BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University women's basketball team looks to build off a solid start to 2025 hosting a pair of Great Northwest Athletic Conference games this week on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

WWU is coming off a pair of road wins last week in GNAC play to open 2025, defeating Western Oregon 63-30 in a historic defensive performance and Saint Martin's 63-50 to improve to 8-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play. 

 

The Vikings return to Carver Gym for only the 4th and 5th home games of the season, playing 10 of 13 games to date on the road. WWU hosts Northwest Nazarene (7-5, 1-2 GNAC) and in-state rival Central Washington (9-3, 2-1 GNAC) with both games featuring a 7 pm tip-off on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

Fans attending the games have a chance to see history, with head coach Carmen Dolfo one win away from recording her 700th career victory. Dolfo has led the Vikings to a 699-267 record in 34 seasons with 20 trips to the NCAA Tournament (out of 25 seasons).

 

The Vikings are led by senior guard Olivia Wikstrom – the reigning GNAC Player of the Week – averaging 14.7 points per game (7th in GNAC) and 8.2 rebounds per game (2nd in GNAC). Junior forward Alyson Deaver is 9th in the conference averaging 14.2 points per game and has scored in double-digits in 12 of 13 games. Senior guard Maddy Grandbois is averaging 8.6 points per game and is one of the top shooters in the GNAC ranking 2nd in overall field goal percentage (.541/40-for-74) and three-point shooting (.450/18-for-40). Junior guard Mason Oberg is averaging 11.4 points and 3.7 assists per game while leading the GNAC averaging 36.9 minutes per game.

 

Western has been short-handed all season due to injuries with sophomore guard Libby Stump, freshman forward Jaylyn Arosemena and senior forward Aspen Garrison all likely out for the season. Junior forward Ellie Croco returned last week to make her Viking debut and sophomore guard Demi Dykstra has missed the last three games with a knee injury.

 

 

WWU head coach Carmen Dolfo is approaching another career milestone only one win from 700 for her career. In 34 seasons leading the program Dolfo has accumulated 699 wins and has a .724 winning percentage (699-267). 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.

 

In last Thursday's 63-30 road victory at Western Oregon, the Vikings defense limited WOU to under 20-percent shooting in the game (.197/12-for-61) and nearly held the Wolves without a field goal in the first quarter. The 30 points allowed are fewest allowed by a Viking team since holding Lincoln to 26 points on December 2, 2021 and the fewest in a GNAC breaking the old mark of 32 points allowed in a 77-32 win over Alaska Fairbanks on February 26, 2009. WWU just missed the GNAC record for fewest points allowed in a conference game, 27 set by Saint Martin's in 2003 vs. Western Oregon.

 

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. 

 

Tickets are available for pre-purchase online at wwuvikings.com/Tickets or starting one hour prior to tip-off at the Carver Gym Box Office.

 

Parking for all WWU home events in Carver Gym is free and now located in the 19G Lot by the Student Recreation Center. Season ticket parking will be in the 9G lot. A parking map is available at wwuvikings.com.

The Vikings offense is led by its five starting players that have accounted for over 90-percent of the total scoring during the first 13 games of the season (779 of 856 points). The Vikings 77 bench points – 5.9 per game – ranks last in the nation out of 290 teams. WWU has used just two different starting lineups this season. Senior Olivia Wikstrom leads the team and ranks 7th in the GNAC averaging 14.7 points per game, followed closely by junior Alyson Deaver averaging 14.2 points per game. 

 

Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom has recorded five double-doubles to lead the GNAC this season. Wikstrom has a string of four consecutive double-doubles going back to the road win at Hawai'i Hilo, averaging 15.5 points and 12.3 rebounds during the impressive stretch.

