Saturday, Nov. 23, was the perfect home farewell for Seattle Pacific’s eight volleyball seniors.
The Falcons defeated the Montana State University Billings Yellowjackets in four sets on Senior Day at Royal Brougham Pavilion in the final match of the season.
Head coach Jason Rhine, whose team finished fourth in the conference standings with a 10-8 conference record and 10-16 overall, is sad to lose part of the team’s family but also excited to build for next year.
“[I’m] excited for them to move on and do cool, new things,” Rhine said. “It’s exciting for some of the underclassmen to get more opportunities next year, and I’m excited for the freshmen we have coming in. It’s going to be hard, fun and exciting at the same time.”
The Falcons bid farewell to opposite Erin Smith, outside hitter Sydney Perry, setter Emily Tulino, middle blocker Hannah Hair, middle blocker Allison Wilks, outside hitter Sarah Brachvogel and liberos Abigail Cunningham and Zoe Shuckhart.
Smith has become a regular productive presence on the right side. For the 2024 season, she has 196 kills, 80 blocks and 43 digs (a single-season best). Her career totals are 598 kills, 262 blocks and 115 digs. She made the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s All-Academic lists in 2021, 2022 and 2023
Perry is coming to the end of her best-ever season. She has 260 kills, 90 digs and 32 blocks, all of which are single-season bests. For her career, Perry has 657 kills, 222 digs and 131 blocks. She made GNAC All-Academic in 2021, 2022 and 2023.
Tulino is the fourth setter in the 39-year history of SPU’s volleyball program to lead the team in assists for all four years of her career. Her season total for assists is 833 and her career tally is 2,424. She has 50 career kills and 42 career blocks. She has been named an All-GNAC Honorable Mention in 2021 and 2023, GNAC All-Academic in 2022 and 2023, College Sports Communicators / College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District in 2023.
Hair will go down as one of the premier players in Seattle Pacific and GNAC history. She broke the conference career blocks record on Nov. 2 with her 598th block. Her season total is 158 and her career total is 606. She has 895 career kills and 217 for the season. She was the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II leader for blocks per set and was second in total blocks in 2023. She is a two-time All-American, was GNAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2023, and was the 2024 Preseason Player of the Year.
Wilks will conclude her career as the best single-season hitter in SPU history. In 2023, Wilks was the first Falcon in program history to hit above .400 with a .404 overall hitting percentage. Wilks has 618 career kills, 366 career blocks and 292 career digs. Her season totals are 212 kills, 102 blocks and 83 digs. Wilks has made the All-GNAC first team in 2023, 2022 All-GNAC honorable mention, 2023 Preseason All-GNAC, GNAC All-Academic in 2021, 2022 and 2023, 2023 CSC / CoSIDA Academic All-District.
Brachvogel was unable to play this season due to a knee injury. Her final competitive season in 2023 was by far her best with 340 kills, 204 digs and 50 blocks. Her career totals are 492 kills, 100 blocks and 272 digs. She made the 2023 All-GNAC first team, the 2023 Division II Conference Commissioners Association All-Region second team and was named the MVP of the preseason California State University, San Marcos Cougar Classic.
Cunningham has been steady and reliable in the back row, coming up with 849 digs and 71 service aces for her career. Her season totals are 216 digs, 31 service aces and 21 assists. Cunningham was named GNAC All-Academic in 2022 and 2023.
Shuckhart has been another dependable performer in the back row. She reached a single-season high of 112 digs. Her career totals are 266 digs, 26 service aces and 26 assists. She was named GNAC All-Academic in 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The final match of their careers was memorable with Seattle Pacific winning 25-12, 19-25, 25-17 and 25-16.
The first set began with the Yellowjackets leading by four. Seattle Pacific pulled ahead after a tie at 6-6, outscoring MSUB by a 23-6 margin the rest of the set. Seattle Pacific scored the first three points in the second set, but the Yellowjackets answered with a 3-3 tie. The score would tie eight more times before the Yellowjackets pulled ahead on a four-point run.
Seattle Pacific recovered with an early lead in the third set. The Yellowjackets came within two points before a service ace from Cunningham sent the Falcons on a scoring run that would secure the set. Another early lead in the fourth set ensured the Falcons reached set point at 24-13. The Yellowjackets stalled SPU for three points until Smith delivered the final, match-winning kill.
The Falcons’ eight seniors combined for 51 kills, 43 assists, 18 blocks and seven service aces. Hair had the most kills at 16 and delivered her second career service ace. Smith had the most blocks at seven. Tulino recorded her final double-double with 42 assists and 13 digs. It was her 14th of the season and 38th of her career.
“I’m feeling emotional. I played with a lot of the same girls for four years, so it’s bittersweet that we’re going on to our new ways,” Tulino said. “I feel grateful that I’ve had the time I’ve had with them. It’s been a blessing.”
As she closes this chapter in her life, Tulino is confident the Falcons’ volleyball legacy is in good hands.
“I’m very hopeful and excited for the girls that have come up,” Tulino said. “We have a great squad [of] very talented, very awesome girls. I can’t wait to come to games and watch them kill it.”
