RED-HOT WILDCATS HOST VIKINGS: No. 13 Central Washington enters conference play on a six-match winning streak and was named the GNAC Team of the Week on Monday after improving to 6-2 on the season. The preseason favorites will play host to the preseason second-ranked team in Western Washington on Thursday night at 7 p.m. in the teams’ first conference match of the year. The Wildcats proved they are the real deal last week, taking down No. 7 Minnesota Duluth and No. 5 St. Cloud State in consecutive matches at the Up North Tournament. Tia Andaya, Scottie Ellsworth, and GNAC Defensive Player of the Week Hannah Stires were each named to the all-tournament team.

Read More: Wildcats Host Vikings, Red Leafs (CWU Preview)

While it hasn’t been the start to the 2023 season that Western Washington (0-8) has hoped for, the Vikings have played a rigorous schedule with 5 of 8 matches being against nationally ranked opposition. WWU is coming off four losses at the Colorado Premier Challenge, which included a tilt against now-No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul. They’ll travel to Nampa, Idaho for a Thursday afternoon clash with Northwest Nazarene after Thursday’s prime time match up in Ellensburg.

FALCONS FLY INTO LEAGUE SCHEDULE: Like the Wildcats, Seattle Pacific cruises into conference play with the momentum of an undefeated weekend. The Falcons (6-2) play at Western Oregon on Thursday night before facing Saint Martin’s on Saturday night in a pair of road matches. Sarah Brachvogel was named MVP of the Cougar Classic last weekend, and enters this week ranked third in the conference with 3.48 kills per set. Preseason all-conference pick Hannah Hair is coming off a weekend in which she had 29 blocks, which upped her to No. 2 in the league with an average of 1.48 blocks per set.

Read More: It’s GNAC Volleyball Time For Falcons (SPU Preview)

YELLOWJACKETS’ FUNK LEADS NCAA: As of Sept. 13, Montana State Billings libero Christine Funk led Division II in total digs racking up 195 in her first eight matches of the season. The third-year Yellowjacket ranks 12th in the country with 5.57 digs per set, and has elevated herself as one of the league’s top defensive players this fall. Funk’s Yellowjackets take on Saint Martin’s on Thursday and Western Oregon on Saturday to kick off their conference schedule.

SMU’s Karla Soto is also among national statistics leaders, entering the week ranked 18th in Division II with 10.50 assists per set. The Saints will play host to Seattle Pacific on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. in Marcus Pavilion after their match against MSUB.

NIGHTHAWKS PLAY HOST TO RED LEAFS, VIKS: Northwest Nazarene will face a strong test in its first conference matches of the season, hosting Simon Fraser on Thursday night and Western Washington on Saturday at the Johnson Sports Center. After starting the season 4-0, the Nighthawks (4-4) endured a challenging weekend at their tournament in Southern California. Maren Dent ranks sixth in the conference with 3.03 kills per set and Caroline McMahon is third in the league in digs per set with 4.30.

SFU’s Sophie Lachapelle had a breakout weekend with 4.29 kills per set – a figure that led all players in the conference. She capped the Red Leafs’ 2-2 week with a career-high 25-kill effort against Point Loma, and upped her hitting percentage on the season to .307 which ranks sixth in the conference. SFU’s Saturday matchup with CWU figures to be an intriguing one on opening weekend.

Read More: Sophie Lachapelle Delivers 25-Kill Performance In Big Win Over Sea Lions (SFU Release)

ALASKAS HEADING EAST: Alaska Anchorage and Alaksa will be the two GNAC teams to not play conference matches this weekend, as they’ll head to tournaments in Arkansas and North Carolina, respectively. The Seawolves are coming off a 3-1 win over their in-state rivals in the first GNAC match of the 2023 season, but stalled after that with three straight losses at the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic. UAA will square off against Ouachita Baptist, Union, Henderson State, and Arkansas-Monticello, while Alaska will play St. Augustine, Mount Olive and Shaw.

Lily Stewart and Karli Nielson keyed the Nanooks to a 3-1 weekend at their home tournament with Stewart upping her season hitting percentage to .302 which ranks ninth in the conference. Nielson meanwhile is averaging 2.77 kills per set which slates her 10th in the GNAC, and Elena Guc is fifth in hitting percentage at .336.

Read More: Seawolves Sail South For First Arkansas Trip (UAA Preview)

Sirena Peredo – Saint Martin’s

Emerging into an early candidate for GNAC Freshman of the Year, Peredo got the attention of coaches in Colorado last week by earning all-tournament mention at the UCCS Cougar Classic. Peredo racked up 38 kills for an average of 2.71 per set on her way to helping the Saints win 3 of 4 matches in Colorado Springs. Peredo also had her second double-double of the year, with a season-high 15 kills and 10 digs in SMU’s four-set win over the tournament hosts. Through the first eight matches of her collegiate career, Peredo is averaging 2.60 kills per set, 2.60 digs per set and has racked up 15 service aces which ranks second on the team.

Read More: Peredo Named All-Tournament (SMU Release)

The AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II rankings are released every Monday throughout the 2023 season. The GNAC had five representatives in the latest rankings released on Sept. 11, including a 10-spot leap by Central Washington up to No. 13. It is the highest ranking achieved by a GNAC team this season and was spurred by the Wildcats’ two wins over top-10 opponents last week. Alaska Anchorage and Western Washington dropped out of the top-25 for the first time this season, but remained among the teams receiving votes. Seattle Pacific held strong in the receiving votes category after a 4-0 weekend, and Simon Fraser appeared on the list for the first time in 2023.