches in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Yellowjackets dropped three-set matches to Chico State and UC San Diego on Thursday and Concordia Irvine on Friday before taking a four-set loss to Academy of Art on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Maddi Vigil led the way for MSUB with 32 kills and 34 digs in the four matches. She finished just short of a double-double with eight kills and 11 digs against Chico State and notched the double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs against Academy of Art. Vigil leads MSUB with 2.69 kills and 2.76 digs per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Skylar Reed finished with 26 kills and 12 digs in the tournament. Her week was topped by her 10 kills and three digs against Concordia Irvine. Reed is averaging 1.76 kills per set.

• Junior middle blocker Joelle Mahowald added 23 kills and 12 blocks in the four matches. She saved her best for the last match of the Showcase, finishing with 11 kills and five blocks against Academy of Art.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 10.48 kills and 15.62 digs per set. The Yellowjackets are fifth in the GNAC with 1.66 aces per set.

• The Yellowjackets will open the GNAC season at home, hosting Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene finished with a 3-1 record at the D2 West Region Volleyball Challenge. The Nighthawks’ slate included five-set wins over Sonoma State on Thursday and Notre Dame de Namur on Friday and added a three-set sweep of Holy Names on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Abbey Blum was named to the All-Tournament Team after she led the Nighthawks with 59 kills, a .289 hitting percentage and 45 digs. Blum had a double-double in two of the four matches, finishing with 19 kills and 13 digs against Sonoma State and 30 kills, 17 digs and a .431 hitting percentage against Notre Dame de Namur. The 30-kill performance ties her for eighth-best in a five-set match in GNAC history. Blum is 10th in the GNAC with 3.11 kills per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Foster finished with 49 kills, five aces and 60 digs in the four matches. Foster posted double-doubles in three matches, registering 14 kills and 17 digs against Sonoma State, 19 kills and 22 digs against Notre Dame de Namur and 10 kills and 17 digs against Holy Names. Foster is sixth in the GNAC with 3.48 kills per set and is 28th in Division II with 11.22 attacks per set.

• Senior libero Kayla Sale provided solid defense, finishing with 72 digs and nine assists in the four matches. She registered 21 digs and two service aces against Sonoma State and then finished with 24 digs against Notre Dame de Namur. Sale ranks fifth in the GNAC with 4.58 digs per set.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 11.85 kills per set. The Nighthawks lead the GNAC and rank 34th in Division II with 18 digs per set.

• The Nighthawks hit the road to open conference play, traveling to Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s is still looking for its first win after four losses in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Saints dropped three-set matches to UC San Diego and Chico State on Thursday and Concordia Irvine on Saturday. They also took a five-set loss to Academy of Art on Friday.

• Freshman outside hitter Kylie Coon led the Saints offensively with 37 kills and a .222 hitting percentage. She posted her tournament high of 15 kills and a .483 hitting percentage against Concordia Irvine and also had 10 kills against Academy of Art. Coon enters the week averaging 2.70 kills per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Gracie Brenner added 28 kills and 10 digs in the four matches. She notched a double-double with 12 kills and 19 digs to go with four blocks against Academy of Art. Brenner is averaging 2.09 kills, 1.36 digs and 0.70 blocks per set.

• Sophomore libero Kylie Alos added 60 digs to her total in the four matches. She had double-digit digs in three of the matches, led by her 29 against Academy of Art. Alos continues to lead the GNAC and is ranked seventh in Division II with 6.54 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 9.25 kills and 14.94 digs per set.

• The Saints will enjoy the comforts of home to begin conference play. They will host Alaska on Thursday and Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific finished 2-2 at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, picking up a five-set win over Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday and a four-set win over Chaminade on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Maddie Batiste was named to the All-Tournament Team after she finished with 67 kills, a .213 hitting percentage, 50 digs and 11 blocks in the Showcase. She had double-doubles in all four matches. Batiste notched tournament highs of 20 kills and 15 digs against Hawaii Hilo on Friday and closed with 20 kills, 11 digs and four blocks against Chaminade. Batiste is fifth in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Gabby Oddo added totals of 50 kills, six aces and 48 digs in the four matches. She finished with double-doubles in three of the matches, which included a 15-kill, 11-dig performance against Cal Poly Pomona and a 12-killl, 18-dig effort against Chaminade. Oddo is ninth in the GNAC with 3.12 kills per set.

• Freshman defensive specialist Paige Dawson finished with seven aces in three matches, topped by her five against Chaminade. She enters the week ranked fifth in the GNAC with 0.56 aces per set.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week ranked fourth in the GNAC with 12.38 kills per set and is also averaging 13.81 digs per set. The Falcons are second in the GNAC with 1.97 aces per set and 46th in Division II with 55 total aces.

