SEATTLE, Wash. – The Western Washington University volleyball team split a pair of matches on the road against Seattle Pacific University in a doubleheader played Saturday in Brougham Pavilion.
 
The Vikings dropped the first match to the Falcons in four sets (20-25, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25) and bounced back with less than an hour of rest to defeat SPU 3-1 (25-20, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23).
 
WWU improved to 5-1 on the season after taking two of three matches vs. SPU, which included a 3-0 sweep Friday evening in Bellingham.
 
Sophomore outside hitter Calley Heilborn recorded 23 kills in the two matches, and tallied her fourth double-double in six matches this season with 14 kills and 14 digs in the second match.
 
"Overall it was a great effort today and all weekend," said WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "There is a lot to be happy with and a lot to look forward to. We did a good job learning throughout the day and our bench was awesome all day long."
  The Vikings battled the Falcons throughout the first match of the day, but fell 3-1 by scores of 20-25, 25-19, 17-25, 20-25.
 
Although played in the spring, the match is an official counting match and snapped a string of 13 consecutive victories by the Vikings in the head-to-head series.
 
Redshirt freshman Kylie Honrud recorded a career-high 1- kills on a .444 hitting percentage and sophomore outside hitter Calley Heilborn added nine kills and 15 digs. Junior middle Chloe Roetcisoender led all players with five blocks including a pair of solo blocks.
 
Sophomore libero Tupu Lologo tallied a match-high-tying 18 digs and sophomore setter Malia Aleaga recorded 44 assists.
 
SPU was led by a 20-kill effort from Maddie Batiste and 13 kills by Hannah Hair on a .423 hitting percentage.
 
The opening match featured 16 tie scores and eight lead changes throughout the four sets. SPU out-hit WWU .238-.206, while the Vikings held an 8-6 advantage in blocks.
  Kills - Honrud (10), Heilborn (9), Gunterman (8)
Aces - Lologo (2), Davenport (1), Kepley (1)
Blocks - Roetcisoender (5), Aleaga (3), Kepley (3)
Assists - Aleaga (44), Davenport (2), Biscup (1)
Digs - Lologo (18), Heilborn (15), Gunterman (12)
  The Vikings secured the doubleheader split and the weekend series win with a 3-1 victory over the Falcons (25-20, 19-25, 25-15, 25-23).
 
Calley Heilborn recorded a 14-kill, 14-dig double-double and sophomore middle Anna Maracich had a career-high five blocks.
 
Maddie Pruden led SPU with 11 kills and Lindsay Rosenthal had a match-high 18 digs.
  Kills - Heilborn (14), Roetcisoender (9), Gunterman (7)
Aces - Davenport (3), Maracich (1), Aleaga (1)
Blocks - Maracich (5), Biscup (4), Fairchild (3)
Assists - Aleaga (44)
Digs - Heilborn (14), Gunterman (13), Woodruff (12)
  According to the WWU Volleyball Record Book, the Vikings now lead the all-time series vs. Seattle Pacific 54-27, which includes a 18-2 record over the last 20 matches. SPU's first match victory snapped a string of 13 consecutive defeats vs. the Vikings.
  The Vikings (5-1) are scheduled to return to the court next Saturday (May 1) hosting Central Washington University in a doubleheader on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The first match is slated to start at noon, with the second match following at 5 pm. WWU was scheduled to play Saint Martin's on Wednesday (April 28), but that match has been canceled with SMU shutting down for the season. All home matches can be streamed live at WWUVikings.com/VB_Watch.
  The 2020-21 championship volleyball season currently features 13 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	First Serve	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)	W, 3-0
April 17 (Sat)	2:00 pm	Western Oregon	Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym)	W, 3-1
April 23 (Fri)	5:00 pm	Seattle Pacific	Bellingham, WA (Carver Gym)	W, 3-0
April 23 (Sat)	12:00 pm	at Seattle Pacific	Seattle, WA (Brougham Pavilion)	L, 3-1
April 23 (Sat)	3:00 pm	at Seattle Pacific	Seattle, WA (Brougham Pavilion)	W, 3-1
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)

  Fans can follow WWU Volleyball online at WWUVikings.com/VB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUVolleyball), Instagram (@WWUVB) and Facebook (@WWUVolleyball).
  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 89-12 overall and 57-3 in conference play, and over the last six seasons are 139-26. Led by 21-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 207-41 record over the last nine seasons (.837 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).