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Win & take all. In no mood to share, the Seattle Pacific University volleyball team needs a victory in its final regular season match to claim its first outright Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship. Winners of 17 straight, the 12th-ranked Falcons (15-0, 23-2) visit top contender Western Washington (13-1, 17-5) Thursday night (Nov. 2) to settle the issue. NCAA Division II tournament bids will be announced Sunday evening (Nov. 5) and first round play begins Nov. 10.

Climbing higher. For the third straight week, SPU climbed another step up the national rankings. More importantly, Seattle Pacific is entrenched in the NCAA Pacific Regional ratings, rising to No. 4 going into last week. The top eight teams advance to the NCAA tournament. Cal State San Bernardino leads the pack, followed by UC San Diego and BYU Hawaii. The top seed serves as next week’s tournament host.

Perfect ending. Seattle Pacific finished a perfect 9-0 at home this season, running its home winning streak to 19 straight matches. And the Falcons were absolutely dominant in Brougham Pavilion, sweeping seven of the nine matches and holding opponents to 20 points or less in 16 of 29 games. They averaged nearly six more kills per game, seven more service aces and out-hit opponents .258 to .098.

Full steam ahead. With the hopes and expectations of advancing beyond the first round of the NCAA tournament for the first time, SPU is looking the part of a national power. It has won 26 straight GNAC matches and last week hit .282 as a team while beating the two Alaska schools. The Falcons also served up 18 aces, allowing only four along the way. Five SPU players reached double figures in kills, led by Shelby Gihring (Sr., 5-10, Kent, Wa./Kentlake), who had 28 and hit at a .306 clip.

Last-minute campaign. To the conference victor go the spoils, among which may be the major conference awards. The Falcons feature a pair of player of the year candidates in setter Jenna Von Moos (Sr., 5-10, Stanwood, Wa.) and outside hitter Alyssa Given (Jr., 5-10, Salinas, Ca./Notre Dame) has tied the SPU record for single-match kills and leads the conference and ranks 18th in the NCAA with 4.4 per game. She’s also the leader in points, fifth in service aces (0.45) and 10th in hitting percentage (.248). Von Moos has broken the career mark for assists and also leads the GNAC and ranks ninth nationally, averaging 12.99. Chris Johnson would be a logical choice for coach of the year. Already his squad is assured of its fewest losses ever and its best regional tournament seeding. Under Johnson, the team has won 31 of 33 conference matches.

Playoff picture. While the top half of the Pacific Region field, including Seattle Pacific, appears to be taken shape, there could be much movement in the bottom portion with the regular season wrapping up this week. Once-beaten Cal State San Bernardino, ranked sixth nationally, appears to have control of the top seed. Looming close behind, are UC San Diego and unbeaten BYU Hawaii, one of just two teams to defeat SPU this year. BYUH faces Oahu rival Chaminade, currently on the playoff bubble at No. 9 in the region. Chico State or Western Washington are possible fourt-round opponents for Seattle Pacific. They are Nos. 5 and 6 now. Seven Pacific teams are ranked among this week’s top 25 in the coaches poll.

Quick sets. Seattle Pacific seeks to become the fifth team in the six-year history of the conference to finish undefeated in league play. Western Washington went undefeated in the GNAC's first three season. Central Washington accomplished the feat two years ago. Seattle Pacific and Central Washington shared the title last season after both finished with 16-2 records…Rachel Biornstad (Jr., 6-0, Kent, Wa./Kentlake) had 24 kills, six blocks and recorded a .388 hitting percentage in the two wins last week. Biornstad is hitting .310 in GNAC play…Angie Wodrich (Jr., 5-10, Richland, Wa.) was all over the court with 22 kills, 14 digs, five blocks and five service aces. Wodrich averages 0.66 aces in conference matches and leads the league overall, averaging 0.61… Torii Mount (So., Gresham, Or./Gresham) was back in the libero shirt last week. Mount set a record for digs as a freshman but Tiffany Butac (Sr., Pearl City, Hi./Hawaii Baptist) wrested the job back early this year. Mount’s 26 digs led the team last week... Given was held to just 16 total kills (half of her average per game), but still had 16 digs and six aces…The Falcons lead the GNAC in kills (15.96), opponent hitting percentage (.106), assists (14.8) and service aces (2.2). They rank second in hitting percentage (.225)...Butac is third in digs (5.25). Biornstad is fourth in blocks (1.11) and hitting (.274). Gihring is No. 8 in kills (3.14)...Von Moos had 90 assists last week. She is closing in on 4,000 for her career (just two other have accomplished that in GNAC history)...Wodrich now ranks No. 5 in aces for a season, and needs just eight to break the record of 59, set by Gaylene MacDonald in 187. Her average is well ahead of Given’s record pace (0.54) of last year...Given will break into the top five kills list for a season with seven more.

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.