Box Score Nov. 16, 2017 Box Score
BELLINGHAM, Wash. - The No. 5-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team clinched its eighth Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship with a three-game sweep over nationally 13th-ranked Northwest Nazarene Thursday night on WECU Court at Carver Gym. Game scores were 25-22, 25-21, 25-19.
The Vikings (24-3, 18-1 GNAC) needed a win Thursday night over the second-place Nighthawks (24-3, 16-3 GNAC) to secure the league title, and accomplished that in grand fashion by recording the straight-sets victory to extend the winning streak to 17 consecutive matches. WWU heads into Saturday's regular-season finale vs. in-state rival Central Washington with a 24-3 overall record and is 18-1 in GNAC play.
"What a great performance by the team, the entire team, to come out and play the way they did tonight," said 18th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "We were us...and I really like us. We started fast, had to hold off a very good team when they were on a hot streak and really battled back in the third set. It was a complete performance in every aspect and I could not be more proud of them." Junior outside hitter Abby Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) tied her career high with 19 kills, the sixth time she has reached that mark, and recorded 18 digs for her league-best 21st double-double of the season. She also contributed a season-high 6 blocks to lead all players with 23.0 points. "Abby has really been a rock for us of late," commented Flick-Williams on Phelps, who has recorded six consecutive double-doubles. "She has always had the talent and is a premier player, but the consistency in which she has performed at this high level this year is next level stuff. She has worked extremely hard to get to this point, but she will tell you all the credit goes to her teammates."
No other Viking reached double-figures in kills, but a balanced offensive attack saw four players with 6 or more kills. Senior opposite Joellee Buckner (Colville, WA) notched 7 kills to go with 23 digs and 3 blocks, and senior outside hitter Arielle Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) added 7 kills and 10 digs. The middle blocker combination of junior Michaela Hall (Centralia, WA) and sophomore Joslyn Bopray (Spokane, WA/Lewis & Clark) helped lead the Vikings to a 15.0 to 3.0 advantage in team blocks. Hall tied her career high with 9 blocks (7 block assists, 2 solo) and Bopray recorded 6 block assists. "Our middles again set the tone with the block and really dominated play at the net," said Flick-Williams. "We worked extremely hard on our blocking during the offseason, and to see it pay off like this with Michaela and Joslyn leading the way is very rewarding."
Junior setter Brette Boesel (Brewster, WA) ran a balanced offense with 38 assists, and added a season-high 15 digs for her 10th double-double of the season. NNU suffered only its third loss of the season, dropping to 24-3 overall and 16-3 in conference play. Senior outside hitter Kendra Bodine led the Nighthawks with 19 kills and tallied the double-double with a match-high 25 digs. Senior middle hitter Madi Farrell added 11 kills and 3 blocks.
The Vikings had a hot start jumping out to a 10-3 lead, and then held off a furious rally by the Nighthawks to go up 1-0 with a 25-22 first-set victory. WWU had an eight-point advantage at 23-15, but NNU stormed back to win seven of the next eight points, including fending off five set points. Phelps led all players with 9 kills on a .500 hitting percentage and Joellee Buckner had 3 kills, 9 digs and 2 block assists. WWU out-hit NNU .255 (18-6-47) to .185 (14-4-54) and held a 3.0-2.0 edge in blocks. WWU went up 2-0 with a tight second set, pulling away at the end for a 25-21 victory. The Vikings pulled away from a 6-6 tie going on a 4-0 run and never trailed the rest of the way. NNU climbed to within one point twice, 18-17 and 19-18, but the Vikings ended on a 6-3 run. Phelps added 5 more kills and sparked the defense with 8 digs. Bodine led the Nighthawks with 7 kills on a .353 hitting percentage.
NNU came out determined in the third set, taking an early 7-2 lead. The Vikings chipped away at the lead going on a 6-2 run to pull to within one point at 9-8. NNU built the lead back up to four points at 15-11, and after a 4-0 WWU run, led again by two points at 18-16. Looking to clinch the program's first league title since 2013 after finishing second the last two seasons, the Vikings put together a 9-1 run with Boesel on the service line to pull away with the come-from-behind 25-19 victory to seal the match.
"Five points is a lot to overcome in volleyball, especially against a team like NNU," said Flick-Williams. "We work a lot on being comfortable with a two-point lead and with a two-point deficit, and being patient in both of those moments. That third set reflected their commitment to the process and how hard they have worked to raise that trophy."
The Vikings return to action Saturday with the regular-season finale against Central Washington (19-8, 14-5 GNAC) at 7 pm at Carver Gym. WWU's group of three seniors - Joellee Buckner, Kristina Tribley and Arielle Turner - will be honored in a pregame ceremony in their last regular-season match in Bellingham. "We are really excited about celebrating our seniors on Saturday," said Flick-Williams. "They have been part of huge part of the culture and the success that we have had, and can't wait to shine the spotlight on them for all they have done for this program."
Game Notes: WWU receives the GNAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Championships, where the Vikings will be making their sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA II West Regional (site TBD)...the GNAC championship was the eighth in program history (7th outright), the most among conference members with Seattle Pacific 2nd with four...Abby Phelps tied her career-high with 19 kills, the sixth time she has reached that mark in her career, and fifth time this season...has 19 kills in three of her last five matches...Phelps became the 7th player in program history to cross the 1,300 dig mark for a career...Joellee Buckner recorded her 1,400th career dig (1,404 to rank 5th in WWU history)...WWU's 17-match winning streak is 5th-longest in program history...has dropped only five sets during the winning streak...Michaela Hall tied her career high with 9 blocks, leaving her four shy of 300 for her career (ranks 13th in program history)...WWU has won 17 consecutive matches inside Carver Gym.
