PACWEST VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY NOTEBOOK
 
IRVINE, Calif. -- In the penultimate week of the 2018 volleyball season, Azusa Pacific clinched an automatic bid into the NCAA West Regional by going undefeated in its trip to Hawaii.
 
The Cougars opened the trip with a four-set win over Hawai`i Hilo before going the distance against Hawai`i Pacific and Chaminade. The Cougars won the fifth set in both matches handily to extend their winning streak to six matches.
 
Azusa Pacific returns home this week to face Dominican and Notre Dame de Namur, needing two wins to clinch the PacWest title outright. The Cougars defeated both teams on the road earlier in the season.
 
Biola is right behind the Cougars in the standings and finish the season at home against Holy Names and Academy of Art. The Eagles could win their second PacWest title of the fall if they get some help from NDNU and Dominican while winning both home matches.
 
Chaminade is still in the hunt for a spot in the NCAA West Regional thanks to a 21-5 overall record going into the final week of the season. The Silverswords will find out where they stand going into the final week when the latest rankings come out on Wednesday.
 
Academy of Art earned its first win of the season by beating Holy Names in five sets. Jillian Wheaton recorded 14 kills in the victory for the Urban Knights, which will finish the season on the road in southern California this week.
 
Weekly awards based on the week of Oct. 29-Nov. 4
 
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Natalie Klapp, Azusa Pacific
OH, Sr., 5-10 -- Goleta, Calif.
Klapp recorded one of the best single-match performances of the season on Saturday as she helped Azusa Pacific clinch an automatic bid to the postseason with a five-set win over Chaminade. In Azusa Pacific’s final match in Hawai`i, the senior helped the Cougars finish the trip 3-0 by equalling the PacWest single-match high in kills with 23. Klapp finished the match with a season-high .512 hitting percentage and recorded a double-double with 10 digs. During the Hawai`i trip, Klapp had a conference-best 41 kills with 48 digs and eight blocks.

DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Clarice Buchanan, Concordia
DS, So., 5-2 -- Lake Tapps, Wash.
Buchanan was one dig away from tying the PacWest single-match high for the season as she registered 39 digs in a five-set win against Dominican. The sophomore also had 20 digs in three sets against Notre Dame de Namur. Buchanan didn’t have any receiving errors for the week. The defensive specialist also added eight assists and an ace to help the Eagles’ offense. Concordia picked up its eighth win of the season and is tied for seventh place in the conference standings.

FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
Jillian Wheaton, Academy of Art
Opp., Fr., 6-1 -- Apple Valley, Calif.
Wheaton helped lead Academy of Art to its first win this season, beating Holy Names in five sets. In the victory, Wheaton had 14 kills and nine blocks.  Two days later, Wheaton had nine kills on only 16 attacks with no errors against Fresno Pacific. She led the conference in hitting percentage for the week at .538 and was also among the conference leaders for blocks per set as she added another six blocks against Fresno Pacific.