By: Evan O'Kelly, Associate Commissioner for Communications
PORTLAND, Ore. – Pursuit of a title defense.
Reclamation of a once-dynasty.
Hope for the underdog.
Each of these storylines lies in the eye of the beholder as the 2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball season kicks off this weekend with a full slate of nine conference matches.
Seattle Pacific (0-8) will look to defend its first GNAC title since 2011, after playing the toughest non-conference slate with six of its eight opponents being nationally-ranked. Western Washington (1-5) and Central Washington (2-4) each also figure to be title contenders after each playing four nationally-ranked opponents during testing non-conference schedules. The Vikings are looking to get back to the top of the GNAC world after winning four straight titles from 2017-21 and holding the most GNAC crowns with 10 total. Central Washington meanwhile was voted the favorite to win the 2024 title in a neck-and-neck preseason coaches poll.
At the top of the standings after non-conference play are a handful of teams with something to prove. Western Oregon (7-1) is off to a hot start for the second year in a row, and the Wolves have not hoisted a GNAC volleyball trophy since their lone crown in 2008. Montana State Billings (6-3) has already doubled its win total from a 3-25 record last season, and has shown signs of a much-improved team that will compete against conference competition.
The hottest team after the non-conference slate is Alaska Fairbanks, which enters its league schedule on the heels of an eight-game winning streak. After losing their first two matches of the season, the Nanooks have done nothing but win since as they’re off to an 8-2 start, their second-best beginning since
Brian Scott took over in 2015 (10-2 start in 2022).
Noteworthy: According to masseyratings.com, GNAC schools have the three toughest strength-of-schedule numbers in D2: Western Washington at No. 1, Seattle Pacific at No. 2, Central Washington at No. 3 and Simon Fraser at No. 6.
Alaska volleyball enters GNAC play having won eight matches in a row (Photo: Nathan Pearsall).
| This Week's Schedule |
| Home Team |
Thursday, Sept. 19 |
Saturday, Sept. 21 |
| Montana State Billings |
BYE |
Seattle Pacific (1 p.m. MT) |
| Saint Martin's |
Northwest Nazarene (7 p.m. PT) |
Central Washington (1 p.m. PT) |
| Simon Fraser |
Alaska Anchorage (7 p.m. PT) |
Alaska Fairbanks (2 p.m. PT) |
| Western Oregon |
Central Washington (7 p.m. PT) |
Northwest Nazarene (1 p.m. PT) |
| Western Washington |
Alaska Fairbanks (7 p.m. PT) |
Alaska Anchorage (7 p.m. PT) |
RED HOT NANOOKS, SEAWOLVES OPEN AT WWU, SFU: After being selected sixth in the preseason coaches poll, the Alaska Nanooks have indicated that they are ready to prove that an underestimation. After being
Josie Jansen (8) and Ainsley Smith (17) go up for a combo
block last week in Fairbanks (Photo: Nathan Pearsall).
named GNAC Team of the Week for sweeping its four matches at the Concordia Irvine tournament, the Nanooks went 3-0 last week on their home floor and dropped just one set. Alaska will face a tough road test this week, playing at Western Washington on Thursday evening before playing at Simon Fraser (4-3) on Saturday afternoon.
Senior
Karli Nielson ranks fourth in the GNAC with 3.53 kills per set and sixth in the league in hitting percentage at .281, and she enters the week with 956 career kills as she approaches the 1,000 mark. She was named MVP of the Denali State Ice Block Classic on Saturday evening, and already has one GNAC Offensive Player of the Week award to her name this fall.
Ainsley Smith has proven the league’s top statistical setter thus far, posting a GNAC-high 10.08 assists per set which ranks her 35th nationally. The Nanooks also boast one of the top middle duos in the league, with
Elizabeth Jackson ranking second in the GNAC with 1.09 blocks per set and
Josie Jansen ranking fifth with 1.00 blocks per set.
Read More: Nanooks win Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic (UAF Release)
After winning its first match of the year, Western Washington enters league play on the heels of five straight losses – four of which came against teams ranked in the top 16 nationally. Don’t let the record against one of the toughest non-conference schedules fool you – after starting 0-9 in 2023 WWU went on to go 12-6 the rest of the way and finish third in the GNAC standings.
Delaney Speer leads the Vikings with 2.44 kills per set and
Devyn Oestreich leads the team with 3.13 digs per set across their first six matches.
WWU's Finnley Claeys dives for a dig on her home floor (Photo: Phil Montgomery).
