PENSACOLA, Fla. – The No. 3 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team opened the 2019 season with a come-from-behind victory over No. 24 West Florida Thursday evening in the opening match of the Springhill Suites Invitational inside the UWF Field House.
Game scores were 25-18, 21-25, 23-25, 26-24, 15-12 in favor of the Vikings. WWU trailed 2-1 in the match, but battled back to win the fourth and fifth sets to open the season 1-0. The Vikings are now 19-4 in five-set matches over the last five seasons, including a 5-1 mark during last season's NCAA national runner-up finish.
"I think we had some great play from experience players - Gabby, Kayleigh, Alison - that was helpful for us," said 20th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "We did a good job settling in fourth and fifth sets and not losing our composure. We made some errors due to our youth, but did a great job responding and had a great fifth set."
Sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman (Lake Stevens, WA) led the Vikings with a 17-kills, 15-dig double-double, hitting an efficient .350 for the match (17-3-40). She eclipsed her previous career-high of 16 kills set twice last season.
Senior All-American middle blocker Kayleigh Harper (Oak Harbor, WA) also had 17 kills on a .467 hitting percentage, and added 2 blocks for 18.0 total points. Junior Alison Davenport (Auburn, WA/Auburn Mountainview) also contributed 14 kills on a .323 hitting percentage, as WWU's main three returning offensive players combined for 48 of the Vikings 69 kills.
Redshirt freshman Calley Heilborn (Auburn, WA/Auburn Riverside) made her collegiate debut with 11 kills and 11 digs for the double-double.
Senior libero Mae Thungc (Kent, WA/Kentridge) and redshirt freshman Tupu Lologo (Federal Way, WA) tied for the team-high with 17 digs. Redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga (Burien, WA/Kennedy) paced the offense with 55 assists and 11 digs in her collegiate debut.
"This was a good test, gaining a lot of experience, and it was a great start for them to battle back and get the victory," added Flick-Williams. "We will continue to look to improve with a big day tomorrow."
West Florida was led by 16 kills from Jordyn Poppen and 9 kills each from Marissa Hackett and Ebony Powers.
The Vikings will play two matches on Friday during the second day of the Springhill Suites Invitational, beginning with a 2 pm CT/12 pm PT match vs. No. 13 Wheeling, a national quarterfinalist last season. WWU will then play an evening match against Spring Hill College (Mobile, AL) at 7 pm CT/5 pm PT. The complete tournament schedule can viewed online at GoArgos.com.
Kills – Harper (17), Gunterman (17), Davenport (14)
Aces – Lologo (2), Thungc (1), Gunterman (1)
Blocks – Bopray (3), Heilborn (3), Harper (2)
Assists – Aleaga (55), Lologo (3)
Digs – Thungc (17), Lologo (17), Gunterman (15)
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. Over the last two seasons the Vikings have combined to go 57-8 overall and 39-1 in conference play, and over the last four seasons are 107-22 (.829). Led by 20th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 175-37 record over the last seven seasons (.825 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).
