BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University volleyball team is set to make its eighth consecutive and 14^th overall appearance in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships with West Regional play beginning Thursday in San Bernardino, California.

 

The Vikings head into the postseason 26-2 overall and are the No. 2 seed in the eight-team West Regional. WWU begins regional play on Thursday (Dec. 5) against No. 7 seed Hawai'i Hilo (23-7) with first serve scheduled for 2:30 pm. All matches in the West Regional will be played in The Den and hosted by No. 1 seed Cal State San Bernardino.

 

WWU is the defending West Regional Champion after hosting the event for the first time in program history last season in Carver Gym. The Vikings defeated CSUSB in the regional final to punch their ticket to the national tournament and played in the NCAA II National Championship match falling to the University of Tampa in five sets.

 

WWU was one of three Great Northwest Athletic Conference member schools to be selected to the 64-team field, with the Vikings earning the league's automatic bid by way of winning a third consecutive conference championship going 18-2 in league play. 

 

WWU enters postseason play as the national leader averaging 2.95 blocks per set and also ranks 6^thin hitting percentage (.273), 19^th in kills per set (13.97) and 10^th in assists per set (13.21). The Vikings 26 wins mark the eighth consecutive season with at least 20 wins in a season and are tied for the 8^th-most wins in program history. Over the last three seasons the Vikings have combined to go 83-10 for a .892 winning percentage.

 

The Vikings landed six players on the GNAC All-Conference team, led by senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper being voted as the GNAC Player of the Year and redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn selected as the league's Freshman of the Year. Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman joined Harper and Heilborn as First Team All-GNAC selections, with redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga, sophomore middle Chloe Roetcisoender and senior libero Mae Thungc earning All-GNAC honorable mention.

 

This is the fifth time the Vikings have been a No. 2 seed in the West Regional (2003, 2007, 2015, 2017). WWU was the No. 1 seed and regional host in 2018 en route to playing in the national championship match, defeating Cal State San Bernardino 3-2 in an epic regional final. The Vikings are 21-13 overall in 13 previous trips to the NCAA Championships and have played in the West Regional final in each of the last four seasons.

 

Eight eight-team regionals will be played at on-campus sites. Regional competition will be single-elimination, best three-of-five-set matches and will not include a third-place match. The winners of each of the eight regionals will advance to the finals, Dec. 12-14, at the Auraria Event Center in Denver. Metropolitan State University of Denver will serve as the host.

 

"This is a different season than the previous two seasons and I think that is something that I am not sure our team gets enough recognition for. We graduated five players last year, but the great part about that was it created an atmosphere where our practice environment was really competitive. That helped season this young group to get them ready for this year. I am super proud of this team as they have done a really good job of stepping up and dealing with a lot of pressure and expectations that have been placed upon them. We are preparing for this regional like we have prepared all season long…trying to get ourselves better in every facet of the game every practice." – WWU Head CoachDiane Flick-Williams

 

All games during the NCAA Division II Volleyball West Regional will stream live online via the CCAA Network. In addition to watching on a computer or mobile device, fans can tune into the games on a big screen TV searching for the CCAA Network on a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV or Android TV platform. Here are direct links on how to follow the games:

 

·         CCAA Network

·         Live Stats

 

WWU is making its eighth consecutive and 14^th overall trip to the NCAA II Championships in program history. The program is 21-13 all-time in NCAA Tournament play and has advanced to the NCAA II West Regional Championship Match in each of the last four seasons (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018). Advanced to the NCAA II National Championship match last season, the second time in program history to play for a national title (also in 2007).

 

Here is a look at the first-round pairings for the NCAA II West Region that will be hosted by Cal State San Bernardino in The Den. The Vikings will play Hawai'i Hilo in the first round, which will be the second meeting between the two schools this season. WWU defeated UHH in five sets (23-25,25-23,23-25,25-19,15-10) on Sept. 14 at the D2 West Region Crossover.

 

No. 3 Cal State LA (20-8) vs. No. 6 Azusa Pacific (26-4), 12:00 pm

No. 2 Western Washington (26-2) vs. No. 7 Hawai'i Hilo (23-7), 2:30 pm

No. 4 Alaska Anchorage (22-6) vs. No. 5 UC San Diego (18-8), 5:00 pm

No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino (27-0) vs. No. 8 Central Washington (18-10), 7:30 pm

 

WWU claimed its third consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Championship finishing the 20-match conference season with an 18-2 record. The Vikings also won titles in 2017 (19-1) and 2018 (20-0) for a combined record of 57-3 over the last three seasons in GNAC play. This marks just the second time in the 19-year history of the GNAC that a program has won three consecutive league titles, with the 2001-03 Vikings the only other instance. It was also WWU's 10th title in the 19-year history of the league.

