Home for the weekend. It's been a long time since the Seattle Pacific University volleyball team stayed at Brougham Pavilion long enough to unpack their traveling bags. The Falcons will get that chance this week when they host back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference home matches for the first time this season. Friday (Oct. 12) SPU (6-3, 13-4) hosts Humboldt State (1-8, 4-14) and Saturday night (Oct. 13) it will try to avenge an earlier loss to Western Oregon (6-3, 9-7). Next week features the final two GNAC road matches at Central Washington and Saint Martin's.

Backs to the wall. If Seattle Pacific is serious about returning to the NCAA tournament again this November, realistically it must win its remaining 10 matches. The top six teams in the Pacific Region will earn berths and it's likely that SPU will be no higher than No. 7 when the new regional ratings are released Oct. 10. The good news is that seven of the final matches will be played at home where the Falcons have won 17 of their last 18.

Split decision. The Falcons' five-match win streak was halted last week. Following a home win over Saint Martin's came a tough four-game setback at GNAC leader Western Washington. Without Leah Wiiest (Sr., Spokane, Wa./Deer Park-Cornell) who was sidelined by the flu, the Falcons rallied from a 0-1 deficit to beat the Saints in four. Three nights later, with Wiiest back in the lineup but Coach Kellie Radloff absent due to a family emergency, SPU became the Vikings' 14th straight victim.

Flocking together. The Falcons continue to come together as a team in the face of adversity. Not only was Wiiest missing last week but all-conference hitter Leilani Kamahoahoa (Sr., Oregon City, Or./Canby) has been sidelined for six matches with knee and ankle injuries. Still, the team has persevered. Against Saint Martin's four Falcons­Monica Abrahamson (Sr., Spokane, Wa./Rogers), Cathleen Price (Fr., Gresham, Or./Sam Barlow), Carri Colvin (Jr., Vancouver, Wa./Prairie) and Lesley Kamphouse (Sr., Sumas, Wa./Nooksack Valley)­had 10 mor more kills. The team spread the wealth defensively as well with four players recording double-figure dig totals. In Bellingham, three players recorded double-figure kill totals and six notched 10 or more digs.

Quick sets. Price continued to play well last week after returning from an ankle sprain while Colvin remained steadfast in her role replacing the injured Kamahoahoa. Price has hit a combined .308 in the four matches and averaged 4.38 kills, 1.06 blocks and 0.75 service aces during that span. Last week she notched 30 kills and nine blocks in two matches. Colvin continued to pick up the heavy defensive burden left by Kamahoahoa, leading the Falcons in digs with 17 in both matches and adding 23 kills...Kamahoahoa remains questionable for this week's matches. She was injured in the second game of the Central Washington match Sept. 17...Despite a loss to Western, the Falcons maintain their hold on the third place position in the GNAC standings...Seattle Pacific ranks second among GNAC teams in hitting percentage (.211) and assists (13.19), but have dropped to third in hitting (.211) and digs (16.36), and fourth in services aces (2.15)...Individually, Katy Higgins (So., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) is second in assists (11.32). Price ranks fourth in service aces (.58) and eleventh in attacking percentage (.262). Wiiest is fifth in kills (3.52), sixth in blocks (1.05) and twelfth in hitting (.253). Colvin is ninth digs (2.86).

Opponent & series notes. SPU has won seven straight over Humboldt State dating back to 1998, including a 3-0 sweep Sept. 8 in Arcata. The last time the Lumberjacks won in Seattle was in 1988. The Falcons lead the all-time series 11-6 ... The Falcons dropped their Sept. 6 conference opener to Western Oregon in Monmouth in three straight games. The last time WOU won at Brougham Pavilion was in 1999. The Wolves lead the all-time series 9-5.

Tickets, please. General admission tickets for all SPU home volleyball matches are priced $5 with students, youth and senior citizens $3 with proper identification. Teams or groups can qualify for discount rates by call (206) 281-2085 in advance.

SPU Coaches. In her first season as a head coach, Kellie Radloff's team earned its first trip to the NCAA tournament, won its division in the Pacific West Conference and advanced to the conference semifinals for the first time. It set a school record with 20 consecutive wins and equaled the marks for most wins (24) and fewest losses (6) in a season. Radloff, whose past collegiate experience included two years under JoAnn Atwell-Scrivner at SPU (1994-95) and one year at Syracuse, was the Falcons' starting setter from 1989-91, earning all-conference as a senior. She remains the SPU record-holder for service aces (142) in a career and single match assists (83). Hannah (Bradford) Walker is in her first season as an assistant coach. She was an assistant at Whitworth College for two seasons and owns the SPU career record for kills average (3.5). Antonela Secer, a native of Croatia, also joins the staff along with Jim Woolace, formerly a high school coach in Fairbanks.