By the end of its first set on Thursday night, the No. 12 Western Washington volleyball team looked deflated.
After falling behind Central Washington University 25-21, the Carver Gymnasium crowd of 1,107 was quiet, and Western seemed like it lost the confidence that a reigning Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion should have.
By the middle of the second set, down 14-10 and inching toward losing at home to cross-state rivals, 21-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams called a timeout for the team.
Western Washington University’s Gabby Kepley taps the ball over Wildcats defenders in Western’s 3-1 win over Central Washington University on Sept. 29. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
After the Vikings broke from their huddle, they took the lead and didn’t give it back for the rest of the match, beating Central Washington in four sets, 25-21, 25-23, 25-19, 25-18.
Flick-Williams had easy instructions for her team: Get aggressive and get simple.
Central Washington University players celebrate a point as Western’s Kasey Woodruff and Calley Heilborn dive late to the ball. WWU lost the first game but roared back to win 3-1 in sets on Sept. 29. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
“I wanted us to be a lot more aggressive, and if we were going to make any errors, make aggressive errors, rather than tentative errors,” Flick-Williams said. “I felt like we settled into more of what our system is — instead of trying to do too much, we just got more simplified.”
Simple worked well for the Vikings. By the start of the fourth and final set of the night, players were dancing, laughing and playing with the confidence that has become a staple of Western volleyball. The confidence came back quickly with a team featuring eight seniors who led the way both offensively and defensively.
Western’s Gabby Gunterman spins and leaps in joy after a shot from the backcourt scores an unexpected point of the Vikings. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
“[Our confidence] wanes sometimes, to be honest with you,” Flick-Williams said. “I think sometimes we play better when we’re free. If we free ourselves up, then we’re going to play our style of ball. I’ve got eight seniors on this team, and they really need to enjoy everything because we don’t have much more time with them.”
Senior middle Chloe Roetcisoender led the Vikings with an 18.5-point performance, tallying 14 kills on just 23 attempts, while senior pin hitter Calley Heilborn recorded the team’s only double-double of the night with 12 kills and 14 digs.
The entire team dominated defensively, recording six solo blocks and 20 assisted blocks while holding Central Washington to just a .186 hit percentage.
Head Coach Diane Flick-Williams uses her clipboard to stop the ball as it bounces at her players. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
But the senior who stole the show with a whopping 42-assist, 9-dig night was setter Malia Aleaga, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday.
Flick-Williams had nothing but positive things to say about Aleaga’s game on Thursday and her career at Western.
“Malia is so awesome. Yes, she’s a great setter and she is the head of the wheel of our offense, but she is just one of the greatest human beings.” Flick-Williams said. “I just really enjoy every day being with her, so I’m just happy that she got a win on her birthday.”
The win puts the No. 12 Vikings at 10-4 overall and 5-1 in GNAC play, earning sole possession of second place in the conference. It also marks the 29th consecutive win at home in Carver Gymnasium.
The Vikings now face Northwest Nazarene University at home on Saturday, Sept. 30 before going on a three-game road trip to start the month of October.
