Volleyball | 9/2/2009 1:16:08 PM

[Live Stats]  [2009 Volleyball Photos]

This week…
The Western Oregon University volleyball team will travel to Denver, Colo., to participate in the Premier Challenge hosted by Metro State and Regis University Sept. 4-5.

The Premier Challenge…
The Premier Challenge will feature 12 NCAA Division II teams from all over the country, ranging from West Florida out of Pensacola, Fla., to Northwest Nazarene from Nampa, Idaho.

WOU will face the No. 1 team in country, Concordia - St. Paul, in its opening match Sept. 4, at noon before taking on Metro State at 3:30 p.m. The second day of the tournament will have teams seeded into one of four pools based on its record from the opening day. For more information on the Premier Tournament, click here to access the event website.

A look at Western Oregon…
Last week, the Wolves opened the 2009 season at the Seawolf Spike Tournament in Rohnert Park, Calif., going 1-3 over a two-day stretch. Western Oregon competed hard in all four of its matches against the California Collegiate Athletic Association schools but came away with just one victory.

WOU returned four starters and eight letterwinners to a team that went 22-3 last season and won the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title with a 15-1 record. This season, second-year head coach Brad Saindon has assembled 11 newcomers to go along with his returners as WOU looks to defend its conference title.

WOU in the rankings…
Western Oregon dropped out of the rankings in the American Volleyball Coaches' Association first weekly rankings after coming into the season at No. 24 in the preseason poll with 73 points.

Picked second in conference…
The Wolves were picked to finish second in the GNAC this season with 50 points, according to the preseason coaches' poll. WOU received zero of the nine possible first place votes a season after winning the conference title.

In the GNAC rankings…
Senior Laura Sakala is the Great Northwest Athletic Conference leader with a .415 hitting percentage as she converted 65 attempts into 31 kills and just four errors.

Junior transfer Cally Young is second in the GNAC with 4.92 digs per set while the team is second with 2.07 service aces and third with 12.4 kills per set.

Putting up double-doubles…
Through the first four matches of the season two WOU student-athletes have already posted double-doubles. Amy Herron was first when she had 23 assists and 13 digs against Sonoma State. Danielle Reese followed by posting double-doubles in consecutive matches as she had 20 kills and 11 digs against San Francisco State to go along with 12 kills and 12 digs against Humboldt State.

A look at Concordia - St. Paul…
Concordia - St. Paul won the 2008 NCAA Division II championship and are right back at work this season as it opened the season with a 4-0 record while outhitting its opponents .273 to .133.

This will be the first ever meeting between the two schools.

A look at Metro State…
Metro State won all four of its matches at the St. Mary's Invitational in San Antonio, Texas, as it raced out of the gate in 2009 with a 4-0 record. Over the two-day, four-game stretch the Roadrunners notched a .321 hitting percentage while holding its opponents to a .069 mark.

This will be the first meeting in volleyball between Western Oregon and Metro State.