Alaska chill. A Seattle Pacific University volleyball squad, coming off its biggest win of the season, hopes to extend its hot streak in the cold climes of Alaska this weekend. The Falcons (7-5, 11-9), who knocked off nationally-ranked Western Washington, play a pair of back-to-back Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches, beginning Friday night (Oct. 29) at Alaska Fairbanks (7-6, 10-10) on Friday (Oct. 29). On Saturday (Oct. 30), SPU visits Alaska Anchorage (4-9, 10-11) before turning back the clocks and coming home. Next week it hosts Western Oregon and Humboldt State in the final two matches at Brougham Pavilion.

Hotter than August. Following the victory over the then-23rd-ranked Vikings, Seattle Pacific is playing its best stretch of volleyball this season, with four wins in the last five outings. The sole loss over the last three weeks was to No. 12 Central Washington, and four defeats this season have been to nationally-ranked teams. Last week’s win not only snapped a seven-match losing streak against Western Washington, it was also the first victory against a ranked team since the 2001 season and an upset of 21st-ranked Cal State L.A. The Falcons are two wins over .500 for the first time this season.

Falcons rally for victory. After giving Central Washington a run for the money only to come up short, Seattle Pacific was able to overcome an early deficit against Western Washington. However, this time the Falcons fought back early and won the next three games to pull out the victory. The key for the Falcons actually came late in game one. SPU fell behind 27-20, but rallied to pull within 29-28 before conceding game point. That late spark gave it the momentum. The Falcons squeaked out a 30-28 win in game two and came out on fire in game three, opening with a 10-3 run for an easy win. The Falcons fell behind in game four, but scored six straight points to go up 27-23. They later closed the match with what they do best, a powerful block at the net for the win.

Jessica Bauder was named the GNAC co-player of the week. Bauder cracked a season-high 24 kills and came up with a career-high 29 digs.

Bauder takes a bow. One of the heroes in the big win was Jessica Bauder (Sr., Richland, Wa.), who was named the GNAC co-player of the week. Bauder cracked a season-high 24 kills, came up with a career-high 29 digs and assisted on three blocks. Her previous best kill total had been 17. She was just one shy of her career-best, set last season. Bauder hit for a solid .268 attack percentage, and now ranks second on the team and 19th in the conference at 2.63 kills per game.

Block party. The Falcons have taken over the GNAC in blocking lead after totaling 12 versus Western. They now average with 2.41 blocks per game and rank third in the league in opponent’s hitting percentage (.163). Middle Katie Ralph (Jr., Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap) had six block assists in the victory. She moved into a tie for first in the conference with 1.17 blocks per game. Setter Jenna Von Moos (So., Stanwood, Wa.) also had six blocks, including one solo, and the other middle, Whitney Dibble (So., Reno, Nv./Galena), registered five blocks, including one stuff. Dibble and Von Moos are also among the GNAC leaders in blocks, averaging 0.88 and 0.74, respectively.

Quick sets. Seattle Pacific has moved up to fourth place in the GNAC, but will require a road sweep to hold that position....The Falcons’ blocking average is on pace to be the highest since 1998, when they averaged 2.55 per game...Libero Tiffany Butac (So., Pearl City, Hi./Hawaii Baptist) has totaled 19 digs in each of her last three matches and not only leads the team, but could finish with among the highest averages in program history. Butac is now averaging 4.01 digs per game. The record is 4.29 by Nami Teramae in 1995...Ralph, who hit. 360 with nine kills vs. Western, also ranks 10th in the league with a .264 hitting percentage... Von Moos has moved up to sixth in the league with 10.27 assists per game. She is also fifth in hitting percentage (.297) and 17th in blocks per game. Chelsey Myers (Jr., Minden, Nv./Douglas) had 14 kills and 21 digs to extend her streak of recording double figures in both categories to 10 times in the last 12 matches. She has reached double figures in kills in eight straight matches and 11 of the last 12. She has been in double figures in kills in 12 of her last 13 matches...In last week’s NCAA regional rankings, Central Washington was third and Western Washington ninth. The top eight teams will make the NCAA Pacific Regional next month. UC San Diego and Cal State San Bernardino were Nos. 1 and 2.

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.