 

WWU placed a conference-best six players on the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball All-Conference Team. WWU's six selections were led by senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper being voted as the GNAC Player of the Year and redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn selected as the league's Freshman of the Year. Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman joined Harper and Heilborn as First Team All-GNAC selections, with redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga, sophomore middle Chloe Roetcisoender and senior libero Mae Thungc earning All-GNAC honorable mention. Harper became the third player in conference history to earn four First Team All-GNAC awards in a career, joining WWU's Abby Phelps (2015-18) and UAA's Julia Mackey (2012-15).

 

 

Kayleigh Harper holds the GNAC and WWU all-time blocks record with 583 career blocks (Solo-114, Block Assist-469). She currently ranks 2^nd in NCAA II averaging 1.45 blocks per set this season and is the NCAA II active leader in both total blocks (583) and blocks per set (1.32). Among all players across NCAA I, II and III, Harper ranks 4^th among active career leaders with her 583 blocks.

 

 

If you don't get past this section of this news release, you should still be updated on all things WWU Volleyball:

 

·         The Record – 26-2 overall, 18-2 GNAC, 8-0 non-conference, 9-1 home, 17-1 away.

·         GNAC Champs – 3-Peat GNAC Champions finishing league play with an 18-2 record.

·         National Ranking – No. 4 in the AVCA DII Coaches Poll, the 107^th consecutive week to be ranked.

·         NCAA Tournament – 14^th overall trip and 8^th straight to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships.

·         Postseason Record – 21-13 all-time in NCAA II Championships play, recording at least one victory in 8 of 13 previous trips to the NCAA postseason.

·         Defending Champions – WWU is the defending West Regional Champion after hosting in 2018.

·         Been Here Before – 8^th consecutive trip to the NCAA II Tournament and have played in the NCAA II West Regional Final each of the last four years (2015-18).

·         NCAA Block Leader – WWU leads all NCAA II teams averaging 2.95 blocks per set.

·         Blocking Tandem – Kayleigh Harper (1.45) and Chloe Roetcisoender (1.37) are ranked 1-2 in the GNAC in blocks per set, and No. 2 and No. 4 respectively in NCAA II.

·         Player of the Year – Kayleigh Harper was selected as the GNAC Player of the Year.

·         Freshman of the Year – Calley Heilborn was selected as the GNAC Freshman of the Year

·         Winning – The Vikings have won 56 of their last 59 matches dating back to last season, and are 83-10 dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

·         GNAC Blocks Record – Kayleigh Harper is the all-time GNAC blocks leader with 583 and is the active NCAA II total blocks leader.

·         All Around Gabby – Gabby Gunterman ranks in the top 10 in the GNAC in digs (10^th, 3.82/set) and kills (10^th, 3.10/set), and is 11^th in points (3.62/set).

·         The Freshman – Calley Heilborn leads the team averaging 3.31 kills per set (6^th in GNAC) and 387.5 points.

·         Senior Night – Kayleigh Harper, Joslyn Bopray and Mae Thungc were honored on Senior Night vs. UAF.

·         Freshman Setter – Malia Aleaga leads the GNAC and is 6^th in NCAA II averaging 11.74 assists per set.

·         1,000 Digs – Mae Thungc has 1,078 career digs, becoming the 15^th player in WWU history to reach 1,000 digs.

·         20 Wins – WWU has reached the 20-win mark for the eighth consecutive season.

·         Vikings Leader – Head coach Diane Flick-Williams is in her 20^th season leading the Vikings, recording an all-time record of 450-109 (.805) at the helm of the program with 15 seasons with 20 or more wins.

 

WWU is 26-2 overall heading into the NCAA II Championships after clinching a third consecutive GNAC title going 18-2 in league play. The record breakdown includes a perfect 16-0 record in three-game sweeps, 8-1 in four-set matches and 2-1 when they go to five sets. Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2019 season:

 

 

The Vikings head into the postseason ranked No. 4 in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll. WWU has spent all season in the national top 10 all season (never lower than No. 6) and the Vikings have now been ranked in 107 consecutive polls dating back to the first week of the 2012 season, with an active streak of 23 consecutive weeks in the national top 10.

Here is a look at the series history between WWU the seven other teams that make up the 2019 NCAA II West Regional field:

 

·         No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino: Won 4 of last 5 and 5 of last 7 matches vs. CSUSB…defeated the Coyotes in 5-set battle in last year's West Regional Final…also beat CSUSB 3-2 in the West Regional Final in 2015 in Anchorage, Alaska…CSUSB leads the all-time series 13-7.

