MATCH #14
Western Oregon (4-9, 1-3 GNAC) vs. RV Central Washington (7-4, 3-1 GNAC)
Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m.
Monmouth, Ore. – New PE Building
 
MATCH #15
Western Oregon (4-9, 1-3 GNAC) vs. Northwest Nazarene (5-7, 2-2 GNAC)
Saturday, Oct. 3, at 7 p.m.
Monmouth, Ore. – New PE Building

THIS WEEK: After its first GNAC road trip, the Western Oregon volleyball team will return home beginning Thursday, Oct. 1 with a match against Central Washington at 7 p.m. The Wolves will finish off the weekend hosting Northwest Nazarene, Saturday at 7 p.m.

LIVE VIDEO: All Great Northwest Athletic Conference matchups will be broadcast through Stretch Internet. A link can be found on the home page and volleyball schedule page on WOUWolves.com.
 
LIVE STATS: Fans can follow the action for both GNAC matches online via live stats through WOU's Stretch Internet portal.
 
FOLLOW THE WOLVES: The Western Oregon volleyball team can be followed on Twitter. Follow @WOUVolleyball for all the latest news and behind the scenes photos. Follow @WOUWolves for the latest on all 11 Western Oregon athletic programs.
 
LAST TIME OUT

• Western Oregon lost two matches on the road in GNAC action. The Wolves could not hold on to a 2-1 set lead, eventually falling to Saint Martin's in five sets last Thursday. Then WOU battled in three evenly played games, but lost to host Seattle Pacific (3-0).
• The five-set loss to SMU dropped Western Oregon's record to 1-2 in matches that go the distance. Additionally, WOU is 2-4 this year in three-set matches, 1-1 in the GNAC.
• Sophomore Alisha Bettinson her third double-double of the season with a 16-kill, 16-dig performance at Saint Martin's.

 
ABOUT CENTRAL WASHINGTON

• Mario Andaya is 288-216 in 20 years as the head coach at CWU. The Wildcats are 7-4 overall in 2015 and 3-1 in GNAC action.
• The Wildcats went 19-8 overall in 2014 and 12-6 in league play. Central Washington was one of four GNAC teams to play in the 2014 NCAA West Regional. They return 10 letterwinners and five starters in 2015.
• Central Washington is hitting .229 as a team with 12.7 kills per set. Opponents are hitting .173 with 13.0 kills per set.
• Linden Firethorne leads the team with 3.64 kills per games, currently ranked second in the GNAC. The blocking duo of Kaitlyn Quirk and Sabrina Wheelhouse has combined for 121 blocks. CWU is top in the nation averaging 3.17 blocks per set. 

VS. CENTRAL WASHINGTON: Western Oregon is 28-24 all-time against Central Washington since 1985. CWU has a three-match winning streak dating back to the 2013 season finale (Nov. 23).
 
ABOUT NORTHWEST NAZARENE

• Doug English is 47-16 over four seasons as the head coach of the Crusaders. Northwest Nazarene is 5-7 overall in 2015 and 2-2 in GNAC play.
• The Crusaders went 24-3 overall in 2014 and won the GNAC with a 17-1 league record. Northwest Nazarene hosted the 2014 NCAA West Regional, but lost in the opening round to Dixie State in four games. NNU returns eight letterwinners and five starters in 2015.
• NNU is hitting .193 as a team with 11.9 kills per set. Their opponents are hitting .191 with 12.6 kills per match.
• Kendra Bodine leads NNU with 134 kills in 12 matches, hitting .221 from the floor. Elanya Rice follows just behind with 122 kills.

 
VS. NORTHWEST NAZARENE: Western Oregon holds a 49-24 advantage in the series dating back to 1984. Despite the all-time series lead, WOU has lost four straight matches to the Crusaders, including a pair of 3-0 sweeps in 2014.
 
WOU TEAM NOTES: Here are some tidbits about the Western Oregon volleyball team through 11 matches:

• Western Oregon is 4-9 overall this season with all four victories coming at home – against Lewis & Clark (Sept. 8), Adelphi (Sept. 10), Notre Dame de Namur (Sept. 12), Alaska (Sept. 19).
• The Wolves are hitting .174 as a team with 10.2 kills per set. They hit a season-best .302 in the three-game sweep over Alaska on Sept. 19.
• Western Oregon is just one match win from matching its total from the entire 2014 season.

 
SCHEDULE NOTES: A peek into the Wolves' 2015 schedule.

• Western Oregon opened the season at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic hosted by Colorado School of Mines. WOU dropped all four matches, including two matches to teams ranked inside the AVCA National Top 25 (No. 19 Cal State San Bernardino, No. 8 Colorado Mines).
• After a hiatus in 2014, WOU hosted the Western Oregon Invitational from Sept. 10-12 at the New P.E. Building. This year, WOU went 2-2 with victories over Adelphi in four games and Notre Dame de Namur in five games. Since 2012, Western Oregon is 7-5 as tournament hosts.
• The Great Northwest Athletic Conference added Concordia-Portland as a full member in 2015. With the Cavaliers joining the league, they become Western Oregon's travel partner when both teams hit the road. Since 2009, Western Oregon and Saint Martin's had been coupled as a road trip for visiting teams.

 
ON THE GNAC HORIZON: Following this week's home matches, Western Oregon will hit the road for a Thursday, Oct. 8 match at Simon Fraser (7 p.m.) and a Saturday, Oct. 10 match at nationally-ranked Western Washington (7 p.m.).