Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Another balanced offensive attack and strategic play by the setters lifted the 17th-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team to its 10th consecutive victory with a three-game sweep of Western Oregon Thursday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Whatcom Pavilion. Game scores were 25-15, 25-22, 25-19 in favor of the Vikings.

The Vikings improved to 15-6 overall and 11-2 in GNAC play with the 10th consecutive victory. WOU, who took the Vikings to five sets in the earlier match this season in Monmouth, falls to 8-12 overall and 5-8 in league play.

"Western Oregon is a real tough team, so we knew it was going to be a battle going into the match," said head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "What I am so proud of is how balance our team was tonight. I just think we had a great all-around effort tonight."

Sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) led the Vikings with 13 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, while junior outside hitter Arielle Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) added 10 kills. Sophomore middle blocker Michaela Hall (Centralia, WA) turned in 7 kills on a .462 hitting percentage, and added a pair of blocks.

Sophomore setter Brette Boesel (Brewster, WA) tallied a double-double with 27 assists and 12 digs, and junior Kristina Tribley (Wenatchee, WA) added 11 assists. Redshirt freshman Mae Thungc (Kent, WA/Kentridge) recorded a match-high 21 digs.

The Vikings used a 10-1 run midway through the first set to turn a 10-7 lead into a 20-8 edge. WOU went on a 6-1 run to cut the lead to 21-15, but WWU ended the first frame on a 4-0 run to win 25-15 to go up 1-0. Turner and Harper each recorded 4 kills in the set to lead the Vikings, while Boesel tallied a pair of service aces.

WWU went up 2-0 with a back-and-forth 25-22 win in the second set. The Vikings used a 7-3 run to turn a 14-14 tie into a 21-17 lead. The Wolves fended off four consecutive set points before the Vikings scored the 25th point to go up 2-0. Turner, Hall and Harper all recorded 4 kills in the set.

Western Washington led from the start of the third set and never looked back, putting the match away with a 25-19 victory to seal the sweep. Harper tallied 5 of her match-high 13 kills in the final set.

Mariella Vandenkooy led the Wolves with 12 kills.

The Vikings return to GNAC action at Whatcom Pavilion on Saturday vs. Concordia at 7 pm. Saturday will be Teacher Appreciation Night hosted by the WWU Volleyball team, with all teachers gaining free admission by showing their school ID badge or W card. The first 100 fans will get a reusable #BeVIKtorious bag.

Game Notes: The Vikings extended their winning streak to 10 consecutive matches and remain alone in 2nd place in the GNAC with a 11-2 record...Kayleigh Harper recorded her 255th career block, moving into a tie for 15th place in the WWU record books with Kirsten Mann 1998-2001.