WWU volleyball comes up short at national tournament
The Western Washington University Vikings ended their season with a 20-25, 19-25, 25-27 loss to Wheeling Jesuit in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship Semifinal on Friday, Dec. 11, at the Bob Martinez Athletics Center on the University of Tampa campus.
Sophomore opposite Joellee Buckner tallied a double-double with a match-high 16 kills and added 12 digs. Senior opposite Jennica McPherson also had a double-double with 10 kills and 12 digs. Redshirt freshman outside hitter Abby Phelps finished with a team-high 17 digs.
“We just needed that extra something today and could not quite find it,” WWU coach Diane Flick said in a phone interview. “I wish we were firing on all cylinders so that we could have put up a better fight. What else can I say about this season? I have to keep it in perspective of what we have accomplished. We are a Final Four team, and that is something to be very, very proud of.”
The Vikings completed their season with a 27-6 record, the 5th-most wins in program history. This was Western’s second appearance in the Final Four, joining the 2007 squad that finished runner-up. Coincidentally, WWU also opened its season with a 3-0 loss vs. Wheeling Jesuit in the same gym at the Tampa Classic.
The Cardinals out-hit the Vikings .280-.188 in the match, and were led by double-doubles from Kayce Krucki (10 kills, 12 digs) and Emma Schleucher (14 kills, 13 digs). Libero Jessica Thobe recorded a match-high 24 digs.
Wheeling jumped out to the early 1-0 lead with a 25-20 win, pulling away midway through the first set with an 11-6 run after being tied 14-14. Buckner led the Vikings with five kills on a .417 hitting percentage. WWU made seven hitting errors and was held to a .105 hitting percentage compared to Wheeling’s .234 mark. Schleucher recorded four kills and Haley Kindall had four blocks for the Cardinals. The set featured seven ties and three lead changes.
WJU took the 2-0 lead with a 25-19 second-set victory. WWU held an early lead, but the Cardinals pulled away with a 5-1 run to go up 10-7 and never looked back. McPherson led the Vikings with four kills and a pair of block assists. Sydney Obringer recorded four kills and two block assists to lead the Cardinals.
The final set featured 19 tie scores and 8 lead changes before Wheeling prevailed 27-25. The Vikings fought off a pair of match points at to tie the set at 24-24 and 25-25, but back-to-back kills by Kindall ended the match sending the Cardinals to the national final. Buckner tallied nine of her team-high 16 kills in the third set.
This story was originally published December 11, 2015 at 9:05 PM with the headline "WWU volleyball comes up short at national tournament."