A change in seasons. Two weeks after starting its season in triple-digit temperatures in the desert, the Seattle Pacific University women's volleyball gets a sneak peak at autumn conditions during this weekend's trip to Alaska. The undefeated Falcons (7-0), off to their best start ever, begin Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Friday night (Sept. 12) at Alaska Anchorage (6-2) and then move on to Alaska Fairbanks (3-2) Saturday (Sept. 13). Next week SPU hosts Western Oregon and Saint Martin's in Brougham Pavilion.

The juggernaut goes north. These are heady times for the Falcons, who will arrive in Alaska full of momentum and confidence. They swept all three matches at their own tournament last weekend and have almost completely reversed the course (a 1-6 start) which preceded the 2002 GNAC opener. The best previous start for an SPU squad was 6-1, accomplished in 1995, '99 and 2000. Still, Coach Kellie Ryan knows that the seven wins are now history and the conference matches are where the season will ultimately be decided.

A change of heart? If the GNAC coaches were to vote now, rather than mid-August, it's unlikely that they would pick Seattle Pacific to finish in the bottom half of the standings (the poll ranked them sixth). The Falcons are already within two wins of last season's total of nine. Four of the victories have come against teams with a combined 16-8 and SPU has demonstrated a gutsy determination, coming from behind three times, including a pair of victories last week in which it dropped the opening game. In games decided by five or fewer points, the team is 9-2. Still, there may be some remaining skeptics; three wins came against teams with a combined record of 1-15.

Last week's results:
Seattle Pacific def. UC Davis 24-30, 30-22, 30-19, 30-26
Seattle Pacific def. Cal State Dominguez Hills 30-17, 30-19, 30-13
Seattle Pacific def. Cal State Stanislaus 28-30, 30-28, 30-27, 30-28

Bauder plays smackdown. It's been awhile since somebody wearing an SPU shirt has smacked balls into the hardwood with such force as Jessica Bauder (Jr., Kennewick, Wa./Kennewick-Columbia Basin CC). In her first three home matches, the junior college transfer punctured defenses with a blistering assault. Bauder averaged 5.27 kills per game-totaling 58 in all-and attacked at a clip of .277 as Seattle Pacific ploughed through UC Davis, Cal State Stanislaus and Cal State Dominguez Hills at the Comfort Suites Classic. Even more impressive than her season-high 25 kills against the Aggies was the sheer force of her shots. Bauder, who also averaged 3.09 digs and 0.46 aces, was a shoo-in for the all-tournament team.

Katie bars the door. After being omitted from the all-tournament team in Phoenix, middle Katie Ralph (So., Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap-East Tennessee St.) must have felt a bit vindicated when she earned inclusion on the all-tourney team last weekend. With a more subdued style to that of Bauder, Ralph effectively clogged the middle, hitting for 30 kills in the three matches and doing so with an impressive .381 rate of return. Her season attack average of .374 is second in the GNAC and she's also ninth in blocking average at 0.96.

Tense moments. Ryan's most anxious moments last week were in the days leading up to the tournament. She was without her to two setters for practices as Jenna Von Moos (Fr., Stanwood, Wa.) wore a protective boot on one leg and Katy Higgins (Sr., Kirkland, Wa./Redmond) tended to personal business in Arizona. Fortunately, Higgins arrived in time to start the UC Davis match and Von Moos was cleared to play the following day when she had 46 assists and four kills versus Stanislaus. Despite a one-week layoff, Higgins totaled 81 assists, 23 digs and 10 kills.

Quick sets. Erin Donovan (Fr., Shoreline, Wa./Blanchet) joined Bauder and Ralph on the all-tournament team. Donovan averaged 3.70 digs while playing the backline. She is ninth in the conference with a season average of 3.75, just ahead of libero Andrea Pennington (Sr., Bellingham, Wa./Bellingham-Whatcom CC) at 3.74...Despite sitting out one match, Chelsey Myers (So., Minden, Nv./Douglas) had 24 kills and four service aces last week...Kathleen Monda (Jr., Woodinville, Wa./Woodinville-WSU) hit .270 and averaged 0.90 blocks for the tournament...The Falcons are near the top of four GNAC team statistical categories, ranking No. 2 in hitting (.249) and service aces (2.19) and third in both blocking (2.24) and digs19.6)...The last time SPU won more than seven in a row was the school-record 20 straight victories in 2000. Last year's longest skein was three in a row...Four of the top five teams in this week's AVCA national rankings hail from the Pacific Region. UC San Diego is No. 1, followed by defending NCAA champion BYU Hawaii, Tampa, Cal State San Bernardino and Western Washington.

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.

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.