BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University volleyball returns home to Carver Gym for a pair of GNAC matches on WECU Court this week.

 

WWU brings its 6-4 conference record into matches against Western Oregon on Thursday and Saint Martin's on Saturday, with both featuring a 7 pm tip-off on WECU Court. Thursday's match features a Halloween Trick-or-Treat event and Saturday will be the WW-Unity Match.

 

The Vikings are coming off a four-set loss to first-place Simon Fraser, moving the overall season record to 7-9. With eight regular-season matches remaining, the Vikings are in 4th place in the GNAC standings.

 

Junior outside hitter Devyn Oestreich is looking to repeat as a First Team All-GNAC selection with impressive numbers in conference play, ranking in the top 10 in the conference in kills, digs, service aces and points. Sophomore middle Emily Vossenkuhl is also putting up impressive numbers ranking 4th averaging 1.16 blocks per set and recording a .349 hitting percentage (5th-best) in GNAC matches.

 

With eight matches remaining during the 2024 regular season, the Vikings will play a split schedule with four at home and four on the road. 

 

 

In 10 GNAC matches, the Vikings are 6-4 and are listed 4th in the conference standings. Among conference leaders in GNAC matches, WWU ranks 5th in hitting percentage (.210), 3rd in assists (12.14/set), 3rd in kills (13.19/set), 6th in blocks (2.03/set), 3rd in service aces (1.81/set) and 3rd in points (17.03/set). Individually junior Devyn Oestreich ranks in the top 10 in kills (8th, 2.86/set), digs (8th, 3.62/set), points (6th, 3.65/set) and service aces (3rd, 0.54/set). Sophomore middle Emily Vossenkuhl is ranked 4th in blocks (1.16/set) and 5th with a .349 hitting percentage in GNAC matches.

 

Thursday's match vs. Western Oregon will be a Halloween Trick-or-Treat night in Carver Gym with the Vikings and Wolves. A pregame Trick-or-Treat activity in Carver Gym begins at 5:30 pm with a costume contest, prizes, candy and more on tap for the event. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by WWU Athletics (@wwuathletics)

Saturday's match vs. Saint Martin's will feature the WW-Unity match with the theme of coming together and celebrating our community at Western. The WWU Athletics and the Athletics JEDI Committee has been working towards creating an inclusive space within athletics where student-athletes, faculty, staff, and all members of the WWU community feel welcomed, safe, valued, seen, heard, and respected—empowering everyone to show up as their authentic selves. Saturday's match will feature free tickets for WWU Faculty & Staff (in addition to students), honorary coach Jacqueline Hughes, WWU's Chief Diversity Officer, and free WW-Unity t-shirts to the first 100 fans.

Western is back on the road next week traveling to play at Montana State Billings on Thursday (Nov. 7, 7 pm MT) and against Seattle Pacific on Saturday in Royal Brougham Pavilion (Nov. 9, 1 pm). The Vikings next homestand will close out the Carver Gym schedule for the season hosting Central Washington (Nov. 14, 7 pm) and Northwest Nazarene (Nov. 16, 7 pm).

 

WWU tied a program record with nine student-athletes earning a spot on the 2024 GNAC All-Academic Team, presented by Barnes & Noble College. The nine selections match the program record originally set in 2010. WWU's nine selections tied for the most among GNAC programs with Seattle Pacific. Junior setter Adele Holland became a three-time GNAC academic all-star with Abby May, Janelle Grant and Anna VanderYacht earning their second awards.

VB🏐| Congratulations to the NINE members of the@WWUVolleyball team who were named to the GNAC Academic All-Conference team! GO VIKS! pic.twitter.com/P1Jq5Ux5ag
— WWU Athletics (@WWUAthletics) October 30, 2024
  

Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2024 season:

 

 

Here is a look at the series history between the Vikings and their opponent this week:

 

·         Western Oregon: Defeated WOU in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-20) in Monmouth on October 5…WWU is 52-14 all-time vs. the Wolves with a current 24-match winning streak…Vikings have won 24 consecutive home matches against WOU dating back to the 2000 season.

·         Saint Martin's: Swept the Saints on the road in Lacey on October 3 (25-17, 29-27, 25-23)…owns an all-time record of 69-6 vs. Saint Martin's…SMU five-set victory in Carver Gym last season snapped a 46-match winning streak for the Vikings over the Saints.

