Vikings edge Coyotes in West Regional finals thriller

Scoreboard

ANCHORAGE – Western Washington senior Rachel Roeder blasted her 22nd kill on match point Sunday to lead nationally 16th-ranked Western Washington to a 21-25, 14-25, 25-22, 25-23, 16-14 victory over 22nd-ranked Cal State San Bernardino in the NCAA Div. II West Regional Volleyball Championships title match at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Vikings (26-5) – seeded No. 2 in the regional – also got 17 kills and 23 digs from freshman outside hitter Abby Phelps, plus eight kills and nine blocks from freshman middle blocker Kayleigh Harper to pull off the comeback.

Western Washington becomes the first Great Northwest Athletic Conference team to win the West since the Vikings advanced to the national championship match in 2007.

The No. 4-seeded Coyotes (28-6) were led by 29 kills and 20 digs from senior outside hitter Alexandra Torline, while junior middle blocker Malika O’Brien collected 17 kills and seven total blocks.

After being out-hit .341 to .167 over the first two sets, the Vikings turned things around thanks to a 7-1 blocking advantage in the third frame. WWU went ahead at 9-8 in the fourth set and looked poised to send it the distance with a 24-19 lead before the Coyotes answered with four straight points. But Vikings coach Diane Flick called timeout and sophomore Joellee Buckner responded with a kill to end the set.

The fifth was close the whole way, featuring 11 ties and six lead changes. CSUSB earned the first match point when Torline’s final kill found the floor to make it 14-13, however Phelps responded with a kill on the next rally. Roeder and Harper then combined to block Ashely Solis’s attack on the following point, and Roeder’s final attack glanced off the hand of a Coyote defender and into the stands, setting off a Viking celebration.

Western Washington will face Midwest Regional champion Rockhurst (33-3) in the NCAA Elite 8 quarterfinals on Thursday, Dec. 10 in Tampa, Fla.

2015 NCAA Div. II West Regional Volleyball Championships
All-Tournament Team
Amanda Colla, UC San Diego
Danielle Dahle, UC San Diego
Jayann DeHoog, Cal State San Bernardino
Caitlin Hanson, Alaska Anchorage
Kayleigh Harper, Western Washington
Morgan Hooe, Alaska Anchorage
Lauren Nicholson, Cal State San Bernardino
Malika O’Brien, Cal State San Bernardino
Abby Phelps, Western Washington
Rachel Roeder, Western Washington
Leah Swiss, Alaska Anchorage
Alexandra Torline, Cal State San Bernardino