BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 14 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team wrapped up a perfect weekend in the season-opening WWU Invitational with a four-set victory over Chaminade University Sunday on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
 
The Vikings improved to 3-0 on the season with a 25-20, 22-25, 25-23, 25-18 win over the upstart Silverswords (6-2), who were 3-1 during the three-day, five-team tournament hosted on the WWU campus.
 
"It was a great weekend of volleyball to open the season, and a lot of fun to play host to great programs in Carver Gym," said WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "I am proud of the resiliency of the team and how they played together throughout the tournament. Every member of the team contributed to the success on the court. We have tough matches coming up in Colorado and to start GNAC play, but this was a nice way to open up and get things started."
 
Junior All-American outside hitter Gabby Gunterman led the way with a 16-kill, 19-dig double-double, while hitting at a .293 clip. Sophomore All-American outside hitter Calley Heilborn notched her third double-double in as many contests with 12 kills and a career-high 26 digs. Both players earned a spot on the all-tournament team, along with junior pin hitter Tess Biscup.
 
Sophomore setter Malia Aleaga was named the WWU Invitational Most Outstanding Player, recording 39 assists in Sunday's win vs. Chaminade and ran a balanced offense throughout the tournament averaging 9.38 assists per set with four Vikings averaging at least 2.00 kills per set.
 
"There were a lot of positives on the court up and down our roster, but Malia really raised the bar for our team," said Flick-Williams. "She ran a balanced and efficient offense all weekend, and was a dangerous weapon on the service line. When we needed her to step up and guide the team out of a rut or to go on a run, it was often No. 6 that was leading the way."
 
Junior middle Olivia Fairchild recorded nine blocks, including three solo efforts, to go with eight kills on a .333 hitting percentage. Fairchild cemented her spot on the all-tournament team averaging 1.77 blocks and 2.00 kills per set, while hitting at a .328 clip in the three matches.
 
In Sunday's victory over Chaminade, WWU gave a strong defensive effort with 15.0 team blocks and 84 digs.
 
The Silverswords, who also won a five-set match vs. Central Washington earlier Sunday, were led by a 14-kill, 14-dig double-double from outside hitter Greta Corti and 13 kills and 12 digs from Brooklen Pe'a. Libero Anna Dalla Vecchia added 24 digs.
  Calley Heilborn recorded a career-high 26 digs, with her previous being a 24-dig effort in 2019 at Concordia (9/28/19)…Gabby Gunterman was one off her career single-match high in kills with 16…Olivia Fairchild recorded 23 blocks in the three matches in the WWU Invitational, tallying at least seven blocks in each match…Kasey Woodruff recorded 15 digs vs. Chaminade and averaged 3.31 digs per set in the tournament…as a team WWU is averaging 3.27 blocks per set, the top mark among the 10 GNAC schools (SPU is 2nd with 2.53).
  Kills - Gunterman (16), Heilborn (12), Fairchild (8)
Aces - Gunterman (2), Heilborn (1), Lologo (1)
Blocks - Fairchild (9), Roetcisoender (6), Biscup (4)
Assists - Aleaga (39), Heilborn (3), Lologo (2)
Digs - Heilborn (26), Gunterman (19), Woodruff (15)
Points - Gunterman (19.5), Heilborn (14.5), Fairchild (14.0)
  Most Outstanding Player
Malia Aleaga, Western Washington
 
All-Tournament Team
Gabby Gunterman, Western Washington
Olivia Fairchild, Western Washington
Calley Heilborn, Western Washington
Tess Biscup, Western Washington
Greta Corti, Chaminade
Anna Dalla Vecchia, Chaminade
Alexia Byrnes, Chaminade
Rylee Hladky, MSU Denver
Avaline Lai, MSU Denver
Jessa Megenhardt, MSU Denver
Marianna Payne, Central Washington
Tia Andaya, Central Washington
Kiana Richardson, Sonoma State

VB🏐| SCENES FROM CARVER 📸

A few shots from a great match on WECU Court between the Vikings and Chaminade Silverswords. Great to have @WWUVolleyball and the fans back in Carver!

📸: Nathan Kessi#GoViks x #WeAreVikings pic.twitter.com/PV89JRZ2gA
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) September 6, 2021

  The Vikings (3-0) are back in action next weekend traveling to Denver 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. The complete 2021 season schedule can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/21_VB.
  Here is a complete rundown of the nine-match WWU Volleyball Invitational, that featured three matches Friday, four Saturday and two Sunday. Final results, box scores, webcast links and tournament information can be viewed online 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	Chaminade 3, Central Washington 2
9/5 (Sun.)	4:00 pm	Western Washington 3, Chaminade 1

  WWU hosted 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 12th consecutive match inside Carver Gym and are 43-1 since the remodeled gym debuted in 2017. Overall WWU is 287-82 in Carver Gym and are 172-16 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.
  Currently in its 50th 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 (463-112/.805) the Vikings have posted a 214-42 record over the last 10 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).