SAINTS FACE MIGHTY TEST: After knocking off Alaska Anchorage and Alaska at home last week, Saint Martin’s will face an even tougher test this week with road matches at Western Washington (Thurs., 7 p.m. PDT) and Simon Fraser (Sat., 7 p.m. PDT). The Saints (10-6, 5-2 GNAC) sit just one game behind both CWU and WWU out of second place in the conference standings, making this week’s matches in Bellingham and Burnaby must-watch events for GNAC volleyball fans.

Things are trending in the right direction at the hands of fourth-year head coach Dan Behnke, who helped the team to its first double-figure win total (13) in 2022 since the team joined the conference in 2001. SMU is already well on its way to surpass that mark having reached 10 victories this fall. The success has been led by senior setter Karla Soto, who leads the GNAC and ranks 27th nationally with 10.29 assists per set, and third nationally with 0.66 service aces per set. Soto came up big last week with a 46-assist, 12-dig double-double in the win over UAA while chipping in four service aces. The Saints have also relied on standout freshman Sirena Peredo, who led the team with a 17-kill, 18-dig double-double against the Seawolves. Fellow freshman Emily Garten hinted on Sept. 2 she had breakout ability when she had 23 kills against Texas Woman’s, and came up big last week with 27 total kills and six service aces in the win over the Nanooks.

FIRST-PLACE FALCONS BOUNCE RIGHT BACK: It didn’t take long for No. 22 Seattle Pacific to get over its first GNAC hiccup of the season, as the Falcons shook off last Thursday’s 3-0 loss to Western Washington and reversed the script with a 3-0 triumph over Simon Fraser last Saturday. SPU (13-3, 7-1) is guaranteed to stay in first place if it can secure a win at Montana State Billings (3-15, 1-7) in the teams’ lone match of the weekend.

Senior middle blocker Hannah Hair continues to lead NCAA Division II in blocks per set, entering the week with a mark of 1.56. Hair racked up eight total blocks in the match against Simon Fraser, climbing three spots on the GNAC all-time chart to No. 14 as she is on the cusp of 400 blocks in her career.

The Falcons have relied on the steady play of senior Allison Wilks, who leads the GNAC in hitting percentage at .421 and is averaging 1.68 kills per set. Sarah Brachvogel and Emily Tulino are the other two Falcons to have started all 16 matches this fall, with Brachvogel leading the conference with 3.35 kills per set.

Read More: SPU Nears Midpoint Of Conference Slate (SPU Preview)

‘CATS HAVE MOMENTUM HEADING TO FINAL FRONTIER: Central Washington (11-4, 5-2) heads to Alaska on the heels of three straight victories, pulling itself into a tie for second place with the Vikings. Emma Daoud-Hebert is right behind Hair ranking second nationally with 1.47 blocks per set, while preseason player of the year Tia Andaya is third in the GNAC in hitting percentage (.323), second in assists (9.20) and fourth in blocks (1.07).

Read More: Wildcats Return To Nicholson With Resounding Win (CWU Recap)

WWU UPSETS SPU, MAINTAINS SPOT IN 2ND: Western Washington (5-10, 5-2) became the first GNAC team to solve No. 22 Seattle Pacific, knocking down the Falcons on the road last Thursday in straight sets. Emily Vossenkuhl led an efficient WWU attack with 11 kills and just one error, while setter Adele Holland dished out 31 assists and Devyn Oestreich led the team with 15 digs. Despite coming out on the wrong end of a five-set affair at MSUB on Saturday, WWU enters the week tied with CWU for second place in the conference standings. Vossenkuhl has climbed to No. 3 in the conference in blocks per set at 1.16 and Oestreich ranks 10th in the league in points per set with 3.15.

BLUE SHINING UP NORTH: Senior outside hitter Nicole Blue has maintained a torrid offensive pace all season long and has proven good on her preseason all-conference recognition up to this point. Blue enters the week ranked third in the GNAC in kills per set with 3.21 and second in service aces with 0.51. Blue’s Seawolves have split each of their last two weekends, and will look to build momentum with four straight matches at the Alaska Airlines Center starting with Thursday’s tie against No. 16 CWU.

