BELLINGHAM, Wash. – In an early-season battle between two nationally ranked teams, No. 14 Western Washington University defeated No. 11 MSU Denver in a thrilling five-set match to conclude the second day of the WWU Invitational on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
The Vikings won the first set 25-21, but dropped the next two sets 24-26 and 18-25 to trail 2-1 to the Roadrunners. WWU led throughout most of the fourth set, but MSUD rallied with a 4-0 run when Western led 24-20. MSUD had a pair of match points leading 26-25 and 28-27, but the Vikings finished with three consecutive points to win 30-28 to force the decisive fifth set.
 
WWU (2-0) never trailed in the fifth set, pulling away early going on a 6-1 run, and ended the match with a 15-7 victory to improve to 2-0 on the season. The five-set marathon featured 17 lead changes and 35 tie scores. MSU Denver concluded their season-opening tournament with a 2-2 record, and played three five-set matches.
 
"I really appreciate our response from yesterday, and how well we played together as a group tonight. This tournament has featured some great volleyball and tonight was a great early-season test for us," said WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "We got contributions from everyone on the roster, even those that did not appear in the match. It was a true team effort and a great test to see what we are made of. I thought we were really steady throughout and this was more of a true indication of who we are as a team."
 
WWU's balanced offensive attack featured five players registering double-digits in kills, led by 13 kills each from outside hitters Gabby Gunterman and Calley Heilborn. Gunterman recorded a double-double with a match-high 23 digs, and added four blocks for 17.0 points. Heilborn notched her second double-double in as many nights with 10 digs and had a pair of service aces.
 
Junior middle Olivia Fairchild hit .478 with 12 kills and led the Vikings with seven blocks. Junior middle Chloe Roetcisoender recorded 10 kills and six blocks, finishing with 13.5 points. Junior pin hitter Tess Biscup also reached double-digits in kills with 11 and sophomore setter Malia Aleaga paced the offense with 53 assists.
 
Redshirt freshman outside hitter Kylie Honrud sparked the offense with five kills on a .556 hitting percentage in the fourth and fifth sets. Sophomore libero Kasey Woodruff also contributed 14 digs.
 
WWU out-blocked MSUD 13.5-to-8.0 and hit .293 as a team, while holding the Roadrunners to a .231 mark.
 
MSU Denver (formerly Metro State) was led by a 17-kill, 13-dig double-double from Rylee Hladky and 11 kills each by Avaline Lai and Riley Anderson.
  Kills - Heilborn (13), Gunterman (13), Fairchild (12)
Aces - Heilborn (2), Gunterman (2), Kepley (2)
Blocks - Fairchild (7), Roetcisoender (6), Gunterman (4)
Assists - Aleaga (53), Woodruff (4), Fairchild (3)
Digs - Gunterman (23), Woodruff (14), Heilborn (10)
Points - Gunterman (17.0), Heilborn (16.5), Fairchild (16.0), Roetcisoender (13.5)
  The Vikings (2-0) conclude play in the season-opening WWU Invitational Sunday against Chaminade (5-1) in a match that is scheduled to start at 4 pm on WECU Court in Carver Gym. WWU travels to Denver next weekend to play in the Colorado Premier Challenge, with a pair of matches vs. nationally-ranked opponents (No. 24 Wayne State, #6 Lewis) to open play Friday, September 10.
  WWU improved to 22-6 in five-set matches over the last seven season (since 2015) and are 12-3 since 2017.
  Here is a complete rundown of the nine-match WWU Volleyball Invitational, that featured three matches 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 3, Sonoma State 1
9/3 (Fri.)	5:00 pm	MSU Denver 3, Central Washington 2
9/3 (Fri.)	7:30 pm	Western Washington 3, Sonoma State 1
9/4 (Sat.)	10:00 am	Chaminade 3, MSU Denver 2
9/4 (Sat.)	12:30 pm	Central Washington 3, Sonoma State 1
9/4 (Sat.)	5:00 pm	Chaminade 3, Sonoma State 0
9/4 (Sat.)	7:30 pm	Western Washington 3, MSU Denver 2
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).
  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 22nd 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.
  The Vikings won their 11th consecutive match inside Carver Gym and are 42-1 since the remodeled gym debuted in 2017. Overall WWU is 286-82 in Carver Gym and are 171-16 all-time in the on-campus facility in the 22 seasons under head coach Diane Flick-Williams.
  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. Led by 22nd-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (462-112/.805) the Vikings have posted a 213-42 record over the last 10 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).