Playoff push. Winners of four straight matches, the 18th-ranked Seattle Pacific University volleyball team plays five of its final seven regular season matches on the road, beginning this week with a pair in Alaska. The Falcons (9-2, 15-5) hit the road while only one match out of the lead in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Furthermore, they remain in contention to earn one of eight Pacific Region berths in the NCAA Division II tournament. SPU takes on Alaska Fairbanks (1-10, 1-14) Thursday night (Oct. 20), and concludes the excursion at Alaska Anchorage (3-8, 6-13) Saturday night (Oct. 22). Next week the Falcons return to Brougham Pavilion–where they are undefeated in conference play this season–for their final two home matches, against Western Washington and No. 11 Central Washington.

Slippery spot. Although the Alaska schools reside in or near the GNAC basement, Seattle Pacific cannot afford to slip up north. The Falcons were tied for the No. 8 spot in the NCAA’s regional rankings prior to their two home wins last week. If SPU can extend its win streak, the contests with Western and Central will become the biggest of the season. The Wildcats were No. 6 in the Pacific and the Vikings No. 7. Seattle University, which holds a slim lead in the GNAC over Central, was tied with SPU at No. 8.

Sweeping the competition. The Falcons brought out their brooms again last week, picking up two more home victories by 3-0 sweeps. SPU has swept all four opponents during its current win streak. Over the past four matches, the Falcons are hitting at a .259 clip while holding opponents to a .068 percentage. Eleven of the team’s 15 victories this year have been by a 3-0 margin, and the Falcons have swept their last nine home GNAC matches, dating back to last year. During their current eight-match home winning streak, the Falcons have averaged 17.0 kills per game and are out-hitting opponents .278 to .072. SPU has also enjoyed sizeable advantages in aces (57-23) and blocks (68.5 to 44).

Last week’s results:
SPU def. Humboldt State 30-17, 30-17, 30-17
SPU def. Western Oregon 30-25, 30-20, 30-24

Katie Ralph and Chelsey Myers have both played a big part in the resurgence of the program. They're seniors and will be honored before their final match at SPU Saturday.

Senior citizens. Saturday night should provide plenty of atmosphere, what with the playoff intensity and the pre-match festivities for seniors Katie Ralph (Sr., 6-0, Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap) and Chelsey Myers (Sr., 5-10, Minden, Nv./Douglas). Both have played a big part in the resurgence of the program. Prior to Ralph’s first season, the Falcons had finished 9-16. Since then they are 47-26 and on the verge of returning to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001. Ralph led the GNAC in blocking last season en route to earning first team all-conference honors. This year, despite a painful thumb injury, she ranks third in the league. Myers has been an attacking force during her four seasons. She co-owns the school single match record of 30 kills and needs just 18 more to become No. 5 in the career list.

Middles provide punch. Middle blocker Rachel Biornstad (So., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) continued her second-half tear in the victories over Humboldt State and Western Oregon. She totaled 21 kills on a .311 hitting percentage and also had a team-high eight blocks. Biornstad is now fifth in the conference in blocks per game (1.05) and 16th in hitting percentage (.230). Biornstad’s partner in the middle, Whitney Dibble (Jr., 6-1, Reno, Nv./Galena), chipped in with 18 kills and five blocks. Dibble took over the GNAC lead in blocks per game with a 1.26 average. She also ranks 10th in hitting percentage (.252). Katie Ralph (Sr., 6-0, Port Orchard, Wa./South Kitsap), who led the conference in blocking last year, is second behind Dibble with 1.17 blocks per game, despite seeing very limited action over the past month as she recovers from a dislocated thumb. The Falcons, who rank 15th nationally in blocking, have four players among the top 10 in the conference, and six in the top 19. Angie Wodrich (So., 5-10, Richland, Wa.) rounds out the quartet with 0.94 blocks per game, good for 10th in the league.

Quick sets. Under new coach Chris Johnson, the Falcons are attacking at their best clip in six seasons. The ‘99 club finished at .225 and this year’s team is currently at .222. The blocking average of 2.75 is the highest since 2.84 in 1996...The next win would push SPU past a season total of 15 for the first time since 2001 when the final record was 20-8...During the current four-match win streak, Alyssa Given (So., 5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) has led the way with 49 kills to go along with 42 digs, and Chelsey Myers (Sr., 5-10, Minden, Nv./Douglas) has averaged a team-best 4.11 kills. Torii Mount (Fr., 5-2., Gresham, Or.) is averaging 6.5 digs per game over the past four matches...Given, who led SPU with 23 kills last week, ranks third in the GNAC in points per game (4.71), fourth in digs (3.96) and aces (0.53), 13th in hitting percentage (.236) and 18th in digs (2.78)...Myers is sixth in kills (3.16), eighth in points (3.62), 18th in hitting percentage (.224) and 19th in blocks (0.67)...Mount is third in the league with 5.38 digs per game...Along with its impressive block numbers, SPU also leads the conference in opponent hitting percentage (.131). The Falcons rank second in kills (15.43), hitting percentage (.222) and digs (19.12), and are fourth in aces (1.97)...Mount needs 29 more digs to break into the all-time top five for season totals. Myers is 32 kills from cracking the career leaders...SPU is nationally-ranked for the seventh week in a row. After six weeks at the top, Truman State (Mo.) dropped to ninth following three straight losses. Nebraska Kearney, which suffered its only loss to SPU last month, is the new No. 1. Four of the five SPU losses were to teams currently in the national rankings. Nine of the top 25 teams are from the Pacific Region, including No. 3 Hawaii Pacific and No. 8 Cal Poly Pomona, the lone remaining undefeated team.

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.