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ABOUT THE VIKINGS…the WWU volleyball team concludes the non-conference portion of the 2018 schedule this weekend with four matches at the 2018 D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase in Azusa, California…WWU went 1-3 during the season-opening West Florida Invitational, with all four matches played against top-25 teams.
 
HOW TO FOLLOW…all four of WWU's matches in the D2 West Region Showcase can be followed via live stats for free and watch the matches on a pay-per-view basis ($7.95 per match / $39.95 tournament pass)…all live links can be accessed through WWUVikings.com/Live…all GNAC matches will feature live video and webcast at GNAC.tv.
 
WEST REGION SHOWCASE HISTORY…this weekend's 2018 D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase features the top two finishers from each of the region's three conferences (GNAC, PacWest, CCAA), with a predetermined 'cross-over' schedule…the 'A' pod will be hosted in Azusa, California at the Felix Event Center, featuring WWU and Northwest Nazarene from the GNAC, Cal State San Bernardino and Sonoma State from the CCAA and Biola and tournament host Azusa Pacific from the PacWest.
 
SHOWCASE HISTORY…this is the fifth year of the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase, with WWU combining to go 13-3 in the previous four years…the Vikings were 3-1 in 2014, 4-0 in 2015, 3-1 in 2016 and 3-1 last year in Anchorage.
 
LAST WEEK…the Vikings dropped their first three matches of the season at the West Florida Invitational, all in straight sets and to ranked opponents, before beating then No. 15 West Florida 3-2…Abby Phelps led the Vikings averaging 3.67 kills and 4.33 digs per set, earning one of seven spots on the all-tournament team.
 
WHAT RETURNS...the Vikings return 5 starters plus the leading libero from last year's squad that finished 27-4 overall and won the GNAC Championship with a 19-1 league record…overall WWU returns 10 players from last year's team that played for the West Region championship and ended the season ranked No. 7 in the nation.
  THE RANKINGS…WWU dropped 10 spots from No. 5 (preseason poll) to No. 15 in the first regular-season edition of the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll…the Vikings have now been ranked in 82 consecutive AVCA polls dating back to the first regular-season poll of the 2012 season…the Vikings are 23^rd all-time in AVCA Division II poll history appearing in the national poll 163 times and 28^th appearing in the top 10 in 61 polls.
 
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW…

• GNAC History – Abby Phelps is 17^th in GNAC history in digs (1,443) and 19^th in kills (1,210).
• Double-Doubles – Abby Phelps has 3 double-doubles this season, and 58 in 97 career matches.
• 2017 GNAC Champions – WWU claimed its 8^th GNAC Championship (7^th outright) with a 19-1 league record.
• Coach of the Year – Diane Flick-Williams was named the GNAC Coach of the Year for the 9^th time.
• All-American – Abby Phelps was a First Team AVCA All-American in 2017.
• Set It – Brette Boesel led the GNAC and West Region with 11.72 assists/set in 2017.
• The Last 7 – WWU is 146-36 (.802) over the last seven seasons since 2012 (99-15/.868 in GNAC play).
• 1,000-1,000 Club – Abby Phelps is the 4^th player in WWU history with 1,000 career kills and digs.

SAME AUBREY, NEW LAST NAME…senior libero Aubrey Stephens may not sound familiar to WWU fans, but her play on the court sure will…the former Aubrey Buckner got married during the offseason and the fifth-year senior now goes by the last name of Stephens…Stephens was named honorable mention All-GNAC in 2017 ranking 4^th in the conference with 5.26 digs per set…she is 23^rd in WWU history with 803 digs.
 
ALL AROUND ABBY…Abby Phelps was named the 2017 GNAC Player of the Year and was a First Team AVCA All-American after averaging 4.31 kills and 4.81 digs per set in 2017…she recorded 25 double-doubles (kills/digs) during her junior season, including a string of 10 consecutive to end the season…in 97 career matches, Phelps has tallied 58 double-doubles (3 in 4 matches this season).
   
PRESEASON GNAC POLL…the Vikings received all 11 first-place votes and topped the 2018 GNAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll with the maximum number of 121 total points…Central Washington was picked second with 106 votes, followed by Simon Fraser (91 points) in third and Alaska Anchorage and Northwest Nazarene (82 points) tied for fourth.
 
