Box Score Oct. 17, 2017 Box Score
BURNABY, BC - Abby Phelps recorded her league-leading 15th double-double and Arielle Turner served a career-high six aces to lead the No. 8-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team to a dominating 25-9, 25-19, 25-16 sweep over Simon Fraser Tuesday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action inside West Gym.
The Vikings, who moved into the AVCA Division II top 10 this week up from No. 11, won their ninth consecutive match to improve to 16-3 overall and gained sole possession of first place in the GNAC with a 10-1 record. Simon Fraser drops to 8-11 overall and 5-6 in GNAC play.
WWU took control early in the match and never looked back while recording its ninth three-game sweep of the season. The Vikings have dropped only two sets during the current nine-match winning streak, recording seven three-game sweeps.
The sweep was fueled by a dominating presence at the net, as the Vikings out-blocked the Clan 16.0 to 1.0 in the match. Sophomore middle blocker Joslyn Bopray (Spokane, WA/Lewis & Clark), who entered the match ranked No. 3 in NCAA II in blocks per game, led the way with 9 blocks. Senior opposite Joellee Buckner (Colville, WA) added 8 blocks and junior middle blocker Michaela Hall (Centralia, WA) had 7 blocks. Junior setter Brette Boesel (Brewster, WA) also contributed a career-high 6 blocks to go along with her match-high 34 assists.
"I think we are finally seeing the fruits of our labor with all the work we have put in on our blocking," said head coach Diane Flick-Williams, in her 18th season leading the program. "It is a big addition for us to have a big block, as it was a part of our game that we identified we needed to improve on. When our blocking game steps up, it makes our defense and transition game even better."
Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) led the Vikings with 13 kills on a .333 hitting percentage, and one aces and one block assist for a team-high 14.5 points.
Buckner added 7 kills on a .318 hitting percentage, adding to her all-around match with a team-high 18 digs and 8 blocks.
Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) recorded a career-high 6 service aces, passing the 100-ace mark for her career to become the 21st player in program history to reach the century mark.
"When I think about the different categories, I can come up with a different player that excelled in each one," added Flick-Williams. "It was another true team effort, especially to do this on the road in front of a great home crowd for them."
The Vikings dominated the opening set with a 25-9 win to go up 1-0. After battling through four tie scores, WWU pulled away going on an 8-0 run to build an 11-4 lead and never looked back. Already holding a commanding 17-9 lead, the Vikings closed out the set scoring the last eight points. Phelps led Western with 4 kills (.464) and Turner had 2 kills and 3 of her match-high 6 aces.
"I can't say the quick start was expected like that, but when we get off to a good start like that, especially from the service line, it really swings the momentum to your side, especially on the road," said Flick-Williams on the quick start. "Simon Fraser has a good team and they had a great crowd tonight, so jumping out front was key for us."
WWU went up 2-0 with a 25-19 second-set victory over the Clan, pulling away from 19-19 tie by scoring the final 6 points of the set. Phelps added 4 kills and 7 digs, and Buckner and Bopray each had 3 blocks.
The Vikings sealed the sweep with a 25-16 win in the third set, using an early 9-2 run to build a sizeable lead and then pulled away with a 7-0 run to take a 21-8 lead. SFU attempted at a comeback going on a 7-1 run to pull to within 7 points at 22-15, but WWU held tough for the 25-16 win punctuated by a double-block by Hall and Boesel.
"We are progressing with every match, which is truly how I evaluate our success," said Flick-Williams on the current winning streak. "We don't look at the number, but I feel like we are taking those steps, getting better each time we take the court, and staying in the process."
The Vikings (16-3, 10-1 GNAC) continue their string of four consecutive road matches to open the second half of the GNAC season traveling to Montana State Billings for a 7 pm MT/6 pm PT match on Saturday. WWU's next home match at Carver Gym will be Nov. 2 against rival Alaska Anchorage.
All GNAC matches are streamed live on WWUVikings.com/Live and available via the GNAC channel on several streaming devices (Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, AndroidTV).
