BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Western Washington University junior outside hitter Abby Phelps and senior outside hitter Arielle Turner have been voted to the inaugural Great Northwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team, announced Wednesday by the conference office in Portland, Ore.
Phelps (Manson, WA/Chelan) and Turner (Leavenworth, WA/Cascade) were both unanimous selections to the 14-member squad that makes up the conference’s first preseason survey of volleyball talent. WWU enters the 2017 season after being voted No. 2 in the GNAC Preseason Coaches Poll and checked in at No. 12 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Preseason Poll.
Phelps has earned First-Team All-GNAC distinction in her first two years with the Vikings and was an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American selection last season. In 2016 she led WWU and finished 8th in the GNAC with an average of 3.21 kills per set. She also led the Vikings with 4.56 digs per set, 7th-best in the league.
Turner had a breakthrough junior season in 2016 finishing 2nd in the conference with 0.41 aces per set and ranked 11th in the GNAC averaging 3.58 points per set.
Alaska Anchorage junior outside hitter Leah Swiss was selected by coaches as the 2017 GNAC Preseason Player of the Year.
Swiss was one of three Seawolves selected to the team and was joined by sophomore right side Diana Fa’amausili and junior outside hitter Chrisalyn Johnson. The preseason squad was dominated by players from the five GNAC teams that qualified for last year’s NCAA West Regional Tournament. Northwest Nazarene equaled Alaska Anchorage’s three selections with honors for senior middle blocker Madi Farrell, senior outside hitter Kendra Bodine and senior setter Hailey Cook.
Central Washington, Simon Fraser and WWU each had two selections to the team. The Wildcats are represented by senior middle blocker Sabrina Wheelhouse and junior outside hitter Shelby Mauritson. Simon Fraser earned selections for junior middle blocker Tessa May and senior outside hitter Christine Howlett. Rounding out the 14 selections is Concordia senior opposite Lindsey Dorsey and Western Oregon senior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson.
WWU opens the 2017 season Sept. 1-2 with four matches at The Terrace Hotel Classic in Lakeland, Fla., where they will face Concordia-St. Paul, Pace, New Haven and tournament host Florida Southern. WWU’s first home match on WECU Court at the newly-renovated Carver Gymnasium will be Sept. 19 vs. Simon Fraser (7 pm).