Home sweet home. The sight of Brougham Pavilion couldn't be more welcome this week as the Seattle Pacific University women's volleyball team hosts a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches. The Falcons (7-2, 0-2), who suffered their first two losses of the season last weekend in Alaska, host Western Oregon (6-4, 1-1) on Friday night (Sept. 19) and then take on Humboldt State (3-7, 1-1) on Saturday (Sept. 20). SPU hits the road again for matches at Seattle University and Northwest Nazarene next week.

Cold reception up north. After jumping to their best-ever start (7-0), the Falcons suffered two tough losses in Alaska over the weekend. SPU won the opening game at Alaska Anchorage, lost the next two games and then forced a deciding fifth game before falling to the Seawolves. It snapped a run of five straight five-set wins, dating back to last season. The following night at Alaska Fairbanks, SPU again won the first game but ended up dropping the final three games and the match. Coach Kellie Ryan said her young team's composure was tested by the relatively large crowds and hostile environment. While it's not how Ryan envisioned starting GNAC play, she is glad that the Falcons' most challenging road trip is behind them and she can take heart in their return home, where they're unbeaten (3-0) this year.

Last week's results:
Alaska Anchorage def. Seattle Pacific 30-28, 25-30, 20-30, 30-28, 10-15
Alaska Fairbanks def. Seattle Pacific 30-24, 26-30, 28-30, 21-30

Still a strong start. If history is any indicator, the Falcons shouldn't worry about their current two-match slide. SPU's 7-2 start still ranks as one of the best all-time. In fact, the Falcons began the 2001 season, Ryan's second, with an identical record and continued on to win 20 matches that year. After nine matches last season, SPU was just 1-8 so the remarkable turnaround continues.

Dynamic Duo. Junior Jessica Bauder (Kennewick, Wa./Kennewick-Columbia Basin CC) and sophomore Chelsey Myers (Minden, Nv./Douglas) have continued to shine for SPU. During the Falcons' trip to Alaska, Bauder led the team with 22 kills against Anchorage while adding 12 digs. The next night at Fairbanks, Myers led the charge with 20 kills and 17 digs. The duo totaled a combined 69 kills and 66 digs for the week. Bauder ranks No. 7 in conference with 3.69 kills per game while Myers is 13th at 3.48.

Diggin' it. Libero Andrea Pennington (Sr., Bellingham, Wa./Bellingham-Whatcom CC) had a solid set of matches in Alaska as well. Against Anchorage, she led SPU with 15 digs, then added 19 more vs. Fairbanks. Also contributing to the defensive effort was freshman Erin Donovan (Shoreline, Wa./Blanchet), who had 10 digs at Fairbanks. Pennington leads the Falcons with an average of 3.75 digs per game, ranking her 10th in the GNAC.

Quick sets. Senior middle Andra Taylor (Camas, Wa./Mt. Hood CC) didn't travel to Alaska because of a family emergency and Ryan said the team missed her quick offense...Freshman Whitney Dibble (Reno, Nv./Galena) had a career night in Fairbanks, tallying 12 kills...Setter Jenna Von Moos (Fr., Stanwood, Wa.) had 37 assists at Anchorage then split setting duties with Katy Higgins (Sr., Kirkland, Wa./Redmond) against Fairbanks. Von Moos totaled 20 assists while Higgins had 18...Kathleen Monda (Jr., Woodinville, Wa./Woodinville-WSU) tallied 10 kills and nine digs vs. Anchorage...Sophomore Katie Ralph (Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap-East Tennessee St.) had a combined total of 17 kills in Alaska and her hitting percentage (.301) currently ranks fourth overall in conference. She matched her season-high of six blocks (including two stuffs) at Fairbanks...The Falcons are near the top of three GNAC team statistical categories, ranking No. 3 in hitting (.225), service aces (1.92) and digs (19.17)...The top three teams and six of the top 25 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 and, Cal State San Bernardino. Western Washington is tied for No. 6.

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.