Finishing strong. With time growing short in the volleyball season, Seattle Pacific University’s team, and two seniors in particular, will take one last look around Brougham Pavilion this weekend. The Falcons (8-6, 12-10), winners in five of the last seven matches, close-out the home portion of their schedule with a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches. Friday night (Nov. 5) they host Humboldt State (1-13, 2-19) before sending-off the seniors Saturday evening (Nov. 6) against Western Oregon (4-10, 8-14). The Falcons finish the regular season with a pair of road matches next week.

Playoff picture. While Seattle Pacific’s recent hot streak has the Falcons climbing the GNAC standings, victories in each of the final four matches of the season may not be enough to earn a spot in the NCAA Division II bracket. Seattle Pacific is currently tied for fourth place in the conference and is just two matches behind both Western Washington and Seattle University, who are tied for second. Undefeated and 12th-ranked Central Washington has locked up the GNAC title. In the latest regional poll, the Wildcats were the only local team ranked in the top eight. Western Washington came in ninth and Seattle University 11th. With eight spots available for the Pacific Regional tournament, SPU is a postseason longshot.

Within reach. However, this week presents an excellent opportunity for the Falcons to gain some ground in the GNAC standings. Western Oregon and Humboldt State rank seventh and 10th, respectively, and SPU swept both teams on the road earlier in the season. Next week is another matter. Northwest Nazarene, which Seattle Pacific defeated 3-1 in September, is tied for fourth in the GNAC and Seattle U. is knotted at second. The Redhawks defeated the Falcons 3-2 at Brougham Pavilion in their first meeting.

Jessica Bauder (left) and Kathleen Monda are seniors who will be recognized at the last home match of the season.

Bauder continues to stay hot. SPU settled for a split in Alaska last week, nearly coming back from a 2-0 deficit at Fairbanks before sweeping Anchorage. Outside hitter Jessica Bauder (Sr., Richland, Wa.) continued to have the hot hand in the attack. Bauder led the team with a combined 29 kills during the trip and hit for a .236 percentage. She also finished with 19 digs. Bauder’s best four kill totals of the season have come in the last four outings, and she has averaged 4.38 over that span.

Seniors get their day. Prior to Saturday’s first serve, Coach Kellie Ryan and the team will recognize Bauder and her senior classmate Kathleen Monda (Sr., Woodinville, Wa.). Bauder was the leader in kills and the team MVP as a junior. Monda, who has been a versatile contributor for three seasons, is fourth on the team this season in attack percentage (.166).

Dig that record. One school record which may fall this autumn is for the season average in digs. Libero Tiffany Butac (So., Pearl City, Hi./Hawaii Baptist) hit the floor for at total of 53 digs in Alaska, boosting her average to 4.27 per game. That’s just shy of the record of 4.29, set by Nami Teramae in 1995. Butac has averaged 5.79 digs over the last five matches, including 32 in the five-set loss at Fairbanks.

Junior juggernauts. Juniors Chelsey Myers (Minden, Nv./Douglas) and Katie Ralph (Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap) continue to be a focal point for the Falcons. Both players had 28 kills each in the two matches against Anchorage and Fairbanks. Ralph, who leads the league in blocking, also had eight blocks. She led SPU with a combined 32 points. Myers added seven block assists and tallied 31.5 points for the Falcons. She also had 18 digs.

Quick sets. Behind GNAC leader Ralph’s 1.15 blocks per game, the Falcons lead the conference with 2.39 blocks per game. SPU also leads the league in opponent hitting percentage, holding team’s to a .158 mark ...Ralph is also 10th in hitting percentage (.254), 21st in points per game (3.33) and 25th in kills per game (2.53). Setter Jenna Von Moos (So., Stanwood, Wa.) is sixth in hitting percentage (.283), seventh in assists (10.39) and 19th in blocks (0.71)...Myers is edging Ralph and Bauder for the team lead in kills and ranks 17th in the GNAC with 2.83 per game... Bauder ranks 19th with 2.77 per game...Butac ranks 13th in digs (4.27).

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.