BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 6 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team swept Western Oregon University 3-0 Saturday night on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
The Vikings improved to 11-1 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play to remain atop the standings and inched towards another 20-win season at 19-1 overall. WWU has now won 38 consecutive matches inside Carver Gym, a streak that dates back to the 2014 season. Game scores were 25-20, 25-12, 25-16 as Western Oregon dropped to 3-16 overall and 1-11 in conference play.
WWU featured a balanced offensive effort with five players recording six-or-more kills and nine total service aces.
"I was really happy with how balanced we were tonight and how we did well on the things we worked on in practice all week," said 20th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "Our serving was really good tonight, which put pressure on them, and was key to our defense and offensive attack."
Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman led the Vikings with 9 kills and 15 digs, while hitting .292 in the match.
Sophomore middle Chloe Roetcisoender tallied 6 kills and a match-high 5 blocks, with senior middleJoslyn Bopray stepping into the starting lineup to contribute 6 kills on a .308 hitting percentage and 3 blocks. Sophomore opposite Tess Biscup added 6 kills and 3 blocks and redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn had 6 kills, 13 digs and a pair of aces.
Redshirt freshman Tupu Lologo led the Vikings with a trio of service aces and redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga had 26 assists. Senior libero Mae Thungc added 15 digs to tie for the team high and also had a pair of aces.
Western Oregon was led by 7 kills from Sianna DeCarli and a match-high 20 digs by Allie Spear.
Kills - Gunterman (9), Bopray (6), Roetcisoender (6)
Aces - Lologo (3), Heilborn (2), Thungc (2)
Blocks - Roetcisoender (5), Bopray (3), Biscup (3)
Assists - Aleaga (26)
Digs - Gunterman (15), Thungc (15), Heilborn (13)
Points - Gunterman (10.0), Roetcisoender (8.5), Heilborn (8.5), Bopray (7.5), Biscup (7.5)
The Vikings (19-1, 11-1 GNAC) face a quick turnaround back in action on Tuesday with a road match across the border vs. Simon Fraser in Burnaby, BC. First serve against the Clan is scheduled for 7 pm in West Gym. WWU also hosts Montana State Billings next Saturday (Nov. 3) at 7 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
The Vikings have won 38 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 7-0 start this year.
» Current 38-match winning streak in Carver Gym dating back to 2014.
» WWU is 274-81 (.772) all-time in Carver Gym, including 159-15 (.914) under Diane Flick-Williams.
» Went 13-0 in Carver Gym last season, including three wins in the NCAA II West Regional.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. WESTERN OREGON
WWU swept the season series vs. Western Oregon, also recording a 3-0 sweep (25-14, 25-15, 25-16) on Sept. 26 in Monmouth. The Vikings lead the all-time series vs. the Wolves 41-14, including a current 14-match winning streak dating back to the 2013 season.
Here is an early look at the GNAC standings through matches played on Saturday:
|
VOLLEYBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
Western Washington
|
11-1
|
.917
|
19-1
|
.950
|
7-0
|
5-1
|
7-0
|
Won 2
|
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
10-2
|
.833
|
15-5
|
.750
|
7-3
|
5-2
|
3-0
|
Won 3
|
|
Simon Fraser
|
9-3
|
.750
|
13-7
|
.650
|
5-1
|
5-3
|
3-3
|
Won 7
|
|
Central Washington
|
7-5
|
.583
|
12-8
|
.600
|
5-1
|
3-5
|
4-2
|
Lost 1
|
|
Alaska
|
7-5
|
.583
|
10-10
|
.500
|
3-3
|
4-4
|
3-3
|
Won 1
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
6-6
|
.500
|
10-9
|
.526
|
3-2
|
4-5
|
3-2
|
Won 1
|
|
Seattle Pacific
|
6-6
|
.500
|
9-11
|
.450
|
3-4
|
4-4
|
2-4
|
Won 4
|
|
Concordia
|
5-7
|
.417
|
7-12
|
.368
|
3-5
|
2-6
|
2-1
|
Lost 4
|
|
Montana State Billings
|
4-8
|
.333
|
7-15
|
.318
|
4-5
|
2-5
|
1-5
|
Lost 2
|
|
Western Oregon
|
1-11
|
.083
|
3-16
|
.158
|
0-4
|
1-8
|
2-4
|
Lost 7
|
|
Saint Martin's
|
0-12
|
.000
|
0-21
|
.000
|
0-7
|
0-7
|
0-7
|
Lost 21
|
|
Saturday's GNAC Results:
Western Washington 3, Western Oregon 0
Simon Fraser 3, Concordia 0
Seattle Pacific 3, Central Washington 2
Alaska Fairbanks 3, Montana State Billings 2
Northwest Nazarene 3, Saint Martin's 1
Home team in bold
|
The Vikings are 49-2 over their last 51 matches dating back to the start of the 2018 season and 76-9 since the beginning of the 2017 campaign.
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).
