WWU Hopes To Dethrone SPU, Win First Title Since 2003

Schneider

More than half the starters from last year's Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball teams are back this fall and no school returns more than Western Washington.

With six all-stars including All-American libero Courtney Schneider returning, the Vikings could win their first GNAC title since completing a three-year title run in 2003 during which they posted a perfect 54-0 conference record.

Western Washington received six of 10 first-place votes in the annual GNAC Coaches pre-season poll – defending champion Seattle Pacific received the other four – and is the favorite to dethrone the reigning champions.

A year ago, SPU breezed to a perfect 16-0 conference record and was never forced to a fifth-game in any of its wins except by Montana State Billings in a pre-season match. The Yellowjackets join the conference this season after competing the two previous campaigns in the Heartland Conference.

With the addition of MSUB to the GNAC lineup, four conference teams will be seeking repeat trips to the NCAA Regionals.

Seattle Pacific, Western Washington and Central Washington each represented the GNAC in the Pacific Regionals a year ago, while MSUB competed in the Southwest Regional after winning the Heartland title.

The Vikings figure to have the best chance to earn a repeat trip to the post-season.

Among 10 returning letter winners, the most of any team in the conference except for Central Washington, are Schneider (5-9, Sr., Snohomish, WA) and three GNAC second-team all-stars – outside hitter Jaime Anderson (6-0, Sr., SeaTac, WA – Mount Rainier), middle blocker Tiana Roma (6-0, Jr., Edmonds, WA – Edmonds-Woodway) and setter Katie Robinson (5-9, Sr., Everson, WA – Nooksack Valley).

“It is a blessing and a curse (to have so many players back),” WWU coach Diane Flick, who is the school's career leader in coaching victories (149) and winning percentage (.720) and is a four-time GNAC Coach-of-the-Year winner (2001-03, 2006) said.

“You have to deal with high expectations that the players put on themselves and how they deal with them. We've trained in past years to learn every day. If we can keep that mindset, then expectations shouldn't get in the way,” Flick, whose career winning percentage ranks ninth nationally among NCAA Division II active coaches, said.

Schneider led the nation in digs last season averaging a GNAC-record 7.66 in earning Daktronics first-team All-American honors and needs just 156 more to become the second player in conference history to record 2,000 career digs.

Offensively, Anderson is the top returnee for the Vikings. A year ago she ranked fifth in the conference in kills, averaging 3.72 per game. Roma averaged 2.93 kills and was seventh in blocks, knocking down 0.94 per contest.

Robinson could be a key player in the Vikings' title aspirations. She ranked third in assists last season 11.56 and is the only full-time returning starting setter among the title contenders.

Also back for the Vikings are two honorable mention selections – middle blocker Angie Alvord (6-0, Jr., Lynden, WA – Meridian), who averaged 2.54 kills and ranked second in the GNAC in blocks (1.34 per game) and GNAC Newcomer-of-the-Year Emily Castro (5-11, Sr., Bellingham, WA – Meridian), who averaged 2.81 kills per game.

While WWU has the makings of a championship team, they won't have an easy run.

“The GNAC runs like a river this year – deep, wide and strong,” Western Oregon coach Joe Houck said. “Any one of five teams could win the conference. The key to winning the title is to sweep versus the bottom half, and there are no easy matches there, either.”

“There is tremendous parity in the league,” SU coach Shannon Ellis said. “Every match is going to be tough.”

Seattle Pacific, which will be gunning for its third consecutive GNAC title (it shared the crown with Central Washington two years ago before winning it outright last season), will likely be WWU's chief challenger.

SPU is the only returning team with two first-team all-stars – outside hitter Alyssa Given (5-10, Sr., Salinas, CA – Notre Dame) and middle hitter Rachel Biornstad (6-0, Sr., Kent, WA – Kentlake).

Given led the GNAC in kills (4.52 per game) and points (5.16) last season in earning AVCA honorable mention All-American honors. Biornstad averaged 2.81 kills and ranked fifth in blocks with 102.

Third-year coach Chris Johnson, however, will need to replace All-American setter Jenna Von Moos, who led the GNAC in assists with 1,309.

Johnson, however, does return eight letter winners off of last year's 24-3 squad including middle hitter Angie Wodrich (5-10, Sr., Richland, WA), who made contributions everywhere on the court averaging 2.74 kills and 3.25 digs and contributing 63 blocks and 51 aces, ranking third in the GNAC in the latter category.

Central Washington finished a solid third in the balloting and will be seeking its fourth consecutive post-season berth, a feat no GNAC team has ever accomplished.

While the Wildcats do return a GNAC-best 11 letter winners only one – middle blocker Rachael Schurman (6-0, Jr., Spokane, WA – Mead) was an all-star – and only four of the 11, including starters Morgan Zamora (6-0, Jr., Marysville, WA – Marysville-Pilchuck) and Erika Stevens (5-8, Sr., Fairbanks, AK – Lathrop) – participated in at least 50 percent of CWU's contests.

Schurman led the GNAC in hitting percentage (.347) in leading the Wildcats to a GNAC-best .222 team hitting percentage and earning honorable mention GNAC and AVCA Pacific Region all-star honors.

