End of the road. With the volleyball season two-thirds done, Seattle Pacific University has the luxury of completing its Great Northwest Athletic Conference road schedule this week. The Falcons (8-3, 15-4), who play seven of their first 11 GNAC matches on the road, will then host their five remaining conference contests at Brougham Pavilion where they have won 19 of their last 20. Friday night (Oct. 19) Seattle Pacific takes Interstate 90 eastbound to Ellensburg for a match against Central Washington (7-4, 11-8) and Saturday night (Oct. 20) I-5 is the road of choice south to Saint Martin's (3-8, 6-17). Next week SPU begins a four-game homestand Oct. 25 against Seattle University.

Very much in contention. Last week's NCAA Pacific Region Poll was a boost for the Falcons, who have endured their fair share of setbacks this season. With the top six teams earning playoff berths next month, they were ranked No. 5 and they have since won two more matches, giving them seven wins in the last eight outings and moving them into sole possession of second place in the GNAC. Cal State Bakersfield and Cal State San Bernardino are ranked 1-2 in the region, followed by GNAC leader Western Washington. Defending national champion Hawaii Pacific­although ranked ninth nationally­is right behind SPU at No. 6. Seattle Pacific made its first NCAA tournament appearance a year ago. The next poll is scheduled to be released Oct. 24 and the playoff berths will be announced Nov. 11.

Gaining strength. Last week, for the first time since mid-September, Coach Kellie Radloff had all 12 players in uniform and available. Radloff, who missed the Western Washington match due to a family emergency, made out the lineup cards and Leilani Kamahoahoa (Sr., Oregon City, Or./Canby) returned to the lineup following a six-match absence with a sprained knee. The Falcons did not miss a beat, rolling over Humboldt State for their first three-game sweep in conference play. The following night, they avenged an earlier loss to Western Oregon by pounding the Wolves 3-1 behind a career-high 17 kills from Lesley Kamphouse (Sr., Sumas, Wa./Nooksack Valley).

The best offense. After overpowering opponents with a strong offensive front line all season long and particularly in their previous two matches, the Falcons' defense stole the show last week. In the first match versus Humboldt, Kamahoahoa sparked a defense that recorded 10 team blocks, out-dug the Lumberjacks 58-41 and held the visitors to just .033 hitting. Against Western Oregon, SPU again stifled the opposing attack, recording 10 blocks, out-digging the Wolves 92-83 and holding them to a .088 attack percentage.

Best price. Last week Cathleen Price (Fr., Gresham, Or./Sam Barlow) recorded 27 kills and 14 blocks. Her 16 kills against Humboldt was the most in a three-game match by any GNAC player this season. Price, a top contender for conference newcomer of the year, ranks seventh in service aces (0.52), eighth in kills (3.47) and eleventh in attacking percentage (.265).

Quick Sets. Seattle Pacific earned 11 votes in this week's AVCA national rankings. The only GNAC team in the top 25 is Western Washington at No. 21...A total of five Pacific Region team's are ranked. Cal State San Bernardino is No. 3, Hawaii Pacific No. 9, Cal State Bakersfield No. 17 and UC San Diego No. 19...Kamahoahoa left the WOU match after aggravating her knee injury and is questionable for this week's matches...Seattle Pacific ranks third among GNAC teams in hitting percentage (.206) and second in kills (14.85), service aces (2.16) and digs (16.84)...Individually, Katy Higgins (So., Redmond, Wa./Redmond) is second in assists (11.38). Leah Wiiest (Sr., Spokane, Wa./Cornell/Deer Park) is seventh in kills (3.47), seventh in blocks (1.01) and 12th in hitting (.258). Kamahoahoa is fifth in digs (3.20) and sixth in service aces (0.53).

Opponent & series notes. SPU has won seven in a row over Saint Martin's, including a 3-1 victory at Brougham Pavilion on Oct. 3. The Saints' last victory over the Falcons in Lacey was in 1997. Overall they trail the series 23-4...Central Washington broke the Falcons' record 17-match home win streak Sept. 17 in a five-game marathon. SPU leads the series 22-19. The Wildcats are No. 8 in the region.

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.