By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications

PORTLAND, Ore. – Last season, it was a 4-0 record which was the best start to a season the Western Oregon volleyball team had since 1999.
 
Now, it’s an even sturdier 7-1 beginning to the 2024 campaign. After starting their season 4-0 in Hawaii, the Wolves went 3-1 at the Cougar Classic in San Marcos, Calif., and were named the GNAC Team of the Week on Monday.
 
“These guys have bought into creating a lot of trust and safety among one another,” said third-year WOU head coach Kaiao Nahale-a. “Almost half our team is new, and they have leaned into the

fact that we are going to be stronger as we come together. Now we are about establishing purpose. It feels awesome to be 7-1, but that doesn’t define our journey. This team feels bought in, is willing to trust the process and it has been a great start with this team.”
 
Western Oregon took down Azusa Pacific in five sets to open its week, before handling Cal State Monterey Bay 3-1 and sweeping Westmont 3-0. The team’s first defeat of the season was a back-and-forth, five-set loss at the hands of Cal State San Marcos, ending the Wolves’ seven-match winning streak to start the season. “Playing in the five-setters, our team feels really resilient and composed in big moments,” said Nahale-a, whose team is now 3-1 in five-set matches this fall. “Every time we have been faced with difficulty, they have chosen to pull together. Communication has been strong, there has been poise and there have been big swings and aces put in. Playing Azusa in the first game, that was an excellent display of composure. It speaks to our team depth and how we have performed this preseason.”
 
GNAC Offensive Player of the Week Bailee Hartsook had a big impact in her 2024 debut, after battling injury during the preseason. In the three full matches she played, Hartsook averaged 3.07 kills per set while swinging at an efficient clip of .338. In her first full match of the season, Hartsook put down 14 kills on 20 swings with just two errors in WOU’s sweep of Cal State Monterey Bay. She followed that with a dozen kills against Westmont and capped the week with a season-high 16 kills against Cal State San Marcos. Her kill total in the finale was the third-highest of her four-year career at WOU, missing her career-best of 19 by just three. “Bailee has been hurt almost all of preseason,” said Nahale-a. “She is just coming back and had a great week. The team rallied around her and she has been an incredible teammate the entire time, whether she’s injured or on the court.”
 

Chloe Asciutto was named the Cougar Classic MVP, after a top all-around performance. The junior from Camas, Wash., averaged 1.65 kills per set, had 13 service aces and seven total blocks on the weekend. Through the first three weeks of the 2024 campaign, Asciutto’s 0.77 service aces per set are the most among all GNAC players. “It is motivating for her as a middle to serve, come in and play defense,” said Nahale-a. “She is an all-around volleyball player. Every year, practice and rep, she is somebody who loves getting better and improving. Getting tournament MVP is a culmination of a lot of hard work, and she has earned a lot of what she has gotten. She is somebody who has dedicated a lot towards improving. She had two great tournaments back-to-back, and the MVP feels earned and not given.”
 
Preseason all-conference selection Madison Hornback was also on top of her game, notching double-doubles against Azusa Pacific (13 kills, 11 digs) and Cal State San Marcos (17 kills, 10 digs). The senior from Oregon City, Ore., has reached double figures in kills five times this season, and currently ranks sixth in the conference with 2.97 kills per set. “Madison has been humble enough to rely on her teammates and not go about the pressure of being a team leader alone,” said Nahale-a. “That has shown her leadership on and off the court, and she has worked hard this summer to be the best player she can be. On the court she has performed well in a lot of facets. Her serve-receive and blocking have been some of the best in the conference.”
 
In addition to Asciutto, Hartsook and Hornback, Maela Honma and Kilinoelehua Helm were each selected to the all-tournament team. A sophomore from Keaau, Hawaii, Helm put down a season-high 14 kills in the win over Cal State Monterey Bay and has reached double digits in kills four times this fall. Honma meanwhile had a big 15-kill, 19-dig double-double in the five-set win over APU, marking her third double-double of the season.
 
With conference play kicking off this week, the Wolves enter the league portion of their schedule atop the GNAC standings. WOU’s home opener is Thursday at 7 p.m. PT against preseason favorite Central Washington (2-4), and they’ll host Northwest Nazarene (3-5) on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. PT. “We are incredibly excited to start the GNAC season,” said Nahale-a. “We are looking forward to having a big crowd. There is a lot of love in the Monmouth community for volleyball and female sports in general. It’s wonderful that our kids get to play in an environment that empowers them and inspires them. Our team is excited to play a very entertaining style of volleyball. This team is excited to get to work at practice and in the weight room today. We are going to get a good game plan together, honor the game and have a lot of fun Thursday and Saturday night.”