BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University volleyball team officially opens the 2024 season this week hosting the five-team, eight-match WWU Invitational on WECU Court in Carver Gymnasium.
 
The tournament action all begins Thursday, September 5 with a pair of matches featuring No. 22 Central Washington taking on No. 7 MSU Denver at 4:30 pm, followed by the Vikings hosting West Region foe Sonoma State at 7 pm. San Francisco State joins the schedule Friday and Saturday with three matches each day to round out the season-opening tournament.
 
WWU opens the season picked to finish 3rd in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference after going 12-6 in league play last season and 12-14 overall. The Vikings return nearly the entire roster from last season and do not feature a senior on the roster.
 
Following the season-opening WWU Invitational, the Vikings make the trek midway across the state to play in the CWU Invitational in Ellensburg, facing No. 8 Cal State San Bernardino, No. 1 Cal State LA and No. 21 Cal Poly Pomona. Western opens league play with three consecutive home matches, beginning with the Alaska schools September 19 and September 21.
  Tickets 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 9G and C lots on campus.
  Here is a look at the schedule for the 2024 WWU Volleyball Invitational:
 

Thursday, September 5
4:30 PM	#22 Central Washington vs. #7 MSU Denver
7:00 PM	Western Washington vs. Sonoma State
Friday, September 6
12:30 PM	#7 MSU Denver vs. Sonoma State
4:30 PM	#22 Central Washington vs. San Francisco State
7:00 PM	Western Washington vs. #7 MSU Denver
Saturday, September 7
11:00 AM	#7 MSU Denver vs. San Francisco State
2:00 PM	#22 Central Washington vs. Sonoma State
7:00 PM	Western Washington vs. San Francisco State

  The Vikings 2024 schedule features five opponents listed in the AVCA Preseason Poll:
 

• #1 Cal State LA
• #7 MSU Denver
• #8 Cal State San Bernardino
• #21 Cal Poly Pomona
• #22 Central Washington

  All eight matches during the WWU Volleyball Invitational will feature a live webcast via Vikings TV and live statistical updates. Fans that choose to watch the games in the comfort of their home or on their devices, can point their browsers to the following links:
 

• Vikings TV – wwuvikings.com/VB_Watch
• Live Stats – wwuvikings.com/VB_Stats

  WWU is hosting a regular-season tournament for the third time in the last four years. Prior to hosting the 2021 edition of the WWU Invitational, the previous home tournament during the regular season was in 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 an Invitational in 2002 during current head coach Diane Flick-Williams third season (now in her 25th 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, San Bernardino, California and Ellensburg.
  After not hosting a season opener at home from 1978-2020…the Vikings are starting a season in Carver Gym for the third time in the last four years. We had to dig pretty far back through the Paul Madison history files to identify that prior to the 2021 WWU Invitational, the previous time the WWU Volleyball program opened a season on its home court was in 1978.
  The Vikings were picked to finish 3rd in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll and received votes in the AVCA Preseason NCAA Division II Poll with 44 votes (No. 44 in the nation). Western is coming off a 3rd-place finish in the GNAC last season with a 12-6 conference record and 12-14 overall record.
 

2024 GNAC PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL COACHES POLL
Rk	School (1st Place Votes)	2023 Record (GNAC)	Points
1.	Central Washington (2)	20-7, 14-4 (2nd)	91
2.	Seattle Pacific	22-5, 16-2 (1st)	90
3.	Western Washington	12-14, 12-6 (3rd)	75
4.	Simon Fraser	16-10, 11-7 (4th)	74
5.	Alaska Anchorage	16-17, 8-10 (6th)	59
6.	Alaska Fairbanks	14-18, 7-11 (t7th)	49
7.	Northwest Nazarene	11-15, 7-11 (t7th)	38
8.	Western Oregon	10-16, 4-14 (9th)	33
9.	Saint Martin's	17-11, 10-8 (5th)	29
10.	Montana State Billings	3-25, 1-17 (10th)	12
Votes awarded on 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis

  WWU opens the 2024 season hosting the WWU Invitational scheduled September 5-7 on WECU Court in Carver Gym with No. 7 MSU Denver, Sonoma State, San Francisco State and No. 22 Central Washington visiting Bellingham. The complete 2024 season schedule can be viewed online at WWUVikings.com.
  Here is a look at the complete 2024 Great Northwest Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Team with the Vikings featuring three selections – junior outside hitter Devyn Oestreich, sophomore middle Emily Vossenkuhl and sophomore outside hitter Delaney Speer. WWU tied Central Washington for the most players on the list voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches.
 

Name	School	Pos.	Yr.	Ht.	Hometown (Previous School)
Hannah Hair	Seattle Pacific	MB	Gr.	6-1	Walla Walla, WA (Walla Walla)
Emma Daoud-Hebert	Central Washington	MB	Gr.	6-0	Woodinville, WA (Woodinville)
Scottie Ellsworth	Central Washington	RS	Jr.	6-2	Kent, WA (Kentwood)
Brooke Dexter	Simon Fraser	OPP	Sr.	6-2	Anchorage, AK (West Anchorage)
Devyn Oestreich	Western Washington	OH	Jr.	6-0	Olympia, WA (Capital)
Allison Wilks	Seattle Pacific	MB	Gr.	6-1	Bothell, WA (North Creek)
Hannah Stires	Central Washington	L	Gr.	5-5	Nine Mile Falls, WA (Lakeside)
Madison Hornback	Western Oregon	OH	Sr.	5-10	Oregon City, OR (Oregon City)
Karli Nielson	Alaska Fairbanks	OH	Sr.	5-11	South Weber, UT (Northridge)
Jocelyn Sherman	Simon Fraser	OH	Sr.	5-10	Victoria, BC (Belmont Secondary)
Emily Garten	Saint Martin's	OH	So.	5-10	Placentia, CA (El Dorado)
Emily Vossenkuhl	Western Washington	MB	So.	6-1	Ridgefield, WA (Ridgefield)
Miya Koch	Northwest Nazarene	RS	Sr.	5-11	Meridian, ID (Centennial)
Delaney Speer	Western Washington	OH	So.	5-11	Maple Valley, WA (Tahoma)

  The Vikings have built a strong home court advantage on WECU Court in Carver Gym with an all-time 314-87 record in the venue for a .783 winning percentage. Over the last seven seasons since moving back into the renovated gym, Western is 70-7 in home contests in Carver. During the 24-year career of head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have gone 199-21 (.905).
  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 completed its 53rd 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 1,024 all-time wins (1024-592-7). The winner of 11 Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Vikings have four of the last seven 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 25th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams (518-137) the Vikings have posted a 269-67 record over the last 12 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).