PACWEST VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
IRVINE, Calif. -- California Baptist and Azusa Pacific each picked up a pair of straight-set victories in the first weekend of conference play to lead the conference standings.
California Baptist swept preseason favorite Concordia on Thursday and then beat Dixie State on the road on Saturday. Azusa Pacific swept Point Loma at home before beating Fresno Pacific in just an hour on the road. Chaminade also continued its hot start to the season with wins over Hawai`i Hilo and Holy Names, while Hawai`i Pacific beat the same two teams in reverse order.
Biola won its first PacWest event in any sport, beating Concordia on its home floor in five sets on Saturday night. Tess Van Grouw tallied a season-high 30 digs in the win. Biola will be back in action this week on Friday against Azusa Pacific in the first contest of the new Cornerstone Cup competition between the former rivals. The Cornerstone Cup will be awarded to the athletic department which does better in head-to-head competitions between the two schools.
The two teams in the conference with the longest active winning streaks will meet on Saturday as California Baptist hosts Notre Dame de Namur on Saturday at 5 p.m. Also, Academy of Art, Fresno Pacific and Dixie State will all head to the Hawaiian Islands for a pair of matches.
Weekly Awards for the week of Sept. 11-17
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Julianne Miller, Azusa Pacific
MB, So., 6-1 -- Rocklin, Calif.
Miller led the conference in hitting percentage at .731 as she helped Azusa Pacific earn two straight-set victories to start the conference season. She tallied 20 kills and added four blocks for the week.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Tess Van Grouw, Biola
L, Sr., 5-9 -- Exeter, Calif.
Van Grouw tallied a season-high 30 digs in the Eagle’s five-set win over Concordia in Biola athletics’ first ever PacWest contest. Van Grouw also added two aces to help Biola improve to 7-2 on the season.
FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Sydney Marks, California Baptist
MB, Fr., 6-0 -- Lodi, Calif.
Marks registered a conference-best 11 blocks on the week as California Baptist recorded two straight-set victories to improve its streak to 19 consecutive sets won. The freshman added 12 kills and three digs as the Lancers improved to 9-0 this year.