Stop over. With six matches in five days, this is the busiest week of the volleyball season for Seattle Pacific University. The 18th-ranked Falcons (3-1) will squeeze two home matches between trips to Hawaii and Colorado. They face No. 13 Hawaii Pacific (1-3) in the Brougham Pavilion opener Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 29), host Hawaii Hilo (0-4) Wednesday night (Aug. 30) and then head for Durango, Colo., and the Fort Lewis College Invitational tournament. There, SPU meets Eastern New Mexico (2-2) and Fort Lewis (5-0) Friday (Sept. 1) and Montana State Billings (2-2) and Dixie State (3-2) Saturday (Sept. 2). Great Northwest Athletic Conference matches begin Sept. 7 at Alaska Anchorage.

Meeting expectations. After earning their first ever preseason national ranking, Seattle Pacific essentially lived up to its billing at last week’s Hawaiian Style Classic. Pegged as the GNAC favorite, it was important for the Falcons to get off to a hot start in their quest to build on the momentum from last season's Pacific Region tournament appearance. Although they dropped their opener to No. 21 BYU Hawaii, SPU responded with three convincing victories over Chaminade, host Hawaii Hilo and Hawaii Pacific, the latter two in sweeps.

Same formula for success. The Falcons displayed a hard-hitting, efficient attack on the Big Island and bolstered it with a pesky back line and dominant net play on defense. SPU out-hit opponents by 60 points (.206 to .146) and nearly doubled foes in blocking (2.19-1.15). Last season Seattle Pacific ranked 22nd nationally in blocking.

Driving force. Alyssa Given (Jr., 5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) is following up her sensational sophomore performance in fine fashion. One of the region’s hardest hitting and most feared hitters, Given has established herself as a strong go-to option for the Falcons. She led the Falcons in kills in all four matches to open the 2006 campaign and has jumped out to a 5.38 average. She also totaled 30 digs and five blocks to earn a share of GNAC player of the week. Given cranked for 22 and 21 kills, respectively, in back-to-back wins over Hilo and Chaminade (hitting over .320 in both) and had another 17 vs. HPU.

Unselfish star. Setter Jenna Von Moos (Sr., 5-10, Stanwood, Wa.) joined Given on the all-conference first team last season and has taken the reigns of the team with her leadership and play. Named to the all-tournament team in Hawaii, Von Moos is again quietly contributing in just about every area for the Falcons. She ranks as SPU’s most efficient hitter and is averaging 13.15 assists per game. Her precision serving (two aces), back line defense (1.8 digs per game) and net play (0.5 blocks per game) all help fuel the fire. Last week Von Moos moved up to fourth place for career assists (2,950) and is on pace to break the school record.

Taking advantage. With so many hitting options on one team, it can be easy to get lost in the mix. However, Shelby Gihring (Sr., 5-10, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) is making the most of her opportunities early in the season. A consistent and reliable option throughout her career in primarily a reserve role, Gihring got the starting nod in all four matches, and her play could make her mainstay. With 43 kills in the the first four matches, she has already accumulated nearly half of her junior season total, and is averaging 3.31 per game. In SPU’s 3-1 win over Chaminade, Gihring matched her career high of 15 kills. She also smashed 14 kills against Hilo and matched Given for team-high honors with 10 kills in the loss to BYUH.

Quick sets. The Falcons take a 10-match home win streak into 2006 and have won 12 straight GNAC home contests...In addition to Given’s 70 kills, SPU got good production from Angie Wodrich (Jr., Richland, Wa./Richland), who had 44 kills, nine service aces and 13 blocks...Middles Rachel Biornstad (Jr., Kent, Wa./Kentlake) and Whitney Dibble (Sr., Reno, Nv./Galena) totaled 14 and seven blocks, respectively... Wodrich and Biornstad each served a career-high four aces vs. Chaminade...Playing her first matches in her home state, Tiffany Butac (Sr., Pearl City, Hi./Hawaii Baptist) averaged 6.15 digs...Of Johnson’s five freshmen, only Jessica Bettencourt (Fr., 5-11, So. Lake Tahoe, Ca.) saw action in the first week. She had two kills in three attempts...Even in their season opening loss to No. 21 BYU Hawaii, the Falcons battled late to take a 22-21 lead in Game 2 in an effort to even the match. However, the Seasiders, who hit .267 collectively, netted four straight points to pull away for an eventual 3-0 sweep...GNAC teams nearly quadrupled their entire 2005 win total against the CCAA last weekend, finishing with an 11-16 record, including 9-15 against playoff-eligible teams. Last year, CCAA teams won 25 of the 28 matchups between the two conferences. Overall, GNAC teams were 14-17 against Pacific Regional opponents in the opening weekend. Last week’s matches were the only scheduled matches this fall between the CCAA and GNAC...The trip to Durango begins a stretch of 10 road matches in the next 12.

SPU coaches. Chris Johnson took the Falcons to their first conference championship and an NCAA tournament berth in his inaugural season as head coach, and was voted GNAC co-coach of the year. Johnson was the team’s top assistant in 2004, and earlier served as an assistant at NAIA powerhouse Westmont from 2001-03. 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. Johnson’s staff features two new aides. Gretchen Killebrew, an all-Pac-10 setter at Washington, was the Bellevue Community College head coach a year ago. Johnny Lai was an assistant at BCC for the past three years.

Tickets, please. Ticket prices for all SPU regular season home matches are $5 for general admission, with students and senior citizens $3. Group and team rates are available by phoning (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.