MONMOUTH, Ore. --- The Western Oregon volleyball team hits the road to take on Seattle Pacific on Thursday and MSU Billings on Saturday to continue GNAC action.

WOLVES HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2022 STATISTICS
WOU fell to Saint Martin's on the road 3-0 (28-26, 25-10, 25-19) in its lone game last week with Ella Nordquist leading the team with eight kills.

Madison Hornback leads the team in kills per set at 2.58, closely followed by Bailee Hartsook at 2.50. Emily West is averaging a team-best 5.24 assists per set followed by Laney O'Neil (5.20) and Sophia Casarez (4.57). Hornback leads WOU at 0.40 aces per set. Ally Henry tops the team at 3.57 digs per set while Delaney Smith is averaging 0.80 blocks per set.

SEATTLE PACIFIC HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2022 STATISTICS
The Falcons won both of its matches on the road last week, winning at Northwest Nazarene 3-1 (20-25, 25-14, 25-19, 25-23) on Thursday before beating Central Washington in five (20-25, 25-17, 25-21, 17-25, 15-11).

Ashley Antoniak has paced the SPU attack at 2.44 kills per set followed by Sarah Brachvogel (2.37) and Maddie Pruden (2.11). The Falcons feature two setters in Emily Tulino (4.73) and Lindsey Lambert (4.00) while Brachvogel leads the team with 21 aces (0.39 per set). Abigail Cunningham leads the team at 3.66 digs per set while Allison Wilks (0.85 per set) and Hannah Hair (0.84 per set) lead the team in blocks per set.

MSU BILLINGS HEADING INTO THE WEEK | 2022 STATISTICS
The Yellowjackets have dropped six straight heading into this week, losing last week at Central Washington (3-1) and at Northwest Nazarene (3-0). 

Caty Havekost (2.47), Jahsita Fa'ali'i (2.29) and Lily Gentz (2.16) headed into the week. Hannah Hashbarger is averaging 5.81 assists per game while Fa'ali'i leads the team with 18 aces. Christine Funk leads the team with 4.69 digs per set while Paiten Langston (0.87) and Hannah Hayden (0.78) lead the team in blocks per set.

RECENT HISTORY VERSUS SAINT MARTIN'S
The Wolves split with Seattle Pacific last season, sweeping the Falcons at home on Oct. 28 to break a nine-match losing streak to SPU. Against MSU Billings, WOU lost both matches last season (in four sets at home and five sets in Montana) and last won Nov. 21, 2019 in Monmouth. The Wolves will be looking for their first win in Billings since 2015.
  MAKING STRIDES IN YEAR ONE UNDER NAHALE-A
The Western Oregon volleyball team has made strides from a year ago in head coach Kaiao Nahale-a's first season at the helm. With five wins, the Wolves have surpassed last season's win total already (4-21), equaled the 2019 win total (5-22), can equal the 2018 win total (6-21) on Thursday and with two wins can equal the 2017 win total (7-20). The Wolves are halfway to 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.