Riding a current 17-match winning streak, the Western Washington University volleyball team climbed two spots to No. 4 in this week’s American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Coaches Poll. WWU received 1,006 total poll points and tallied one first-place vote. The national top five includes Northern State (21-1), Nebraska-Kearney (24-1), Concordia-St. Paul (19-4), WWU (17-3) and Cal State San Bernardino (18-2). The Vikings beat Cal State San Bernardino in five sets earlier this season in the D2 West Region Volleyball Showcase. WWU is 17-3 overall and off to a perfect 12-0 start in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. Western was listed No. 6 in last week’s poll, but after a pair of sweeps vs. Central Washington and Northwest Nazarene, moved into the national top five. After starting the season 0-3, all losses against ranked opponents, the Vikings have won each of their last 17 matches beginning with a 3-2 win over then No. 15 West Florida on August 25. During the current winning streak, WWU has won 51 of 60 sets, recording 11 three-game sweeps, while being pushed to four and five sets three times each. WWU has now been ranked in 89 consecutive national polls dating back to the beginning of the 2012 season, with this week’s No. 4 ranking the highest the program has been ranked during the regular season since rising to No. 3 in the sixth poll of the 2008 season. WWU has finished each of the last six seasons (since 2012) ranked in the top 25, including No. 7 last season. The NCAA will release the first of its three West Region rankings on Wednesday, October 24, with additional release dates on Oct. 31 and Nov. 7. The NCAA regional rankings decide the eight-team field that will make up the NCAA II West Regional Championship, with the No. 1 seed often hosting the regional. The Vikings return to competition this week with the annual Alaska road trip, facing Alaska Anchorage on Thursday (8 pm AKT/7 pm PT) and Alaska Fairbanks on Saturday (1 pm AKT/2 pm PT). Both matches will stream live with statistical updates at GNAC.tv.