PRESEASON ALL-GNAC…led by GNAC Preseason Player of the Year Abby Phelps, three Vikings were named to the 2018 GNAC Preseason All-Conference Team…senior setter Brette Boesel and senior middle Michaela Hall were also selected to the team after all three were all-conference selections in 2017.
 
TOUGH SCHEDULE…each of WWU's 8 non-conference matches will be played against teams that appear in the AVCA DII Preseason Poll, with five ranked teams and three additional schools receiving votes…overall, 7 of the Vikings 28 regular-season matches will come against teams listed in the preseason top 25 and 14 total matches against teams that were listed in the top 25 or receiving votes…the 2018 schedule includes Southwest Minnesota State (#2), Regis (#7), Cal State San Bernardino (#11), West Florida (#15), Northwest Nazarene (#19), Wheeling Jesuit (#24), Azusa Pacific (RV, #34), Alaska Anchorage (RV, #37), Sonoma State (RV, #39), Central Washington (RV, #42) and Biola (RV, #45)…WWU finished last season with the 4^th-toughest schedule in NCAA II.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING…among NCAA Division II team leaders last season, WWU ranked in the top 20 in NCAA II in blocks per set (3^rd, 2.75), digs per set (4^th, 20.39), kills per set (14^th, 14.25), assists per set (17^th, 13.39) and hitting percentage (18^th, .249).
 
NCAA HISTORY…WWU advanced to the West Regional Final for the third consecutive season last year, marking the program's 12th appearance in the NCAA Division II West Regional and 6th consecutive trip to the postseason…set the program record with a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA II Tournament in 2015 when it advanced to the NCAA II Elite 8 (and Final Four)…WWU is 16-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and is one of two GNAC schools to win a West Regional title.
 
ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON…WWU recorded 27 wins last season to tie for 5^th-most in program history…sixth consecutive 20-win season and 28^th in the 46-year history of the program…head coach Diane Flick-Williams has guided the program to at least 20 wins in 13 of her 18 seasons at the helm of the program…over the last seven seasons (since 2012), WWU has combined to go 146-36 (.802), advancing to the NCAA Tournament in each season (2012-17).
 
WELCOME BACK KAYLEIGH…middle Kayleigh Harper returns to the court in 2018 for her junior season after sitting out 2017…Harper is a two-time First Team All-GNAC selection (2015-16) and was an honorable mention All-America selection in 2016…through the first four matches of the season she is second on the team with 2.60 kills per set, and is leading the team averaging 1.13 blocks per set…in 68 career matches she is averaging 1.25 blocks, 2.49 kills and has a career .338 hitting percentage.
 
COACH FLICK-WILLIAMS…Diane Flick-Williams is in her 19^th season directing the WWU Volleyball program and is the winningest coach in program history…owns a career record of 395-106 (.788), guiding the Vikings to 13 seasons of 20 or more victories, 12 NCAA Championship appearances, a pair Final Four appearances, 8 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships and received GNAC Coach of the Year honors 9 times (2001-03, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012-13, 2017)…amongst active Division II coaches, she enters the 2018 season ranked 13^th in winning percentage and 33^rd by victories…her .793 winning percentage heading into the 2018 season is 11^th-best in Division II history (min. 10 years as a DII head coach)…Flick-Williams is 5 wins away from becoming the 33^rd DII coach to record 400 career victories.
 
HOME SWEET HOME…after 8 road matches to open the season, the Vikings open GNAC play hosting Seattle Pacific (9/6) and Saint Martin's (9/8) on WECU Court in Carver Gym…WWU went 10-0 at home last season, returning to Carver Gym after a two-year renovation was completed…carry a 15-match Carver Gym winning streak into the 2018 season…head coach Diane Flick-Williams has led the program to a 140-15 (.903) record inside Carver Gym.
 
2017 SEASON IN REVIEW…finished the 2017 season 27-4 overall and advanced to the NCAA II West Region Championship for the third consecutive season…Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions with a 19-1 league record, winning the eighth GNAC title in program history…tied GNAC record for conference wins in a season (UAA in 2016)…made sixth consecutive trip to the NCAA Championships (12th overall)…ranked No. 7 in the AVCA/Division II Coaches Poll for the 3^rd-highest end of season ranking in program history (No. 2 in 2007, No. 6 in 2015).