BELLINGHAM, Wash. – For the first time since 1978, the Western Washington University volleyball program will open a season on its home court.
 
The Vikings will host the five-team WWU Volleyball Invitational this weekend (September 3-5) on the new WECU Court in Carver Gym. In addition to the No. 14 nationally-ranked Vikings, No. 11 MSU Denver, Central Washington, Sonoma State and Chaminade will embark on Bellingham for the three-day, nine-match tournament.
 
WWU is hosting its first regular-season tournament since the 2007 season, and will be entertaining multiple teams in Carver Gym for the first time since the Vikings won the 2018 NCAA Division II West Regional Championship.
 
The WWU Invitational kicks off the 2021 season that features a 25-match schedule, with seven non-conference contests and 18 Great Northwest Athletic Conference showdowns. Western's GNAC opener will be September 18 when the Vikings cross the border to face Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC.
 
The Vikings are the three-time defending GNAC champions (2017-18-19) and carry a streak of qualifying for the NCAA Division II Championships in each of the last eight seasons (2012-19). WWU played for the national title in 2018 and have advanced to the West Regional final in four of the last five seasons.
  Here is a complete rundown of the nine-match WWU Volleyball Invitational, that features three matches on Friday, four Saturday and concludes with two matches Sunday. Updated results, box scores, webcast links and tournament results can be viewed daily at wwuvikings.com/VBInvite.
 

Date	Time	Teams (home team listed first)
9/3 (Fri.)	12:30 pm	MSU Denver vs. Sonoma State
9/3 (Fri.)	5:00 pm	Central Washington vs. MSU Denver
9/3 (Fri.)	7:30 pm	Western Washington vs. Sonoma State
9/4 (Sat.)	10:00 am	MSU Denver vs. Chaminade
9/4 (Sat.)	12:30 pm	Central Washington vs. Sonoma State
9/4 (Sat.)	5:00 pm	Chaminade vs. Sonoma State
9/4 (Sat.)	7:30 pm	Western Washington vs. MSU Denver
9/5 (Sun.)	11:00 am	Central Washington vs. Chaminade
9/5 (Sun.)	4:00 pm	Western Washington vs. Chaminade

  All matches during the WWU Invitational will be open to fans, with tickets available at the Carver Gym Box Office the day of each match. All fans will be required to wear a face covering/mask to comply with State of Washington safety mandates. Parking will be free in the C and 17G lots on the WWU campus (follow parking signs for volleyball matches).
  All nine matches during the WWU Volleyball Invitational will feature a live webcast via Vikings TV and live statistical updates. Fans that choose to watch the games in the comfort of their home or on their devices, can point their browsers to the following links:
 

• Vikings TV – wwuvikings.com/VB_Watch
• Live Stats – wwuvikings.com/VB_Stats

  The Vikings played an abbreviated 11-match schedule during the spring (9-2 record) but it will be 637 days between matches during a fall championship season when WWU takes the court Friday vs. Sonoma State to open the 2021 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the 2020 fall season, the Vikings last played a match during a championship season on December 6, 2019 in the NCAA II West Region Semifinal vs. Azusa Pacific in San Bernardino, California. Western will play a counting match inside Carver Gym for the first time in 657 days (or nearly 22 months).
  WWU is hosting a regular-season tournament for the first time since 2007, when Carver Gym welcomed a seven-team, 12-match tourney featuring Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Dominguez Hills, Cal State San Bernardino, Saint Martin's, Seattle U, Western Oregon and the Vikings. WWU also hosted a Invitational in 2002 during current head coach Diane Flick-Williams third season (now in her 21^st season). WWU commonly takes to the road to open the season in tournaments across the country, with recent stops in Pensacola, Florida, Lakeland, Florida, St. Paul, Minnesota, Tampa, Florida and Ellensburg.
  We had to dig pretty far back through the Paul Madison history files to identify the last time the WWU Volleyball program opened a season on its home court…like 43-years of information. The Vikings last held first serve to open a season at home in 1978 when WWU hosted Seattle University.
  WWU led the way with three selections to the 2021 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Team. Returning All-Americans Calley Heilborn, Gabby Gunterman and Malia Aleaga were tabbed as Preseason All-GNAC selections in a vote by conference head coaches. Heilborn and Gunterman were unanimous selections to the 14-player team.
 
  The Vikings have been picked to win its fourth consecutive league title, edging out the University of Alaska Anchorage in the 2021 GNAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll. WWU received 95 total poll points, edging out UAA who totaled 92 poll votes. WWU and UAA split the 10 first-place votes with five each, with Western receiving all first and second-place votes in the annual poll.
 

