MONMOUTH, Ore. --- The Western Oregon volleyball returns home for a pair of games this week, hosting Simon Fraser 7 p.m. Thursday and Western Washington 7 p.m. Saturday at the New PE Building.

WOLVES HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2022 STATISTICS
WOU snapped its five-match losing streak Saturday at MSU Billings, sweeping the Yellowjackets 25-17, 25-14, 26-24 - two days after losing at Seattle Pacific 3-1 (25-19, 22-25, 25-15, 25-22). Leading the Wolves on Saturday was Sarah Crowell as she racked up 17 kills in just three sets.

Madison Hornback continues to lead the team in kills at 2.58 per set (she also leads the team with 20 aces) and is followed by Bailee Hartsook (2.44), Crowell (2.31) and Ella Nordquist (2.0). Emily West leads three setters for the Wolves averaging more than 4.5 assists per set at 5.21 - just ahead of Laney O'Neil (5.20) and Sophia Casarez (4.66). Defensively, Ally Henry leads WOU at 3.49 digs per set while Delaney Smith is averaging a team-best 0.81 blocks per set (closely followed by Chloe Asciutto at 0.72). 

SIMON FRASER HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2022 STATISTICS
The Red Leafs dropped their first home match of the season Saturday, losing a five setter to Central Washington - two days after defeating Northwest Nazarene 3-1.

Dexter Brooke leads the SFU attack at 2.97 kills per set - seventh in the GNAC. Jocelyn Sherman is also averaging more than two kills per set at 2.27. Serena Gentile (5.69) and Eva Person (4.21) share the setting duties while Ava Khademi leads the team with 25 aces  Defensively, Khademi leads the team at 3.20 digs per set while Kalyn Hartmann is averaging a team-best 1.09 blocks per set (sixth in the RMAC).

WESTERN WASHINGTON HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2022 STATISTICS
The Vikings won their second and third match in a row last week with home wins against Central Washington (3-1, Chloe Roetcisoender with 14 kills) and at Northwest Nazarene (3-0, Gabby Kepley 13 kills).

WWU has four playres averaging more than 2.25 kills per set in Calley Heilborn (2.58), Roetcisoender (2.56), Gabby Gunterman (2.40) and Olivia Fairchild (2.38). Malia Aleaga leads the team at 10.29 assists per game while Gunterman has a team-best 26 aces. Kasey Woodruff is averaging a team-best 3.62 digs per contes (Heilborn not far behind at 3.33) while Roetcisoender is leading the team and second in the GNAC at 1.31 blocks per game - with Fairchild not far behind at 1.15 (fourth in the GNAC).

  MAKING STRIDES IN YEAR ONE UNDER NAHALE-A
The Western Oregon volleyball team with its six wins has already surpassed last season's win total (4-21), their 2019 win total (5-22) and has equaled their win total from 2018 (6-21) in head coach Kaiao Nahale-a's first season at the helm. They can surpass this week their 2017 win total (7-20) and are looking for their first double-figure win season since 2016 (10-17).

BIG WOLVES WIN TO OPEN GNAC PLAY - FIRST VICTORY IN FAIRBANKS SINCE 2016
WOU opened GNAC play on Sept. 8 with a five-set win over Alaska Fairbanks, breaking the Nanooks' seven-match win streak, snapping an eight-match losing streak to them and winning in Fairbanks for the first time since 2016. Sarah Crowell paced the Wolves with a season-high 16 kills while Madison Hornback added 15 and Bailee Hartsook had 10.

HORNBACK, CASAREZ MAKE SMU ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
The Western Oregon volleyball team had a pair of representatives on the SMU All-Tournament Team from the event that took place from Sept. 1-3 in Lacey, Washington, in Madison Hornback and Sophia Casarez. Hornback had a big weekend in totaling 52 kills, 47 digs and nine aces in the Wolves' four matches while Casarez had 96 assists for the Wolves.