SPU-Chaminade box score, play-by-play
       SPU-Hawaii Pacific box score, play-by-play

HONOLULU – No one knows yet how the season will finish. But this much is certain about how the season has started for the Seattle Pacific volleyball team:

It's the best start in school history.

Sarah Risser posted a double-double of 13 kills and 12 digs, Nikki Lowell added 12 kills in another outstanding hitting performance, and Shelby Swanson set up 37 assists Saturday night as SPU downed Hawaii Pacific in its final match of the Hawaii Invitational, 3-0.

Scores against the previously undefeated Sea Warriors were 25-23, 26-24, 25-18.

Combined with Saturday's earlier 3-0 sweep at Chaminade (25-18, 25-19, 25-18) in which Lowell hit at an astounding .714 clip, the Falcons are 8-0 as they prepare for Thursday's start of their Great Northwest Athletic Conference schedule in Ellensburg against Central Washington.

The previous best SPU team out of the blocks was the 2003 squad that went 7-0.

Coach Chris Johnson was fully aware of his team's potential heading into last weekend's Seawolf Spike in California and this weekend's Hawaii Invite. But he also knew better than to go making any kind of predictions – including an 8-0 start.

“I just don't think that's something you plan for and expect,” Johnson said. “We knew we were going to have a talented squad, and we were playing great together last spring. But going into this (West) regional schedule, we knew we were going to have good opponents – San Francisco State, Chico State, Sonoma, Hawaii Hilo – they were all either in the NCAA Tournament last year or close to getting in.

“To come out of that unscathed, I'm very proud and very excited about it.”

Both last week at Sonoma State in the final match of the Seawolf Spike and Saturday at Hawaii Pacific in the last match of that tourney, the Falcons were across the net from an undefeated host team. Both matches ended in three-game Seattle Pacific sweeps.

EARLY RALLY AGAINST HAWAII PACIFIC
The Falcons trailed through most of Game 1 against the Sea Warriors, once by as many as five at 10-5. Tied at 22, SPU scored three of the last four points, clinching it on a kill by junior outside hitter Lindsey Wodrich (Richland, Wash./Richland HS).

Seattle Pacific had a 20-13 lead in the second game, saw HPU go on a 7-0 run to tie it, then pulled out. The Falcons never trailed in Game 3.

Risser's double-double was her fifth of the year. She hit an even .200, giving her three straight matches at or above that mark. Junior libero Anna Herold (Bothell, Wash./Shorecrest HS) had 22 digs after coming up with 13 against Chaminade. Junior outside hitter Paige Hoffman (Encinitas, Calif.) hit at a .296 clip with eight kills and no errors on 27 attacks.

Lowell (Claremont, Calif.) hit .478 against HPU with 12 kills and just one error in 23 swings. For the day, the redshirt freshman middle blocker put down 22 kills with just one error in 37 attacks – a .568 hitting percentage. Hoffman hit .340 for Saturday's two matches (18 kills, one error, 50 attacks).

SPU limited Hawaii Pacific to just .123 hitting, and just .091 in the third game. The Falcons have kept all eight of their opponents below .200 this fall after doing that 20 times in 29 matches last season.

SILENCING THE SILVERSWORDS
Risser led the way with 15 kills and had her best hitting match of the season (.316) as the Falcons breezed past Chaminade. That came on the heels of her .297 performance in a three-game sweep of Brigham Young-Hawaii on Friday night.

Hoffman had 10 kills and finished at .391 hitting, Swanson picked up 38 assists, and Wodrich added 10 digs and two service aces.

“In the first couple games, our offense was really clicking,” Johnson said. (The Falcons hit .355 in the opener and .452 in the middle game.) “We were passing very well in a very humid gym without air conditioning. And we were serving really tough. We were putting them in a lot of trouble with our serving.”
SPU's defense limited Chaminade to .150 hitting, including .087 in the third game. Chaminade (2-4 overall) didn't have anyone in double figures for kills.



NCAA WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
Hawaii Invitational
Saturday, September 11, 2010
McCabe Gym/Honolulu, Hawaii

Seattle Pacific 3, Chaminade 0

Game scores – 25-18, 25-19, 25-18.

Service aces – SPU: Sarah Risser 2, Shelby Swanson 2, Lindsey Wodrich 2. Cham: Two players with 1.
Kills – SPU: Risser 15, Paige Hoffman 10, Nikki Lowell 10. Cham: Allie Board 9, Kylee Pedro 7.
Assists – SPU: Shelby Swanson 38. Cham: Tanya Alvino 26.
Digs – SPU: Anna Herold 13, Wodrich 10. Cham: Kristin Inamasu 13.
Blocks – SPU: Lowell 3, Swanson 2. Cham: Board 2, Pedro 2.
Hitting (kills-errors-total attacks) – Lowell 10-0-14--.714, Hoffman 10-1-23--.391, Risser 15-3-38--.316, SPU 44-12-105--.305. Cham: Board 9-2-18--.389, Pedro 7-3-16--.250, Cham 32-17-100--.150.
Attendance – 75.

Records – SPU 7-0, 0-0 GNAC. Chaminade 2-4, 0-0 Pacific West.



At Clarence T.C. Ching Gymnasium/Honolulu, Hawaii

Seattle Pacific 3, Hawaii Pacific 0

Game scores – 25-23, 26-24, 25-18.

Service aces – SPU: Holly Mueller 2. HPU: Two players with 1.
Kills – SPU: Sarah Risser 13, Nikki Lowell 12. HPU: Kelly Balanay 11.
Assists – SPU: Shelby Swanson 37. HPU: Pihana Kea 26.
Blocks – SPU: Taylor Greig 3, Paige Hoffman 2, Lindsey Wodrich 2, Lowell 2. HPU: Balanay 5.
Digs – SPU: Anna Herold 22, Risser 12. HPU: Kyra Pelay0 15, Natasha Bell 14.
Hitting (kills-errors-total attacks) – SPU: Lowell 12-1-23--.478, Hoffman 8-0-27, .296, Risser 13-6-35--.200, SPU 42-19-125--.184. HPU: Balanay 11-3-20--.400, Courtney Curran 8-1-23--.304, HPU 37-22-122--.123.
Attendance – 200.

Records – SPU 8-0, 0-0 GNAC. HPU 6-1, 0-0 Pacific West.

Next match – Seattle Pacific at Central Washington (Ellensburg), Thursday, 7 p.m.