Wednesday, October 16, 2019

FIRST HALF OF CONFERENCE PLAY WRAPS UP: It may be hard to believe, but we have already reached the halfway point of the conference season.

As expected, the defending national runners-up have continued to roll. Western Washington enters the week with an unblemished 16-0 record and 8-0 in conference play. The Vikings lead the GNAC in five of seven major team statistical categories, including hitting percentage (.290), opponent hitting percentage (.148), kills per set (14.22) and blocks per set (2.63). Of those 16 wins on the season, eight have come in three-set sweeps while only two matches have gone five sets.

Entering this week, the Vikings have won 46 straight matches dating back to the 2017 season. Western Washington would need to win out to eclipse the GNAC record of 57 consecutive conference victories. The Vikings own that record, which was set between 2001 and 2004.

Alaska Anchorage is keeping pace with the Vikings in the conference standings with a 7-1 mark. The Seawolves enter the week having won their last five matches, three in three-set sweeps, and have won nine of their last 10 matches. For the first time this season, Alaska Anchorage received votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll, receiving seven points.

The two teams will meet for the first time this season on Saturday in Anchorage. Before that, Western Washington will play on Thursday at Alaska. The Nanooks continue to play well, entering the week in third place in the GNAC at 6-2.

THIS WEEK'S GNAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Betsie de Beer, Simon Fraser
OH • 6-1 • Senior • West Vancouver, B.C.

de Beer led the Clan with 27 kills, four aces and 21 digs at Simon Fraser improved to 5-3 in conference play with two home wins. de Beer finished with a double-double of 18 kills and 14 digs to go along with four aces and two blocks in Thursday’s five-set win over Seattle Pacific. She then posted totals of nine kills and seven digs with a .643 hitting percentage in Saturday’s three-set sweep of Saint Martins.

Also Nominated: Cate Whiting (Alaska), Kayla McGlathery (Alaska Anchorage), Makala Swart (Central Washington), Saige Weaver (Concordia), Bayli Monck (Montana State Billings), Sianna DeCarli (Western Oregon), Gabby Gunterman (Western Washington).

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

Morgan paced the Wildcats defensively with 48 digs in a split of matches last week. At Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday, Morgan finished with 27 digs to go with three assists. In Saturday’s three-set sweep of Montana State Billings, Morgan finished with 21 digs to go with five assists and a pair of aces. Morgan’s six digs per set led all conference players last week.

Also Nominated: Anjoilyn Vreeland (Alaska Anchorage), Callie Wilkins (Concordia), Kalyn Hartmann (Simon Fraser), Allie Spear (Western Oregon), Mae Thungc (Western Washington).

AROUND THE GNAC
ALASKA
• Alaska split its matches on its recent Oregon trip, scoring a four-set win over Western Oregon on Thursday before taking a five-set loss to Concordia on Saturday.

• Senior middle blocker Kim Wong paced the Alaska offense with 28 kills, a .279 hitting percentage and nine blocks on the road trip. She finished with 10 kills and five blocks at Western Oregon before leading the team with 18 kills, a .417 hitting percentage and four blocks at Concordia. Wong is fourth in the GNAC with 1.07 blocks per set and is fifth with a .325 hitting percentage. She is averaging 2.49 kills per set.

• Junior outside hitter AveRee Reynolds finished with 28 kills and nine blocks in the two matches. Reynolds opened the week with 13 kills and a .300 hitting percentage at Western Oregon and then added 15 kills and seven blocks at Concordia. Reynolds is averaging 2.51 kills and 0.84 blocks per set.

• Junior setter Cate Whiting posted totals of 87 assists, 28 digs, six kills, three aces and three blocks. Whiting opened with 40 assists, seven digs and two kills at Western Oregon before notching a double-double of 47 assists, 21 digs and four kills against Concordia. Whiting is fifth in the GNAC with 9.45 assists per set.

• Alaska enters the week averaging 12.14 kills and 15.08 digs per set. The Nanooks rank third in the GNAC and 34th in Division II with 2.24 blocks per set while also ranking 43rd in Division II with 141 total blocks. Junior outside hitter Lahra Weber is second in the GNAC and seventh in Division II with 0.59 aces per set.

• The Nanooks closes the first half of the GNAC season by hosting Western Washington on Thursday and Simon Fraser on Saturday.

ALASKA ANCHORAGE
• Alaska Anchorage has now won five straight matches after sweeping Concordia on Thursday and surviving a five-set scare at Western Oregon on Saturday.

• Sophomore right-side hitter Eve Stephens led the Seawolves with 25 kills, 16 digs and five blocks on the road trip. She just missed a double-double with nine kills, 10 digs and three blocks at Concordia. Stephens led the way with 16 kill and six digs at Western Oregon. Stephens leads the GNAC and is 27th in Division II with 3.87 kills per set. She also leads the GNAC and ranks 23rd in Division II with 4.55 points per set.

