National showdown. One of the nation’s marquee volleyball matches this week will involve the surging Seattle Pacific University squad as it aims to stay unbeaten in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Winners of six straight, the 16th-ranked Falcons (5-0, 11-3) visit No. 11 Central Washington (4-1, 10-3) Thursday night (Sept. 29). Two days later, SPU travels north to Bellingham to face perennial postseason contender Western Washington (3-2, 7-6) in a rare afternoon matinee. The first half of league play concludes at home next week, against Saint Martin’s and Seattle University.

Keeping pace. An interesting race is heating up in the GNAC, as Seattle Pacific remains one of just two undefeated teams left in the league. Central Washington, the defending champion and preseason favorite, saw its string of 27 consecutive conference victories snapped by Seattle University last week. The Redhawks are the other unbeaten team in league play. The Falcons’ five straight wins to open their conference schedule is their best since the formation of the GNAC in 2001 and matches the start during the 2000 PacWest season, when SPU won 20 in a row en route to the NCAA tournament.

Sweeping away competition. Seattle Pacific made quick work of its opponents last week, posting a pair of 3-0 sweeps at home. The Falcons were dominant, hitting .359 while holding their two Alaska foes to just .057. SPU had nearly twice as many kills (110-57) and committed nearly half as many errors (44-25). Those were the sixth and seventh sweeps this season, and during the current win streak it has won 18 of 20 games.

Last week’s results:
SPU def. Alaska Anchorage 30-17, 30-20, 30-26
SPU def. Alaska Fairbanks 30-22, 30-13, 30-13

Given the lead. Outside hitter Alyssa Given (So., 5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) has been the catalyst for SPU’s smashing start. Against Alaska Anchorage, Given clicked off seven kills in Game 1 alone to give her side the early momentum. She put the pressure on Alaska Fairbanks as well, with five kills in first frame to drive the offense. Given finished with 30 kills in the two matches and hit at a stellar .424 clip. Given is averaging 5.14 kills and a .399 hitting percentage over the past four matches and 4.90 kills and a .365 hitting percentage during the six-match win streak. She is third in GNAC points (4.74) and fourth in both kills (4.0) and service aces (0.55) per game. In conference matches, Given leads the GNAC in kills (4.88) and points (5.59).

The closer. While Given provided the early spark, Shelby Gihring (Jr., 5-10, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) applied the finishing touches. Gihring came off the bench to play in Game 3 of both victories. She helped close the match with six kills against Anchorage and five against Fairbanks. Gihring averaged a team-best 5.5 kills per game and led the Falcons with a .625 hitting percentage. For the season, Gihring is fifth in conference aces (0.52) and 15th in kills (2.68). She may also be the most improved player in the GNAC. Halfway through this season, she has 67 kills–more than double her total from the last two seasons.

Block party. Seattle Pacific has continued to dominate opponents at the net, especially on the defensive end. The Falcons have out-blocked opponents in 12 of 14 matches, and they are the faraway GNAC leader with 2.79 per game. Six Falcons rank in the top 16 in the GNAC in blocks. Whitney Dibble (Jr., 6-1, Reno, Nv./Galena) leads the conference with 1.44 per game. Katie Ralph (Sr., 6-0, Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap), 1.12, is No. 3; Angie Wodrich (So., 5-10, Richland, Wa.), 1.04, No. 6; Rachel Biornstad (So., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentlake), 1.0, No. 9; Jenna Von Moos (Jr., 5-10, Stanwood, Wa.), 0.76, No. 14; and Chelsey Myers (Sr., 5-10, Minden, Nv./Douglas), 0.72, No. 16.

Quick sets. Ralph, who has missed four of the last six matches while recovering from a thumb injury, is expected back in the lineup at Ellensburg...The team’s .440 attack percentage vs. Alaska Fairbanks was the highest since a mark of .465 vs. Edinboro in 2001...During its current win streak, SPU has nearly 100 more kills (320-234), nearly twice as many blocks (57.5-32) and more than twice as many service aces (47-23) as its opponents...The Falcons lead the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.127) and blocks (2.79) and rank second in digs (17.84). On the offensive end, SPU is No. 2 in both kills (15.16) and assists (13.61), and third in hitting percentage (.217)...Myers ranks ninth in the GNAC in kills (3.0) and 19th in hitting percentage (.221)...Ralph is 16th in kills (2.65) and fifth in hitting percentage (.270)...Wodrich is 17th in kills (2.62) and 12th in digs (3.08)...Von Moos ranks second in assists (11.76) and 16th in digs (2.69)...Torii Mount (Fr., 5-2, Gresham, Or.) is third in digs (5.06)...The Falcons’ new ranking is an improvement of two spots and represents a new all-time high. They have been in the top CSTV/AVCA top 25 for four consecutive weeks...All three losses are to teams currently ranked among the top 25. Other ranked teams from the Pacific Region include Cal State San Bernardino (No. 3), UC San Diego (No. 10), Cal State L.A. (No. 17), Cal Poly Pomona (No. 18) and BYU Hawaii (No. 23).

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.