·         No. 3 Cal State LA: 6-5 all-time vs. CSULA with the last meeting in 2012.

·         No. 4 Alaska Anchorage: Were swept by UAA this season, falling in four sets on the road and 3-2 at home…only two losses  this season…WWU leads the all-time series 36-19, with a 5-2 record over the last seven meetings.

·         No. 5 UC San Diego: 5-7 all-time vs. UCSD with last meeting in 2015 NCAA II West Regional Semifinal (3-2 win)…won 4 of last 5 meetings in the series.

·         No. 6 Azusa Pacific: 3-0 all-time vs. APU, winning 3-0 at 2018 D2 West Region Showcase.

·         No. 7 Hawai'i Hilo: Defeated Hawai'i Hilo in five sets earlier this season at the D2 West Region Showcase…owns a 1-1 all-time record vs. the Vulcans with UHH winning in five sets on Oct. 14, 1999.

·         No. 8 Central Washington: Went 2-0 vs. CWU this season, both 3-0 sweeps, and have won the last 8 meetings dating back to 2016…WWU leads the all-time series 73-43-1.

 

WWU leads all of NCAA Division II averaging 2.95 blocks per set in 2019. Over the last three seasons has combined for a 2.80 blocks per set average.

 

 

Here is a look at the current NCAA team statistical leaders, with the Vikings leading all of NCAA II averaging 2.95 blocks per set. WWU is also 6^th in hitting percentage (.273) and 10^th in assists per set (13.21):

 

 

Here is a look at the final GNAC standings from 2019, with WWU, Alaska Anchorage and Central Washington all advancing to play in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships. The Vikings won their third consecutive league title and 10^th overall with an 18-2 record:

 

 

Redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga leads the GNAC and ranks 6^th in NCAA Division II averaging 11.74 assists per set. Also owns the top assist average among West Region setters and is the top freshman setter in the nation. Here is a look at the national assists per set leaders:

 

 

The Vikings have now won 56 of their last 59 matches dating back to last season, with the 2018 campaign resulting in the NCAA II national runner-up finish. WWU is also 83-10 (.892) dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

 

Here are some tidbits on the Vikings heading into the NCAA II West Regional:

 

·         Block Leader – Kayleigh Harper leads the GNAC and ranks 2^nd nationally with 1.45 blocks per set.

·         Freshman Kills – Calley Heilborn has recorded 328 kills, 3^rd-most by a freshman in program history.

·         Player of the Week – Kayleigh Harper is a four-time GNAC Player of the Week this season and has set the GNAC all-time record with 10 career player of the week awards (passed WWU's Abby Phelps with 8).

·         Five Set Success – WWU is 2-1 in five-set matches this season and 20-5 (.800) since 2015.

·         Double Doubles – Calley Heilborn leads the team with 17 double-doubles (kills/digs) amongst the GNAC leaders, with teammate Gabby Gunterman adding with 13 double-double performances.

·         All-American – Kayleigh Harper is a two-time AVCA All-American, earning second-team honors in 2018 and honorable mention in 2016.

·         Bopray Blocks – Senior middle Joslyn Bopray is 9 blocks short of reaching the 200-block mark for her career.

·         Roetcisoender – Sounds just like "return to sender", and Chloe Roetcisoender (formerly Chloe Biscup) is 2^nd in the GNAC in blocks (1.37/set) and hitting percentage (.330).

·         Twin Towers – Tess Biscup and Chloe Roetcisoender are twin sisters (Chloe got married recently).

·         Best Start – Began the season 17-0, the best start to a season in program history (13-0 in 2008).

·         Fandom – WWU drew 1,372 fans for its match on 9/21 vs. CWU, the largest regular-season crowd in WWU volleyball history. Averaged 657 fans for 10 eight home matches to rank 5^th nationally.

·         Roster Breakdown – The 2019 roster features 15 active players, with 3 seniors, 2 juniors, 4 sophomores and 6 redshirt freshman…WWU also has three true freshman that are redshirting this season.

·         All Washington Roster - The entire 18-player roster (including redshirts) is comprised entirely of players from the state of Washington. WWU's last out-of-state player was Niki Smith (2000, 2002) from Beaverton, Oregon.

·         Student Athletes – WWU has won the AVCA Team Academic Award in back-to-back years (2017-18).

