For openers. After struggling through a brutal early-season schedule, the Seattle Pacific University volleyball team plays its home and Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener this weekend. But the going doesn't get any easier for the Falcons (1-6), who are coming off their first victory of the young season. Western Washington (5-2), ranked No. 10 in NCAA Division II and picked to repeat as GNAC champ, visits Brougham Pavilion Saturday night (Sept. 14). Next week finds SPU traveling to Central Washington and Saint Martin's.

On the board. Coach Kellie Ryan's young Falcons learned last week that there is no rest for the weary. Just one week after sputtering through a strong tournament field at the Coyote Classic, SPU faced three teams in Bellingham with a combined 10-1 record. The Falcons were swept in their first two matches by UC Davis and BYU Hawaii, perennial powerhouses from the CCAA and PacWest. However, they averted the slowest start in team history by scoring a 3-1 win over Cal State Stanislaus to tie for fourth place. In the first eight matches this season, Seattle Pacific will have faced five teams ranked among the top 25 in the nation.

Herrera honored. Despite her team's 1-2 finish, Falcons middle hitter Monica Herrera (Jr., Lima, Peru/Mercy College) made an big impression on the tourney field. The long-armed swatter recorded 41 kills-including a season-high 19 against Stanislaus-31 digs and four service aces to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. Herrera, who led the nation in service aces and ranked among the NCAA leaders in kills, leads the squad with 74 kills (3.21 per game) and nine aces, making herself the obvious choice to replace the offensive triumvirate of Leilani Kamahoahoa, Leah Wiiest and Lesley Kamphouse lost to graduation following last season.

The best defense. Ryan resembled a genius as her offseason proclamation to become a defense-first team worked like a charm against Cal State Stanislaus. The Falcons held the Warriors to a .114 hitting percentage-the first time they held an opponent to under. 200 this season-and recorded eight blocks and a season-high 92 digs. Kathleen Monda (So., Woodinville, Wa./Washington State) recorded four blocks to lead SPU while Katy Higgins (Jr., Kirkland, Wa./Redmond) paced five Falcons in dig double-figures with 19. Defensively, the Falcons are very close to their opponents this season, averaging 15.0 digs per game, compared to 16.1 for their opponents, and 1.7 blocks, compared to 2.0.

Quick sets. Ryan is going with Carri Colvin (Sr., Vancouver, Wa./Prairie) as her libero in the back row. Colvin wore the distinctive shirt of the libero position during the Western tournament. The libero, a designated player with unlimited entries in each game, is new to the collegiate game this season. That player is generally limited to defensive back-row play as they cannot serve or attempt to block or attack above the net...Andrea Dettorre (Jr., Vancouver, Wa./Prairie), a top defensive specialist and reserve setter, has begun practicing again and could see her first action of the season this weekend. Dettorre suffered a knee injury in preseason drills and originally was not expected back until later this month...In her first action this season, walk-on Stacia Willson (So., Colfax, Wa./Colfax) recorded five service aces and zero service errors in the first two games of the tournament...Higgins ranks eighth among GNAC setters in assists per game with 8.35...Herrera ranks ninth in kills per game at 3.22...Seattle Pacific was 11-2 at home last season and is 22-2 at the pavilion under Ryan...The Falcons have won seven straight home openers, dating back to a loss in 1993 to Western Washington...The SPU offense is plainly struggling as it ranks last in the GNAC in kills (10.17) and attack percentage (.055)...The 0-6 start equaled that of the 1988 team. Until defeating Stanislaus in the first game of that match, the Falcons had lost 17 consecutive games-the most in team history.

Opponent and series notes. SPU has gotten a good look at this week's opponent, having seen Western Washington in common tournaments the past two weekends. The Vikings have won 18 consecutive GNAC matches and they return four starters from the team which reached the semifinal round of the NCAA Pacific Regional in 2001. Western is going for their third straight win over SPU after sweeping the season series 2-0 for the first time since 1996. Each match last season went four games. The Falcons, who last defeated WWU in the 2000 PacWest semifinals, trail in the all-time series, 26-14. Western leads the GNAC in kills and assists while Meghan Evoy tops all attackers with 4.0 kills per game and Liz Bishop leads all setters with a 13.19 assists average.

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 two seasons as a head coach, Kellie Ryan's teams have been nothing short of spectacular. The Falcons earned their first two trips to the NCAA tournament, won 44 of 58 matches and established a new record for consecutive wins (20) and while equaling the marks for most wins (24) and fewest losses (6) in a season. Ryan, whose past collegiate experience included two years under JoAnn Atwell-Scrivner at SPU (1994-95) and one year at Syracuse, was the SPU 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). Antonela Secer, a native of Croatia, returns for her second year as assistant coach, along with Jim Woolace, formerly a high school coach in Fairbanks.

Missing links. For the latest and best information on Seattle Pacific University athletics, stay where you're at -- on The Falcons Online. For updated standings and statistics, see the Great Northwest Athletic Conference web site.