Nov. 10, 2007

Box Score

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - Libero Courtney Schneider (Sr., Snohomish) had a match-high 18 digs in breaking her own school and league season record as Western Washington University swept Saint Martin's University, 30-15, 30-21, 30-14, to close out the regular season Saturday in a Great Northwest Athletic Conference volleyball match on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings, ranked No.2 in the NCAA Division II Pacific Region, improved to 21-4 overall with their 16th straight victory, and placed first in the GNAC with a 17-1 record. The league title gave them an automatic berth in the Pacific Regional, which begins Thursday.

Saint Martin's completed its season 4-24 overall and was 4-14 in league play. The Saints were led by Shealun Campisi with 11 kills and 11 digs.

Schneider upped her season dig total to 678, breaking the mark of 666 that she set last season. Looking to become the first NCAA II player to take back-to-back national titles in digs per game, she is averaging a national-best 7.76 digs a game, better than the national record she set in 2006.

Middle blockers Tiana Roma (Jr., Edmonds/Edmonds-Woodway) and Angie Alvord (Jr., Laurel/Meridian) each had 10 kills and just one error for the Vikings, finishing with respective attack percentages of .500 and .450. Alvord also had a match-high four blocks.

Western outside hitter Jaime Anderson (Sr., SeaTac/Mount Rainier) had 11 kills, Emily Castro (Sr., Bellingham) added nine kills and 13 digs and Marissa Hill (Jr., North Bend/Mount Si) had a match-high five service aces and 11 digs.

Trailing 6-3 in game one, the Vikings scored nine straight points, eight on Hill's serve, and scored the last eight points, seven on Hill's serve. Western never trailed in either game two or three.

It was the last home match for four Viking seniors - Anderson, Castro, setter Katie Robinson (Everson/Nooksack Valley) and Schneider.

Schneider increased her school and GNAC career-record dig total to 2,522, which ranks sixth all-time in NCAA II. Her career digs per game average of 6.95 is national-record pace, well ahead of the current standard (6.06).

Western had a .301 hitting percentage to .080 for Saint Martin's.