 

Senior guard Olivia Wikstrom is the reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Player of the Week. Wikstrom helped lead the Vikings to a 2-0 GNAC road trip with wins over Western Oregon (63-30) and Saint Martin's (63-50) recording a pair of double-doubles. The Bainbridge Island native averaged 19.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game. She shot 14-for-36 from the field and was 6-for-12 from three-point range. In the lopsided win over WOU, Wikstrom led the Vikings with 20 points and grabbed 16 rebounds. Two days later against Saint Martin's she added 18 points and 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season and fourth straight. In 13 games, all starts, Wikstrom leads the Vikings and ranks 7th in the GNAC averaging 14.7 points per game and is 2nd in the conference averaging 8.2 rebounds per game.

 

Sophomore forward Jadyn Watts has started the last three games and is averaging 9.3 points and 6.7 rebounds per game during this stretch. For the season Watts is averaging 5.9 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.

 

WWU's remaining 14 games are all Great Northwest Athletic Conference games, continuing this week with home games against NNU and CWU. All 10 GNAC teams play an 18-game league schedule, with the top six teams in the standings at the end of the regular season advancing to the GNAC Championships that will be held March 6-8 at Marcus Pavilion in Lacey. WWU is the two-time defending postseason GNAC Tournament champions.

 

The Vikings (8-5, 3-1 GNAC) are back at home in Carver Gym next week with a pair of GNAC games on WECU Court hosting Northwest Nazarene on Thursday and Central Washington on Saturday, both featuring a 7 pm tip-off on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The complete season schedule, with links on how to watch the games, can be viewed online at wwuvikings.com/WBB.

 

Through the first 13 games of the season, the Vikings have had a tough schedule facing three teams that are currently ranked in the top 10 in the nation (Cal St. Dom. Hills - #3, MSUB - #5, Azusa Pacific - #8).

 

WWU has played just three of 13 games at home in Carver Gym, playing 10 games on the road (3-1 away, 3-3 neutral). The Vikings will play seven of their final 14 games at home on WECU Court in Carver Gym.

 

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 sidelined with injuries. Croco returned to appear in both games last week averaging 10.5 minutes per game. Sophomore guard Demi Dykstra has also missed the last three games with a knee injury.

 

Both home games this week feature a live (and free) webcast on YouTube with links available at WWUVikings.com/Live. 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: 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 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:

 

• Northwest Nazarene: WWU has an active four-game winning streak vs. NNU, sweeping the Nighthawks last season with an 88-60 home victory and 91-85 overtime win on the road…three of last six meetings in the series have featured overtime…WWU is 19-7 all-time vs. NNU in home games and leads the all-time series 36-17.
• Central Washington: WWU has a current five-game winning streak vs. CWU, sweeping last year's series winning 100-75 in Carver Gym and 69-60 in Ellensburg…the Vikings lead the all-time series over the Wildcats 103-17 with a 14-7 advantage in the last 21 meetings.

 

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

 

 

Junior guard Mason Oberg has made 126 career three-pointers (in 62 games) to rank No. 10 in program history. For her career Oberg is 126-for-326 to record a .387 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:

 

 

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 has appeared in eight games averaging 10.8 minutes per game 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.

 

Here is a look at the 2024-25 GNAC Women's Basketball standings and overall records heading into this week's action. Updated standings and conference statistics can be viewed online at GNACSports.com. The top six teams in the conference standings at the end of the regular season will qualify for the GNAC Championships held March 6-8 in Lacey:

 

 

Here is a game-by-game look at the 2024-25 season heading into this week's schedule:

 

Over the last six seasons (since 2019-20), the Vikings have combined to go 109-31 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 Vikings made their 20th NCAA Championships appearance in 25 possible seasons (since 1998-99) and fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA West Regional Tournament. WWU has advanced to the postseason (conference, regional, NCAA) in 49 of 52 possible seasons of program history and has won three regional championships to advance to the Elite Eight in 2000 (Pine Bluff, Arkansas), 2013 (San Antonio, TX) and 2022 (Birmingham, AL). The Vikings own an all-time 21-19 record in NCAA tournament play, recording at least one win in 12 of 19 prior regional appearances (with a game played).

 

Head coach Carmen Dolfo is in her 34th season leading the program, owning an all-time record of 699-267 (.724) 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 as 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 one victory 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 699 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 1131-402 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 699 (1 win 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 1,131 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.