By: Jeff Evans, Assistant AD for Athletic Communications
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University volleyball team is dancing as the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Championships West Regional.
WWU will face No. 3 seed Fresno Pacific University (25-1) in the opening match of the West Regional on Thursday, December 4 at 11 am inside Golden Gymnasium on the Point Loma Nazarene University campus in San Diego.
The Vikings enter the NCAA Championships with a 19-6 overall record after going 13-5 in GNAC play. The conference produced five of the eight teams in the West Region bracket with GNAC co-champions No. 2 Simon Fraser, No. 4 Alaska Anchorage, No. 5 Alaska Fairbanks and No. 7 Central Washington joining WWU in San Diego.
WWU is ranked No. 15 in the recent AVCA coaches poll, extending a streak of nine consecutive weeks in the national top 20. The Vikings are led by senior outside hitter Devyn Oestreich with 18 double-doubles in 25 matches and junior outside hitter Delaney Speer with 15 double-doubles. The 2025 All-GNAC selections will be announced Tuesday.
"Words can't describe how proud I am of this group. They have persevered through a lot of ups-and-downs…and they were rewarded for all the hard work and dedication," said WWU head coach Diane Flick-Williams. "We are looking forward to another week of practice as a group and get the chance to play in a great tournament in San Diego."
The Vikings are making their 17th appearance in the NCAA Championships, returning to the West Regional tournament after a two-year hiatus. WWU made 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2012-22, with three trips to the Elite Eight (2025, 2018, 2021). WWU is 26-16 in the NCAA Championships in 16 previous trips.
Western's regional quarterfinal opponent Fresno Pacific enters with a 25-1 record and is ranked No. 8 in the AVCA coaches poll. The Sunbirds are coming off a victory at the PacWest Championships, defeating No. 1 seed Point Loma in five sets.
Here is a look at the West Regional schedule with all matches played in Golden Gymnasium on the Point Loma Nazarene University campus in San Diego. All matches will feature a live and free webcast streamed at NCAA.com and via the NCAA Champs Pass.
Thursday, 12/4:
11:00 am – (3) Fresno Pacific vs. (6) Western Washington
1:30 pm – (2) Simon Fraser vs. (7) Central Washington
4:30 pm – (1) Point Loma vs. (8) Cal State San Bernardino
7:00 pm – (4) Alaska Anchorage vs. (5) Alaska Fairbanks
Friday, 12/5:
4:00 pm – 3/6 winner vs. 2/7 winner
7:00 pm – 1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner
Saturday, 12/6:
7:00 pm – Championship Match
The Vikings (19-6, 13-5 GNAC) are the No. 6 seed in the West Region, making their 17th trip to the NCAA Championships. WWU will face No. 3 seed Fresno Pacific (25-1) in the opening game of the regional at 11 am on Thursday, December 4 in Golden Gymnasium. The eight-team regional is being hosted by No. 1 seed Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The complete 2025 season schedule can be viewed at WWUVikings.com/25_VB.
