BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team wraps up the 2024 portion of the schedule this week with a pair of games at the Big Island Holiday Classic hosted by the University of Hawai'i Hilo. 

 

Playing for the first time in nearly two weeks, the Vikings take a 5-4 overall record into games against tournament host Hawai'i Hilo (1-5) on Friday and Quincy (6-4) at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium in Hilo. WWU is 4-3 in non-conference play and 1-1 in GNAC games entering the week.

 

WWU has battled injuries all season with a depleted roster and has relied heavily on the starting five that accounts for nearly 90-percent of the team scoring. Junior forward Alyson Deaver (14.7) and senior guard Olivia Wikstrom (14.3) lead the team and ranks in the top 10 in the GNAC in scoring average at 7th and 8th in the conference respectively, and both in the top 10 in the league in rebounding.

 

After a lengthy break due to final exams to conclude the fall quarter, the Vikings return to the court after last playing December 5-7 opening GNAC play. WWU dropped a tight 64-58 game to No. 3 Montana State Billings and rebounded with a 15-point victory over Seattle Pacific 83-68.

 

 

The Vikings offense is led by its five starting players that have accounted for nearly 90-percent of the total scoring during the first nine games of the season (534 of 596 points). Junior forward Alyson Deaver leads the team and ranks 7th in the GNAC averaging 14.7 points per game, followed by 14.3 points per game from senior guard Olivia Wikstrom, 10.9 points per game by sophomore guard Demi Dykstra and 10.6 points per game by junior guard Mason Oberg. In the Vikings last game, an 83-68 victory over Seattle Pacific, Western's starting five accounted for all 83 points.

 

When looking to follow the Vikings at the Big Island Holiday Classic, a reminder that Hawai'i is currently two hours behind Pacific Standard Time. Friday's game vs. Hawai'i Hilo tips off at 8 pm local time (10 pm in Bellingham) and Saturday's game is scheduled for 7 pm in Hilo (9 pm in Bellingham). 

 

The Vikings (5-4, 1-1 GNAC) return to conference play January 2 with a road game at Western Oregon (2 pm) and at Saint Martin's on January 4 (3 pm). WWU's next home game on WECU Court in Carver Gym is schedule for January 9 hosting Northwest Nazarene with tip-off at 7 pm. The complete season schedule, complete with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/WBB.

 

Through the first nine games of the season, the Vikings have had a tough schedule facing three teams that are currently ranked in the top 15 in the nation (MSUB - #3, Cal St. Dom. Hills - #9, Azusa Pacific - #11).

 

WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo is approaching another career milestone only four wins from 700 for her career. In 34 seasons leading the program Dolfo has accumulated 696 wins and has a .723 winning percentage (696-266). Here are a few fun facts about Dolfo approaching 700 career wins:

 

·         Among all-time NCAA Division II women's basketball head coaches, only 12 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Among active NCAA II women's basketball head coaches, only 4 have reached the 700-win mark.

·         Only 43 head coaches at all levels of NCAA women's basketball have reached 700 career wins.

·         Dolfo is set to become the 17th active women's basketball head coach with 700 career wins.

 

WWU ranks No. 18 in the nation shooting 78.0-percent from the free throw line, connecting on 117-for-150 shots from the charity stripe. Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom is listed 3rd in the GNAC and 13th in NCAA II at 90.3-percent from the free throw line (28-for-31) and in two seasons with the Vikings is 60-for-69 (.870) from the charity stripe.

 

The Vikings have battled the injury bug through the early part of the season with sophomore guard Libby Stump, junior forward Ellie Croco, freshman forward Jaylyn Arosemena and senior forward Aspen Garrison currently sidelined with injuries, with all four possibly for the entire season.

 

The Vikings games in Hawai'i will feature a live webcast for pay-per-view with the University of Hawai'i Hilo producing the games. All home games will stream live on YouTube via Vikings TV. Additionally, every away GNAC game will feature a webcast on YouTube produced by the visiting team. To watch WWU home games 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: SPU 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 games)

·         GNAC Live Streams

·         Direct Link to watch WWU games (wwuvikings.com/WBB_Watch)

·         Direct Link to follow WWU games via Live Stats (wwuvikings.com/WBB_Stats)

 

Here is a look at the series history between WWU and its opponents this week:

 

·         Hawai'i Hilo: WWU and UHH will meet for the third time in the all-time series with the Vikings winning both previous games…WWU defeated the Vulcans 87-61 in Kona on Nov. 29, 2008 and won 80-46 on Dec. 3, 2009 in Bellingham…the Vulcans enter the tournament with a 1-5 overall record.