 

All home matches will stream live on YouTube via Vikings TV. Additionally, every away GNAC match will feature a webcast on YouTube produced by the visiting team. To watch WWU home matches on your Smart TV, navigate to the YouTube application and search for WWU Athletics, or for away games search for the opposing school's YouTube channel (example: WOU Athletics). All WWU links to follow the Vikings online can be found online, but be sure to bookmark the following links for easy access:

 

·         Vikings TV (WWU home matches)

·         GNAC Live Streams

·         Direct Link to watch WWU matches (wwuvikings.com/VB_Watch)

·         Direct Link to follow WWU matches via live stats (wwuvikings.com/VB_Stats)

 

Western's roster does not feature a senior in 2024, with the active list of players including four redshirt freshman, five sophomores and six juniors.

 

Here is a look at the updated GNAC Volleyball standings and weekly schedule heading into Thursday's matches to open the seventh week of the conference slate. Updated conference standings, results, schedule and statistics can be found online at GNACSports.com.

 

 

Saturday will be the third of four WWU Volleyball Kids Clinics with all interested players 8th-grade or younger invited to attend the free clinic in Carver Gym. Prior to every Saturday home match during the 2024 season, the WWU Volleyball program will host the clinic from 11 am – 12 pm. Clinic attendees will receive a free ticket for the match that evening. No advance registration needed…just come to campus, park in the C lots and learn from great student-athletes and coaches.

 

Tickets for all home matches can be purchased at the Carver Gym Box Office beginning one hour prior to the first match of the day. Current WWU students gain free admission to all home events in 2024-25 by showing their active W card at the entrance. Free fan parking is available in the 19G and C lots on campus beginning one hour prior to each home match in Carver Gym.

 

Thanks to a partnership with WECU and The Foundation for WWU & Alumni, all current WWU students will receive free admission to all regular-season athletic events in Carver Gym and at Harrington Field again in 2024-25. Students just need to show their W card at the door and then head over to the WECU Student Section to cheer on the Viks.

 

The Vikings have built a strong home court advantage on WECU Court in Carver Gym with an all-time 318-91 record in the venue for a .778 winning percentage. Over the last eight seasons since moving back into the renovated gym, Western is 74-10 in home contests in Carver. During the 25-year career of head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have gone 203-25 (.890).

 

Here is a match-by-match look at the 2024 season with current results and the schedule:

 

 

Western is led by 25th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (525-146/.782), who has guided the Vikings to the NCAA Division II Championships in 10 of the last 11 seasons and the West Regional title in three of the last eight seasons. Over the last 13 seasons the WWU program has built a 276-76 record for a .784 winning percentage. Flick-Williams' coaching staff includes first-year assistant Sammie Worley, first-year graduate assistant and former All-American outside hitter Gabby Gunterman, student assistant and former Viking middle Karli Tri and volunteer coaches Chris Leverenz and Brand Saindon.

 

The Vikings have appeared in the NCAA Division II Championships in 10 of the last 11 seasons and won four West Regional titles (2007, 2015, 2018, 2021). WWU is 26-16 all-time in 16 trips to the NCAA Tournament. WWU has recorded at least one win in 10 of 16 NCAA tournament appearances and are 4-0 all-time in national quarterfinal contests. WWU played for the national title in 2018 in Pittsburgh (lost 3-2 to Tampa) and advanced to the national semifinal (Final Four) in 2021 in Tampa, Florida. The program has hosted the NCAA II West Regional in Carver Gym twice, in 2018 and 2022.

 

Fans can follow WWU Volleyball online at WWUVikings.com/VB, and via social media on 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 54th season as a varsity intercollegiate sport in 2024, rising to an elite level by advancing to the NCAA Division II Championships in 10 of the last 11 seasons and 16 of the last 22 dating back to the 2001 season. The program has recorded 1,031 all-time wins (1031-601-7). The winner of 11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Vikings have four of the last seven GNAC titles with a 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 25th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (525-146) the Vikings have posted a 276-76 record over the last 13 seasons and played in the NCAA II West Region championship match five out of the last eight seasons, 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 eight seasons (2015, 2018, 2021).