• Senior outside hitter Vanessa Hayes also finished with 25 kills in Oregon with 14 digs, four blocks and five aces. Hayes opened the trip with 14 kills, seven digs and two aces at Concordia before finishing with 11 kills, seven digs and three aces at Western Oregon. Hayes is averaging 2.82 kills and 1.43 digs per set. She leads the GNAC and is fourth in Division II with 0.63 aces per set and eighth in Division II with 38 aces.

• Sophomore setter Ellen Floyd finished with 86 assists and 23 digs in the two matches. She opened with a double-double of 41 assists and 15 digs at Concordia before finishing with 45 assists and eight digs at Western Oregon. Floyd is second in the GNAC with 10.18 assists per set.

• Junior middle blocker Vera Pluharova added 10 blocks to her total over the road trip, topped by her six blocks at Concordia. Pluharova is second in the GNAC and ninth in Division II with 1.34 blocks per set. As a team, the Seawolves are second in the GNAC and eighth in Division II with 2.48 blocks per set.

• Alaska Anchorage enters the week averaging 12.25 kills and 14 digs per set. The Seawolves lead the GNAC and rank fourth in Division II with 2.28 aces per set. They are also 43rd in Division II with a .233 hitting percentage.

• For the first time this season, Alaska Anchorage received votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll. The Seawolves received seven votes, ranking 14th among teams just outside of the top-25.

• Alaska Anchorage will have two solid home tests this week, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday and Western Washington on Saturday.

CENTRAL WASHINGTON
• Central Washington picked up a split in a pair of home matches last week, dropping a five-set heartbreaker to Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday before scoring a three-set sweep of Montana State Billings.

• Senior libero Kyla Morgan was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week after she amassed 48 digs in the two matches, averaging six digs per set. Morgan finished with 27 digs and three assists against Northwest Nazarene before posting totals of 21 digs, five assists and two aces against Montana State Billings. Morgan is second in the GNAC and 24th in Division II with 5.56 digs per set.

• Junior outside hitter Makala Swart led the Central offense with her 31 kills and 16 digs in the two matches with a .280 hitting percentage. Swart led the Wildcats with 19 kills to go with nine digs and five blocks against Northwest Nazarene before finishing with 12 kills, seven digs and a .324 hitting percentage against Montana State Billings. Swart leads the Wildcats with 3.38 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Bridgette Webb was one of three CWU players to finish with 18 kills last week while leading the team with 11 blocks. Webb finished with 12 kills, three digs and seven blocks against Northwest Nazarene and then had six kills and four blocks against MSUB. Webb is averaging 2.23 kills and 0.87 blocks per set.

• Central Washington enters the week third in the GNAC with 12.94 kills per set,  and second in the GNAC and 48th in Division II with 17.53 digs per set. The Wildcats are fourth in the GNAC and 38th in Division II with 2.21 blocks per set.

• Central Washington continues to rank among teams receiving votes in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll with 18 points.

• The Wildcats close the first half of the GNAC season with home matches against Western Oregon on Thursday and Concordia on Saturday.

CONCORDIA
• Concordia split against the Alaska schools at home last week, dropping a three-set match to Alaska Anchorage on Thursday before scoring a five-set win over Alaska on Saturday.

• Sophomore opposite Saige Weaver led the Concordia offense with 21 kills in the two matches. After coming up with four kills against Alaska Anchorage, Weaver led the way with 17 kills and a .342 hitting percentage against Alaska. Weaver enters the week averaging 1.86 kills per set.

• Senior outside hitter Jessica Wheeler added totals of 19 kills, 33 digs and five blocks in the two matches. She opened the week by finishing with eight kills and 14 digs against Alaska Anchorage before notching a double-double with 11 kills, 19 digs and three blocks against Alaska. Wheeler ranks 10th in the GNAC and leads the Cavaliers with 2.98 kills per set.

• A week after being named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week for her blocking ability, junior middle blocker Elyssa Rose came up with another 16 blocks against the Alaska schools. Rose finished with five blocks to go with four kills against Alaska Anchorage and then finished with 11 kills and three kills against Alaska. Rose is sixth in the GNAC with 1.04 blocks per set.

• Concordia enters the week averaging 11.76 kills per set. The Cavaliers lead the GNAC and rank 30th in Division II with 18.07 digs per set. Individually, sophomore libero Callie Wilkins leads the GNAC and is 14th in Division II with 5.76 digs per set.

• Concordia is on the road to end the first half of the GNAC season, traveling to Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday.

MONTANA STATE BILLINGS
• After taking a three-set loss at Central Washington on Thursday, Montana State Billings snapped a five-match losing streak with a five-set win at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

• Junior right side Bayli Monck led the Yellowjackets with 30 kills, 39 digs and six blocks in the two matches. She posted double-doubles both nights, finishing with 11 kills and 13 digs at Central Washington and 19 kills, 26 digs and five blocks at Northwest Nazarene. Monck leads MSUB with 2.66 kills and 3.03 per set.

