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Sept. 4, 2012

AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Opening with four straight victories for the first time since 2008 when it debuted with a school-best 13 consecutive wins, the Western Washington University volleyball team travels to Rohnert Park, Calif., this weekend to compete in the Sonoma State Invitational Tournament.

The Vikings, ranked No.18 in this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association Coaches' Top 25 Poll, meet UC San Diego (11:15 a.m.) and Cal State Stanislaus (3:45 p.m.) on Friday, and Chico State (1:30 p.m.) and the host Seawolves (7 p.m.) on Saturday. Sonoma State is ranked No.23 nationally and UC San Diego No.25.

Last week, WWU was the only team at the Western Oregon Invitational to go undefeated. The Vikings began their season Thursday with victories over Florida Southern (25-19, 25-27, 25-17, 25-18) and Cal State L.A. (25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 29-31, 15-9). They finished with sweeps of Grand Valley State (25-14, 25-22, 25-12) on Friday and Missouri S&T (25-17, 25-15, 25-21) on Saturday.

"We're looking forward to playing quality in-region teams in a quality atmosphere," said WWU head coach Diane Flick (13th year, 253-70) of the upcoming Sonoma State tourney.

"The things we worked on in the preseason showed up on the court at Western Oregon and now what we have to do is continue to get better. We have to keep thinking that there is more to achieve. I believe we have the right mindset going into the second week."

WWU achieved two milestones during the tourney, Flick getting her 250th career victory against Florida Southern and senior outside hitter Marlayna Geary (Tacoma/Bellarmine) notching her 1,000th career kill versus Grand Valley State.

Geary, whose four-year kill total of 1,017 ranks 10th among WWU leaders, was named Red Lion/Great Northwest Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Week and WOU tourney MVP as she had double-doubles in kills and digs in all four matches. Geary finished with 59 kills and an attack percentage of .356, 50 digs, five aces and three blocks.

"I'm super proud of her approach to the game and how she has been able to handle all kinds of situations, Flick said of Geary. "She's had to carry a big load for us over the last four years."

WWU is hitting .295 as a team to .176 for the opposition. The Vikings also have big statistical edges in blocks (36.5 to 15.0) and service aces (20 to 12).

Senior setter Laurie Yearout (Spokane/Lewis & Clark), who also was named to the WOU all-tourney team, contributed 180 assists (12.00 average per set), 24 digs, 10 blocks, eight kills and two service aces in the four wins.

"Laurie has been a real anchor for us and has been the key to our offense getting great hitting numbers," said Flick. "We look to her for the plan and she comes up with it. She's doing such a good job of making sure everyone is involved."

Earning GNAC honorable mention all-league honors was Viking sophomore libero Samantha Hutchinson (University Place/Curtis), who had 90 digs, averaging 6.0 per set.

"Just like Laurie is the anchor of our offense, Sam is the anchor of our defense. She gives us second and third chances to score points."

The Vikings have series record advantages over three of their four opponents at the Sonoma State tourney, leading Cal State Stanislaus 7-0, Sonoma State 4-1 and Chico State 6-3. They trail UC San Diego 6-3.

WWU, which began the season unranked nationally, was the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coaches' pick to win the league title.

Great Northwest Athletic Conference - 2012 Volleyball Report No. 2 (Sept. 4, 2012)

	                Conf.		All
	                W	L	W	L	H	A	N
Western Washington	0	0	4	0	0-0	0-0	4-0
Northwest Nazarene	0	0	3	1	0-0	1-0	2-1
Western Oregon	        0	0	3	1	3-1	0-0	0-0
Central Washington	0	0	3	1	0-0	0-1	3-0
Alaska Fairbanks	0	0	2	1	2-1	0-0	0-0
Seattle Pacific	        0	0	2	2	0-0	1-1	1-1
Alaska Anchorage	0	0	1	3	0-0	0-1	1-2
MSU Billings	        0	0	0	4	0-0	0-2	0-2
Saint Martin's	        0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0
Simon Fraser	        0	0	0	0	0-0	0-0	0-0

