GNAC release, with complete all-conference list

SEATTLE – For the third straight year, Seattle Pacific has one of the top new volleyball players in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.

Sophomore middle blocker Amber Johnson was named on Monday as the GNAC's Newcomer of the Year. Her honor follows on the heels of SPU's back-to-back Freshman of the Year awards, which went to Joelle Perez in 2007 and Anna Herold in 2008.

Johnson was one of four SPU honorees on the All-GNAC team, which was released on Monday.

Junior outside hitter Sarah Risser (Santa Barbara, Calif.) was named to the first team, and was a unanimous selection. Johnson and sophomore libero Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) earned spots on the second team, and senior middle blocker Jessica Bettencourt (South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) gained honorable mention.

Johnson (Mount Vernon, Wash./Mount Vernon HS) transferred to Seattle Pacific after spending last season at Whatcom Community College in Bellingham. She earned a starting spot at middle blocker almost immediately, and has played in 104 of the team's 110 games. She leads the Falcons with 102 blocks, including 13 solos, and has the top hitting percentage among the SPU's regular attackers at .347.

Her block average of 0.98 per game ranked fifth in the GNAC. Her hitting percentage was No. 2 in the GNAC and has been among the top 35 in all of Division II.

Coach Chris Johnson couldn't have been happier with Amber Johnson's fast emergence as a solid presence at the net.

“We knew she was going to be good. But we didn't know how good or how soon,” he said. “She has been really consistent in all aspects of the game all year.”

What's more, the SPU coach said the 6-foot-2 Johnson is really just getting started, and some specifically-focused offseason work could make her an even stronger force in the future.

“It will help her become more effective and have a lot more options as far as where to hit and what kind of sets to hit,” he said. “She's looking forward to it.

RISSER PUTS THE HAMMER DOWN
Although she missed two early-season matches while recovering from appendicitis, Risser still piled up a team-leading 362 kills as the Falcons prepare for Thursday's NCAA West Regional opener against  Cal State San Bernardino. She has been among the top 30 for Division II in kills per game most of the season, now averaging 3.73 per game. She ranks second on the team in digs with 299.

Herold broke the school's single-season digs record for the second straight year. After coming up with 579 as a freshman in 2008, she heads to the NCAAs with 603, an average of 5.48 per game that is good for a spot among the top 20 in Division II. She also ranks No. 4 on the Falcons with 107 assists, and has played in all 110 games this fall, one of just two Falcons to do so.

Bettencourt has enjoyed an outstanding senior season after recovering from shoulder surgery. She has played in 109 of SPU's 110 games and is hitting .232, her best ever in any single season. Bettencourt has 109 kills (1.59 per game), and her 68 blocks rank third on the team.

Seattle Pacific, seeded No. 8 in the West Region, will serve it up against No. 1 seed Cal State San Bernardino at 7:30 p.m. in the last of Thursday's four quarterfinals. If the Falcons win, they would face either Alaska Anchorage or Hawaii Hilo in a semifinal on Friday at 7;30 p.m. The championship match is set for Saturday at 7 p.m.