The Seattle Pacific University women’s volleyball team punched their ticket to the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division II tournament on Nov. 11, 2023, winning the Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship.
The Falcons clinched their spot in the tournament with a win against Montana State Billings, in which they swept them three sets to zero. With fourteen conference wins on the season, the team only lost twice, both games against Western Washington University.
Head coach Jason Rhine used these losses as opportunities to improve and make adjustments that he felt were necessary to have success in the postseason.
“Losses are really valuable, especially when we don’t have a lot in the season. [Losses] gives us a good chance to reflect on some on the court things, like continuing to put pressure on teams from our serving,” Rhine said.
Rhine saw a dramatic increase in wins in his second season, going from a 50% win percentage to an 83% win percentage. He attributes much of the team’s improvements and success this season to their comradery and commitment to each other.
“We integrated a few freshmen this year and I think our team did a great job of welcoming them and including them in a group that has spent a lot of time together already with a lot of juniors and seniors that know each other well. It makes team cohesion really high,” Rhine said.
With the tournament starting on Nov. 30, the coaching staff will have a new challenge of navigating postseason practices and balancing it with a break for Thanksgiving.
“Over Thanksgiving, it’s going to be a little challenge for us. I haven’t played through that before. We will practice beforehand and then take a few days off for players to spend time with families and get a little break,” Rhine said. “It will be an interesting rhythm, but it will be nice to be done with the quarter and focus on fun things like Thanksgiving and volleyball.”
Senior outside hitter and nursing major Allison Wilks is excited to be playing volleyball over SPU’s six-week-long winter break.
“We get to go home for Thanksgiving, but then come back and be on campus without any school. It’s kind of like a preseason feel, which is a really fun time for a team where you just like playing a lot of volleyball, spending time with your favorite people,” Wilks said.
Thanksgiving break will look different for some players who will spend the holiday together. In particular, senior middle blocker and exercise science major Hannah Hair will bring a few teammates back to her hometown Walla Walla, Wash. for a pre-tournament Thanksgiving dinner.
“Some people are going home, but [Wilks] and a couple of other teammates from the Midwest will be coming home with me. Spending Thanksgiving with teammates will be really fun. My dad is so excited, he loves having them over, he can’t wait to host,” Hair said.
Looking ahead to the postseason, Hair feels prepared and confident with the team’s performance overcoming adversity against top-tier teams all season.
“Our conference is so competitive that it prepares us really well for the postseason. We play hard teams all year long, and when we get into the postseason, we’ve seen the best of the west in these last 10 weeks,” Hair said.
