Friday, November 16, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – The conference’s two postseason squads are well represented in the postseason awards as players from both Western Washington and Central Washington have earned selections to the Division II Conference Commissioners Association’s (D2CCA) All-West Region Volleyball Team.

Vikings’ senior outside hitter Abby Phelps and junior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper earned repeat selections to the first team while Central Washington senior outside hitter Shelby Mauritson earned her first all-region selection. The trio is joined by second-team selections in Wildcats’ junior libero Kyla Morgan and Vikings’ senior setter Brette Boesel.

The all-region squad, nominated by and voted on the region’s sports information directors, was announced on Nov. 14.

Phelps, who was named the GNAC Player of the Year for the second straight year, helped lead Western Washington to its second straight GNAC championship, a 20-0 conference record and the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional Championships. The senior led the GNAC in both kills and points, ranking 27th in Division II with 4.42 points per set and 28th with 3.91 kills per set. Phelps finished the regular season with 23 double-doubles (kills and digs) and had a season-high of 27 kills at Simon Fraser on Sept. 25.

Harper did not miss a step after sitting out the 2017 season, earning her third D2CCA First Team All-West Region selection. She led the GNAC and was ranked ninth in Division II with a .397 hitting percentage while also leading the conference and ranking fifth in Division II with 1.43 blocks per set. Harper averaged 3.24 kills and 4.13 points per set, twice finishing with highs of 16 kills while exploding for 18 kills and 12 blocks against Cal State San Bernardino on Aug. 30.

Mauritson earned First Team All-West Region selection after leading Central Washington to second place in the GNAC standings and to the program’s seventh consecutive NCAA West Regional appearance. She finished second in the GNAC and 36th in Division II with 3.80 kills per set and was second in the league with 4.22 points per set. Mauritson posted a season-high of 22 kills against Cal State San Marcos on Aug. 31 and had double-doubles (kills and digs) in 16 matches.

Morgan, the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year, finished the regular season leading the GNAC and ranked 17th in Division II with 5.90 digs per set. Leading a Central Washington team that posted a .166 opponent hitting percentage, Morgan finished with a season-high of 39 digs against Montana State Billings on Oct. 6.

Boesel was named as the second team setter after receiving first-team laurels in 2017. Boesel closed the regular season leading the GNAC and ranked ninth in Division II with 11.85 assists per set. She finished with three double-doubles (assists and digs) and had her season-high of 58 assists against West Florida on Aug. 25.

The three first-team selections will have their names forwarded on to the ballot for the D2CCA All-America Volleyball Team, which will be announced on Nov. 27.