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Sept. 14, 2009

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - With the availability of all-star outside hitter Megan Amundson (Jr., Stanwood) in doubt, the Western Washington University volleyball squad begins Great Northwest Athletic Conference play Thursday (7 p.m.), entertaining Saint Martin's University on Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium.

The Vikings, 7-4 overall with three of the losses being to Top 25 teams, then travel to Monmouth, Ore., for a Saturday contest (7 p.m.) against defending GNAC champion Western Oregon.

Western, the preseason GNAC coaches favorite, split four matches last week at its own Viking Invitational Tournament. The Vikings swept Notre Dame de Namur and defeated Grand Canyon, 3-1, but were swept by both two-time defending Canadian national champion British Columbia and No.7-ranked West Texas A&M, which was the unofficial tourney champion with a 4-0 record. The Lady Buffs have won three NCAA Division II national titles.

The match against British Columbia did not count in Western's won-loss record or statistics by NCAA rules since the Thunderbirds play less than half of their matches this season against U.S. four-year degree-granting institutions.

Two Vikings earned all-tournament accolades, outside hitter Marlayna Geary (Fr., Tacoma/Bellarmine Prep) and libero Allison Gotz (Jr., Bothell/Archbishop Murphy), who received AVCA All-America honorable mention in 2008. Both were also all-tourney picks at the Central Washington Invitational the previous week.

Geary ranked third among WWU tournament leaders in kills (3.85 per set) as did Gotz in digs (5.38).

Amundson, who was a second-team GNAC all-star last season, saw action only against British Columbia at the WWU Invitational and her status this week is indefinite because of a groin injury.

The Vikings, who have won four GNAC titles (2001-03, 2007) since the league began in 2001, placed second last season. They top the league with an overall record of 125-15 in conference matches, a winning percentage of .892. The GNAC champion earns an automatic berth in the NCAA II National Tournament.

Western coach Diane Flick (10th year) has a record of 203-54 and a winning percentage of 79.0, which ranks eighth among NCAA II active coaches. The victory total and winning percentage are both program bests.

Western is 41-5 in its series with Saint Martin's (1-6), having won 20 straight matches versus the Saints following a loss late in the 1998 season. The Vikings are 20-13 against Western Oregon (3-8), losing matches at Monmouth in each of the last two years.

Western's Gotz ranks second in digs (5.11) among GNAC leaders as does middle blocker Emily Jepsen (So., Kennewick/Kamiakin) in blocks (1.03). Ranked third are setter Laurie Yearout (R-Fr., Spokane/Lewis & Clark) in assists (9.51) and Geary in kills (3.66).

Jepsen had match highs of 14 kills, four blocks and a .545 attack percentage (just 2 errors in 22 attempts) in the Vikings' win over Notre Dame de Namur.

Western did not earn a berth in the national playoffs last year despite a 21-3 record after being the national runner-up in 2007.

The Vikings fell out of this week's American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA II Coaches Top 25 Poll, after being listed in the preseason (23rd) and first two regular-season ratings (21st and 24th).