·         Quincy: Vikings and Hawks meet for the third time in series history with each team earning a victory…WWU defeated Quincy 82-64 on Dec. 18, 2008 and was defeated 72-62 on Dec. 19, 2015, with both previous meetings held in Las Vegas…the Hawks enter the tournament with a 6-4 overall record and will play No. 5 Fort Hays State on Friday prior to taking on the Vikings.

 

Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2024-25 season:

 

 

Junior guard Mason Oberg has made 117 career three-pointers (in just 58 games) to rank No. 12 in program history. For her career Oberg is 117-for-298 to record a .393 three-point field goal percentage, currently No. 5 in program history. Here is a look at the top three-point shooters in program history by three-pointers made and accuracy from beyond the arc:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season heading into the Big Island Holiday Classic:

 

 

The Vikings made an in-season roster addition with junior guard Anna VanderYacht joining the program after the completion of the volleyball season. The Lynden native made her basketball over the Thanksgiving break appearing in 13 minutes of action to etch her name as a two-sport student-athlete. VanderYacht appeared in all 24 matches for the WWU volleyball team this fall while recording 11 service aces.

Over the last six seasons (since 2019-20), the Vikings have combined to go 106-30 for a .779 winning percentage. WWU won back-to-back GNAC regular-season championships in 2022 and 2023 and have won the last two GNAC Tournament titles. The Vikings played in the 2022 NCAA Division II National Championship Game in Birmingham, Alabama, earning runner-up honors.

 

The Western Washington University women's basketball team has been picked first in the 2024-25 GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll. The two-time defending GNAC Tournament champions Vikings edged defending regular-season champion Montana State Billings by one point with the final tally being 91-90 in favor of WWU. MSUB gathered five of the 10 first-place votes, with Western earning four and Alaska Anchorage the final vote. WWU went 24-7 overall last season and placed second in the GNAC during the regular season with a 14-4 record. The Vikings defeated MSUB 54-52 in the conference tournament championship game to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional Championships.

 

 

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. 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.

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 34th season leading the program, owning an all-time record of 696-266 (.723) to rank amongst the active and career leaders at the NCAA Division II level for career wins and winning percentage. Entering the 2024-25 season, Dolfo is 10th all-time in NCAA II in wins. Dolfo has led the Vikings to 20 trips to the NCAA Championships and a trio of Elite 8 appearances. She became the winningest coach in WWU Athletics history when she collected victory No. 519 on Dec. 3, 2015 vs. Alaska to pass former men's basketball coach Brad Jackson (518-279). Dolfo tallied her 600th career victory on January 11, 2020 vs. Seattle Pacific, in her 840th career game. Dolfo became the 36th active NCAA women's head coach across all divisions to join the 600-win club and is one of 73 women's coaches all-time in NCAA history to reach the milestone. WWU has recorded 23 seasons with 20-or-more wins under Dolfo. She was named the 2021-22 GNAC Coach of the Year. That was her fifth GNAC honor and 12th Coach of the Year accolade overall. Dolfo was also a volleyball and basketball student-athlete at WWU in the 1980s. Dolfo is four wins short of joining the 700-win club.

 

The 2024-25 coaching staff includes 13th-year assistant head coach Stacey Turrell, assistant coach Katrina Gimmaka, volunteer assistant Mike Li, and student assistants George Irwin, Ben Allen and Grant Brewer.

 

Two WWU women's basketball coaches have more than 400 career victories, with current head coach Carmen Dolfo amassing 696 wins and Hall of Fame coach Lynda Goodrich totaling 411 wins leading the Vikings for 19 seasons from 1971-1990. The program owns an all-time record of 1128-401 for a career winning percentage of .738.

 

One of the premier basketball programs in NCAA Division II, recording a 20-win season in 11 of the last 14 full seasons, and 38 times in the 53-year history of the program. WWU has 24 seasons of 20 or more wins under head coach Carmen Dolfo, who is the winningest coach of any sport at WWU and ranks among Division II active and all-time coaching leaders in wins with 696 (4 from 700), winning percentage and 20-win seasons. The Vikings have reached the NCAA II Tournament in 20 of 25 possible seasons at the Division II level with three trips to the Elite Eight (last in 2022) and played in the 2022 national championship game. The program has 1,128 all-time wins in the 53-year history of the program, and according to available records, is one of less than 20 women's college basketball team across all divisions and levels to reach the 1,000-victory milestone.