POMONA, Calif. – The No. 3 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team continued its winning ways with a 3-0 sweep over Cal Poly Pomona Thursday night inside Kellogg Arena to cap the first day of competition at the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase.

The Vikings remained perfect on the season at 6-0 overall and have won nine consecutive matches in the West Region Showcase dating back to the 2017 season. WWU defeated Cal Poly Pomona by set scores of 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 in a rematch of the West Regional Semifinal played last season in Carver Gym (won 3-0 by WWU).

Senior middle Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) led all players with 12 kills on a .500 hitting percentage. The three-time First Team All-GNAC selection also had 3 blocks for 13.5 total points.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn (Auburn, WA/Auburn Riverside) finished with 10 kills and 6 digs, and sophomore outside Gabby Gunterman (Lake Stevens, WA) had 9 kills and 8 digs. Sophomore middle Chloe Roetcisoender (Duvall, WA/Cedar Park Christian) added 6 kills on a .600 hitting percentage and 3 blocks.

Junior Janae Payne (Oak Harbor, WA) sparked the Vikings at the service line with three aces and redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga (Burien, WA/Kennedy) had 37 assists in the three-set victory.

"We came out tonight with much better energy and played really free," said WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "Janae (Payne) had some great serves at key times for us to help get some separation. Malia (Aleaga) distributed the ball really well and got our middles involved in a balance offense."

The Vikings took a back-and-forth first set 25-23, with Harper leading the charge with 7 kills on a .600 hitting percentage. Heilborn added 4 kills as WWU hit .314 for the set. In the second set WWU used a 6-1 run to pull away from a 19-17 score for the 25-18 victory. The Vikings took early control of the third set and never looked back to gain the sweep over the Broncos (2-3).

WWU defeated Cal State Monterey Bay 3-0 earlier in the day by set scores of 25-15, 25-16, 25-23.      

After a busy day with two matches on Thursday, the Vikings will play a single match each on Friday (Chaminade, 2:30 pm) and Saturday (Hawai'i Hilo, 12 pm) to close out the non-conference portion of the schedule. Both matches will feature a live webcast (WWUVikings.com/VB_Watch) and live stats (WWUVikings.com/VB_Stats) from Kellogg Arena.

Kills - Harper (12), Heilborn (10), Gunterman (9)

Aces - Payne (3), Thungc (2), Aleaga (1)

Blocks - Aleaga (3), Harper (3), Roetcisoender (3)

Assists - Aleaga (37)

Digs - Gunterman (8), Thungc (7), Heilborn (6)

Points - Harper (13.5), Heilborn (11.0), Gunterman (9.5), Roetcisoender (7.5)

An annual tradition that pits the schools in the GNAC, CCAA and PacWest against each other in pod play, the West Region Volleyball Showcase features some of the top matchups in the nation while giving 36 schools at six regional locations the chance to flex their muscles in non-conference action. The CCAA plays hosts in 2019, with Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State LA, Stanislaus State, San Francisco State and UC San Diego each hosting to a six-team pod with competition in the three-day tournament taking place Sept. 12-14.

This season marks the sixth consecutive season the Vikings have competed in the West Region Showcase, with WWU compiling an 19-3 all-time record in the tournament. The Vikings now have a 9-match showcase winning streak after today's victories over  Cal State Monterey Bay and Cal Poly Pomona. WWU was 4-0 last season in the pod hosted by Azusa Pacific, and 3-1 in each of the two previous seasons.

After playing the first eight matches of the 2019 season on the road, the Vikings will make their official Carver Gym debut when they host Northwest Nazarene on WECU Court on Thursday, September 19 with first serve scheduled for 7 pm. The complete 2019 season schedule and additional information on the program can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/VB.

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 20^th-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).