The Nanooks will also collide with a Simon Fraser squad that is fresh off an upset of No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino last Saturday. Three-time all-conference selection
Brooke Dexter, who
recently crossed the 1,000-
SFU's Eva Person ranks second in the
GNAC with 7.46 assists per set.
career kills threshold, ranks second in the GNAC with 3.77 kills per set and eighth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .266.
Eva Person ranks second in the GNAC with 7.46 assists per set and
Macyn Unger is third in the league with 4.38 digs per set. The duo of
Ezawa Malish and
Nina Kovacevic have each averaged 1.00 blocks per set as well.
Alaska Anchorage (6-4), which has also gotten off to a strong start in non-conference play, will play at Simon Fraser (Thursday) and Western Washington (Saturday) this weekend. The Seawolves, like their in-state counterpart Nanooks, swept through the competition at the Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic dropping just one set across three victories. UAA enters conference play on an overall four-match winning streak.
Larssen Anderson has gotten her sophomore season off to a strong start, averaging 2.22 kills per set and ranking ninth in the conference with a hitting percentage of .265.
Kadyn Osborne ranks fourth in the GNAC with 0.51 aces per set,
Madison Galloway is fifth in the league with 3.78 digs per set and
Leilani Elder is fourth in the GNAC with 1.03 blocks per set.
Read More: Seawolves open GNAC campaign at SFU, WWU (UAA Preview)
GNAC-LEADING WOLVES TEST THEIR METTLE: It is Western Oregon that sits atop the GNAC standings on the eve of conference play, after winning seven straight matches to start the season and coming up just short in a five-set affair against Cal State San Marcos last time out. The Wolves will face a mighty test right off the bat, with preseason favorite Central Washington heading to Monmouth on Thursday evening. WOU is also set to host Northwest Nazarene (3-4) on Saturday afternoon.
Freshly minted as
the GNAC Team of the Week, Western Oregon has relied on a combination of veteran leadership and young talent to put together the league’s best winning percentage during non-conference play. Senior
Madison Hornback leads the team and ranks sixth in the league with 2.97 kills per set, while junior
Chloe Asciutto leads the conference with 0.77 aces per set.
Bailee Hartsook, who was named GNAC Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, averaged 3.07 kills per set across her first three matches of the season, while
Kilinoelehua Helm and
Maela Honma joined the aforementioned WOU trio of players on the Cougar Classic all-tournament team.
Sophomore middle blocker Finley Buman has helped the Wolves to a 7-1 record at the outset of 2024.
Read More: Wolves host ‘Red Out’ on Thursday in GNAC opener (WOU Preview)
Central Washington will look to shrug off a 2-4 non-conference record and put its foot on the gas in pursuit of its first GNAC title since 2005. The Wildcats beat No. 10 Cal Poly Pomona in five sets last week, marking the highest-ranked opponent that a GNAC team has defeated this fall. CWU then lost nailbiters to No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino and reigning national champion No. 11 Cal State LA both in five sets on its home floor. Reigning All-American
Emma Daoud-Hebert has come as advertised this fall, leading the GNAC in hitting percentage at .439 and ranking third in blocks per set with 1.04. Senior libero
Hannah Stires ranks second in the conference with 4.93 digs per set, and
Ellie Marble leads the team with 2.85 kills per set. After playing the Wolves on Thursday, CWU will head back up Interstate 5 to square off against Saint Martin’s (2-6) on Saturday afternoon.
Read More: CWU goes on the road to open GNAC play this week (CWU Preview)
Like Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene also made its home debut last week, taking down Augustana and Biola in five sets before falling 3-1 to Point Loma and 3-2 to Westminster. The Nighthawks open their conference slate on
NNU's Gabi Moore is averaging
6.19 assists per set in 2024
(Photo: Robert Camacho).
Thursday night at Saint Martin’s, before clashing with the Wolves on Saturday.
Lily Kinloch leads NNU and ranks 10th in the GNAC with 2.64 kills per set, while veteran setter
Gabi Moore paces the squad and ranks fifth in the league with 6.19 assists per set.
Maren (Dent) Machado leads the team and ranks sixth in the league with 3.55 digs per set.
While Saint Martin’s has just two wins in its first eight matches, it has proved competitive more often than not with a 2-3 record in five-set affairs. The team’s lone win last week in Nampa was a 3-2 triumph over Biola, as it prepares to host the Nighthawks and Wildcats this weekend at Marcus Pavilion. First-year head coach
Wade Taylor has received production from veteran
Jennifer Soha, who ranks second in the GNAC with a hitting percentage of .321 and eighth in the GNAC with 1.00 blocks per set.
