TOP TEAMS CLASH IN SEATTLE: Saturday’s 2 p.m. (PDT) match between host SPU and No. 15 CWU is a can’t-miss contest for GNAC fans, as two of the league’s top teams go head-to-head in the second week of the conference season. The Wildcats (7-3, 1-1 GNAC) gutted out a victory over Western Washington last week, before a setback in the form of a three-set loss to Simon Fraser (6-4, 1-1) at home. Seattle Pacific meanwhile is the GNAC’s hottest team having won seven straight matches and entering this week with a record of 8-2 and 2-0 in league play.

SPU has ridden the performance of veterans Allison Wilks and Hannah Hair, who have provided a complementary punch that has been unmatched thus far in 2023. Wilks leads the league and ranks eighth nationally in hitting percentage at .445, while Hair is second in the conference in both hitting percentage (.402) and blocks per set (1.52).

Read More: At Long Last, Home In Brougham (SPU Preview)

Reigning GNAC Defensive Player of the Week Tia Andaya completed the conference’s first triple-double of the year in her team’s win over Western Washington, and currently ranks second in the GNAC in assists (8.67) and fifth in hitting percentage (.333). Emma Daoud-Hebert ranks second in Division II with 1.53 blocks per set, while contributing offensively with a hitting percentage of .333 to match Andaya.

LEAFS TURNING RED: On the first official day of fall Simon Fraser will play host to Alaska in a 7 p.m. match at the West Gym. SFU remained among the teams receiving votes in the latest top-25 coaches poll after a convincing sweep of the preseason favorite Wildcats last Saturday on the road. SFU will then play host to an Alaska Anchorage team on Saturday that is coming off a 4-0 week in non-conference play and remained among the teams receiving votes.

SFU’s Sophie Lachapelle has been its top offensive producer this fall, ranking third in the conference with 3.34 kills per set and ninth in hitting percentage at .295. Brooke Dexter delivered her best statistical performance of the season in the win over CWU, hitting season highs of 15 kills, six digs, and four total blocks to fuel the upset.

Read More: Dexter Delivers In Upset Of No. 13 CWU (SFU Recap)

For the Seawolves, Bethany Tuchardt earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week after being an all-tournament selection at the Reddie-Tiger Invitational in Arkansas. The junior upped her kills per set figure to 2.53, which complements the team leader – Nicole Blue, 3.17 kps – to give UAA options offensively.

Read More: Border Rivals Await In Return To GNAC Action (UAA Preview)

Like UAA, the Nanooks went undefeated (3-0) in their non-conference tournament in North Carolina last week. Pulling their overall record nearly even at 7-8, the Nanooks will look to build off last week’s positives in a testing weekend at SFU and WWU. Rising sophomore Elena Guc moved up to No. 4 in the league in hitting percentage at .336, while libero Grace Steurer kept busy on the defensive side to now rank fourth in digs per set at 3.66.

Read More: Nanooks Go 2-0 Saturday (UAF Recap)

NIGHTHAWKS PRIMED FOR FALCONS, ‘JACKETS: Northwest Nazarene came inches away from a 2-0 weekend to start conference play, sweeping away Simon Fraser before a narrow five-set defeat at the hands of Western Washington. Senior Caroline McMahon has carried the Nighthawks defensively, ranking third in the GNAC with 4.56 digs per set and fifth in service aces with 0.49. NNU faces a tough test at Seattle Pacific on Thursday night, before traveling to Montana State Billings on Saturday.

DON’T LET WWU’S RECORD DECEIVE YOU: The fact that Western Washington has remained among teams receiving votes despite a 1-9 start to the season proves that the 10-time conference champions are as tough an opponent as any in the league this year. Seven of WWU’s losses came to teams in the top-25 and the other two against teams receiving votes, as the Vikings prepare for their 2023 home debut against UAA Thursday and Alaska Saturday. Emily Vossenkuhl enters the week third in the conference with 1.13 blocks per set, while preseason all-conference selection Devyn Oestreich leads the team with 2.31 kills per set.

Read More: Vikings Complete Reverse Sweep For First Win (WWU Recap)

1K & COUNTING FOR FUNK: Junior libero Christine Funk reached the 1,000-career digs plateau in the Yellowjackets’ midweek match against Rocky Mountain College on Tuesday night and enters the week 39 digs away from breaking into the top-10 list at MSUB. Funk leads the conference with 5.65 digs per set and ranks 12th nationally in that category as well as fourth nationally in total digs with 260. The Yellowjackets will look to snap their eight-match losing skid at home against Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene this weekend.

SOTO’S SAINTS, ASCIUTTO’S WOLVES CLASH: Saint Martin’s squares off against Western Oregon on Saturday night in Monmouth in the teams’ lone conference match of the week. The Saints’ Karla Soto leads the conference and ranks 20th nationally with 10.54 assists per set, and leads the league in service aces per set with 0.59. WOU’s Chloe Asciutto is right behind Soto at 0.57 service aces per set, while ranking 10th in blocks at 0.97.

Gabi Moore – Northwest Nazarene

At the heart of the Northwest Nazarene offense lies junior setter Gabi Moore, who is quietly putting together one of the best starts to the season in the conference. Moore is coming off a career high 52 assists in the Nighthawks’ five-set loss to Western Washington and she has reached 19 or more assists in all 10 of NNU’s matches this season. Moore also completed her sixth double-double of the year in the match against WWU, adding a season-high 13 digs. Moore’s big performance elevated her to third in the conference with an average of 8.56 assists per set, and she also ranks eighth in the league with 0.41 service aces per set. A fourth-year veteran in Doug English’s program, Moore is poised for a breakout year as she has already shattered her career season high for assists (351) through her 41 sets played this fall.

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. 18, with No. 15 Central Washington being the lone conference school ranked in the top-25. After a 1-1 week in conference play, the Wildcats dropped two spots from last week’s No. 13 ranking. Seattle Pacific – winners of seven straight – was the sixth listed team outside the top-25 and was the top point-getter among GNAC teams that received votes. Western Washington, Alaska Anchorage, and Simon Fraser each also received votes to remain in the poll for the fourth consecutive week.