IRVINE, Calif. -- Biola won all three of its matches last week without losing a single set, while Chaminade won two out of three matches during the trip to Southern California as the PacWest’s top-6 teams all stay in contention for the conference title.
Azusa Pacific did not play last week, so the Cougars moved up to first place while the rest of the schools from Southern California slugged it out with the three Hawai`i programs. Biola was the only program to come out of the busy week in southern California unscathed, including a perfect record in sets as the Eagles heat up at the right time.
Raegan Tjepkema led the conference in blocks per set, while
Vanessa Garcia averaged 10.3 assists per set.
Academy of Art also had several noteworthy individual performances as the Urban Knights won both of their matches last week.
Picabo Reinhold averaged an incredible 12.7 assists per set, while
Ashley Mecham had a league-best 5.0 points per set, and
Elena Torres registered 6.0 digs per set.
Chaminade has the most wins in the conference with an 11-3 PacWest record and six matches left. All six of those matches will be in Hawai`i and two of them are home contests against Azusa Pacific.
Point Loma is only 2.5 games behind first place and will play at Azusa Pacific on Friday. Concordia has three matches scheduled for this week, including a doubleheader against Dominican. Hawai`i Hilo will be at home for the rest of the season as the Vulcans pursue the PacWest title.
Weekly awards for the week of Oct. 25-31
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Madison Beebe, Biola
OH, So., 5-11 -- Mission Viejo, Calif.
Beebe averaged 4.33 kills per set with a .366 hitting percentage last week as she helped Biola win nine sets in a row against teams from Hawai`i. She had a total of 39 kills with 12 digs in nine sets as Biola improved to 10-3 for a tie for third place in the conference standings. Beebe opened the week with eight kills and six digs against Chaminade. Two days later, she posted 14 kills and five digs with a .419 hitting percentage against Hawai`i Pacific. Then on Friday, she had her best performance of the week with 17 kills in three sets with only two errors for a .469 hitting percentage. She also had two assists and a block as she led the Eagles to their fifth win in a row. Beebe now has 260 kills this season with a .242 hitting percentage. That is the third most kills in the PacWest.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
Courtney Dyer, Point Loma
L, Jr., 5-8 -- Gilbert, Ariz.
Dyer tallied a league-best 6.27 digs per set last week in three matches against Chaminade, Hawai`i Pacific and Hawai`i Hilo. The Sea Lions won one of the three matches, beating Hawai`i Pacific in three sets. She had 13 digs in three sets against Hawai`i Hilo. The following night, Point Loma was locked in a five-set battle with Chaminade. The junior libero had 35 digs in the match and also recorded three assists. Then on Saturday, she registered 21 digs and four assists in a three-set win against Hawai`i Pacific. Dyer also served two aces in the match and she ranks second in the conference for total aces this season. Dyer has 544 total digs this season and is closing in on the PacWest record of 697 digs in a single season. She also cracked the top-10 in PacWest history for career digs with 1,596 in her career at Point Loma, surpassing Mina Grant from Hawai`i Hilo for tenth place. On a national level, Dyer ranks fifth in both total digs and digs per set for the season, and she leads the entire West Region.