WWU volleyball advances to NCAA Div. II Final Four

The Western Washington University Vikings advanced to the NCAA Division II Final Four with a 20-25, 25-17, 25-15, 25-22 quarterfinal victory over Rockhurst on Thursday, Dec. 10, at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center on the University of Tampa campus.

Redshirt freshman middle blocker Kayleigh Harper led the Vikings with a rare kill-block double-double, notching a match-high 16 kills and 10 total blocks (nine block assists, one block solo). Senior opposite Jennica McPherson also recorded a double-double with 14 kills (.565 hitting percentage) and 16 digs.

The Vikings improved to 27-5 overall and will meet Wheeling Jesuit (37-4) in the NCAA II Semifinal tomorrow at 2 p.m. Friday, Dec. 11, in Tampa. This is Western’s second appearance in the Final Four, joining the 2007 squad that finished runner-up. Coincidentally, WWU and Wheeling Jesuit opened the season against each other in the same gym in Tampa, with the Cardinals winning 3-0.

In addition to the big performances by Harper and McPherson, the balanced Vikings attack had five players record eight or more kills. Sophomore opposite Joellee Buckner recorded nine kills and 22 digs and redshirt freshman Abby Phelps added eight kills and 22 digs, both narrowly missing double-doubles. Senior outside hitter Rachel Roeder had eight kills and four total blocks.

“I thought we played pretty tight out of the gates, which I expected with a young team, but Abby set the tone early and the team followed,” WWU coach Diane Flick said in a news release. “We’ve said all along that we don’t need stars, we need a galaxy. Today we definitely played that way and had some really great performances. I am just really proud of this team for the way they battled, picked each other up, and the fact they never doubted themselves.”

Rockhurst finishes its season with a 34-4 record after entering the NCAA tournament ranked No. 7 in the Division II coaches poll. AVCA Division II National Player of the Year Preecy Seever was limited to just 8 kills on a .061 hitting percentage and contributed a team high 8 blocks. Katie Loescher (13 kills, .385 hitting pct.) and Alyssa Arnold (12 kills, 23 digs) also had standout matches for Rockhurst.

This story was originally published December 10, 2015 at 8:19 PM with the headline "WWU volleyball advances to NCAA Div. II Final Four."