• Sophomore outside hitter Skylar Reed added 28 kills on the road trip. Reed finished with 10 kills and four digs at Central Washington before finishing with 18 kills, four digs and a .324 hitting percentage at Northwest Nazarene. Reed is averaging 2.37 kills per set.

• Freshman libero Marissa Logozzo led the Yellowjackets with her 43 digs last week. She finished with 19 digs at Central Washington and then finished with 24 digs, three assists and two aces at Northwest Nazarene. Logozzo ranks ninth in the GNAC with 3.74 digs per set.

• Montana State Billings enters the week averaging 11.29 kills and 15.60 digs per set.

• The Yellowjackets finish the first half of the GNAC season at home, hosting Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

NORTHWEST NAZARENE
• Northwest Nazarene split a pair of five-set matches last week, taking the win at Central Washington on Tuesday before taking the loss to Montana State Billings at home on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Foster led the Nighthawks with 34 kills, 33 digs and eight blocks in the 10 sets. She opened the week with 10 kills, 18 digs and three blocks at Central Washington before finishing with 24 kills, 15 digs, five blocks and two aces against MSUB. Foster is third in the GNAC with 3.41 kills per set and ranks 24th in Division II with 11.07 attacks per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Tayler Markland followed up with 29 kills, a .306 hitting percentage and 11 blocks last week. Markland finished with 18 kills, four blocks and a .316 hitting percentage at Central Washington before finishing with 11 kills and seven blocks against MSUB. Markland enters the week averaging 1.95 kills and 0.67 blocks per set.

• Senior libero Kayla Sale added 32 digs in the two matches. She posted totals of nine digs at Central Washington before finishing with 23 digs against Montana State Billings. Sale enters the week ranked 10th in the GNAC with 3.67 digs per set.

• Northwest Nazarene enters the week averaging 11.72 kills per set and ranks fourth in the GNAC with 16.90 digs per set.

• The Nighthawks host the Oregon schools this week at the Johnson Sports Center, welcoming Concordia on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday.

SAINT MARTIN’S
• Saint Martin’s is still in search of its first win of the season following three-set sweeps at Western Washington on Thursday, at Simon Fraser on Saturday and at home to Seattle Pacific on Tuesday.

• Senior outside hitter Ililani Kamaka led the Saints in the three matches with 14 kills and 19 digs. She posted a solid  match against Seattle Pacific where she finished with 11 kills, eight digs and a .364 hitting percentage. Kamaka enters the week averaging 0.90 kills and 2.14 digs per set.

• Junior outside hitter Mackenzie Carter also had 14 kills to go along with 13 digs in the three matches. She had even production in all three matches, topped by her six kills, four digs and three aces against Seattle Pacific. Carter leads the Faints with 3.07 kills per set while also averaging 2.12 digs per set.

• Sophomore setter Alyssa Bartlett came through with 34 assists, four aces and 10 digs over the three matches. She posted weekly highs of 18 assists and six digs at Western Washington and had two aces against Seattle Pacific. Bartlett is averaging 5.75 assists and 2.58 digs per set.

• Saint Martin’s enters the week averaging 9.11 kills and 14.55 digs per set.

• The Saints will close out the week on Thursday with a road match at Montana State Billings.

SEATTLE PACIFIC
• Seattle Pacific dropped both road weekend matches, falling in five sets at Simon Fraser on Thursday and in three sets at Western Washington on Saturday. The Falcons returned to the win column on Tuesday with a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s.

• Senior outside hitter Gabby Oddo led the Falcons in the three matches with 35 kills, 29 digs, four aces and five blocks. Her best performance came at Simon Fraser with 16 kills, 13 digs, two aces and three blocks. She was also solid at Saint Martin’s with 12 kills, two aces and six digs. Oddo is sixth in the GNAC with 3.27 kills, 3.85 points and 0.44 aces per set.

• Junior outside hitter Maddie Batiste added totals of 30 kills, 32 digs, three aces and five blocks over the three matches. She also had her best numbers at Simon Fraser with 14 kills, 16 digs and three blocks before leading the Falcons with 13 kills, two aces and seven digs at Saint Martin’s. Batiste ranks fifth in the GNAC with 3.29 kills per set.

• Junior middle blocker Gabi Stegemoller added 12 blocks to go with three digs in the three road matches. She came up huge at the net at Simon Fraser with nine blocks before finishing with two at Western Washington and one at Saint Martin’s. Stegemoller is leading the Falcons with her 0.87 blocks per set.

• Seattle Pacific enters the week averaging 11.87 kills and 14.76 digs per set.