The Vikings are making their 17th trip to the NCAA Tournament, owning an all-time record of 26-16 in 16 previous trips to the championship. WWU made 10 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 2012-22. Western has made four trips to the national championship tournament (Elite Eight) in 2007, 2015, 2018 and 2021, and is 4-0 all-time in national quarterfinal matches and 2-2 in semifinals. WWU played for the national title in 2018 and the national semifinal in 2021. Here is a match-by-match look at how the Vikings have fared in 16 appearances in the NCAA Championships:
2001 (No. 3 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Defeated Cal State L.A. 3-2
Lost to UC San Diego, 3-0
2002 (No. 3 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Lost to Cal State Los Angeles, 3-2
2003 (No. 2 seed) – La Jolla, CA
Lost to Cal State San Bernardino, 3-1
2006 (No. 7 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Lost to UC San Diego, 3-1
2007 (No. 2 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Defeated Chico State, 3-0
Defeated UC San Diego, 3-2
Defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 3-0 (West Regional Final)
NCAA National Championships (Topeka, KS)
Defeated Dowling, 3-0
Defeated Washburn, 3-1
Lost to Concordia-St. Paul, 3-1 (NCAA Championship Match)
2010 (No. 3 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Defeated Alaska Anchorage, 3-1
Lost to Seattle Pacific, 3-2
2012 (No. 4 seed) – Laie, HI
Defeated Sonoma State, 3-0
Lost to BYU Hawaii, 3-1
2013 (No. 5 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Lost to Sonoma State, 3-0
2014 (No. 3 seed) – Nampa, ID
Lost to Cal State San Bernardino, 3-1
2015 (No. 2 seed) – Anchorage, AK
Defeated Point Loma, 3-0
Defeated UC San Diego, 3-2
Defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 3-2 (West Regional Final)
NCAA National Championships (Tampa, FL)
Defeated Rockhurst, 3-1
Lost to Wheeling Jesuit, 3-0 (National Semifinal)
2016 (No. 3 seed) – Anchorage, AK
Defeated California Baptist, 3-0
Defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 3-0
Lost to Alaska Anchorage, 3-1 (West Regional Final)
2017 (No. 2 seed) – Riverside, CA
Defeated Alaska Anchorage, 3-1
Defeated Northwest Nazarene, 3-1
Lost to Cal State San Bernardino, 3-0 (West Regional Final)
2018 (No. 1 seed) – Bellingham, WA
Defeated Cal State East Bay, 3-0
Defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 3-0
Defeated Cal State San Bernardino, 3-2 (West Regional Final)
NCAA National Championships (Pittsburgh, PA)
Defeated Tarleton State, 3-0
Defeated Lewis, 3-1
Lost to Tampa, 3-2 (NCAA Championship Match)
2019 (No. 2 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Defeated Hawai'i Hilo, 3-0
Lost to Azusa Pacific, 3-2
2021 (No. 2 seed) – San Bernardino, CA
Defeated Simon Fraser, 3-1
Defeated Central Washington, 3-1
Defeated Cal State Los Angeles, 3-0 (West Regional Final)
NCAA National Championships (Tampa, FL)
Defeated Daemen, 3-0 (National Quarterfinal)
Lost to Washburn, 3-1 (National Semifinal)
2022 (No. 2 seed) – Bellingham, WA
Lost to Central Washington, 3-1
Here is a look at Western's record breakdown for the 2025 season:
|
2025 RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall Record
|
19-6
|
|
Streak
|
W1
|
|
Home
|
9-3
|
|
Away
|
8-3
|
|
Neutral
|
2-0
|
|
GNAC Record
|
13-5
|
|
Non-Conference
|
6-1
|
|
3-Set Matches
|
9-1
|
|
4-Set Matches
|
9-3
|
|
5-Set Matches
|
1-1
|
|
Ranked Opponents
|
5-2
|
|
Winning First Set
|
16-1
|
|
Dropping First Set
|
3-5
|
|
Record by Jersey
|
|
White
|
3-1
|
|
Light Blue
|
7-1
|
|
Light Gray
|
4-4
|
|
Navy Blue
|
5-0
|
Here is a look at the final GNAC Volleyball standings. The Vikings finished in 5th place in the standings, one game back of a four-team tie for the conference title with Alaska Anchorage, Alaska Fairbanks, Simon Fraser and Central Washington all going 14-4 in conference play. Updated conference standings, results, schedule and statistics can be found online at GNACSports.com.
|
|
School
|
GNAC
|
Pct.
|
Overall
|
Pct.
|
Home
|
Away
|
Neutral
|
Streak
|
L10
|
|
1.
|
Simon Fraser +*
|
14-4
|
.778
|
20-4
|
.833
|
9-1
|
7-3
|
4-0
|
W3
|
8-2
|
|
2.
|
Alaska Anchorage +*
|
14-4
|
.778
|
23-5
|
.821
|
14-2
|
7-2
|
2-1
|
W6
|
9-1
|
|
|
Alaska Fairbanks +*
|
14-4
|
.778
|
23-5
|
.821
|
11-1
|
6-3
|
6-1
|
W3
|
8-2
|
|
|
Central Washington +*
|
14-4
|
.778
|
18-7
|
.720
|
7-2
|
8-3
|
3-2
|
L1
|
7-3
|
|
5.
|
Western Washington*
|
13-5
|
.722
|
19-6
|
.760
|
9-3
|
8-3
|
2-0
|
W1
|
6-4
|
|
6.