LAST WEEK: Thursday - Honolulu Invitational (At Chaminade: Sonoma State d. Seattle Pacific, 27-25, 25-13, 25-23; Chaminade d. MSU Billings, 25-23, 25-20, 17-25, 25-19); Western Oregon Invitational (Western Washington d. Florida Southern, 25-19, 25-27, 25-17, 25-18; Western Oregon d. Cal State L.A., 24-26, 25-16, 22-25, 25-20, 15-12; Western Washington d. Cal State L.A., 25-19, 25-19, 23-25, 29-31, 15-9; Western Oregon d. Florida Southern, 26-24, 25-23, 25-18). Friday - CSU Monterey Bay Invitational (Minnesota State Mankato d. Alaska Anchorage, 25-20, 27-25, 21-25, 25-22; San Francisco State d. Alaska Anchorage, 25-20, 25-14, 25-20); UAF Nanook Classic (Alaska Fairbanks d. Findlay, 25-21, 17-25, 23-25, 25-15, 15-11); Grand Canyon Invitational (Central Washington d. Western New Mexico, 9-25, 25-20, 25-18, 20-25, 19-17; Central Washington d. Cal Poly Pomona, 25-20, 25-23, 23-25, 25-22); Honolulu Invitational (At Chaminade: Fresno Pacific d. MSU Billings, 25-23, 26-24, 18-25, 25-20; Seattle Pacific d. Chaminade, 21-25, 25-15, 27-25, 27-25); Point Loma Seaside Invitational (Northwest Nazarene d. Cal State Stanislaus, 25-21, 25-18, 24-26, 25-19; Northwest Nazarene d. Point Loma Nazarene, 25-22, 25-11, 25-19); Western Oregon Invitational (Western Washington d. Grand Valley State, 25-14, 25-22, 25-12; Western Oregon d. Missouri Tech, 25-22, 25-17, 25-20). Saturday - CSU Monterey Bay Invitational (Alaska Anchorage d. Academy of Arts, 25-15, 25-11, 25-11; CSU Monterey Bay d. Cal State Monterey Bay, 20-25, 25-20, 34-22, 25-19); UAF Nanook Classic (Alaska Fairbanks d. Notre Dame de Namur 25-9, 24-26, 25-15, 25-15; Cal State East Bay d. Alaska Fairbanks, 19-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-16); Grand Canyon Invitational (Central Washington d. Metro State, 24-26, 25-19, 25-21, 25-21; Grand Canyon d. Central Washington, 23-25, 19-25, 25-18, 25-15, 15-9); Honolulu Invitational (At HPU: Hawaii Pacific d. MSU Billings, 25-22, 25-18, 25-16; Seattle Pacific d. Fresno Pacific, 19-25, 22-25, 25-21, 25-14, 15-10; Sonoma State d. MSU Billings, 25-21, 26-24, 23-25, 25-21; Hawaii Pacific d. Seattle Pacific, 25-16, 25-15, 25-19); Point Loma Seaside Invitational (Northwest Nazarene d. Cal State Dominguez Hills, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21; Azusa Pacific d. Northwest Nazarene, 25-19, 25-17, 26-24); Western Oregon Invitational (Western Washington d. Missouri Tech, 25-17, 25-15, 25-21; Grand Valley d. Western Oregon, 25-21, 25-17, 7-25, 20-25, 20-18).

