Deal with it. A tough opening weekend will hopefully give way to a smoother ride up the California highways this week as Seattle Pacific University volleyball team continues an 8-match stretch on the road. The Falcons will be out to stop a three-match slide at Cal Poly Pomona (3-1) Wednesday afternoon (Sept. 1). Another tournament, the Togo’s Warrior Classic, awaits in Turlock. There, SPU gets its final non-conference matches of the year, playing Saint Mary’s of Texas (2-2) and host Cal State Stanislaus (1-1) on Friday (Sept. 3) and Florida’s Nova Southeastern (1-0) Saturday (Sept. 4). Great Northwest Athletic Conference begins Sept. 10 at Brougham Pavilion versus Seattle University.

Sweep or be swept. It was an all-or-nothing weekend for Seattle Pacific at the UC San Diego Classic. Coach Kellie Ryan’s squad opened with a sweep of Chico State, but then was broomed by No. 7-ranked Cal State San Bernardino, No. 2 UC San Diego and another regional power, Cal State L.A. If it was any consolation, the top two GNAC teams from a year ago, Western Washington and Seattle U., experienced a similar fate at the same tournament, each going 1-3. Still, it was nearly a complete reversal from the SPU start in 2003, when they won their first seven outings. The Falcons did not lose three in a row last year.

Experience to start. Although Ryan is particularly high on her incoming freshmen, she started an experienced group in La Jolla. Her two middles, Katie Ralph (Jr., Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap) and Whitney Dibble (So., Reno, Nv./Galena), posted the best numbers. Dibble averaged 1.33 blocks while Ralph hit 24 kills and attacked at a .270 clip in the four matches. Ralph had nine kills and four blocks in the victory over Chico State. Dibble’s stuff had scored the final point in the second game of that match.

Youngsters serve notice. The Falcons’ four freshmen each saw action in the tourney, with Alyssa Given (Fr., Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) granted a larger and larger role with each successive match. Given got four kills and four digs against San Bernardino, and led the team with nine kills versus CSLA. Rachel Biornstad (Fr., Kent, Wa./Kentlake) collected three kills while playing all three games against UCSD. Angie Wodrich (Fr., Richland, Wa./Richland) got court time in each match while redshirt Liz Shuyler (Fr., Selah, Wa./Selah) appeared in one match.

Heavy hitters muted. After hitting .279 in the Chico State win, the Falcons managed just .071 the rest of the weekend against considerably stiff opposition. Outsides Jessica Bauder (Sr., Richland, Wa./Richland) and Chelsey Myers (Jr., Minden, Nv./Douglas), the top two terminators from a year ago, were all but silenced. Bauder, who had 12 kills in the opener, totaled 20 errors and 14 kills the final three matches. Myers totaled only 13 kills for the tournament. Both players are bound to improve. Last season, Bauder and Myers combined to average 6.80 kills per game.

Hard to hold. Seattle Pacific found the lead hard to hold and even more difficult to regain. It built early leads against Chico State, but then needed late rallies in the first two games to prevail. Versus San Bernardino, SPU was close midway through the second game and again in the third but never owned a lead. UC San Diego took the lead and never relinquished in it in any game. Cal State L.A. erased early deficits in each of the first two games. The Falcons committed 29 attacking errors against UCSD and in the final three matches their foes hit for a combined average of .263.

Quick sets. Bauder came through with two late kills as SPU scored the last three points of their first game with Chico State. Setter Jenna Von Moos (So., Stanwood, Wa./Stanwood) hit five kills, has 28 assists, nine digs and three service aces while Kathleen Monda (Sr., Woodinville, Wa.) had six kills, a career-best 10 assists, eight digs and four blocks. SPU out-blocked Chico 11-1...Ralph had a career-high 17 digs vs. CSLA ...Dibble is the co-leader in GNAC blocks after the first week. Von Moos is seventh in assists (7.17) and Ralph is eighth in hitting. As a team, the Falcons are third in blocking (2.25) and digs (16.25).

SPU coaches. In her first four seasons as a head coach, Kellie Ryan has guided the Falcons to new heights. Under Ryan, SPU earned its first two trips to the NCAA tournament and established a new record for consecutive wins (20) while equaling marks for most wins (24) and fewest losses (6) in a season. She entered Œ04 with a overall mark of 68-40. Ryan, 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 honors as a senior. She remains the SPU record-holder for service aces (142) in a career and single match assists (83). Chris Johnson, assistant for Westmont College in Santa Barbara from 2001-2003, joins the SPU staff this season. Jim Woolace returns for his fourth season as an assistant.

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.