• The Falcons will wrap up the first half of GNAC play on the road, playing at Montana State Billings on Saturday.

SIMON FRASER
• Simon Fraser has won its last three matches and four of its last five matches with a five-set win over Seattle Pacific on Thursday and a three-set sweep of Saint Martin’s on Saturday.

• Senior outside hitter Betsie de Beer was named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after she posted totals of 27 kills, 21 digs, three blocks, four aces and a .322 hitting percentage in the home wins. de Beer finished with a double-double of 18 kills and 14 digs to go with four aces and two blocks against Seattle Pacific. She then posted nine kills and seven digs with a .643 hitting percentage against Saint Martin’s. de Beer is 11th in the GNAC with 2.97 kills per set.

• Senior setter Tamara Clarke had another solid all-around week with 12 assists, 17 digs, 13 kills and nine aces. She was close to her second triple-double of the season with five kills, 10 assists, seven aces and eight digs against Seattle Pacific. She then posted totals of eight kills, two assists, two aces and nine digs against Saint Martin’s. Clarke is averaging 1.89 kills, 0.34 aces and 2.62 digs per set.

• The Clan finished with a .615 hitting percentage in the win over Saint Martin’s with totals of 43 kills and three errors against 65 total attempts. The hitting percentage is the second-best in a match in GNAC history, surpassed only by the .694 by Northwest Nazarene against Walla Walla in 2011 (34 kills, 0 errors, 49 total attempts). It is only the second time in GNAC history where a team has finished a match with a .600 hitting percentage of better.

• Simon Fraser enters the week second in the GNAC with 14.22 kills per set and third with 17.48 digs per set. The Clan is second in the GNAC and 37th in Division II with 12.44 assists per set and is 42nd in Division II with 1.92  aces per set.

• Simon Fraser will play at Alaska Anchorage on Thursday and at Alaska on Saturday to close the first half of GNAC play.

WESTERN OREGON
• Western Oregon dropped both matches to the 49th state schools last week, losing a four-set match to Alaska on Thursday and a five-set battle to Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.

• Junior outside hitter Sianna DeCarli led the WOU offense with 31 kills and nine blocks in the two matches. DeCarli opened the week with 14 kills and two blocks against Alaska and then posted 17 kills and seven blocks against Alaska Anchorage. DeCarli leads the Wolves with 2.76 kills per set and is averaging 0.59 blocks per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Lauren Smith finished with 30 kills, 11 digs and a .316 hitting percentage in the homestand. She started with 14 kills, two digs and  a .282 hitting percentage against Alaska and just missed a double-double with 16 kills and nine digs with a .350 hitting percentage against Alaska Anchorage. Smith is averaging 1.92 kills and 1.48 digs per set.

• Sophomore middle blocker Delaney Smith finished with 15 kills and eight blocks in the two matches, which included eight kills against Alaska and seven kills and five blocks against Alaska Anchorage. Smith enters the week ranked second in the GNAC with a .346 hitting percentage.

• Western Oregon enters the week averaging 10.78 kills and 11.78 digs per set.

• The Wolves close the first half of the GNAC season on the road, playing at Central Washington on Thursday and at Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

WESTERN WASHINGTON
• The beat goes on for Western Washington, which improved to 16-0 overall and 8-0 in GNAC play with a pair of three-set sweeps of Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Seattle Pacific on Saturday.

• Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman led the Vikings with her 17 kills and 21 digs in the two matches. She opened with a six-kill, 10-dig performance against Saint Martin’s before registering a double-double of 11 kills and 11 digs with a .611 hitting percentage against Seattle Pacific. Gunterman is seventh in the GNAC with 3.19 kills per set and fifth with 4.40 digs per set.

• Freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn also finished with 17 kills to go with 18 digs and four aces. Heilborn just missed a double-double with eight kills and 11 digs against Saint Martin’s and then added totals of nine kills and seven digs against Seattle Pacific. Heilborn enters the week second in the GNAC with 3.50 kills per set while also averaging 3.57 digs per set.

• Senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper finished with 14 kills and seven blocks in the two matches, led by six kills and five blocks against Saint Martin’s. Harper leads the GNAC and ranks seventh in Division II with 1.36 blocks per set while also leading the GNAC with a .359 hitting percentage.

• Western Washington is at No. 2 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Top-25 Poll for the fifth consecutive week after sitting at No. 3 for the first two weeks of the season. The Vikings earned two first-place votes.

• The Vikings lead the GNAC and are ranked fourth in Division II with a .290 hitting percentage. Western Washington also leads the conference with 14.22 kills per set, 13.34 assists per set and 2.63 blocks per set. The Vikings rank third in Division II in blocks per set, 15th in kills per set and 24th in total blocks.

• Western Washington ends the first half of GNAC play on the road, playing at Alaska on Thursday and at Alaska Anchorage on Saturday.