Home show. After a near flawless start to the season against tough opponents on the road, the Seattle Pacific University volleyball team opens a six-match homestand, which includes its conference opener, beginning this weekend. The Falcons’ first four matches are part of the Emerald City Classic, which features a meeting with No. 1-ranked Nebraska Kearney. Tournament play opens Friday (Sept. 2) and SPU meets Chico State (3-1) followed by Nebraska Kearney (4-0) that night. On Saturday (Sept. 3) Seattle Pacific plays Cal State L.A. (4-0) and Cal Poly Pomona (4-0). Another ranked opponent, No. 20 Chaminade, visits Sept. 8 before Great Northwest Athletic Conference play begins Sept. 10 against Northwest NazA tourney so big... The Emerald City Classic actually spans the city, with both SPU and Seattle University hosting four matches daily. At Brougham Pavilion, contests are scheduled for 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m., 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Western Washington plays at 11:30 and 4:30 each day, and the Falcons see action at 2 and 7. arene.

Debut a hit. First-year head coach Chris Johnson must have enjoyed his debut and then some as the Falcons reeled off three straight wins to open the season last weekend in Michigan. It marks the best start of any first-year coach in the program’s history, and by winning three of the first four Seattle Pacific reversed its start of a year ago. The victory over No. 14 Grand Valley State was the first over a ranked opponent since dropping Western Washington since last October. The only loss last week was to host and No. 17 Ferris State.

Last week’s results:
SPU def. West Virginia State 30-26, 30-22, 30-21
SPU def. No. 14 Grand Valley State 31-29, 31-29, 21-30, 30-25
SPU def. Wheeling Jesuit 31-29, 30-18, 30-24
No. 17 Ferris State def. SPU 30-28, 23-30, 19-30, 25-30

Rally caps. The Falcons used several key rallies throughout the tournament en route to three wins in four matches, none bigger than the second game of the Grand Valley State match. After edging the Lakers in game one 31-29, SPU trailed 29-27 late in a pivotal game two and faced two game points. The Falcons dug deep and strung together four straight points to take a 2-0 match advantage and regain the momentum. In their third match of the tournament, they fell behind Wheeling Jesuit early, but scored eight straight points as part of a 10-1 run to capture a big lead in the sweep. In its three victories, SPU won nine of 10 games despite trailing in all but one game.

All-tourney. Middle Katie Ralph (Sr., 6-0, Port Orchard, Wa/South Kitsap) and setter Jenna Von Moos (Jr., 5-10, Stanwood, Wa.) were both selected to the all-tournament team. Ralph, an all-conference pick last season, led the way with 19 blocks and recorded 36 kills while hitting at a .192 clip. She had 12 kills and five blocks in the win over Grand Valley. Von Moos tallied 20 total kills while hitting an efficient .372 percentage. She finished with 158 assists, averaging 11.29 per game, and was second on the team with 41 digs. In the GVS win, Von Moos chipped in with five kills (8 attempts, 0 errors) and 47 assists.

With authority. Outside hitter Alyssa Given (5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) showed her promise to emerge as one of the league’s top hitters. Given led the Falcons with 51 kills in the tournament, an average of 3.64 per game and good for sixth overall in the GNAC. She pounded away at Grand Valley State, recording 18 kills and 15 digs. She followed that up with 15 kills and four service aces in the sweep of Wheeling Jesuit. For the tournament, Given led the Falcons with eight service aces.

Quick sets. Ralph is the GNAC blocking leader, averaging 1.36 per game, and the team is No. 2, averaging 2.71...Newcomer Torii Mount (Fr., 5-2, Gresham, Or.) has proven to be a fine addition to the SPU back row. The Falcons held opponents to .137 hitting and held a 250-223 advantage in digs. Mount accounted for more than one-fourth of those with a team-best 66 digs over the weekend. The Falcons lead the GNAC in both digs per game (17.86) and opponent hitting percentage (.137)...Chelsey Myers (Sr., 5-10, Minden, Nev./Douglas) totaled 44 kills, 17 digs and 11 blocks in the tournament...Angie Wodrich (So., 5-10, Richland, Wa.), whose strong preseason bid to earn more playing time has been rewarded, tallied 30 kills, 37 digs, 10 blocks and five aces from the right side…Mount currently ranks third in the GNAC in digs per game (4.71), while Given ranks third in aces (0.57) and Von Moos is No. 3 in hitting…SPU is third as a team in the league in kills per game (14.86) and fourth in both hitting (.154) and aces (1.86). Given is sixth in kills (3.64) and points (4.46)...The six-match homestand is the longest since 1997...In 2001, when SPU last hosted a tournament, the Falcons won all four of their matches to earn a national ranking...The victory over West Virginia State marked the third year in a row that SPU has prevailed in its opener.

SPU coaches. A new era begins as Chris Johnson—just the third coach in the program’s existence—aims to send the Falcons back to the NCAA for the first time in four seasons. Johnson was the team’s top assistant in 2004, and earlier served as an assistant at NAIA powerhouse Westmont from 2001-03. The Warriors reached the national tournament in ‘01 and ‘02. Last season at SPU, Johnson was in charge of defense and passing strategies and technique, as well as recruiting. He also guided the Falcons through the balance of the spring season following the resignation Kellie Ryan. A native of Bellevue and graduate of Interlake High School, Johnson earned his bachelor’s degree in art from Westmont in 2002. He played a total of five years at the collegiate club level, including three at Westmont. Kaitlin Leck, a four-year starter who averaged more than 2.5 kills at Washington will serve as Johnson’s assistant. Leck was a two-time Pac-10 all-academic selection, and was a member of the NCAA semifinal team in ‘04.

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 Website.