SAN BERNARDINO, Calif.--In a match that was otherwise pretty even statistically, No. 4 nationally ranked Western Washington's advantage at the net was the difference during a 26-24, 25-15, 25-23 victory over Hawai`i Hilo in the first round of the NCAA West Region playoffs.

The Vikings, now 27-2 on the season, out-blocked the Vulcans 13-5. They will move on to the semifinals, while UH Hilo's season ends at 23-8. 

Junior Bria Beale led the Vulcans with 15 kills, with Alexandria Parisian and Emily Wade adding eight each. Senior Kaila Lizama had 11 digs on defense.

UH Hilo had a 37-36 advantage in digs, had just two assists less than WWU (42-40), one less ace (4-3) and four fewer kills (44-40). The difference was at the net, where the Vikings had six solo blocks and 14 block assists, compared to one solo and eight assists for UHH. 6-foot-3 middle Kayleigh Harper had two of WWU's solos and nine blocks total. Chloe Roetcisoender had four solos. Gabby Gunterman led WWU in kills with 13. 

"They (WWU) are really good in every facet of the game, and especially effective at the net," said Vulcan head coach Chris Leonard. "We knew that coming in, we just didn't execute the way we had hoped to."

The Vikings were efficient, hitting .344 for the match with just 11 attack errors. The Vulcans hit .127 with 25 errors.

The first set began well for the Vulcans, when freshman Kendall Kott zipped in an ace to start the match. The Vikings still led for most of the set, but not by more than three points until Wade's kill pulled her team to within one point at 21-20. A Beale block tied the set at 23-23, and a Beale kill tied it again at 24-24. But a kill and ace by Calley Heilborn finished the set, giving the Vikings a big 1-0 advantage (26-24).

The second set belonged completely to the defending regional champions. The Vikings, who reached the NCAA title match a year ago, jumped out to a 4-0 lead and never trailed. The Vulcans would pull to within two digits on a Beale kill (8-6), but would get no closer. WWU hit .429 in the set in rolling to the 25-15 win. 

In the third set, the Vulcans scored four straight points midway through, taking a 13-10 lead. The Vikings answered with a 5-0 run, but UHH fought back again, taking a 17-16 lead on a Armani Moultrie ace. The Vulcans still led at 19-17 and 20-19 on a Wade kill, but the Vikings answered with three of the next four points.

Beale tied it at 22-22 with another put-away, but kills by Gunterman and Tess Biscup put them one point away from the match. another Beale kill fought off one match point, but Biscup finished the event on the next point with a kill.

The Vulcans, the No. 7 seed, finished with 23 wins, the most for a Vulcan team since 2009 (25-2). It was UHH's first trip to the regional tournament since 2011. UHH will return a large majority of this squad in 2020, losing only four seniors, two of them starters in Lizama and Moultrie.

"I am really proud of this team and all we have accomplished," Leonard added. "It was a great experience for all those players that we have returning next year, and a great final send off for our seniors. I was very happy with our effort, just not with the outcome. 

"Coming from a spot where we were picked fifth in the PacWest preseason poll, this team has been relentless in getting better. We are scrappy, we don't quit. We just made a few too many errors today against a good team."

Beale, a first-team all-region selection, added, "We are a very fiesty team. This loss will light a fire in us for the off-season and I expect us to come back stronger than ever. We play every point like it is match point, and that's how we will work in the off-season."

Western Washington coach Diane Flick-Williams added praise as well. "Congrats to Hilo, they are a really scrappy team," she said. "They are really aggressive and you could never celebrate until the ball was on the ground. They dug a lot of balls that most wouldn't."



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