Read More: UAA Hosts #16 CWU, Looks To ‘Pack The House’ Vs. NNU (UAA Preview)

NIELSON, NANOOKS SET FOR HOMESTAND: Like their in-state rivals, the Alaska Nanooks will also begin a four-match home stand on Thursday morning against Northwest Nazarene. The early 11:30 a.m. (ADT) first serve is to accommodate Alaska’s annual Field Day match, with 1,000 elementary school students expected to be in attendance. Karli Nielson is the top attacking player for the Nanooks, entering the week ranked sixth in the GNAC with 3.00 kills per set. Libero Grace Steurer is putting together a solid campaign as well, ranking sixth in the conference with 3.61 digs per set.

Read More: Volleyball Welcomes NNU, CWU To Town (UAF Preview)

SFU TO HOST WOU, SMU: After splits in its last two weeks of play, Simon Fraser (9-6, 4-3) will look to use home court advantage in matches against Western Oregon Thursday and Saint Martin’s Saturday. SFU took care of Montana State Billings in straight sets last week, before being swept by the Falcons in Seattle. Jocelyn Sherman, Sophie Lachapelle and Brooke Dexter have led the Red Leafs attack, with Lachapelle ranking seventh in the conference in hitting percentage at .286 and Sherman seventh in kills per set with 2.94. Eva Person has continued her pace as one of the league’s top setters, with her 8.42 assists per set slotting her fourth in the conference.

MCMAHON ON THE CUSP OF CRACKING TOP-10: Northwest Nazarene senior libero Caroline McMahon enters the week three digs away from breaking into the top-10 in GNAC career history. The Medford, Ore., native ranks third in the conference with 4.57 digs per set this season, and has racked up 1,771 digs across her five seasons with the Nighthawks. NNU (7-8, 3-4) will look to shake off last week’s defeat against CWU and lift its record north of .500 facing UAA and UAF on the road this weekend.

‘JACKETS UPSET VIKINGS IN 5 SETS: Montana State Billings snapped a 26-match conference game losing streak that dated back to the 2021 season with a thrilling five-set win over Western Washington on Saturday at Alterowitz Gym. It was the Yellowjackets’ first win over the Vikings since 2014, and MSUB (3-15, 1-7) will look to establish some momentum facing a big test at GNAC-leading No. 22 SPU on Saturday afternoon. Senior Olivia Schwartz went off for a career-high 19 kills in the win over the Vikings, while setter Emma Fa’alogo had 44 assists and libero Christine Funk added 18 digs. Funk enters the week leading Division II in total digs with 404 and ranking fifth in digs per set with 5.77.

Read More: Yellowjacket Volleyball Knocks Off Vikings (MSUB Recap)

Emma Fa’alogo – Montana State Billings

Fa’alogo delivered in a big way in the Yellowjackets’ win over the Vikings, with her 44 assists marking the first time in her young collegiate career that she broke 40 assists in a single match. The freshman from Harbor City, Calif., has reached double figures in assists in all but four matches this fall and has put together five double-doubles as she has proven to be an effective defender. Fa’alogo’s seven kills against the Vikings also marked a season high, as she has begun to move into her comfort zone midway through her freshman campaign. “Emma has done a good job of adding some consistency to our offense in the past couple of weeks,” said MSUB head coach Casey Bonner. “She was a key player in our success against Western Washington. She has continually gotten better each week, and I’m excited for her continued success throughout the season.”

The AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II rankings are released every Monday throughout the 2023 season.

Central Washington dropped three spots to No. 18 in the national rankings after a 1-1 week on the road. The Wildcats’ five-set loss to Seattle Pacific propelled the Falcons into the top-25 for the first time this season at No. 24. SPU worked its way up from the third-to-last team receiving votes in the preseason poll to cracking the list this week. Western Washington, Alaska Anchorage and Simon Fraser all received votes to make it three straight weeks with five conference teams represented in the national rankings.