BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University volleyball team was well represented on a pair of All-West Region teams that were announced on Wednesday.
 
Heading into the NCAA postseason, the Vikings had four players earn All-West Region honors from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the Division 2 Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA).
 
Senior middle blocker Kayleigh Harper was a unanimous first-team selection on both teams, while sophomore outside hitter Gabby Gunterman and redshirt freshman outside hitter Calley Heilborn were first-team AVCA All-West Region picks. Harper and redshirt freshman setter Malia Aleaga were first-team selections by the D2CCA, with Heilborn earning second-team honors.
 
Harper continued to add to her impressive award resume as a unanimous First Team All-West Region selection. The award was her third consecutive from the AVCA and second straight via voting from the sports information directors in the West Region. Harper joins Samantha Hutchinson (2012-14), Courtney Schneider (2005-07) and Abby Phelps (2016-18) as the only other players in WWU program history to earn three AVCA First Team All-West Region honors.
 
Harper was also selected as the Great Northwest Athletic Conference Player of the Year, was a four-time First Team All-GNAC selection and set the conference record with 10 all-time GNAC Player of the Week awards, including four in 2019. She enters the postseason leading the GNAC with 1.45 blocks per set (2^nd in the nation) and is averaging 3.23 kills per set with a league-best .386 hitting percentage. She is the WWU and GNAC all-time block leader, and is the active NCAA II leader with 583 career total blocks.
 
Heilborn added her all-region award after being selected as the GNAC Freshman of the Year. The Auburn native has started all 28 matches in her first collegiate season, averaging 3.31 kills per set (6^thin GNAC) and 3.99 digs per set (7^th in the GNAC), both team-leading marks. She has also hit at a high percentage (.257, 14^th in GNAC) and ranks 6^th in the conference averaging 3.91 points per set (387.5 total points).
 
Gunterman earned First Team AVCA All-West Region honors after being a first-team All-GNAC pick. The outside hitter from Lake Stevens ranks 10^th in the GNAC in both kills (3.10/set) and digs (3.82/set) and is amongst the top 10 in the conference with 13 double-doubles. She has recorded double-digits in kills in 15 of 26 matches and has 10-or-more digs in 19 matches.
 
Aleaga has had a standout collegiate debut with a West Region leading 11.74 assists per set average, the 6^th-best mark in all of NCAA Division II and tops among all freshman setters. She has guided the Vikings offense to the best kills average (13.97) and hitting percentage (.273) in the conference. Aleaga was the only freshman on the D2CCA First Team, finishing the regular season with 30 or more assists in all but two of the Vikings 28 matches and posted double-doubles (assists & digs) five times.
  Fans can follow WWU Volleyball online at WWUVikings.com/VB, and via social media on Twitter (@WWUVolleyball), Instagram (@WWUVB) and Facebook (@WWUVolleyball). All home matches feature a live webcast, as well as most road matches, with links on how to follow the games available at WWUVikings.com/Live.
  The WWU volleyball program has risen to elite level by advancing to the NCAA Division II Championships in each of the last eight seasons and 14 of the last 19 dating back to the 2001 season. The winner of 10 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championships, Western won the 2018 GNAC title with a perfect 20-0 record, the 2017 championship by posting a 19-1 league and is a 3-peat champion with an 18-2 mark this season. Over the last three seasons (includes 2019) the Vikings have combined to go 83-10 overall and 57-3 in conference play, and over the last five seasons are 133-24. Led by 20^th-year head coach Diane Flick-Williams, the Vikings have posted a 201-39 record over the last eight seasons (.838 winning percentage) and have played in the NCAA II West Region championship match each of the last four seasons (2015-18), winning titles in 2015 and 2018. WWU played for the NCAA II national championship in 2007 and 2018, both national runner-up finishes, have advanced to the NCAA Final Four in two of the past four seasons (2015 and 2018).