 

In the 19-year history of the GNAC, no player has more career blocks than senior All-American middleKayleigh Harper. Harper has set the GNAC all-time record with 583 career blocks, passing the old mark of 559 by NNU's Madi Farrell. She now holds the WWU and GNAC all-time records for career blocks and is the NCAA II active leader in blocks. Harper is also 4^th in WWU history with 1,274 career kills and is the all-time program leader with a .374 hitting percentage.

 

 

WWU has reached the 20-win mark for the eighth consecutive season and for the 30^th time in the 48-year history of the program. During the string of consecutive 20-win seasons, which started in 2012, the program has recorded a 201-39 record for a .838 winning percentage. Head coach Diane Flick-Williams has guided the program to at least 20 wins now in 15 of her 20 seasons at the helm of the program.

 

WWU had five student-athletes selected to the 2019 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team. The five selections to the team were highlighted by senior middle blocker Joslyn Bopray and libero/defensive specialist Mae Thungc earning GNAC Academic All-Star honors for the third time in their career. Bopray and Thungc join a list that now includes 22 WWU student-athletes to earn three GNAC All-Academic awards in a career. Junior outside hitter Alison Davenport was selected to the team for the second consecutive season and twin sisters Tess Biscup and Chloe Roetcisoender earned the honor in their first year eligible. Biscup (3.90) and Roetcisoender (3.85) were among the highest grade point averages listed on the 69-member team.

 

 

Sophomore Chloe Roetcisoender has been selected to the 2019 Academic All-District® Volleyball Team, selected by CoSIDA. She was one of seven players selected to the District 8 team, which consists of players from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, California Collegiate Athletics Association and the PacWest. She has recorded a cumulative 3.85 GPA as an elementary education major and was also selected to the GNAC All-Academic team in her first year of eligibility. She is the eighth Viking to earn First Team Academic All-District honors, with Abby Phelps and Michaela Hall both selected to the team last season.

 

The Vikings earned the 3-peat winning the 2019 GNAC title going 18-2 in conference play. Also won the 2018 title with a perfect 20-0 record and went 19-1 in 2017. This year's title marks the 10^th in program history. The Vikings have gone 57-3 in GNAC play over the last three seasons.

 

WWU is 11-1 in true road games this season, and 17-1 in matches away from Bellingham. Dating back to the 2017 season, the Vikings have won 31 of their last 32 away games (neutral-site games not included). WWU has played 18 of 28 matches on the road this season, with competition in Florida, California, Oregon, Montana, Alaska, British Columbia, Idaho and Washington.

 

Here is a match-by-match look at the 2019 season heading into the NCAA Championships:

 

 

The Vikings received nine GNAC Player of the Week awards during the season, with three by redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn and four by senior middle Kayleigh Harper. Harper now has10 GNAC Player of the Week awards in her career, setting the conference record for the most Player of the Week awards in a career. She broke the previous record of eight by Viking All-American Abby Phelps (2015-18). WWU has had 88 GNAC Player of the Week selections since the first year of the conference in 2001, including a record-tying nine selections in 2017, 2018 and 2019 (WWU All-Time GNAC Players of the Week).

 

 

WWU finished the historic 2018 season with a 30-4 overall record and were a perfect 20-0 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play to win the conference championship for the second consecutive season. The Vikings were selected as the No. 1 seed in the West Region and hosted the NCAA II West Regional Championship in Carver Gym for the first time in program history. WWU defeated rival Cal State San Bernardino in the regional final to advance to the NCAA Elite 8 for the third time in program history. WWU finished the season 30-4 and was the NCAA II National Runner-Up.

 

WWU Volleyball head coach Diane Flick-Williams is in her 20^th season and is the winningest coach in program history and GNAC history. She owns a career record of 450-109 (.805), guiding the Vikings to 15 seasons of 20 or more victories, 14 NCAA Championship appearances (8 consecutive), 3 national tournament appearances (2007, 2015, 2018), 10 GNAC championships and received GNAC Coach of the Year honors 10 times (2001-03, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012-13, 2017-18). Amongst active Division II coaches, she entered the 2019 season ranked 10^th in winning percentage (.798) and 23rd in victories (424). Last year she became the 32nd NCAA II head coach to record 400 career victories.

 

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 eight seasons and 14 of the last 19 dating back to the 2001 season. The winner of 10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, Western won the 2018 GNAC title with a perfect 20-0 record, the 2017 championship by posting a 19-1 league and is a 3-peat champion with an 18-2 mark this season. Over the last three seasons (includes 2019) the Vikings have combined to go 83-10 overall and 57-3 in conference play, and over the last five seasons are 133-24. Led by 20^th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 201-39 record over the last eight seasons (.838 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 2018).