In a season defined by a 17-3 record away from its own Carver Gymnasium, Western Washington is on the ultimate road trip, playing Monday night in the NCAA Division II Elite Eight tournament in Birmingham, Alabama for just the third time in program history.
At stake? A spot in the NCAA Division II Final Four, and a step closer to the NCAA national championship — which would be a first for the Viking women and coach Carmen Dolfo, in her 31st year at Western. Western’s men’s team won the national title 10 years ago.
The No. 5 seeded Vikings (23-5) face No. 4 Valdosta (Georgia) State (26-5) Monday at 6:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) in the last of the day’s four quarterfinal games in Bill Harris Arena at the CrossPlex in Birmingham.
The game will stream live on NCAA.com free of charge. See live stats at wwuvikings.com/WBB_Stats. Wednesday’s semifinal games and Friday’s 5 p.m. national championship game is scheduled to be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Even though it’s the third time Western has made the Elite Eight field — 2000 and 2013 were the others, both resulting in Final Four appearances — it’s a first for current players. The Vikings left Bellingham Friday and on Saturday took a 4-hour-plus cross-country flight from Seattle to Atlanta, then bused 2.5 hours to Birmingham. That’s more than 2,100 miles from one ‘ham to the other, the most mileage of any team in the field. But who’s counting?
“With the travel, we’ve been used to it,” said Dolfo, conference coach of the year of a team that has made road trips to Southern California, Northern California twice, Colorado, Idaho, Alaska, British Columbia and Montana this season.
Carmen Dolfo, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference coach of the year, leads Western Washington University into Elite Eight play Monday against Valdosta State in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo courtesy of WWU Athletics)
Due to COVID-19, the Vikings played just eight games in Carver gym in 2021-22, the fewest in the program’s last 48 seasons.
“Everyone was excited that we are going to Alabama,” Dolfo said. “No one had been there. And we … didn’t hear one complaint about being on the road or anything like that. And that’s one thing our team has been so fabulous about is lots of things have happened and they just don’t complain.”
Western’s stalwart defense has held teams to .345 shooting percentage (No. 12 nationally) and .240 in 3-point field goal percentage (No. 4). In this postseason, the Vikings are led by Great Northwest Athletic Conference first-teamer Emma Duff, a senior guard averaging 15.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game and sophomore forward Brooke Walling, averaging 16 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Both Duff and Walling, who is playing her career-best in the postseason, were named to the all-tournament team, with Walling named the region tournament MVP.
Junior guard Avery Dykstra, of Everson, the GNAC defensive player of the year, is part of a trio of Whatcom County hoops stars leading WWU into NCAA Division II Elite Eight play Monday night. (Photo courtesy of WWU Athletics)
“She’s a great defender too, and she’s a really good rebounder,” Dolfo said of Walling. “She’s emerged and really played well in the postseason.”
Western also is led by Everson sisters Avery and Riley Dykstra, the GNAC’s Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively. Both played for Lynden Christian. Nooksack Valley’s Katrina Gimmaka, also of Everson, has seen significant action off the bench.
Western and Monday’s opponent, Valdosta State, have met just once, in November 2017, in a 59-56 Blazer victory at Carver.
Both squads have a balanced offensive attack, an emphasis on defense, a talented freshman and conference coach of the year.
Junior forward Katrina Gimmaka, a Nooksack Valley graduate, is one of a trio of Everson players leading the WWU Vikings into NCAA Divsion II Elite Eight play Monday in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo courtesy of WWU Athletics)
Valdosta State is playing in its first Elite Eight since 1984, and is coming off a dramatic, 66-58 victory over national No. 1 ranked Union (Tennessee) in the South Region Championship. Valdosta, the regional’s No. 7 seed, is led by graduate student Kwajelin Farrar, the tournament’s MVP, who averaged 18 points per game and 7.3 rebounds. Kwajelin has a .567 field goal percentage (200-353) this season.
She and Nicole Heyn, another grad student, were named to the all-region tournament. Heyn had 11.7 points per game and 9.7 rebounds. Freshman Taylor Searcey posted 10.3 points per game and 5.3 rebounds, along with 11 assists.
“It was great preparation for us to face the nation’s top team,” said VSU coach Deandra Schirmer, in her third season with the Blazers. “It allowed us to see what it’s like to face challenging opponents.”
Schirmer said an emphasis on rebounding and free throws has helped her team this season. Western holds an advantage in free throws made, 72% to 68 for the Blazers. Valdosta State likes to shoot the 3-pointer, averaging .344 (222-646), while Western is 163-for-516 (.316) from long distance.
“They play great defense, they look big, they’re so well coached,” Dolfo said. “They do have big scorers, but I think they’re also really balanced. It’s going to be a really great challenge for us.”
A big part of Western’s success has been its depth — all 11 active players average at least 7 minutes a game. Developing the bench has been a necessity this season.
Guard Riley Dykstra of Everson, the GNAC Freshman of the Year, brings her experience from Lynden Christian High School to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight Tournament Monday in Birmingham, Alabama. (Photo courtesy of WWU Athletics)
“We started that way with COVID, knowing that you don’t know what’s going to happen, and when you’re going to have kids who are out or can or can’t play,” Dolfo said. “We struggled with a lot of injuries this year throughout the season. And so we felt like from the beginning, we just really needed to develop everybody. And that really helped us,” especially in the postseason with three GNAC tournament games followed by three regional games to get them here.
When the Blazers won the South Regional, they were welcomed home with a police escort and 40 or 50 fans waiting for them in the rain. Valdosta State, less than a 6-hour drive from Birmingham, expects to have an enthusiastic fan base making the trip. That is not a concern for Dolfo and the Vikings, who played before a loud student section rooting for hosts Cal State East Bay in the West Regional final that Western won Monday to earn this trip.
“We tried to pretend … that the Cal State East Bay crowd was for us, and they had a fabulous crowd there,” she said. “And we did have some (Western) parents, but, like our players said, once you get in the game, you’re so focused on what you’re doing, and you’re in the moment. Those things don’t matter as much. But I think with the travel, we’ve been used to it.”
