BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 2 Western Washington University volleyball team kept its perfect record intact with a three-set sweep over Saint Martin's University Thursday evening in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
The Vikings remained perfect at 15-0 overall and improved to 7-0 in GNAC play to remain atop the league standings. WWU has now won 35 consecutive matches inside Carver Gym, its last 45 conference matches going back to 2017 and 45 of its last 46 matches overall since the start of the 2018 national championship runner-up season. Western is one of just six remaining undefeated teams at the NCAA Division II level.
Thursday's sweep was fueled by a total team effort that saw 12 different players see action. Redshirt freshman Calley Heilborn (Auburn, WA/Auburn Riverside) and sophomore opposite Tess Biscup(Duvall, WA/Cedar Park Christian) each had 8 kills and 10.0 total points to lead the Vikings. Biscup contributed 4 block assists to go with her 8 kills, and Heilborn recorded pair of service aces.
Senior All-American middle Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) added 6 kills and 5 blocks for 9.0 total points.
The Vikings recorded a team hitting percentage of .341 and out-blocked the Saints 11.0-2.0. WWU entered the match as the No. 2 blocking team in the nation, and is now averaging 2.70 blocks per set.
"I was really happy with our balance tonight and the fact that we got so many great contributions from different players," said 20th-year WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "They played with a high level of intensity throughout the whole match."
Senior libero Mae Thungc (Kent, WA/Kentridge) led the Vikings with 12 digs, while Heilborn added 11 digs and sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman (Lake Stevens, WA) had 10 digs. Redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga (Burien, WA/Kennedy) paced the offense with 32 assists, and also contributed 4 blocks and one service ace. Redshirt freshman all-around player Tupu Lologo (Federal Way, WA) had 8 digs and a pair of service aces. Senior middle Joslyn Bopray (Spokane, WA/Lewis & Clark) was as efficient as one could be, with 5 kills on 5 attacks and had 4 block assists for 7.0 total points.
The Saints (0-16, 0-7 GNAC) were led by 7 kills from Kylie Coon and a match-high 16 digs from Kylie Alos.
The Vikings (14-0, 6-0 GNAC) will stay at home Saturday as they host rival Seattle Pacific in their annual Pink Night game, which supports breast cancer awareness.
"Pink Night is always one of my favorite nights" added Flick-Williams, "It's a way for us to play for something bigger than ourselves. But when its SPU, it has been a rivalry for a really long time so it's exciting to have them here on our home court."
BISCUP STEPS INTO STARTING ROLE
Coming off a career-high 13 kills on a .600 hitting percentage in WWU's 3-1 win at Montana State Billings last Friday, sophomore opposite Tess Biscup made her first career start Thursday night vs. Saint Martin's. Biscup answered with 8 kills on a .438 hitting percentage, and contributed 4 block assists for 10 points. Over the last two matches, Biscup has recorded 21 kills (3.50 kills/set) while hitting at a .528 clip (21 kills, 2 errors, 36 attacks).
"It's exciting (to get the start), but I just wanted to focus on the things we worked on in practice," said Biscup following the match. "Our practices are just as intense as the games, so it's really the same environment."
The Vikings (15-0, 7-0 GNAC) hosts Seattle Pacific (5-10, 2-5 GNAC) on Saturday at 7 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The contest vs. the Falcons will be the annual Pink Match, with the WWU Volleyball program joining the community to highlight cancer awareness and research benefiting the PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Cancer Center.
The Vikings have now won 35 consecutive matches in Carver Gym dating back to 2014 season (played two seasons at Whatcom CC in 2015-16), including a perfect 13-0 record last season and off to a 4-0 start this year.
» Current 35-match winning streak in Carver Gym dating back to 2014.
» Went 13-0 in Carver Gym last season, including three wins in the NCAA II West Regional.
» WWU is 271-81 all-time in Carver Gym, including 156-15 under Diane Flick-Williams.
With tonight's win over the Saints, WWU is 7-0 in conference play and 46-1 in GNAC play dating back to the 2017 season, and carry a 45-match winning streak in GNAC play into this week.
» Current 45-match GNAC winning streak dating back to 2017 (last loss: 9/16/17 at NNU).
» Recorded first 20-win season in GNAC history last season.
» 80-7 record in GNAC play over the last five seasons (2015-19).
» The GNAC record for conference winning streak is 57 by WWU from 2001-04.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. SAINT MARTIN'S
WWU is now 62-5 all-time vs. Saint Martin's and has won 41 consecutive matches vs. the Saints. Dating back to the 2010 season, the Vikings have won 57 of the last 58 sets in the series.
Here is an early look at the GNAC standings through matches played on Thursday:
|
VOLLEYBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
Western Washington
|
7-0
|
1.000
|
15-0
|
1.000
|
4-0
|
4-0
|
7-0
|
Won 15
|
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
6-1
|
.857
|
11-4
|
.733
|
5-2
|
3-2
|
3-0
|
Won 4
|
|
Alaska
|
6-1
|
.857
|
9-6
|
.600
|
3-1
|
3-2
|
3-3
|
Won 2
|
|
Simon Fraser
|
4-3
|
.571
|
8-7
|
.533
|
2-1
|
3-3
|
3-3
|
Won 2
|
|
Concordia
|
4-3
|
.571
|
6-8
|
.429
|
2-5
|
2-2
|
2-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
Central Washington
|
4-4
|
.500
|
9-7
|
.563
|
3-1
|
2-4
|
4-2
|
Won 1
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
3-4
|
.429
|
7-7
|
.500
|
1-1
|
3-4
|
3-2
|
Won 1
|
|
Seattle Pacific
|
2-5
|
.286
|
5-10
|
.333
|
1-3
|
2-3
|
2-4
|
Lost 1
|
|
Montana State Billings
|
2-5
|
.286
|
4-12
|
.250
|
2-2
|
1-5
|
1-5
|
Lost 5
|
|
Western Oregon
|
1-6
|
.143
|
3-11
|
.214
|
0-3
|
1-4
|
2-4
|
Lost 2
|
|
Saint Martin's
|
0-7
|
.000
|
0-16
|
.000
|
0-4
|
0-5
|
0-7
|
Lost 16
|
|
Thursday's Results:
Western Washington 3, Saint Martin's 0
Central Washington 3, Montana State Billings 0
Simon Fraser 3, Seattle Pacific 2
Alaska Fairbanks 3, Western Oregon 1
Alaska Anchorage 3, Concordia 0
Home team in bold
|
WWU is 15-0 on the season, extending the record for the best start to a season in program history. Passed the old mark of a 13-0 start in 2008. Both this season and the 2008 season follow NCAA II national runner-up finishes by the Vikings.
The Vikings have now won 45 of their last 46 matches dating back to last season. WWU is also 72-8 dating back to the start of the 2017 season.
Fans can follow WWU Volleyball online at WWUVikings.com/VB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUVolleyball), Instagram (@WWUVB) and Facebook (@WWUVolleyball). All home matches feature a live webcast, as well as most road matches, with links on how to follow the games available at WWUVikings.com/Live.
The WWU volleyball program has risen to elite level by advancing to the NCAA Division II Championships in each of the last seven seasons and 13 of the last 18 dating back to the 2001 season. The winner of nine Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, Western won the 2018 GNAC title with a perfect 20-0 record and the 2017 championship by posting a 19-1 league. Led by 20th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have played in the NCAA II West Region championship match each of the last four seasons (2015-18), winning titles in 2015 and 2018. WWU played for the NCAA II national championship in 2007 and 2018, both national runner-up finishes, have advanced to the NCAA Final Four in two of the past four seasons (2015 and 2015).
