BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The No. 3 nationally-ranked Western Washington University volleyball team looks to continue its early-season success traveling to play in the prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge this weekend in Denver.

 

The Vikings are coming off a perfect 4-0 performance in the season-opening WWU Invitational, gathering wins over No. 20 Ferris State, Sonoma State, Regis and Cal State Los Angeles. WWU will be part of a stacked 12-team field in Colorado that features 10 teams ranked in the national top 25 with five in the top 10.

 

The two-day tournament is co-hosted by Regis University and Metropolitan State University of Denver, with matches spread across both campuses. WWU opens the tournament with a pair of matches Friday at MSU Denver facing No. 18 Lewis (11 am MT/10 am PT) and No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul (6 pm MT/5 pm PT). The complete tournament schedule, including updated game times for Saturday after pool play is concluded, can be viewed online via the official tournament website.

 

This marks WWU's second trip to Denver in as many years, going 1-3 during the Colorado Premier Challenge in 2021. This tournament marks the end of WWU's eight-match non-conference schedule, with the Vikings aiming for a fifth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title opening conference play September 8 vs. Seattle Pacific University on WECU Court in Carver Gym. 

 

The Vikings are coming off a 2021 season that resulted in playing in the national semifinals and return nearly their entire roster and feature nine seniors. WWU was 25-5 overall last season and won its fourth consecutive Great Northwest Athletic Conference title with a 17-1 league record. The Vikings were picked to finish first in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll and have equaled their highest preseason national ranking in program history.

 

Western is led by 23rd-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (489-117/.807), who has guided the Vikings to nine consecutive trips to the NCAA Division II Championships and the West Regional title in three of the last six seasons. WWU has now appeared in 124 consecutive national polls dating back to the 2012 season. Over the 11-season span since 2012, WWU has combined to go 240-47 (.836) and advanced to the NCAA postseason each season.

VB🏐 | UP NEXT@WWUVolleyball is in Denver for the Colorado Premier Challenge. They face No. 18 Lewis and No. 6 Concordia-St. Paul tomorrow.

🆚 : Colorado Premiere Challenge
🗓 : TOMORROW
🕖 : 10am & 5pm
📍 : Denver, CO
📊 : https://t.co/vkuSoW1kmZ
💻 : https://t.co/OJS9VCDsMl pic.twitter.com/vmn5hs8ukA
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) September 1, 2022

WWU improved to 24-4 overall after finishing the conference season with a 17-1 record in GNAC play to win a fourth consecutive conference title. The Vikings are 9-2 in three-set matches, 10-1 in four-set contests and 5-1 in five sets. Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2021 season:

 

 

All matches during the Colorado Premier Challenge will feature live stats and video webcast. Links to follow the Vikings in Colorado are provide below:

 

• Tournament Information & Links
• Direct Link to watch WWU matches (wwuvikings.com/VB_Watch)
• Direct Link to follow WWU matches via live stats (wwuvikings.com/VB_Stats)

 

The WWU volleyball program is in its 51st season and is nearing a historic milestone. The Vikings have built an all-time record of 995-572-7 for a .634 winning percentage. 

 

Senior middle Chloe Roetcisoender earned the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Offensive Player of the Week following the season-opening WWU Invitational. Roetcisoender was named the tournament MVP of the WWU Invitational helping lead the No. 3 nationally-ranked Vikings to a perfect 4-0 record to open the season. The senior middle averaged 2.62 kills per set on a .446 hitting percentage, while also leading the six-team tournament averaging 1.69 blocks per set. In WWU's four-set victory over Regis on Friday, Roetcisoender had a career-best match recording 16 kills on a .600 hitting percentage, with eight total blocks for 20.5 points. This marks the second career GNAC Player of the Week award for Roetcisoender, who earned defensive honors during her sophomore season for matches played October 21-27, 2019.

 

The Western Washington University volleyball team stormed through the opening weekend of the 2022 season with a perfect 4-0 record in the WWU Invitational. The Vikings strong all-around play was led by four players that earned a spot on the 14-player All-Tournament Team, led by MVP selection senior middle Chloe Roetcisoender. Also earning a spot on the team were senior setter Malia Aleaga (10.00 assists/set, 1.85 digs/set), senior libero Kasey Woodruff (4.23 digs/set) and senior outside hitter Calley Heilborn (2.85 kills/set, 3.23 digs/set, 9 service aces).

 

Here is a match-by-match look at the 2022 season heading into the Colorado Premier Challenge:

 

 

The Vikings entered the season with the No. 3 ranking in the AVCA Division II Coaches Poll and maintained that spot following the first week of the season. WWU has now been ranked in 124 consecutive polls dating back to the first week of the 2012 season, with 54 of those spent in the national top 10.

 

Here is a look at the complete Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2022 season:

 

 

The Vikings have yet to go the distance in a five-set match so far this season, but were 5-1 in five-set matches in 2021, including three GNAC victories going the distance against Simon Fraser (away) and Alaska Fairbanks (home and away). WWU is 26-7 in five-set matches over the last eight seasons (since 2015), which includes a 16-4 mark over the last six seasons (since 2017).

 

The Vikings have now won 95 of their last 109 matches dating back to the 2018 season (95-14/.872) when the Vikings were the NCAA II national runner-up. WWU is also 122-18 dating back to the start of the 2017 season.

 

The Vikings won the 2021 GNAC Championship marking their fourth consecutive league title. WWU also won the conference title in 2017, 2018, 2019 and are now 11-time GNAC champions. Marks the first time a team has won four consecutive GNAC volleyball titles in the 21-year history of the conference. Over the last six seasons (including 2022), WWU has combined to go 122-18 (.871) with a 85-6 record against GNAC opponents (74-4 in conference play).

 

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.

 

The WWU Volleyball program is in its 51st season as a varsity intercollegiate sport in 2022, rising to an elite level by advancing to the NCAA Division II Championships in each of the last nine seasons and 15 of the last 20 dating back to the 2001 season. The program is now just five wins short of 1,000, with an all-time record of 995-552-7 (.634). The winner of 11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Vikings have won the last four GNAC titles with a perfect 19-1 record in 2017, perfect 20-0 mark in 2018, an 18-2 league record in 2019 and clinched the four-peat with a 17-1 record in 2021. Led by 23rd-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (489-117/.807) the Vikings have posted a 240-47 record over the last 11 seasons (.836 winning percentage) and played in the NCAA II West Region championship match five out of the last six seasons (2015-21), winning titles in 2015, 2018 and 2021 (also 2007). 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 three of the past six seasons (2015, 2018, 2021).