Tuesday, November 13, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – In what has been a historic season for Western Washington, there is no question as to who has led the charge.

Senior outside hitter Abby Phelps has once again been the prime mover in the Vikings offense and has been recognized by coaches for the second year in a row as the conference’s Player of the Year to lead the selections to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball All-Conference Team.

Phelps is the first two-time Player of the Year selection since Central Washington’s Liz Bishop won back-to-back awards in 2002 and 2003. She joins Alaska Anchorage’s Julia Mackey as the only four-time First Team All-GNAC selections in conference history. Phelps ended the regular season leading the GNAC and ranking 28th in Division II with 3.91 kills per set while also leading the league and ranking 27th nationally with 4.42 points per set. She finished with double-doubles (kills and digs) in 23 of the Vikings’ 28 matches.

Phelps is joined in the conference’s special awards by Diane Flick-Williams, who earned her second-straight Coach of the Year and the 10th of her career. In her 19th year as Western Washington head coach, Flick-Williams has guided the Vikings to the first 20-0 record in conference history and a 25-match win streak that dates back to Aug. 25. Under her leadership, WWU earned the No. 1 seed in the West Region and will host this week’s NCAA Division II West Regional Volleyball Championship.

She leads a team that received four selections to the first team in Phelps, junior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper, senior setter Brette Boesel and senior middle blocker Michaela Hall.

Central Washington junior libero Kyla Morgan was selected as the conference’s Defensive Player of the Year. Morgan leads the GNAC and enters the NCAA West Regional ranked 17th in Division II with 5.90 digs per set. She has paced a Wildcats’ defense that has allowed a .166 opponent hitting percentage and allowed opponents just 19 sets won in conference play.

Morgan is joined by four teammates on the first team in senior outside hitter Shelby Mauritson, junior setter Gabrielle Aihara, sophomore outside hitter Makala Swart and senior outside hitter Madison Weg.

The only first-team representative for Alaska Anchorage, opposite Eve Stephens was named by coaches as the Freshman of the Year. The product of Palmer, Alaska’s Colony High School finished the year ranked sixth in the GNAC with a .330 hitting percentage and led the Seawolves with 3.18 kills per set.

Seattle Pacific senior opposite Hailey Gaines was selected as the Newcomer of the Year. A transfer in the off-season from Concordia-Irvine, Gaines finished the year averaging 2.63 kills per set with a .210 hitting percentage. She also contributed to the Falcons’ solid net presence with 0.80 blocks per set.

Simon Fraser senior middle blocker Tessa May joins Phelps as a four-time all-conference selection as she earned her third first team award after receiving honorable mention as a freshman. Rounding out the first team is Seattle Pacific junior outside hitter Gabby Oddo, Alaska sophomore setter Cate Whiting and Nanooks’ sophomore outside hitter Lahra Weber.

Central Washington led all schools with six total selections to the Volleyball All-Conference Team with Western Washington landing five selections. Seven of the players named to the team are repeat first-team selections: Phelps, Harper (2016), Mauritson, May, Boesel, Hall and Oddo.

GNAC 2018 VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Player of the Year: Abby Phelps, Western Washington
Coach of the Year: Diane Flick-Williams, Western Washington
Defensive Player of the Year: Kyla Morgan, Central Washington
Freshman of the Year: Eve Stephens, Alaska Anchorage
Newcomer of the Year: Hailey Gaines, Seattle Pacific

* - Unanimous Selection   
+ - First Team Selection In 2017   @ - Honorable Mention in 2017
# - First Team Selection in 2016    $ - Honorable Mention in 2016
^ - First Team in 2015                  & - Honorable Mention in 2015