POMONA, Calif. – The No. 3 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team battled back to defeat the University of Hawai'i-Hilo in five sets on Saturday, closing out a perfect showing at the D2 West Region Volleyball Classic in Kellogg Arena on the Cal Poly Pomona campus.

WWU remained perfect on the season at 8-0 heading into Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, winning its second five-set match of the season. Game scores were 23-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-19, 15-10 in favor of the Vikings. Western is now 10-1 in five-set matches over the last three seasons and 20-4 (.833) dating back to the 2015 season.

The 8-0 start is the second-best in program history, trailing only a 13-0 start to the 2008 season, which like this season, followed a previous season where the Vikings were NCAA Division II National Runner-Up. 

Senior middle Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) led the way for the Vikings recording a season-high 23 kills on a .512 hitting percentage. The 2018 second-team All-American also had 9 blocks to finish with 28.0 points.

Redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn (Auburn, WA/Auburn Riverside) tallied a 20-kill, 17-dig double-double, also adding 3 blocks and 2 service aces. Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman (Lake Stevens, WA) was also an offensive threat with 17 kills and a match-high 26 digs.

"I'm really proud of this team for how they battled all the way to the end. Our outside hitters (Calley and Gabby) did a good job of responding to a rough start and became a tough presence both offensively and defensively," said 20^th-year WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "Kayleigh and Malia (Aleaga) were a steady force throughout the match and the entire tournament."

Aleaga (Burien, WA/Kennedy) set a career-high with 63 assists, and also contributed 2 blocks and a pair of service aces. Senior libero Mae Thungc (Kent, WA/Kentridge) finished with 14 digs.

Hawai'i Hilo (4-3) had five players reach double figures in kills, led by 17 from Amber Tai and 14 from Alexandria Parisian. 

SET 1 (UHH 25, WWU 23): The Vikings trailed by as many as seven points at 17-10 following a 4-0 UHH run, but the Vikings fought back going on a 10-1 run to pull ahead 20-18. The set featured three more at 20-20, 21-21 and 23-23 before the Vulcans finished the set off for the 25-23 victory.

SET 2 (WWU 25, UHH 23): WWU built a sizeable lead at 19-13 and held off UHH down the stretch for the 25-23 second set victory. The Vikings led 24-19, but UHH fended off four consecutive set points before Heilborn recorded a kill to seal the set for WWU.

SET 3 (UHH, 25, WWU 23): The Vikings were poised to go up 2-1 in the match, leading 18-11, but UHH went on a 11-4 run to pull even at 22-22. WWU went up 23-22 after a Hilo service error, but the Vulcans completed the set comeback scoring the final three points for the 25-23 win to go up 2-1.

SET 4 (WWU 25, UHH 19): WWU evened the match at two sets apiece with a 25-19 fourth-set victory to push the match to a deciding fifth set. The Vikings trailed 17-15, but went on a 4-2 run landing at a 19-19 tie. Western then rattled off six consecutive points to win the set, with Mae Thungc providing the spark serving five of the six points.

SET 5 (WWU 15, UHH 10): Much like the first four sets, the Vikings and Vulcans were locked in a tight contest before WWU pulled away from a 5-5 tie and eventually won the set (and match) 15-10. With WWU leading 9-8, the Vikings used a pair of Gabby Gunterman kills to go on a 3-0 run to take a 12-8 lead, and then finished the set with three consecutive points to gain the 15-10 victory.

After playing the first eight matches of the 2019 season on the road, the Vikings will make their official Carver Gym debut on Thursday (Sept. 19) when they host Northwest Nazarene on WECU Court with first serve scheduled for 7 pm. WWU will also host Central Washington next Saturday (Sept. 21) at 7 pm in Carver Gym. The complete 2019 season schedule and additional information on the program can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/VB.

WWU is 8-0 on the season, marking the second-best start in program history trailing only a 13-0 start to the 2008 season. The Vikings were 7-0 to open the 2013 season.

Off to a 8-0 start to the season, the Vikings have now won 38 of their last 39 matches dating back to last season. WWU is also 65-8 (.890) dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

Kills - Harper (23), Heilborn (20), Gunterman (17)

Aces - Aleaga (2), Heilborn (2), Payne (1)

Blocks - Harper (9), Roetcisoender (3), Heilborn (3)

Assists - Aleaga (63), Lologo (3)

Digs - Gunterman (26), Heilborn (17), Thungc (14)

Points - Harper (28.0), Heilborn (23.5), Gunterman (18.5)

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 competed in the West Region Showcase, with WWU compiling an all-time 21-3 in the tournament. The Vikings now have an 11-match showcase winning streak, going 4-0 both this season and in 2018, and 3-1 in 2017. 

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).