Box Score

SEATTLE, Wash. - Western Washington sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper recorded a career-high 22 kills on a .512 hitting percentage to lead the 20th-ranked Vikings to a thrilling 3-2 victory over Seattle Pacific Saturday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Brougham Pavilion. Game scores were 25-13, 31-29, 24-26, 22-25 and 15-8 in favor of Western.

The Vikings improved to 12-6 overall with their seventh consecutive victory and kept a hold on sole possession of second place in the GNAC with an 8-2 league mark. Seattle Pacific had its three-match winning streak snapped while falling to 8-10 overall and 4-6 in the GNAC.

The match was evenly played with 30 total tie scores and 13 lead changes in the five sets. The Vikings, who entered the match leading the GNAC in hitting percentage, out-hit SPU .246 to .182, while also holding a 79-73 edge in kills. The Falcons held an 11-9 edge in blocks and 133-124 in digs.

"I think SPU played really well and you have to give them credit," said head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "I think we did a good job of battling and I will tell you this, I am glad that Kayleigh Harper is on our team. Even her shots that were dug were quality shots. A really outstanding performance."

Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) blistered the Falcons for 22 kills on 41 attacks, making only one hitting error for a .512 hitting percentage. She added 5 blocks (1 solo, 4 assisted) for a career-high 25.0 points.

Sophomore outside hitter Abby Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) returned to the court after missing the last two matches to record her 12th double-double of the season with 14 kills and a career-high 31 digs.

Other statistical standouts for the Vikings included redshirt freshman Kazlyn Roullier (Spokane Valley, WA/Central Valley) with a career-high 15 kills and junior Arielle Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) recording 14 kills and one service ace. Redshirt freshman Mae Thungc (Kent, WA/Kentridge) and junior opposite Joellee Buckner (Colville, WA) each had 27 digs. Sophomore setter Brett Boesel (Brewster, WA) led the 6-2 offense with 49 assists.

"We had a lot of great performances tonight," said Flick-Williams. "Kazlyn Roullier really stepped up as a go-to hitter for us and that was outstanding."

The Vikings jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the match with a convincing 25-13 win in the first set. WWU led early 10-3 and never looked back as Harper and Phelps each recorded 5 kills to lead the way.

WWU persevered in a back-and-forth second set to earn the 31-29 win and go up 2-0. The Vikings trailed early 10-4 and 14-9, but used an 9-3 to pull ahead 18-17. The game featured 11 ties, including 24-24, 25-25, 26-26, 27-27, 28-28 and 29-29. Western staved off five set points, and ended the game on a 3-0 run to go up 2-0. Harper led all players with 7 kills in the set.

The Falcons didn't give up and overcame a sizeable deficit in the third set to win 26-24. The Vikings led 18-11, but SPU went on an 8-1 run to tie the game at 19-19. WWU also led 23-21 and 24-22, but SPU closed out the game on a 4-0 run. Roullier recorded 7 of her 15 kills in the fourth set.

Western put the match away with a dominating fifth set, taking an early 7-4 lead and never looked back. Turner put the team on her back recording 6 kills on 9 attacks in the deciding set.

Shaun Crespi led the Falcons with 17 kills on a .500 hitting percentage, and added 9 blocks. Also reaching double-figures in kills for the Falcons were Gabby Oddo (14 kills, 32 digs) and Hannah Lautenbach (13 kills, 20 digs).

"I think we are getting better with each match and we are just going to continue to work on putting ourselves in good positions," said Flick-Williams. "There is a lot of volleyball to be played."

The Vikings continue GNAC play on the road next week facing Alaska (Fairbanks) on Thursday (7 pm AKT/8 pm PT) and No. 8 Alaska Anchorage on Saturday (7 pm AKT/8 pm PT). You can follow all the action via Live Stats and Webcast at WWUVikings.com/Live.

Game Notes: The Vikings extended their winning streak to 7 consecutive matches...WWU improved to 3-2 in 5-game matches this season after going 6-0 during last season's Final Four campaign...are 16-9 over the last five seasons (since 2011) in 5-game matches...the 31 digs by Phelps are the most by a WWU player since Samantha Hutchinson (current assistant coach) recorded 34 digs Nov. 15, 2014 at Alaska Anchorage.