BELLINGHAM, Wash. – After over 500 days off from competition, the Western Washington University volleyball team showed little rust in a 3-0 sweep over Western Oregon Friday evening inside Carver Gym.
The three-time defending Great Northwest Athletic Conference champions swept the Wolves by games scores of 25-20, 25-14, 25-12 on WECU Court. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and GNAC guidelines, no fans were allowed in the venue to attend the match.
"I was really happy with our performance and the fact that everyone came ready to play tonight," said WWU head coach
Diane Flick-Williams. "We were ready to play and after a long time away from actual competition, it was great to see so many players contribute in many different ways."
Sophomore All-American outside hitter
Calley Heilborn led the Vikings with a 13-kill, 10-dig double-double, adding a pair of block assists for a match-high 14.0 points.
Junior middle
Chloe Roetcisoender added seven kills on a .400 hitting percentage, while senior outside hitter
Alison Davenport and junior middle
Olivia Fairchild each contributed sox kills.
Sophomore All-American setter
Malia Aleaga dished out 34 assists, while also contributing a match-high 4 service aces.
The defense was anchored by a career-high 18 digs from sophomore libero
Kasey Woodruff and the 10 digs by Heilborn.
WWU held a 8.0-5.0 advantage in blocks, with Roetcisoender tallying three blocks and Fairchild, Heilborn and junior outside hitter
Gabby Gunterman each recording a pair of blocks. The Vikings combined for an efficient .270 hitting percentage in their first official match in 497 days, while holding WOU to a .058 mark.
The Wolves (0-3) were led by seven kills each from Emily Olson and Lauren Smith. Libero Allie Spear tallied a team-high 13 digs.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Kills - Heilborn (13), Roetcisoender (7), Davenport (6), Fairchild (6)
Aces - Aleaga (4)
Blocks - Roetcisoender (3), Fairchild (3), Davenport (2)
Assists - Aleaga (34)
Digs - Woodruff (18), Heilborn (10), Gunterman (9)
UP NEXT
The Vikings (1-0) return to the court on Saturday playing Western Oregon in a doubleheader beginning at 10 am. The webcast can be watched live on YouTube at
WWUVikings.com/VikingsTV or a direct link at
WWUVikings.com/VB_Watch.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WESTERN OREGON
WWU leads the all-time series vs. Western Oregon 43-14, including a current 15-match winning streak. The last eight victories vs. the Wolves have all been 3-0 sweeps.
HOW TO FOLLOW
All WWU home matches will feature a webcast that will stream to the official Athletics YouTube Channel at
WWUVikingsAthletics. All volleyball matches, home and away, can be watched by pointing your browser to
WWUVikings.com/VB_Watch, with the link updated for each game. Each game will also feature live statistical updates at
WWUVikings.com/VB_Stats.
THE SPRING SCHEDULE
The 2020-21 championship volleyball season currently features 14 matches, which includes five doubleheaders, in a condensed season running from April 16 through May 15. To view the most up-to-date schedule, with direct webcast and live stats links, visit
WWUVikings.com/VB.
| Date |
Time |
Opponent |
Location |
Result |
| April 16 (Fri) |
5:00 pm |
Western Oregon |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
W, 3-0 |
| April 17 (Sat) |
10:00 am |
Western Oregon |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| April 17 (Sat) |
2:00 pm |
Western Oregon |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| April 23 (Fri) |
5:00 pm |
Seattle Pacific |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| April 23 (Sat) |
12:00 pm |
at Seattle Pacific |
Seattle, WA (Brougham Pavilion) |
|
| April 23 (Sat) |
3:00 pm |
at Seattle Pacific |
Seattle, WA (Brougham Pavilion) |
|
| April 28 (Wed) |
6:00 pm |
Saint Martin's |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| May 1 (Sat) |
12:00 pm |
Central Washington |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| May 1 (Sat) |
5:00 pm |
Central Washington |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| May 8 (Sat) |
12:00 pm |
at Central Washington |
Ellensburg, WA (Nicholson Pavilion) |
|
| May 8 (Sat) |
5:00 pm |
at Central Washington |
Ellensburg, WA (Nicholson Pavilion) |
|
| May 14 (Fri) |
5:00 pm |
at Seattle Pacific |
Seattle, WA (Brougham Pavilion) |
|
| May 15 (Sat) |
12:30 pm |
Seattle Pacific |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
| May 15 (Sat) |
5:00 pm |
Seattle Pacific |
Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym) |
|
FOLLOW THE VIKINGS
Fans can follow WWU Volleyball online at
WWUVikings.com/VB, and via social media on
Twitter (@WWUVolleyball),
Instagram (@WWUVB) and
Facebook (@WWUVolleyball).
ABOUT WWU VOLLEYBALL
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 became a 3-peat champion with an 18-2 mark in 2019. Over the last four seasons the Vikings have combined to go 85-11 overall and 57-3 in conference play, and over the last six seasons are 135-25 (.844). Led by 21-year head coach
Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 203-40 record over the last nine seasons (.836 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).