2021 GNAC PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL COACHES POLL
Rank	School (1st Place Votes)	2019 Record (GNAC)	Points
1.	Western Washington (5)	27-3 (18-2, 1st)	95
2.	Alaska Anchorage (5)	23-7 (17-3, 2nd)	92
3.	Central Washington	18-11 (13-7, T-3rd)	73
4.	Alaska Fairbanks	15-13 (12-8, 5th)	66
5.	Seattle Pacific	13-15 (10-10, 6th)	56
6.	Simon Fraser	17-11 (13-7, T-3rd)	54
7.	Northwest Nazarene	13-14 (9-11, T-7th)	47
8.	Montana State Billings	8-22 (5-15, 9th)	35
9.	Saint Martin's	1-28 (1-19, 11th)	21
10.	Western Oregon	5-22 (3-17, 10th)	11
Votes awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

  WWU went a perfect 8-0 on WECU Court in Carver Gym during the spring season, and owns an all-time 284-82 (.776) record in the on-campus facility. Since moving back into the renovated facility for the 2017 season, the Vikings have gone 40-1. The Vikings are 169-16 (.914) all-time in Carver Gym in the 21 seasons that head coach Diane Flick-Williams has led the program.
  A new volleyball-dedicated playing surface was installed in Carver Gym prior to the start of the 2021 season, with a Taraflex Court replacing the 21-year-old Sport Court. The new surface features a wood-colored inset and a blue outline around the court..
    WWU is the three-time defending GNAC champions, winning conference titles in 2017, 2018 and 2019. The Vikings are 10-time GNAC champions and have advanced to 14 NCAA II Championships, including a current string of eight consecutive trips to the West Regional. Over the last four seasons (including spring 2021), WWU has combined to go 93-13 (.877) with a 66-5 record against GNAC opponents (57-3 in conference play).
  WWU is listed No. 14 in the AVCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll. The Vikings extend a streak of being ranked in 109 consecutive national polls, a span that spans the 2012-2019 seasons. WWU has now earned a preseason national ranking in each of the last nine seasons, and finished its last championship season in 2019 No. 9 in the nation. Early opponents for the Vikings that are listed on the AVCA Preseason Poll include the following:
 

• No. 6 Lewis (at Colorado Premier Challenge)
• No. 11 MSU Denver (at WWU Invitational)
• No. 24 Wayne State College (at Colorado Premier Challenge)
• RV Chaminade (at WWU Invitational)
• RV Alaska Anchorage (twice during GNAC play)
• RV Central Washington (twice during GNAC play)

  The Vikings led all of NCAA Division II averaging 2.99 blocks per set in 2019, and were third in the nation during the spring 2021 season averaging 2.65 blocks per set. Over the last four seasons (2017-2020), WWU has combined to average 2.80 blocks per set while combining to go 93-13 during that 106-match stretch.
  WWU features a 20-player roster for the 2021 season, with 13 returning letterwinners and nine starting players (from the spring 2021 season). The recruiting class features seven new players, with six scheduled to use 2021 as a redshirt season. The Vikings feature three returning All-Americans in junior outside hitter Gabby Gunterman, sophomore outside hitter Calley Heilborn and sophomore setter Malia Aleaga.
  WWU Volleyball head coach Diane Flick-Williams begins her 22nd season leading the program and is the winningest coach in WWU and GNAC history. Flick-Williams owns a career record of 460-112 (.804), guiding the Vikings to 15 seasons of 20 or more victories, 14 NCAA Championship appearances (8 consecutive), 3 national tournament appearances (2007, 2015, 2018), 10 GNAC championships and received GNAC Coach of the Year honors 10 times (2001-03, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012-13, 2017-18). Amongst active Division II coaches, she enters the 2021 season ranked 9th in career winning percentage (.804) and 20th in victories (460). Among all-time NCAA II coaches, she is 11th in winning percentage and has a top-25 winning percentage among all coaches across NCAA levels all-time. Lead assistant coach James Such is in his 20th year as coach with the Vikings. Former WWU all-GNAC middle blocker Michaela Hall joined the program this season as a graduate assistant, and Chris Leverenz and Brad Saindon are volunteer assistant coaches.
  WWU reached the 20-win mark for the eighth consecutive season in 2019 and for the 30^th time in the history of the program. During the string of consecutive 20-win seasons, which started in 2012, the program has recorded a 202-40 record for a .835 winning percentage. Head coach Diane Flick-Williams has guided the program to at least 20 wins now in 15 of her 20 full seasons at the helm of the program.
  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.
  Entering its 50^th season as a varsity intercollegiate sport at WWU, the Western 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 93-13 overall and 57-3 in conference play, and over the last six seasons are 143-27 (.841). Led by 21st-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (460-112/.804) the Vikings have posted a 211-42 record over the last nine seasons (.834 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).