Box Score | Box Score| Season Stats | Career Stats | Diane-Flick Williams Interview

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Five players recorded double-digits in kills to lead the 18th-ranked Western Washington Vikings to a 3-1 victory over Simon Fraser Tuesday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball action at Whatcom Pavilion.

After losing the first set 25-22, WWU rattled off wins of 25-19, 25-16 and 25-22 to win its 15th match in the last 16 contests and improve to 20-7 overall. The Vikings secured at least a second-place finish in the GNAC with a 16-3 league mark heading into Thursday's regular-season finale vs. Montana State Billings. WWU avenged an earlier 3-2 loss to the Clan in Burnaby two months ago on September 14 to open GNAC play. Simon Fraser falls to 20-7 overall and 13-6 in league play.

"It is a battle with Simon Fraser," said head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "I was really pleased with our team and the patience we showed during the long rallies, and how we made sure to take good swings at the end."

Junior outside hitter Arielle Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) recorded a match-high 16.5 points by recording 13 kills, 3 blocks and one service ace. Sophomore outside hitter Abby Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) recorded her 16th double-double of the season with 15 kills and 24 digs. Junior opposite Joellee Buckner (Colville, WA) tallied her first double-double of the season with 10 kills and a career-high 30 digs.

The middle-blocking duo of sophomores Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) and Michaela Hall (Centralia, WA) combined for 22 kills (11 each) and 8 blocks.

Sophomore setter Brette Boesel (Brewster, WA) had 46 assists and a career-high 23 digs for her 12th double-double of the season.

"We keep talking about our balanced offense, but that's what this team is made up of," added Flick-Williams. "Balance means that no one is going to be singled out when scouting our team. It falls in line with our theory that we don't need any stars, we just need a galaxy."

The Clan jumped out to a 1-0 lead with a 25-22 first-set victory. The back-and-forth game featured 9 tie scores and 4 lead changes. WWU held a 16-13 lead, but SFU went on an immediate 4-0 run to jump ahead 17-16. With the set tied 22-22, SFU pulled away with a 3-0 run to clinch the game. Turner led Western with 4 kills (.333) and J. Buckner had 12 digs and a pair of blocks.

The Vikings evened things up with a 25-19 second-set victory. SFU took the early lead jumping out to an 8-5 advantage, but WWU fought back with a 5-1 run to take a 10-9 lead. After an 11-11 tie, the Vikings went on a 9-3 run to take a 20-14 lead and never looked back. Phelps tallied a team-high 4 kills and Hall had 3 kills (.600) and a pair of blocks.

Western took the 2-1 lead in the match with a 25-16 win in the third set. After jumping out to a commanding 13-7 lead, Simon Fraser responded with a 5-0 run to pull to within one point at 13-12. WWU came out of its timeout on a 6-0 run to stretch the lead to 19-12 and clinched the game with a 12-4 run. Hall and Harper each had 4 kills, while Phelps and Turner had 3 kills each. WWU hit .381 in the set, compared to SFU's .156 mark.

WWU closed out the 3-1 victory with a 25-22 win in the fourth set, despite again trailing early. SFU jumped out to an early 6-1 lead and maintained the advantage until WWU tied the set at 10-10. With the frame knotted at 14-14, the Vikings went on a 6-0 run to go up 20-14 and then held off a late SFU rally to put the match away. Phelps recorded 6 of her 15 kills and added 11 digs in the deciding game.

WWU hit .257 for the match, nearly matching their GNAC-leading mark of .260 heading into the match. The Vikings held a 11.0-4.0 advantage in blocks, led by 5 blocks from Hall.

Simon Fraser was led by a double-double from Emma Jennings (12 kills, 18 digs) and 40 assists from Tamara Nipp.

The Vikings conclude the regular season Thursday hosting Montana State Billings at 7 pm at Whatcom Pavilion. Prior to the game, senior defensive specialist Bryce Larson (Mukilteo, WA/Kamiak) will be honored on Senior Night. The match vs. the Yellowjackets can be followed online via LiveStats and Webcast at WWUVikings.com/Live.

Game Notes: Simon Fraser was ranked No. 3 in last week's NCAA West Regional rankings, one ahead of the Vikings at No. 4...the NCAA Division II Tournament selection show is Monday (11/21) at 4:30 pm on NCAA.com...Joellee Buckner recorded a career-high 30 digs, beating her previous high of 28 digs set earlier this season at Alaska Anchorage...the Vikings have recorded their 27th 20-win season in the 45-year history of the program...marks the 12th 20-win season in 17 seasons under head coach Diane Flick-Williams...Abby Phelps recorded her 16th double-double of the season, tying Kendra Bodine (NNU) and Symone Tran (SPU) for the league lead...WWU has won 15 of its last 16 matches...tonight marked only the third 4-set match of the season (2-1).