Emmy Hansen is ninth in the conference with a team-leading 2.66 kills per set, while preseason all-conference pick
Emily Garten ranks third in the league with 0.51 service aces per set.
Read More: Volleyball prepares for conference play (SMU Preview)
FALCONS, YELLOWJACKETS MEET IN MAGIC CITY: Montana State Billings knocked off intra-city rival Rocky Mountain College on Tuesday evening, and hopes to carry the momentum into its season opener on Saturday against the reigning conference champion. Fifth-year senior
Jahsita Fa’ali’i leads the GNAC with 3.78 kills per set and ranks second in the conference with 0.59 aces per set. Newcomer
Jordin Taulua is right behind Fa’ali’i ranking third in the league with 3.75 kills per set while
Julia Gordon ranks seventh in the league with a hitting percentage of .275. Newly minted GNAC Defensive Player of the Week
Christine Funk has a GNAC-leading 5.38 digs per set.
Read More: Yellowjackets claim victory in their first Rimrock Rivalry match (MSUB Recap)
Preseason Player of the Year
Hannah Hair has shown no signs of rust this season, leading the GNAC with 1.29 blocks per set and ranking third in the conference with a hitting percentage of .307. Returning all-conference selection
Allison Wilks has also been a strong presence thus far, ranking fifth in the GNAC with a hitting percentage of .289 and ninth in the GNAC with 0.90 blocks per set.
Read More: Falcons bound for Billings to start GNAC (SPU Preview)
SPU's Allison Wilks (center) is hitting .289 (5th in GNAC) and averaging 0.90 blocks (9th in GNAC) this fall.
Davida Hill – Simon Fraser University
Davida Hill is no stranger to the GNAC – she has been part of SFU’s roster since the outset of the 2021 season. A role player in previous seasons, Hill has proven a dominant presence in accelerated playing time thus far in her senior campaign. Through her first seven matches, Hill ranks fourth in the GNAC with a hitting percentage of .289 and seventh in the conference with 2.92 kills per set. Her 76 total kills thus far are already well more than half her previous career total of 99 accumulated through her first three seasons. Hill logged a 10-kill, 11-dig double-double in her first match of the season against Cal State San Marcos, and hasn’t looked back since as she has reached double digits in kills four times. The hometown Surrey, B.C., product figures to play a key role for the Red Leafs all season long.
Simon Fraser is coming off an upset of No. 16 Cal State San Bernardino last week.
The AVCA/TARAFLEX NCAA Division II rankings are released every Monday throughout the 2024 season.
| Poll |
Team 1 |
Team 2 |
Team 3 |
| Preseason |
19. SPU |
22. CWU |
RV WWU |
| Week 1 (Sept. 9) |
RV SPU |
RV CWU |
|
| Week 2 (Sept. 16) |
None |
|
|
| Date |
Offensive Player of the Week |
Defensive Player of the Week |
| 9/3 |
Larssen Anderson, Alaska Anchorage |
Ainsley Smith, Alaska Fairbanks |
| 9/9 |
Karli Nielson, Alaska Fairbanks |
Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser |
| 9/16 |
Bailee Hartsook, Western Oregon |
Christine Funk, Montana State Billings |
Sept. 16 GNAC Volleyball Players of the Week
VOLLEYBALL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Bailee Hartsook – Western Oregon University
First-career player of the week.
After battling an early-season injury, Hartsook was healthy enough to play last week and delivered in a big way to help lead the Wolves to three victories in their four matches. 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.
WOU Head Coach Kaiao Nahale-a: “Bailee has been hurt almost all of preseason. 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.”
Also Nominated: Bethany Tuchardt, Alaska Anchorage; Karli Nielson, Alaska Fairbanks; Emma Daoud-Hebert, Central Washington; Jahsita Fa’ali’i, Montana State Billings; Zoey Crimin, Saint Martin’s; Hannah Hair, Seattle Pacific; Brooke Dexter, Simon Fraser.
VOLLEYBALL DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Christine Funk – Montana State University Billings
Third-career player of the week, first this season.
Funk led all GNAC players in last week’s matches with 5.60 digs per set, and her 84 total digs were 10 more than the next-closest player in the conference. The senior libero has had at least a dozen digs in all eight of MSUB’s matches this fall. Funk kicked off her week with 25 digs in MSUB’s win over Black Hills State on Thursday. She reached that total again in the team’s win over Minnesota-Crookston on Saturday. Funk’s 1,426 digs are second-most in MSUB history, behind Gina Langer’s school record of 1,530 digs (1996-99). Funk also ranks 27th in GNAC history in total digs, and 25th in GNAC history in digs per set with 4.39.