• Seattle Pacific will be home at Royal Brougham Pavilion for its GNAC openers, hosting Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and Alaska on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser split its matches in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Clan’s ledger included a three-set sweep of Cal State San Marcos on Thursday and a four-set win over Point Loma on Friday.

• Senior outside hitter Kirsten Pinkney led the way for Simon Fraser with 47 kills. She finished with her tournament-high of 15 kills and a .294 hitting percentage against Point Loma and added 14 kills and a .268 hitting percentage against Biola on Saturday. Pinkney enters the week averaging 3.03 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Betsie de Beer added 39 kills and 36 digs in the four matches. She notched a double-double of 10 kills and 12 digs to go with a .229 hitting percentage against Cal St. San Marcos before notching 12 kills against both Point Loma and Biola. de Beer enters the week averaging 2.76 kills and 2.97 digs per set.

• Sophomore Farnaaz Johal made her presence known with a team-leading 13 blocks to go along with 14 kills. She posted her high of eight blocks to go with six kills and a .278 hitting percentage against Cal St. San Marcos. Johal is second in the GNAC and 29th in Division II with 1.27 blocks per set.

• Simon Fraser enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with a .207 hitting percentage, 13.31 kills per set, 17.72 digs per set and 12.55 assists per set. The Clan is ranked 19th in Division II with 38.88 team attacks per set and is 44th in assists per set.

• Simon Fraser is home to begin the GNAC season, hosting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon went 2-2 at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, scoring three-set victories over Holy Names on Friday and Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday. The Wolves opened GNAC play on Tuesday with a three-set loss at Concordia on Tuesday.

• Junior outside hitter Sianna DeCarli led WOU in the Showcase with 34 kills, a .224 hitting percentage and six blocks. She posted a high of 13 kills with a .321 hitting percentage against Stanislaus State on Thursday before nine kills each against Holy Names and Notre Dame de Namur. At Concordia, DeCarli finished with 12 kills. DeCarli enters the week leading the Wolves with 3.04 kills per set.

• Freshman opposite Kimmie Bain finished with 24 kills in the Showcase. Her tournament was paced by a pair of seven-kill performances against Sonoma State on Thursday and against Notre Dame de Namur. Bain enters the week with an average of two kills per set.

• Freshman defensive specialist Sarah Crowell led the offense in the loss at Concordia with 13 kills and a .300 hitting percentage. She enters the week averaging 1.96 kills per set.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 10.77 kills and 10.46 digs per set. The Wolves are also sixth in the conference with a .195 hitting percentage. Junior middle blocker Allyson Crisp is second in the GNAC with a .375 hitting percentage.

• The Wolves conclude the first week of GNAC play on Saturday with a match at Montana State Billings.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• Western Washington made it 8-0 on the season with a 4-0 sweep of matches in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. The Vikings scored three-set wins over Cal St. Monterey Bay and Cal Poly Pomona on Thursday and Chaminade on Friday before outlasting Hawaii Hilo in a five-set thriller on Saturday.

• Senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper was named to the All-Tournament Team and was named the GNAC Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week after she finished with 56 kills and 20 blocks along with a .520 hitting percentage in the four matches. She averaged four kills and 1.43 blocks per set. Harper finished with highs of 23 kills and eight blocks in Saturday’s five-set win over Hawaii Hilo. She added 12-kill efforts against both Cal Poly Pomona and Chaminade and had a .500 hitting percentage in all four matches. Harper leads the GNAC and is 11th in Division II with a .429 hitting percentage. She is also third in the GNAC with 3.59 kills per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn was also named to the All-Tournament Team after finishing with 56 kills, 51 digs and 10 blocks in the four matches. Her biggest numbers came against Hawaii Hilo with 20 kills, 17 digs and a .340 hitting percentage. She also notched double-doubles against Cal St. Monterey Bay (14 kills, 15 digs) and Chaminade (12 kills, 13 digs). Heilborn is second in the GNAC with 3.73 kills per set and 10th with a .265 hitting percentage.

• Freshman setter Malia Aleaga amassed 180 assists in the four matches. She finished with 41 assists against Chaminade and had a high of 63 assists against Hawaii Hilo. Aleaga leads the GNAC and is third in Division II with 12.50 assists per set. She leads Division II with 375 total assists.

• Western Washington moved up to No. 2 in this week’s AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, picking up six first-place votes. The ranking ties the highest ever for the Vikings.

• The Vikings enter the week leading the GNAC and ranked seventh in Division II with a .309 hitting percentage The Vikings also lead the league with 14.40 kills per set and 13.63 assists per set. Western Washington is eighth in Division II in assists per set, 11th in kills per set and 26th with 2.25 blocks per set.

• Western Washington is home for its first two matches of the GNAC season, hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.