Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Sophomore middle blocker Michaela Hall recorded 10 kills and 4 blocks to lead a balanced team effort for the Western Washington Vikings in a 3-0 victory over Seattle Pacific Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action at Whatcom Pavilion. Game scores were 25-20, 25-22, 25-15 in favor of WWU.

The Vikings continued their late-season dominance recording their 13th victory in the last 14 matches to improve to 18-7 overall and remain in second place in the GNAC with a 14-3 mark. WWU has won its last six home matches, with five being 3-0 sweeps. Seattle Pacific falls to 10-15 overall and 6-11 in GNAC play.

Western's balanced offensive attack featured five players with 8-or-more kills in the match and a team hitting percentage of .317. Hall (Centralia, WA) tied for the team lead with 12.0 points, registering 10 kills on a .389 hitting percentage and totaled 4 block assists. Sophomore middle blocker Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) added 9 kills (.562) and 4 blocks.

Abby Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan), Joellee Buckner (Colville, WA) and Arielle Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) each tallied 8 kills in the victory. Phelps added 18 digs for her league-leading 16th double-double of the season. Sophomore libero Aubrey Buckner (Colville, WA) recorded a career-high 25 digs and her older sister Joellee added 20 digs.

"I thought we played really solid and I think we continued to build through the match with is something we strive for," said head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "It is great when you can have the balance as it is key for us. Our setters did a nice job of distributing the ball and making sure everyone is involved."

SPU went on an 8-3 run to take a 15-14 lead midway through the first set when Flick-Williams called WWU's first timeout. The Vikings responded with an immediate 4-0 run and closed out the set on an 11-5 run to notch the 25-20 win. Phelps led all players with 5 kills (.417) and Turner had 4 kills (.571).

The Vikings went up 2-0 with a 25-22 win in a back-and-forth set featuring 8 tie scores and 4 lead changes. Western was down 14-12, but responded with a 5-1 run to take a 17-15 lead. With the set tied 19-19, the Vikings pulled away on a 3-1 run and finished with the 25-22 win. Harper led WWU with 4 kills (.500) and Aubrey Buckner tallied 11 of her match-high 25 digs.

WWU put the match away with a dominating 25-15 win in the third set. The Vikings led from the start, pulling away from a 6-4 lead to go on a 12-3 run. Hall and Joellee Buckner each recorded 4 kills in the set, as the Vikings hit .351 in the victory-clinching game.

The Falcons were led by a match-high 11 kills from Colleen Hannigan and 19 dis from Amanda Ganete.

The Vikings continue the busy end to their season hosting Saint Martin's Saturday at Whatcom Pavilion (7 pm). WWU closed out the regular season next week hosting Simon Fraser (Tuesday, 7 pm) and Montana State Billings (Thursday, 7 pm) at Whatcom Pavilion. All games can be followed online via LiveStats and Webcast at WWUVikings.com/Live.