THIS WEEK: Tuesday - Seattle Pacific at San Francisco State, 7 p.m. Thursday - Alaska Fairbanks at Chaminade, 7 p.m.; Saint Martin's at BYU-Hawaii, 7:30 p.m.; Western Oregon at Hawaii Pacific, 7 p.m.; Notre Dame de Namur Invitational (Northwest Nazarene vs. Notre Dame de Namur, 7 p.m.); TESC Red Lion Invitational (Evergreen vs. Simon Fraser, 3 p.m.). Friday - Sonoma State Invitational (UC San Diego vs. Western Washington, 11:15 a.m.; Cal State Stanislaus vs. Central Washington, 11:15 a.m.; Chico State vs. Seattle Pacific, 1:30 p.m.; UC San Diego vs. Central Washington, 3:45 p.m.; CSU Stanislaus vs. Western Washington, 3:45 p.m.; Sonoma State vs. Seattle Pacific, 7 p.m.); UAA Spring Hill Suites Invitational (Western New Mexico vs. Adelphi, 11 a.m.; Dixie State vs. Alaska Anchorage, 1 p.m.; Western New Mexico vs. Dixie State, 5 p.m.; Adelphi vs. Alaska Anchorage, 7 p.m.); Alaska Fairbanks at BYU-Hawaii, 7:30 p.m.; Saint Martin's at Hawaii Pacific, 7 p.m.; Western Oregon at Chaminade, 7 p.m.; Colorado State Pueblo Classic (MSU Billings vs. Colorado State Pueblo, 11 a.m.; MSU Billings vs. Adams State, 3 p.m.); Notre Dame de Namur Invitational (Northwest Nazarene vs. Humboldt State, 11:30 a.m.; Northwest Nazarene vs. Cal Baptist, 4:30 p.m.); TESC Red Lion Invitational (Camosun vs. Simon Fraser, 11 a.m.; Northwest vs. Simon Fraser, 3 p.m.). Saturday - Sonoma State Invitational (Chico State vs. Central Washington, 9 a.m.; UC San Diego vs. Seattle Pacific, 11:15 a.m.; Sonoma State vs. Central Washington, 1:30 p.m.; Chico State vs. Western Washington, 1:30 p.m.; CSU Stanislaus vs. Seattle Pacific, 3:45 p.m.; Sonoma State vs. Western Washington, 7 p.m.); UAA Spring Hill Suites Invitational (Western New Mexico vs. Alaska Anchorage, 11 a.m.; Dixie State vs. Adelphi, 1 p.m.; Placing matches at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.); Colorado State Pueblo Classic (MSU Billings vs. Wayland Baptist, 9 a.m.; MSU Billings vs. New Haven, 3 p.m.); Notre Dame de Namur Invitational (Northwest Nazarene vs. Cal State East Bay, 9 a.m.; Northwest Nazarene vs. Fresno Pacific, 2 p.m.); Alaska Fairbanks at Hawaii Pacific, 5 p.m.; Saint Martin's at Chaminade, 7 p.m.; Western Oregon at BYU-Hawaii, 7:30 p.m.; TESC Red Lion Invitational (Simon Fraser vs. Columbia Bible, 11 a.m.).

POLLS: AVCA (Sept. 3) - 18. Western Washington; 27. Central Washington; 33. Seattle Pacific.

GNAC RED LION PLAYERS-OF-THE-WEEK

Offense - Marlayna Geary, Western Washington (OH, 5-10, Sr., Tacoma, WA - Bellarmine Prep) had 59 kills and hit for a .356 percentage in leading the Vikings to four victories in the Western Oregon Invitational. Geary became the 29th player in GNAC history to record 1,000 career kills, increasing her career total to 1,017. She also had 50 digs, five service aces and three blocks and was named the Most Valuable Player.

Defense - Erin Smith, Central Washington (MB, 5-10, Jr., Selah, WA) had a team-high 13 blocks and also contributed 51 kills as the Wildcats won three of four matches. Smith committed just six errors in 90 swings hitting for a .500 percentage earning all-tournament honors.

Honorable Mention

Offense - Katlyn Mataya, Alaska Fairbanks (S, 5-6, Fr., Mount Vernon, WA - Burlington-Edison) tallied 118 assists, including a pair of 42 set performances in the Nanooks' two wins as they matched their entire 2011 victory total. Mataya averaged 9.08 assists per set and also had seven kills, seven aces, 25 digs and two blocks and was named to the Nanook Classic all-tournament team. . .Michelle Terpstra, Northwest Nazarene (S, 5-9, So., Ripom, CA - Ripon Christian) averaged 10.15 assists to lead the Crusaders to three wins in four contests. She had a total of 132 assists (37, 29, 34 and 32) and also was credited with 36 digs, 19 kills and six blocks.

Defense - Samantha Hutchinson, Western Washington (L, 5-8, So., University Place, WA - Curtis) had 90 digs to lead the Viking defense that limited its opponents to a .176 percentage in four victories. Hutchinson also had three service aces. The Vikings outhit their four opponents by 119 points (.295 to .176). . .Michelle Terpstra, Northwest Nazarene (S, 5-9, So., Ripon, CA - Ripon Christian) averaged 10.15 assists (132 in 13 sets) and also had 19 kills and 36 digs as the Crusaders won three of four matches at the Point Loma Seaside Invitational.

