Nov. 8, 2007

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Libero Courtney Schneider (Sr., Snohomish) had a match-high 32 digs and became the sixth player in NCAA Division II history to reach 2,500 career digs as Western Washington University defeated Western Oregon University, 30-24, 30-27, 30-21, to win the Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball title outright Thursday on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings, ranked No.2 in the NCAA II Pacific Region, improved to 20-4 overall and 16-1 in the GNAC with their 15th straight victory. It is Western Washington's fourth GNAC championship, but the first since winning three straight in 2001-03. Outside hitter Emily Castro (Sr., Bellingham/Meridian) led the Viking attack with 13 kills, and middle blocker Tiana Roma (Jr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway) had 12 kills and no errors in 26 attacks for a .462 attack percentage.

The league title gives Western Washington an automatic berth in the Pacific Regional. The Vikings' last loss was 3-2 to the Wolves on Sept. 8 at Monmouth, Ore.

Western Oregon is 16-8 overall and remains second in the GNAC at 13-4. The Wolves, who suffered just their third loss in the last 13 matches, had 14 kills each from outside hitters Stacey Bennett and Kayla Mainer.

The Wolves held a 20-17 lead in the opening game, but the Vikings went on a 6-1 run to take a 23-21 lead and led the rest of the way. The second game was tied nine times, the last at 23-23, before a block by Roma and outside hitter Jaime Anderson (Sr., SeaTac/Mount Rainier) put Western Washington in front for good. In the final game, the Vikings pulled away from a 14-14 tie by holding Western Oregon without a point on serve the rest of the game.

Schneider's 32 digs matched her season high for a three-game match. It was her 22nd match with 20 kills or more, breaking the GNAC mark she set last season, and her 660 digs for the year are just six short of the GNAC and school record she also set last season.

Schneider, who is looking to become the first NCAA II player to take back-to-back national titles in digs per game, is averaging an NCAA II-leading 7.76 digs a game, better than the national record she set last season. She also increased her school and GNAC career-record total to 2,504, which ranks sixth all-time in NCAA II.

Schneider's career per game average of 6.91 is national-record pace, well ahead of the current standard (6.06).

Castro also had 15 digs for the Vikings, and Roma and Marissa Hill (Jr., North Bend/Mount Si) tied for match-high honors with five blocks each. Anderson added eight kills, 10 digs and four blocks and setter Katie Robinson (Sr., Everson/Nooksack Valley) had 39 assists.

Western Washington ends its regular season Saturday (7 p.m.), entertaining Saint Martin's in a league counter.