PORTLAND — Simon Fraser opposite side hitter Brooke Dexter was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year and senior captains Julia Tays and Bianca Te, and sophomore Kalyn Hartmann joined her on the 2021 GNAC Volleyball All-Conference Team.
 
It's been a great week for the volleyball program. On Monday, SFU was invited to the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship tournament as the No. 7 seed in the West Regional where it will relish its role as underdog when it faces GNAC champion and No. 2 seed Western Washington in their quarterfinal match Thursday, Dec. 2 at 2:30pm.
 
Dexter was named Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Conference. She had an immediate impact on SFU, providing power and precision hitting from the left side. Dexter finished the regular season leading the GNAC and ranking 15th in NCAA Division II with 4.08 kills per set. She also ranks second in the GNAC and 16th in Division II with 4.62 points per set. Dexter has double-digit kills in all but three matches this season and seven double-doubles. She posted a season-high 27 kills against Western Washington on September 18.
 
 
Dexter was named AVCA Player of the Week earlier in the season after she led SFU to a 4-0 record at the Seaside Invitational, which included a four-set upset over West Region No. 1 seed Cal State San Bernardino in which Dexter had 24 kills, nine digs and two blocks. She also had a 20-kill performance in a five-set win over Cal State LA, the No. 5 seed in the West Region.
 
"This award is well deserved," said head coach Gina Schmidt. "Brooke has carried a big load offensively for our team this whole season. Even when our opponents know she's getting the ball, she finds ways to score."
 
Dexter is joined on the All-Conference First Team by senior setter Julia Tays, who leads the GNAC and ranks 11th in Division II with 11.14 assists per set. Tays finished with double-doubles in 14 matches this season, posting season highs of 62 assists and 22 digs against Northwest Nazarene on October 23. Tays is SFU's career leader in assists. She was first team all-conference in 2019 as well.
 
"Julia is a leader on and off the court and has had an incredible season," said Schmidt. "Her ability to run our offense from pin to pin has been integral to our team's success this year."
 
SFU libero and co-captain Bianca Te and sophomore middle blocker Kalyn Hartmann were chosen GNAC All-Conference Honourable Mention. Burnaby's Te ranks third in the GNAC averaging 4.42 digs per set. Hartmann, from Langley, was 12^th in the GNAC in hitting percent (.261) and 10^th in the conference averaging one block per set. She was third on the team with 196 kills.
 
SFU is in the amidst of one of its best seasons ever and will enter the NCAA post-season tournament for just the second time with a 17-8.
 
West Region
Hosted by California State University, San Bernardino, San Bernardino, California – Dec. 2-4
Tournament website
 
No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino (25-3) vs. No. 8 Alaska Anchorage (19-11)
No. 2 Western Washington (21-4) vs. No. 7 Simon Fraser (17-8)
No. 3 Chaminade (27-5) vs. No. 6 Central Washington (16-8)
No. 4 Cal Poly Pomona (23-4) vs. No. 5 Cal State LA (18-9)
 
Simon Fraser has played Western Washington twice this season, losing the conference opener on September 18 on Burnaby Mountain in five sets and losing the season finale in four in Carver Gym.
 
WWU leads the all-time series with SFU 70-34 dating back to when the schools played in the NAIA. The Viking are on a current nine-match winning streak against SFU and has won 21 of the last 22 matches between the two schools.
 
The first and only time SFU has been invited to the NCAA West Regional was in 2016 when the program posted a 21-8 record in head coach Gina Schmidt's fourth season. SFU lost to GNAC rival Northwest Nazarene in the opening round that year, completing the program's best season in NCAA.
 

2021 GNAC VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM Player of the Year: Gabby Gunterman, Western Washington Coach of the Year: Diane Flick-Williams, Western Washington Defensive Player of the Year: Hannah Stires, Central Washington Freshman of the Year: Brooke Dexter, Simon Fraser Newcomer of the Year: Tia Andaya, Central Washington
FIRST TEAM
Name	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown (Previous School)
*+ Gabby Gunterman	Western Washington	OH	5-10	Jr.	Lake Stevens, Wash. (Lake Stevens)
*+# Eve Stephens	Alaska Anchorage	OPP	6-1	Jr.	Palmer, Alaska (Colony)
* Brooke Dexter	Simon Fraser	OPP	6-2	Fr.	Anchorage, Alaska (West Anchorage)
* Tia Andaya	Central Washington	S/OH	5-9	So.	Ellensburg, Wash. (Ellensburg)
+$ Julia Tays	Simon Fraser	S	5-10	Sr.	Winnipeg, Man. (St. Mary's Academy)
*+ Calley Heilborn	Western Washington	OH	6-1	So.	Auburn, Wash. (Auburn Riverside)
*+# Cate Whiting	Alaska	S	5-10	Sr.	Rapid City, S.D. (Rapid City Stevens)
* Hannah Hair	Seattle Pacific	MB	6-1	So.	Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla)
+ Bayli Monck	Montana State Billings	OPP	5-10	Sr.	Colorado Springs, Colo. (Vista Ridge)
Ashley Kaufman	Central Washington	OH	5-8	So.	Hayden, Idaho (Lake City)
Natalie Sullivan	Northwest Nazarene	OH	6-0	Jr.	Boise, Idaho (Bishop Kelly)
+ Ellen Floyd	Alaska Anchorage	S	5-10	Jr.	Pensacola, Fla. (Pensacola Catholic)
Olivia Fairchild	Western Washington	MB	6-2	Jr.	Olympia, Wash. (North Thurston)
Hannah Stires	Central Washington	L	5-5	Fr.	Nine Mile Falls, Wash. (Lakeside)
HONORABLE MENTION
Name	School	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown (Previous School)
Sophie Schilling	Alaska	MB	6-1	So.	Berlin, Germany  (SG Rotation Prenziauer Berg)
Vera Pluharova	Alaska Anchorage	MB	6-2	Sr.	Nechanice, Czech Republic  (Biskupské Gymnázium Bohuslava Balbína)
Marianna Payne	Central Washington	OH	6-0	Fr.	Camas, Wash. (Central Catholic)
Leanna Shymanski	Central Washington	MB	6-0	Sr.	Kennewick, Wash. (Kamiakin)
Joelle Mahowald	Montana State Billings	MB	6-1	Sr.	Nine Mile Falls, Wash. (Spokane Falls CC)
Kylie Alos	Saint Martin's	L	5-3	Jr.	Mililani, Hawaii (Mililani)
Emily Gooding	Saint Martin's	RS	5-11	Sr.	Renton, Wash. (Kentridge)
@ Maddie Batiste	Seattle Pacific	OH	6-0	Sr.	Portland, Ore. (Central Catholic)
Emily Tulino	Seattle Pacific	S	5-7	Fr.	Carlsbad, Calif. (La Costa Canyon)
Kalyn Hartmann	Simon Fraser	MB	6-2	So.	Langley, B.C. (Langley)
Bianca Te	Simon Fraser	L	5-7	Sr.	Burnaby, B.C. (St. Thomas More)
@ Malia Aleaga	Western Washington	S	5-7	So.	Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic)
* - Unanimous Selection    + - First Team In 2019 @ - Honorable Mention In 2019 # - First Team In 2018 $ - Honorable Mention In 2018