Falcons face Cal State L.A. in Thursday's NCAA opener

SEATTLE – Dig it. Block it. Or get out of the way.

During her high school days, those usually were the choices Sarah Risser gave her opponents on the other side of the court when she wound up to spike the volleyball. And sometimes, they couldn't do any of the above.

Couldn't dig it. Couldn't block it.

Couldn't even get out of the way.

“I saw players get hit in the head with her kills a few times,” Seattle Pacific coach Chris Johnson recalled of some of his time spent scouting the 5-foot-9 Risser. “Nobody could stop her.”

But Risser found a much different world when she joined the Falcons in 2007. Those same balls that went for emphatic kills in high school got dug up by quicker college defenders. Got blocked by bigger ones.

In short, plenty of opponents could stop her – and did.

But Risser and her game both matured. Now, while she can – and still does – hit hard, she also hits smarter. And that's a big reason the Falcons have put together one of the best seasons in school history, bringing a 24-2 record into today's first-round match against Cal State Los Angeles at the NCAA Division II West Regionals.

Risser and the Falcons, who are seeded second among the eight teams, will serve it up against the seventh-seeded Golden Eagles at 2:30 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena on the campus of top-seeded Cal State San Bernardino.

“I think we've come into every year expecting this kind of season,” the senior Falcons outside hitter said. “Maybe in 2008 (when SPU went 8-18), we didn't really believe it. Last year (with a 17-12 record and a trip to NCAAs), we started to believe a little more.

“This year, it was expected,” she said. “Looking where we are now compared to the beginning of the season, I never doubted it or thought that it wouldn't happen. But to see it happening, it's becoming more realistic as we accomplish more and more.”

Seattle Pacific won its first 16 matches, including sweeps of preseason tournaments in California and Hawaii. The Falcons didn't even receive any votes in the national preseason poll, but since then have climbed as high as No. 12 and come into regionals ranked No. 14 in D-2. Their only losses were on the road at Western Washington and Alaska Anchorage – two teams that will square off in the match immediately preceding the SPU-Cal State L.A. contest.

By the end of the regular season, the Falcons had gone 16-2 in conference play to earn a share of the crown with rival Western. And Risser certainly contributed her share: a team-leading 326 kills for an average of 3.79 per game that ranks 25th in all of Division II, a total of 10 kill-dig double-doubles, and a team-high 34 service aces.

And, perhaps just as important, Risser showed the ability to shake off the occasional sub-par outing that all outside hitters have and come back with a strong performance the next time -- such as the career-high .484 she hit against Northwest Nazarene after going .000 at Central Washington just two nights earlier. Or the back-to-back .308 and .304 after hitting just .068 in the loss at Western Washington.

“Playing-wise, I've had a lot of ups and downs. But mentally, I've stayed the same,” Risser said of the even-keel mindset that she has worked to develop. “I used to be really mental – my game would go up and down with my personality. Now, I'm OK with not getting the best hitting percentage or the most kills. Lindsey (Wodrich) is performing and Nikki (Lowell) is performing.

“I'm really critical of myself, and this year, I've learned not to do that. Now, I'm just learning to appreciate the joy of playing with my roommates and my friends.”

NOTICING THE DIFFERENCE
Johnson certainly has noticed that level of maturity and how it has helped Risser become a much more effective player.

“She has learned to get the ball and better places to hit. And she has learned not to get frustrated when she does get blocked,” he said. “And her passing game has gotten a lot better. She's someone we can really rely on now as a passer.”

Seattle Pacific's previous five trips to the NCAA tournament have ended all too quickly in the first round. The Falcons – and especially Risser, given that it's her senior season – want this one to last much longer.

“It has been crossing my mind all season, especially living with all the juniors on the team,” said Risser, who spends a portion of her academic time as an integrated studies major assisting in an area first-grade classroom. “They're my best friends. It's weird that I'm going to be moving on from this team, and they're not. So I'm literally cherishing every second I have playing with them.”

That includes today, when the Falcons serve it up against Cal State Los Angeles, a team that essentially played its way into the tournament during the final week of the season.

“We've looked up their stats, their record, their players, who's playing who's not – we're pumped, we're excited,” Risser said. “We don't really know what to expect from them. It's kind of a wild card.

“But it's the same mindset: We're ready to play harder and give more than the other team is willing to give.”

Which means it could come down to certain choices for that “other team” when Risser and the Falcons step onto the court:

Dig it. Block it.

Or get out of the way.