BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In front of a great crowd of over 1,300 fans in Carver Gym, the No. 2 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball swept in-state rival Central Washington Saturday night in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play.

The Vikings improved to 10-0 on the season and are off to a 2-0 start in GNAC play, defeating the Wildcats in straight sets 25-22, 25-21, 25-18 in front of an announced crowd of 1,372 that is the best-attended regular-season match over the last 10 years for the Vikings. CWU, picked in a tie with WWU in the GNAC preseason coaches' poll, dropped to 6-4 on the season and 1-1 in league play.

The victory not only improved the Vikings to 10-0 overall on the season, but was the 33^rd consecutive win in Carver Gym and the 40^th consecutive GNAC victory by the two-time defending league champions. Dating back to the start of last season, Western has won 40 of its last 41 matches.

"First off, what an incredible atmosphere in Carver Gym tonight with amazing support from our students, alumni, fans, parents, student-athletes…the community. It was awesome," said 20^th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "A very complete team effort, with so many great contacts that were made with a purpose. I was really proud of translating training into today's match."

WWU sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman (Lake Stevens, WA) led the Vikings with a 14-kill, 13-dig double-double, her sixth match with double-digits in kills and digs in match this season. Gunterman also contributed one block and one service ace for a team-high 15.5 points.

"Gabby had a great balance of aggressiveness and calmness, at the same time, and was a steady force for us tonight," added Flick-Williams. 

Sophomore middle Chloe Roetcisoender (Duvall, WA/Cedar Park Christian) recorded a career-high 6 blocks, and also had 6 kills for 9.0 points. Two-time All-American Kayleigh Harper had 9 kills and 4 blocks, and redshirt freshman Calley Heilborn (Auburn, WA/Auburn Riverside)  added a 10-kill, 13-dig double-double. Redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga (Burien, WA/Kennedy) led all players with 42 assists.

Central Washington (6-4, 1-1 GNAC) was led by a 14-kill, 10-dig double-double by sophomore outside hitter Makala Swart.

WWU hit .321 for the match, including a blistering .538 in the third set, while holding the Wildcats to a .214 hitting percentage in the match. The Vikings also out-blocked Central 10.0 to 3.0 and held a 48-38 advantage in kills.

SET 1 (WWU 25, CWU 22): A back-and-forth first set featured 10 tie scores and three lead changes, but the Vikings pulled away from a 21-21 tie with a 3-1 run to go up 1-0 in the match. Harper, Roetcisoender, Heilborn and Gunterman each had 3 kills to balance the offense, while Gunterman led the defense with 7 of her 13 digs.

SET 2 (WWU 25, CWU 21): The Vikings took control from the start going on a 7-3 run to go from a one point lead at 6-5 to take a 13-8 lead. WWU pulled away late leading 24-17, but CWU fended off four consecutive set points before sealing the 25-21 win to go up 2-0 in the match. The Vikings hit .333 in the set, led by 7 kills from Gunterman.

SET 3 (WWU 25, CWU 18): Western hit a scorching .538 in the final set, handling the Wildcats 25-18 to secure the 3-0 sweep. Junior outside hitter Alison Davenport (Auburn, WA/Auburn Mountainview) was one of three Vikings with 4 kills in the final set.

Kills - Gunterman (14), Heilborn (10), Harper (9)

Aces - Aleaga (1), Heilborn (1), Gunterman (1)

Blocks - Roetcisoender (6), Harper (4), Heilborn (4)

Assists - Aleaga (42), Lologo (2)

Digs - Heilborn (13), Gunterman (13), Thungc (10)

Points - Gunterman (15.5), Heilborn (13.0), Harper (12.0), Roetcisoender (9.0)

The Vikings (10-0, 2-0 GNAC) return to the road next week for the first GNAC road trip of the season, traveling to Oregon to face Western Oregon on Thursday (7 pm) and Concordia on Saturday (2 pm). WWU heads into the trip with an 18-match road conference winning streak and has won its last 23 matches at an opponent's home venue (not counting neutral-site). Both conference matches will stream live on GNAC.tv and feature live statistical updates with links at WWUVikings.com/Live.

WWU extended its winning streak vs. CWU to seven consecutive matches dating back to 2016, and now leads the all-time series vs. Central 72-43-1. The Vikings have also beaten the Wildcats in 11 consecutive matches inside Carver Gym.

Here is an early look at the GNAC standings after the first week of conference action:

WWU is 10-0 on the season, marking the second-best start in program history trailing only a 13-0 start to the 2008 season.

The Vikings have now won 40 of their last 41 matches dating back to last season. WWU is also 67-8 (.893) dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

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).