WESTERN OREGON VOLLEYBALL
Sept. 14 – Game 8 – at Saint Martin's
7 p.m. – Lacey, Wash.  
Live Stream | Live Stats

Sept. 16 – Game 9 – at Seattle Pacific
7 p.m. – Seattle, Wash.  
Live Stream | Live Stats

MONMOUTH, Ore.—After back-to-back appearances in regional tournaments, the Western Oregon (4-3) volleyball team will begin GNAC play with a trip north with visits to Saint Martin's and Seattle Pacific this week.

ABOUT SAINT MARTIN'S (5-3): The Saints went 6-18 last season and placed ninth in the GNAC last year with a 2-18 conference record… After opening the season with four wins in five matches, the Saints will face the Wolves with losses in two of its last two before surviving a five-set push against Cal State Dominguez hills while hosting a DII West Region Showcase tournament last weekend… The Saints fell to Point Loma and Notre Dame de Namur prior to the five-set win… Rebecca Mitchell leads the team with 101 kills and a 3.48 kills per set average... Her average ranks No. 6 in the GNAC.

ABOUT SEATTLE PACIFIC (5-3): The Falcons ended 2016 with an 11-17 overall record and a 7-13 conference mark to tie WOU for seventh in the GNAC standings… After opening the tourney with a 3-0 loss against Chaminade, SPU went 3-1 in Monmouth last week as participants in WOU's DII West Region Showcase event… The Falcons return three All-GNAC honorable mention performers from a year ago in outside hitter Shaun Crespi, setter Symone Tran and hitter Gabby Oddo… Freshman Olivia Turner currently leads the team with 93 kills and a 2.82 kills per set average. 

LAST WEEK: The Wolves went 2-2 while hosting the DII West Region Showcase…  WOU alternated wins and losses over the three-day event, opening with a sweep against Cal State San Marcos and following with a 3-2 loss to Chaminade… WOU finished the tourney with a pair of five-set matches, first defeating Fresno Pacific and finally falling to Cal Sate East Bay on Saturday night.

BOWEN NAMED GNAC POW: Junior Mackenzie Bowen was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 5 after her play at the Concordia Labor Tournament… Bowen averaged 5.73 digs per set in the three matches in Portland and was named to the All-Tournament team for her efforts… Bowen posted a match-high 35 digs in a four-set win over Lubbock Christian.

RETURNERS: The Wolves return four of six starters from a year ago, including honorable mention All-GNAC selection Alisha Bettinson… Bettinson led WOU with 337 kills and a 3.40 kills per set average a year ago… Mariella Vandenkooy and Sydney Blankinship, ranked third and fifth on the team in kills respectively, provide additional experience on the offensive side for the Wolves… Vandenkooy averaged 2.23 kills per set while Blankinship led the team with a .271 hitting percentage… The team has the luxury of a pair of junior setters to turn to in Leila Holt and Maddie Mehciz… Mackenzie Bowen, another junior, returns as the most experienced defensive specialist.

GNAC PRESASON POLL: With 50 points, the WOU volleyball team was picked to place seventh according to the GNAC Coaches' Preseason Poll… Concordia edged the Wolves with 67 points for the No. 6 position while Saint Martin's followed the Wolves in eighth place… Alaska Anchorage was favored to repeat as GNAC championships by a single point over Western Washington, 110 to 109… Northwest Nazarene was also favored to be in the title hunt with 106 points and a third-place showing.

2016 RECAP: The Wolves finished with a 10-17 overall record in head coach Tommy Gott's first season… WOU went 7-13 in GNAC competitions to tie for seventh place in the conference standings… Following the season, senior defensive specialist Christie Colasurdo and junior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson were selected as honorable mention All-GNAC performers.