AROUND THE GNAC

GEARY MVP AT WOU INVITATIONAL: Western Washington outside hitter Marlayna Geary (See Red Lion Players-of-the-Week) was selected the Most Valuable Player at the Western Oregon Invitational last weekend. Joining Geary on the all-tournament were Western Oregon setter Laurie Yearout and Western Oregon middle blocker Krissi Kemper. . .Yearout averaged 12.0 assists per set and also had 10 blocks, while Kemper had 30 kills and 16 blocks and hit for a .444 percentage as the Wolves won three of four matches. . .In addition to Geary (who had 59 kills), Western Washington was led by Kayla Erickson with 47 kills and a team-high 20 blocks. Jennica McPherson had 45 kills and Emily Boerger had 31. . .Samantha Ward had 49 kills and Danielle Reese had 31 to pace Western Oregon. Becky Blees had a team-high 22 blocks.

FELLOWS, GRIMSRUD ALL-TOURNEY IN HAWAII: Outside hitter Cailin Fellows of Seattle Pacific and middle blocker Monica Grimsrud of Montana State Billings earned all-tournament honors at the Outrigger Hotels and Resorts Invitational host by Chaminade and Hawaii Pacific. . .Fellows led the Falcons with 37 kills and 18 digs as Seattle Pacific split its four matches. Grimsrud paced MSUB with 43 kills and also had 15 digs to lead the Yellowjackets. Outside hitter Rupia Inck of Fresno Pacific was voted the Most Valuable Player. . .Seattle Pacific also got 31 kills each from Ellie Britt and Nikki Lowell. Lowell also paced SPU with 16 blocks. Chelsey Walter had 36 kills and Jody Lutz had 16 blocks for MSUB.

HARTHUN JOINS MATAYA ON NANOOK CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Alaska Fairbanks freshman outside hitter Sam Harthun joined setter Katlyn Mataya (See Red Lion Players-of-the-Week) on the Flint Hills Resources Nanook Classic all-tournament team. Harthun led UAF, which posted a 2-1 record to match its entire 2011 win total, with 34 kills. She also had the second most digs with 26. Another freshman, Ixchelle Oleson had 29 kills and a .359 attack percentage for the Nanooks. Findlay's Danielle Taflinger was selected the MVP. Findlay, Cal State East Bay and the Nanooks all posted 2-1 records. Findlay was declared the tournament champion based on the tiebreaker criteria.

HJELLUM PACES CENTRAL TO 3-1 RECORD: Outside hitter Marcy Hjellum had 60 kills and Erin Smith and Ranchel Hanses had 51 each as Central Washington won three of four matches in the Grand Canyon Invitational. After knocking off 13th ranked Metro State, the Wildcats built a 2-0 lead against Grand Canyon before falling 3-2 to the host school. Smith's .500 hitting percentage (51-6-90) was the best in the GNAC during the opening weekend. Central freshman setter Catie Fry averaged 10.12 assists and also had 12 blocks, the second most on the team.

FLORES LEADS CRUSADERS TO 3-1 RECORD: Becky Flores had 50 kills and hit for a .343 hitting percentage to lead Northwest Nazarene to a 3-1 record in the Point Loma Nazarene Seaside Invitational. NNU also got 38 kills from Kaitlyn Tuholski, 34 from Heather Allen and 32 from Elayna Rice in the victory. Allen also had a team-high 13 blocks. . .NNU outhit its opponents .267 to .206 winning nine of 10 sets before losing its final match 3-0 to Azusa Pacific.

UAA FINISHES 1-3 IN SEASIDE INVITATIONAL: Katelynn Zanders had 54 kills and Julia Mackey had 53 as Alaska Anchorage opened its season winning one of four matches in the Monterey Bay Otter Classic. UAA also got 39 kills and 37 digs from Sarah Johnson . Setter Kimya Jafroudi had 155 assists. The Seawolves had a narrow .174 to .171 hitting advantage, despite being outblocked 30-17.

VIKINGS RANKED 18TH IN POLL: GNAC teams posted a combined 18-13 record in the opening weekend of action and three conference teams received mention in the AVCA National poll. Western Washington leaped into the Top 25 at No. 18 after being unranked last week. Also receiving votes in this week's poll were Central Washington and Seattle Pacific who finished among "others receiving votes" and were 27th and 33rd overall.