For the third consecutive season the Western Washington University volleyball program has earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award.
 
The Vikings 18-player roster combined to record a 3.31 GPA in 2019-20 to earn the sixth United States Marine Corps/AVCA Team Academic Award in program history, all coming over the last 11 seasons since 2009. WWU also won the award three consecutive seasons from 2009-2011 (2009-10 through 2011-12 academic years). 
 
"I'm really proud of this team and how they chose to handle this difficult time," said WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams, who has led the program for the last 20 seasons. "We talk about how excellence is not a light switch to turn on and off, but rather a daily habit regardless of circumstances. So to not only earn three consecutive GNAC Championships, but also earn the USMC/AVCA team academic award three years in a row shows their dedication to that mantra."
 
WWU was among seven schools from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference to earn the award in 2019-20, and one of 171 NCAA Division II squads. A record 1,313 high schools and colleges received the award this year. In addition to Western, GNAC member schools to earn the award included Alaska Fairbanks, Central Washington, Northwest Nazarene, Seattle Pacific, Simon Fraser and Western Oregon. 
 
In addition to another successful year of academic accolades, the Vikings won their third consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title and played in their eighth consecutive NCAA Division II Championships advancing to the semifinal of the West Regional. Over the last three seasons WWU is a combined 84-11 (.884) with a 57-3 mark in GNAC play.
 
In addition to another year of having four players earn All-America honors on the court (Kayleigh Harper, Calley Heilborn, Gabby Gunterman, Malia Aleaga), Western had five players earn GNAC All-Academic honors with sophomore Chloe Roetcisoender selected to the Academic All-District 8 team.
  The 2020 volleyball season has been suspended after a unanimous vote of the GNAC CEO Board to halt all fall sports competition until November 30, 2020. The CEO Board said it will continue to monitor developments related to the pandemic and make a decision by Oct. 15 regarding the status of competition after Nov. 30. Conference governance groups have already engaged in active discussions for providing meaningful seasons of competition for the conference's fall championship sports, including the feasibility of playing in the spring.
  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 the Vikings have combined to go 84-11 overall and 57-3 in conference play, and over the last five seasons are 134-25 (.843). Led by 20-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 202-40 record over the last eight seasons (.835 winning percentage) and have played in the NCAA II West Region championship match four of the last five 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, and have advanced to the NCAA Final Four in two of the past five seasons (2015 and 2018).