Zamora averaged 2.32 kills and had 57 blocks, while Stevens had 4.26 digs and 25 aces from her libero position.

Montana State Billings, which finished fourth in the coaches' balloting, figures to be the wild card in the GNAC race.

A year ago the Yellowjackets won 26 of 31 matches, but they return just a league-low two starters from that team – middle blocker Alicia Cazemier (6-0, Sr., Vauxhall, Alberta) and right side hitter – middle blocker Jessica Lechner (5-11, Jr., Pompeys Pillar, MT – Huntley Project).

In addition, they also have a rookie coach in Sara Schaub, a 2001 Eastern Michigan graduate who was an assistant at her alma mater each of the past five seasons.

Cazemier was a first team Heartland all-conference selection and had big numbers, averaging 3.66 kills and earning 164 blocks. She also had 32 aces. Lechner chipped in with 1.96 kills per contest and 66 blocks.

With the loss of part-time starter Taylor Faught for the season to an injury, libero Nicole Kruse (5-5, Sr., Huntley, MT) is the only other returning player who saw significant playing time last season. Kruse averaged 4.06 digs and had 42 aces.

Faught figured to be the starting setter, but those duties will now fall to transfer Sefania Aladjova (5-8, Jr., Sofia, Bulgaria) from Navarro College.

Two four-year transfers are also among the options for Schaub. Outside hitter Devon Crotteau (6-0, So., Casper, Wyo.) averaged 2.97 kills and had 37 blocks last season at Northern Colorado. Setter-rightside hitter Hillary Morrison (5-10, So., Evansville, WY) had 99 kills two years ago at Chadron State.

Among the remaining six conference teams, Seattle University and Northwest Nazarene each return four starters off teams that had winning records.

The Redhawks, who finished a point ahead of the Crusaders in the pre-season poll, return second-team conference all-star Nikole Thompson (OH, 5-10, Sr., Marysville, WA – Marysville-Pilchuck), who averaged 3.88 kills and 3.07 digs a year ago. She finished fourth in the conference in both kills and points (4.31).

Also back for the Redhawks is setter Tori Ross (5-11, Jr., Shoreline, WA – Blanchet), who averaged 9.56 assists playing in 54 of 94 games to finish fifth in the conference.

Among SU's recruits is libero Heather Gerke (5-3, Jr., Prineville, OR), who earned NWAACC South Region all-stars at Clackamas CC and ranked second in the JC league averaging 6.45 digs.

Cammy Dranginis (6-0, So., Nampa, ID – Skyview), who shared GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year honors last season with Megan Thigpen of Alaska Fairbanks, is the lone returning all-star for Northwest Nazarene. She earned first team honors, averaging 2.40 kills and finishing second in the GNAC in blocks with 113.

Western Oregon, Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Anchorage and Saint Martin's all hope to improve on last season's won-loss records.

The Wolves have three returning starters, including middle blocker-outside hitter Laura Sakala (5-10, Jr., Beaverton, OR) off a team that finished 7-19, including 5-11 in the GNAC.

Sakala averaged 2.37 kills and 1.05 digs and had 30 blocks to earn honorable mention honors.

The Wolves should also be strengthened with the addition of middle blocker Sharon Peterson (6-3, So., Corvallis, MT) and outside hitter Kayla Mainer (5-10, Jr., Spokane, WA – West Valley) along with a strong group of incoming freshmen.

Peterson redshirted last season and Mainer is a transfer from North Idaho.

“Our ball control should be a strength, but we also have good size and speed,” Houck said.

Alaska Fairbanks coach Phil Shoemaker welcomes nine letter winners and five starters (the most of any team in the conference except for Western Washington) off a team that was 7-16 a year ago, a six-win improvement over its 2005 season.

Two of the five starters earned all-star accolades – Thigpen (MH, 5-10, So., Spokane, WA – Mead), who ranked 10th in kills (3.05) and second in aces (0.56), to earn first team all-star honors, and middle hitter Korlyn Bolster (6-1, Jr., Guerneville, CA – El Molino), who contributed 2.16 kills and 83 blocks in earning honorable mention honors.

Alaska Anchorage returns just four letter winners – the fewest of any team in the conference – off a squad that finished 5-20, 2-14 in the GNAC.

Among the returning veterans is middle blocker Kim Stolk (6-0, Sr., Lakewood, CA – Mayfair & Cerritos), who averaged 1.96 kills. Four JC transfers including Rhea Wortman (5-9, Jr., Prineville, OR – Crook County), a first team NWAACC all-star last season at Clackamas CC, should give the Seawolves a boost.

Saint Martin's has six letter winners and four starters – including outside hitter Shealun Campisi (5-11, So., Buckley, WA – White River) - off of last year's team, that won just one of 20 matches.

Campisi put up some impressive numbers in sharing GNAC Freshman-of-the-Year honors with Dranginis, ranking second in the GNAC in kills (4.29) and points (4.60) in earning honorable mention all-star honors.

Kanoe Kalalau (5-11, Jr., Spanaway, WA), a first team NWAACC West Region all-star selection at Pierce, is among the newcomers for the Saints.