Simon Fraser University finished the women’s volleyball season with a record year, despite a pair of losses to No. 10-ranked Western Washington.
The Clan women were swept in straight sets by the Vikings in a home-and-home series last weekend, but the results overshadowed a dramatic improvement in the SFU volleyball program.
SFU finished with an 11-13 overall record and its 6-12 finish in Great Northwest conference play matched the program’s total wins from the last three NCAA Division II seasons combined.
Last season, SFU’s record was 4-22, including 1-17 in the Great Northwest conference.
In the opening game on Nov. 21, Western Washington clinched first place in the conference with a 25-23, 25-18, 25-16 win. On Saturday, SFU took the Vikings to 26-24 in the third set before surrendering the match.
“I was proud of the way our girls fought in the third set,” SFU head coach Gina Schmidt in a Clan press release. “Western’s gym is a tough place to play but once we settled down and found our rhythm we competed point for point with the best team in the conference. Moving forward, I’m excited to see our team continue to grow.”
SFU finished in seventh place in the Great Northwest conference, the program’s highest finish since entering the NCAA.
Trio named to Great Northwest all-academic squad
Three players on the Clan volleyball team were named to the Great Northwest conference all-academic team.
Kelsey Robinson had the team’s top grade point average with a cumulative 3.87 GPA in biological sciences.
Burnaby Central grad Madeline Hait posted a 3.58 GPA in business, while Alanna Chan earned a 3.32 GPA in communications.
