Home for good. All too aware of how rough the road can be at times, the Seattle Pacific University volleyball team returns to Brougham Pavilion this week to begin a four-match homestand. The Falcons (8-5, 15-6), who are practically unbeatable at home this season, play each of their five remaining Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches in the pavilion, beginning Thursday night (Oct. 25) versus Seattle University (3-11, 8-15). Northwest Nazarene (4-10, 8-12) visits Saturday night (Oct. 27) and next week Alaska Fairbanks and Alaska Anchorage arrive in town.

Mini-slump. One reason the Falcons have been able to stay in playoff contention this fall was their ability to avoid consecutive defeats. Last week they did not fare so well. First, Central Washington earned a season sweep of SPU and became only the second opponent to win in three straight games. The loss to the Wildcats will likely be further compounded later this week in the new NCAA Pacific Region rankings, with Central likely to leapfrog over Seattle Pacific in the race for one of six postseason berths. The Falcons, who were sixth in the region Oct. 10, then dropped a tough, five-set decision at Saint Martin's in the final GNAC road match.

Leilani on the verge again. Leilani Kamahoahoa (Sr., Oregon City, Or./Canby) could conceivably set her second career record of the season this weekend. Kamahoahoa, who became the all-time leader in kills earlier, is now just 41 digs away from surpassing Stephanie Huffman (1997-00). Although sidelined for six matches this month, Kamahoahoa is No. 3 on the team in kills per game. In the GNAC she is fourth in digs (3.18) and sixth in service aces (0.49). Kamahoahoa's record for career kills currently stands at 1214 and she's No. 3 in aces (120).

Simply the best. Setters are to volleyball as offensive lineman are to football. No matter how well their teams perform, they rarely receive the credit they deserve. On a team packed with powerful hitters, SPU setter Katy Higgins (So., Kirkland, Wa./Redmond) sometimes gets lost in the match highlight reel. Yet in just two seasons Higgins has established herself as a one of the top setters in the GNAC. Twice this season she has set the GNAC mark for the most assists in a match. Higgins raised her conference-best mark of 66 assists with 68 at Saint Martin's. Those totals rank Nos. 5 and 6, respectively, in school single match records. She is currently second in the GNAC with 11.58 assists per game. The SPU season record is 11.70.

Quick sets. Seattle Pacific has won 19 of its last 20 home matches, dating back to 1999. It has not lost three consecutive conference matches since 1995...With wins in their five remaining regular season matches the Falcons can earn their fourth straight 20-win season...Overshadowed in the loss at Saint Martin's was a season-high 22 kills by Leah Wiiest (Sr., Spokane, Wa./Deer Park-Cornell), who hit .356 for the match. Kamahoahoa's nine kills were the highest for her since returning from the knee and ankle injuries. Cathleen Price (Fr., Gresham, Or./Sam Barlow) had a total of 29 kills and hit .333 for the two matches...SPU fell from second to fourth place in the conference standings. Western Washington can clinch the GNAC title with a pair of victories this week...Seattle Pacific ranks fourth among GNAC teams in hitting percentage (.204), second in kills (14.85), and digs (16.63) and third in service aces (2.12)...Individually, Price ranks eighth in service aces (0.49) and hitting percentage (.273), and seventh in kills (3.49). Wiiest is eleventh in hitting percentage (.263), sixth in kills (3.55) and ninth in blocks (0.96). Carri Colvin (Jr., Vancouver, Wa./Prairie) is sixth in digs (3.09).

Opponent & series notes. Seattle U. has taken just one game from SPU in five previous meetings. The Redhawks took the second game of a 3-1 home loss to the Falcons Sept. 20. SPU leads the series 5-0 dating back to 1999...SPU went five games at Northwest Nazarene Sept. 22 before eventually claiming the victory. SPU leads the series 3-0 dating back to last season.

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.