SEATTLE (Sept. 14) -- Monica Herrera (Jr., Lima, Peru/Mercy) slammed a team-high nine kills as the Seattle Pacific University volleyball team fell to Western Washington, 30-15, 30-18, 30-22, in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference opener at Brougham Pavilion.

The Falcons (0-1, 1-7) appeared outmanned from the beginning as the Vikings (1-0, 5-2), ranked No. 1 in the GNAC and No. 10 nationally rattled off eight straight points to build a commanding 27-16 lead after SPU pulled to within nine points. Shannon Rowland recorded seven kills and finished with a Viking-high 14, while the Falcons hit for a minus .048 percentage in the first game.

SPU pulled to within three points of WWU at 14-17 midway through the second game, but once again, the Vikings came out on top, hitting for a .333 attack percentage. In the final game of the WWU sweep, the Falcons forced far more rallies and controlled play more effectively. Still, however, SPU could not find the holes in the Vikings defense.

The two teams combined for 151 digs on the night.

Five players from each team reached double-figure s in digs as Carri Colvin (Sr., Brush Prairie, Wa./ Prairie) led the Falcons with 18. Katy Kravitz (Jr., Olympia, Wa./N. Colorado) tied her career-high for service aces with two to lead the Falcons who recorded five in all. The Falcons finished with a .050 hitting percentage, compared to .286 for the Vikings.

The Falcons are back in action next Friday, Sept. 20, at Central Washington for a GNAC matchup scheduled for 7 p.m.

Western Washington def. SPU 30-15, 30-18, 30-22

Kills -- SPU 29 (Monica Herrera 9), WWU 55 (Shannon Rowland/Kristy Carstensen 14)

Digs -- SPU 71 (Carri Colvin 18), WWU 80 (Nicole Parker 22)

Blocks -- 4 (Katy Higgins 3), WWU 8 (Carstensen 5)

Assists -- 29 (Higgins 25), WWU 54 (Liz Bishop 47)

Attack Percentage -- SPU .050, WWU .286