BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 4 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team turned in a dominating performance on Senior Night in Carver Gym, sweeping Alaska Fairbanks in Great Northwest Athletic Conference action on WECU Court.
The Vikings opened the match on a 13-1 run and never looked back while recording the 25-16, 25-20, 25-10 sweep over the Nanooks to improve to 24-2 overall and 16-2 in league play. WWU remains atop the GNAC standings with a one-game lead over second-place Alaska Anchorage (3-1 win at Simon Fraser).
WWU's three seniors – Kayleigh Harper, Joslyn Bopray, Mae Thungc – helped set the tone of the match after a pregame ceremony honoring their illustrious careers.
Harper, an All-American middle, had 8 kills on a .375 hitting percentage and recorded 10 blocks for a team-high 14.5 points. Thungc tallied a match-high 13 digs and Bopray recorded 5 kills and a pair of blocks.
"Tonight was all about our seniors, and they came out and played free and easy set the tone for the entire match," said head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "I am very proud of everything they have accomplished and tonight was a great way to celebrate them as a group with their families, teammates and fans."
Redshirt freshman Calley Heilborn added a 12-kill, 12-block double-double and sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman recorded 8 kills and 3 service aces.
The Vikings rebounded from a tough serving night in Thursday's five-set loss to Alaska Anchorage (17 service errors), making only two against UAF. WWU out-blocked the Nanooks 12-2 and held a .320-.048 advantage in hitting percentage.
Alaska (14-12, 11-7) earned the road split after sweeping Simon Fraser on Thursday night in Burnaby. Outside hitter Lahra Weber paced the Nanooks with 10 kills and setter Claire Whiting had a 27-assist, 11-dig double-double.
Kills - Heilborn (12), Harper (8), Gunterman (8)
Aces - Gunterman (3), Lologo (2), Aleaga (1)
Blocks - Harper (10), Gunterman (3), Aleaga (2)
Assists - Aleaga (30), Lologo (2), Bopray (1)
Digs - Thungc (13), Heilborn (12), Aleaga (8)
Points - Harper (14.5), Heilborn (12.5), Gunterman (12.5), Bopray (6.5)
The Vikings (24-2, 16-2 GNAC) take to the road to close out the 2019 regular season traveling to play Central Washington on Thursday night in Ellensburg (7 pm) and Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho (7 pm MT/6 pm PT). Both matches will stream live and feature statistical updates at GNAC.tv.
Here is an early look at the GNAC standings through matches played on Saturday, with WWU remaining in first place with a 16-2 league record.
|
VOLLEYBALL
|
CONF
|
PCT
|
OVERALL
|
PCT
|
HOME
|
AWAY
|
NEUTRAL
|
STREAK
|
|
Western Washington
|
16-2
|
.889
|
24-2
|
.923
|
9-1
|
8-1
|
7-0
|
Won 1
|
|
Alaska Anchorage
|
15-3
|
.833
|
20-6
|
.769
|
9-3
|
8-3
|
3-0
|
Won 4
|
|
Simon Fraser
|
12-6
|
.667
|
16-10
|
.615
|
6-4
|
7-3
|
3-3
|
Lost 2
|
|
Central Washington
|
12-6
|
.667
|
17-9
|
.653
|
7-1
|
6-6
|
4-2
|
Won 1
|
|
Alaska
|
11-7
|
.611
|
14-12
|
.538
|
5-3
|
6-6
|
3-3
|
Lost 1
|
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
9-9
|
.500
|
13-12
|
.520
|
3-5
|
7-5
|
3-2
|
Won 3
|
|
Seattle Pacific
|
9-9
|
.500
|
12-14
|
.462
|
4-7
|
6-4
|
2-4
|
Lost 1
|
|
Concordia
|
7-11
|
.389
|
9-16
|
.360
|
5-7
|
2-8
|
2-1
|
Lost 1
|
|
Montana State Billings
|
5-13
|
.278
|
8-20
|
.286
|
4-7
|
3-8
|
1-5
|
Lost 1
|
|
Western Oregon
|
2-16
|
.111
|
4-21
|
.160
|
1-7
|
1-10
|
2-4
|
Lost 4
|
|
Saint Martin's
|
1-17
|
.056
|
1-26
|
.037
|
1-9
|
0-10
|
0-7
|
Won 1
|
|
Saturday's Results (home team in bold)
Western Washington 3, Alaska Fairbanks 0
Central Washington 3, Western Oregon 2
Northwest Nazarene 3, Concordia 2
Alaska Anchorage 3, Simon Fraser 1
Saint Martin's 3, Montana State Billings 1
|
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. Over the last three seasons (includes 2019) the Vikings have combined to go 80-9 overall and 54-2 in conference play, and over the last five seasons are 129-23. Led by 20th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 199-39 record over the last eight seasons (.836 winning percentage) and 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).
