Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Sophomore opposite hitter Joellee Buckner recorded 10 kills and a match high 12.5 points to lead the No. 16 Western Washington University Vikings to a three-set sweep (25-9, 25-22, 25-13) over the University of Alaska Thursday night in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match.

The Vikings improved to 21-4 overall and with a 15-2 GNAC record gained sole possession of first place in the conference. No. 11 Alaska-Anchorage (22-2 overall, 14-2 GNCA) plays at Simon Fraser tomorrow night and will face the Vikings Saturday in a showdown at 7 pm at Whatcom Pavilion. The Nanooks fall to 5-19 overall, 5-12 in GNAC play.

Buckner (Colville, WA) recorded her eighth match with double-digits in kills, and fourth in her last five matches. She added 8 digs just missing her seventh double-double of the season.

Senior opposite Jennica McPherson (Seattle, WA/Kennedy) chipped in 6 kills and 3 service aces and redshirt freshman Kayleigh Harper notched 8 kills on a .750 hitting percentage. Redshirt freshman Abby Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) narrowly missed another double-double with 7 kills and team-high 9 digs. Redshirt freshman setter Brette Boesel (Brewster, WA) paced the offense with 20 assists.

"We came out and had a balanced attack, got all of our hitters involved and did a nice job of sticking to our game plan," said head coach Diane Flick. "As a coach I'll always stress we can block better, play better defense, serve better, but tonight was a nice well-round win."

The Vikings came out of the gates scorching with a 25-9 win over the Nanooks. Western combined to hit .647 in the set, with Buckner leading the way with 4.5 points on 2 kills, 2 services aces and a block assist.

Western went up 2-0 with a 25-22 win in the second set. Trailing 14-10, the Vikings went on a 15-8 run to finish out the set. Senior outside hitter Rachel Roeder (Sammamish, WA/Issaquah) recorded a team-high 4 kills and Buckner tallied 6 digs.

WWU sealed the victory with another dominating performance in the third set, hitting .400 as a team in the 25-13 win. Phelps tallied 4 of her 8 total kills in the set and Buckner came on strong with 5 of her 10 kills.

Alaska senior outside hitter Sam Harthun recorded 10 kills for the Nanooks, tying the GNAC career kills record with 1,461.

Up Next: The Vikings return to action Saturday with a showdown against No. 11 Alaska-Anchorage at 7 pm at Whatcom Pavilion...a special pregame ceremony will be held to honor seniors Rachel Roeder and Jennica McPherson in their final regular-season home match.

"I am really proud of my team for keeping focused knowing what lies ahead of them," added Flick. "Saturday night will be a big match, no question. We are excited for the energy the rivalry brings and looking forward to the challenge."

Plan Ahead for Saturday: Due to limited seating capacity at Whatcom Pavilion, fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance by calling the WWU Box Office (360-650-BLUE). We cannot guarantee tickets will be available for purchase at the door on game days. The Vikings are playing a majority of their home games this season on the Whatcom Community College Campus due to the state-of-the-art renovation of the Carver Academic Facility and historic Carver.

Western Washington def. Alaska 25-9,25-22,25-13Site: Bellingham, Wash. (Whatcom Pavilion)Date: Nov 12, 2015   Attend: 228   Time: 1:08
Alaska (5-19, 5-12 GNAC)Kills-aces-blocks - Harthun 10-0-1; Mix 7-0-1; Podowicz 4-1-3; Davis 3-0-1; Totals 25-3-6.0Assists - Grieser 21. Dig leaders - Olsen 14; Grieser 6
Western Washington (21-4, 15-2 GNAC)Kills-aces-blocks - Buckner 10-2-1; Harper 8-0-2; Phelps 7-1-1; Roeder 6-0-3; McPherson 6-3-1; Hall 2-0-3; Totals 39-7-6.0.Assists - Boesel 20; Tribley 11. Dig leaders - Phelps 9; Buckner 8