MSUB Head Coach Casey Williams: “Chris was huge for us this past weekend and really carried us defensively. She kept us in system consistently through the weekend and kept us in a lot of rallies. Chris is so scrappy and she is someone we are lucky to have on our team as a great leader. We are excited for her to have a stellar senior year and this weekly award is just a small part of what she can do for us.”
Also Nominated: Madison Galloway, Alaska Anchorage; Elizabeth Jackson, Alaska Fairbanks; Hannah Stires, Central Washington; Kamara White, Saint Martin’s; Macyn Unger, Simon Fraser; Sidney Friesen, Western Oregon.
| 2024 ALL-TOURNAMENT SELECTIONS |
WWU Volleyball Invitational
Sept. 6-7 at Bellingham, Wash. (Western Washington, Host)
Central Washington: Ellie Marble; Emma Daoud-Hebert
Western Washington: Delaney Speer; Devyn Oestreich
Augustana Classic
Sept. 6-7 at Sioux Falls, S.D. (Augustana, Host)
Alaska Anchorage: Madison Galloway; Kadyn Osborne; Tia Allen
Yellowjacket Classic
Sept. 6-7 at Billings, Mont. (Montana State Billings, Host)
Montana State Billings: Jahsita Fa’ali’i (MVP); Christine Funk; Julia Gordon
Yotes Classic Showcase
Sept. 6-7 at San Bernardino, Calif. (Cal State San Bernardino, Host)
Seattle Pacific: Abigail Cunningham
2024 Cougar Classic
Sept. 12-14 at San Marcos, Calif. (Cal State San Marcos, Host)
Western Oregon: Chloe Asciutto (MVP); Maela Honma; Kilinoelehua Helm; Madison Hornback; Bailee Hartsook
Central Washington Invitational
Sept. 12-14 at Ellensburg, Wash. (Central Washington, Host)
Central Washington: Emma Daoud-Hebert; Hannah Stires
Simon Fraser: Brooke Dexter; Macyn Unger
Western Washington: Devyn Oestreich
Denali State Bank Ice Block Classic
Sept. 12-14 at Fairbanks, Alaska (University of Alaska Fairbanks, Host)
Alaska Anchorage: Bethany Tuchardt
Alaska Fairbanks: Karli Nielson (MVP); Rilee White; Elena Guc
Yellow Jacket Invitational
Sept. 12-14 at Spearfish, S.D. (Black Hills State, Host)
Montana State Billings: Julia Gordon
Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis
| GNAC Volleyball 2024 Preseason All-Conference Team (Aug. 26) |
| Name |
School |
Position |
Height |
Year |
Hometown (Previous School) |
| Hannah Hair |
Seattle Pacific |
MB |
6-1 |
GR |
Walla Walla, WA (Walla Walla) |
| Emma Daoud-Hebert |
Central Washington |
MB |
6-0 |
GR |
Woodinville, WA (Woodinville) |
| Scottie Ellsworth |
Central Washington |
RS |
6-2 |
JR |
Kent, WA (Kentwood) |
| Brooke Dexter |
Simon Fraser |
OPP |
6-2 |
SR |
Anchorage, AK (West Anchorage) |
| Devyn Oestreich |
Western Washington |
OH |
6-0 |
JR |
Olympia, WA (Capital) |
| Allison Wilks |
Seattle Pacific |
MB |
6-1 |
GR |
Bothell, WA (North Creek) |
| Hannah Stires |
Central Washington |
LIB |
5-5 |
GR |
Nine Mile Falls, WA (Lakeside) |
| Madison Hornback |
Western Oregon |
OH |
5-10 |
SR |
Oregon City, OR (Oregon City) |
| Karli Nielson |
Alaska Fairbanks |
OH |
5-11 |
SR |
South Weber, UT (Northridge) |
| Jocelyn Sherman |
Simon Fraser |
OH |
5-10 |
SR |
Victoria, BC (Belmont Secondary) |
| Emily Garten |
Saint Martin's |
OH |
5-10 |
SO |
Placentia, CA (El Dorado) |
| Emily Vossenkuhl |
Western Washington |
MB |
6-1 |
SO |
Ridgefield, WA (Ridgefield) |
| Miya Koch |
Northwest Nazarene |
RS |
5-11 |
SR |
Meridian, ID (Centennial) |
| Delaney Speer |
Western Washington |
OH |
5-11 |
SO |
Maple Valley, WA (Tahoma) |
Preseason Player of the Year: Hannah Hair, Seattle Pacific