|
Saint Martin's
|
7-11
|
.389
|
14-12
|
.538
|
5-4
|
3-7
|
6-1
|
W2
|
4-6
|
|
|
Seattle Pacific
|
7-11
|
.389
|
12-14
|
.462
|
4-5
|
3-6
|
5-3
|
L2
|
4-6
|
|
8.
|
Northwest Nazarene
|
5-13
|
.278
|
6-19
|
.240
|
4-9
|
2-8
|
0-2
|
L5
|
2-8
|
|
9.
|
Western Oregon
|
2-16
|
.111
|
3-23
|
.115
|
1-8
|
1-11
|
1-4
|
L2
|
2-8
|
|
10.
|
Montana State Billings
|
0-18
|
.000
|
2-22
|
.083
|
0-10
|
1-10
|
1-2
|
L5
|
1-9
|
|
+ GNAC Co-Champion * NCAA Tournament qualifier
|
Here is a match-by-match look at the 2025 season with current results and the schedule:
|
Date
|
Opponent
|
|
Score
|
Score-by-set
|
|
WWU Invitational (Bellingham, WA)
|
|
9/4
|
Cal Poly Pomona (#7)
|
L
|
1-3
|
25-27,16-25,25-21,12-25
|
|
9/5
|
St. Cloud State (#3)
|
W
|
3-1
|
21-25,25-23,26-24,25-16
|
|
9/6
|
San Francisco State (#4)
|
W
|
3-1
|
25-17,16-25,25-23,25-16
|
|
Aloha State Showdown (Honolulu, HI)
|
|
9/11
|
UC Merced
|
W
|
3-1
|
25-14,25-18,18-25,25-14
|
|
9/11
|
Chaminade (#24)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-19,25-19,25-22
|
|
9/12
|
Hawai'i Hilo
|
W
|
3-1
|
25-16,15-25,25-21,27-25
|
|
9/13
|
Hawai'i Pacific
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-14,25-19,25-22
|
|
Great Northwest Athletic Conference
|
|
9/18
|
@Northwest Nazarene (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-1
|
25-15,25-14,21-25,25-16
|
|
9/20
|
@Central Washington (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-2
|
23-25,25-23,25-20,21-25,15-11
|
|
9/25
|
Montana State Billings (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-7,34-32,25-12
|
|
9/27
|
Seattle Pacific (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-1
|
26-24,25-15,22-25,25-18
|
|
10/2
|
@Western Oregon (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-0
|
27-25,25-20,25-21
|
|
10/4
|
@Saint Martin's (GNAC)
|
L
|
0-3
|
15-25,14-25,17-25
|
|
10/9
|
Alaska Anchorage (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-1
|
27-25,21-25,25-13,28-26
|
|
10/11
|
Alaska Fairbanks (GNAC) (#18)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-23,25-21,25-15
|
|
10/17
|
@Simon Fraser (GNAC) (#9)
|
L
|
2-3
|
17-25,26-28,25-20,26-24,12-15
|
|
10/23
|
@Seattle Pacific (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-1
|
22-25,25-21,25-15,25-16
|
|
10/25
|
@Montana St. Billings (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-12, 25-15, 25-9
|
|
10/30
|
Saint Martin's (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-19,25-23,25-20
|
|
11/1
|
Western Oregon (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-15,25-18,25-13
|
|
11/6
|
@Alaska Fairbanks (GNAC) (#19)
|
W
|
3-0
|
25-17,25-20,25-20
|
|
11/8
|
@Alaska Anchorage (GNAC)
|
L
|
1-3
|
23-25,25-23,18-25,32-34
|
|
11/15
|
Simon Fraser (GNAC) (#12)
|
L
|
1-3
|
25-23,15-25,24-26,17-25
|
|
11/20
|
Central Washington (GNAC)
|
L
|
1-3
|
21-25,25-16,20-25,21-25
|
|
11/22
|
Northwest Nazarene (GNAC)
|
W
|
3-1
|
25-18,25-16,19-25,25-14
|
|
NCAA Championships West Regional (San Diego, CA)
|
|
12/4
|
Fresno Pacific (#8)
|
|
|
11:00 am
|
