After an impressive season recording an overall mark of 23-4, the 18th-ranked Western women’s basketball team has earned themselves a bid to play in the NCAA Division II Tournament.

The Vikings have been awarded the third seed in the west regional portion of the bracket where they will meet sixth seeded Chico State University today at 12:30 p.m. at tournament host Seattle Pacific University.

“I think [postseason play is] an expectation,” Western head coach Carmen Dolfo said. “We’ve made the post season the last several years.”

Dolfo has been a Viking assistant coach and head coach for the last 19 seasons, and is taking Western to its 10th postseason appearance in the last 11 Viking campaigns.

Chico State, who has a record of 21-9, is a member of the California Collegiate Athletic Association, but has faced Western earlier this season in the Great Northwest Athletic

Conference/CCAA Challenge. The Wildcats kept things interesting in the first half trailing 36-40 going into the break, but Western proved to be too much as the Vikings opened the game up in the second half, picking up an 80-59 victory.

Chico State is a team that likes to get out in the open floor and get buckets in transition. Scoring is evenly distributed across the Wildcats’ roster. Guards Natasha Smith, Melissa Richardson and Synchro Bull are all averaging in double figures with just over 10 points per outing.

“They really like to push the ball, our transition defense needs to be on point,” Western senior guard Ashley Fenimore said. “We need to find their three-point shooters and get our hands high.”

Chico State is averaging 67 points per game and is beating opponents by an average of nine points. They have a plus-four turnover margin and are out-rebounding their opponents by three rebounds per game.

Junior guard Amanda Dunbar is leading the Vikings in scoring. She is averaging 17.1 points per game and has scored more than 30 twice this season.  

Senior forward Jessica Summers is averaging 16.1 points per game and exploded for a 37-point-night back in December. Senior forward Willow Cabe rounds out the thrilling threesome as she is averaging 14.1 points per game. The three players account for roughly 60 percent of the Vikings’ points.

“We’re really excited for the tournament,” Dunbar said. “We have big goals this season, but we just have to take these games one at a time.”

Dunbar is a key piece to Western’s success in the tournament. She has recently been named to the all-GNAC team along with teammates Summers and Cabe. Dunbar has also broken the Western single-season mark this year for most three-point baskets with 88.

“We really need to be patient and wait for good shots,” Fenimore said. “[Chico State goes] for a lot of steals, so we need to be fundamentally sound.”

Western holds the all-time record over Chico State, winning nine of the 14 games the two have played.

If the Vikings want to fill their aspirations of making a deep tournament run, Dolfo said they can’t make a lot of mistakes. She said her team has to play together and cannot rely on only one person.

“[The Western women] have the ability to do what they want to do.” Dolfo said. “If they bring their ability and focus I think they will do a great job.”

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