C of I Volleyball Looks for Third-Straight CCC Championship in 2008
CALDWELL, Idaho -- Coming off of back-to-back Cascade Conference championships, The College of Idaho volleyball team heads into the new season looking to replace five starters from last season with ten new players – including two junior college transfers. A quality preseason schedule will challenge the team before the 20-game CCC schedule – with an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships on the line for the league tournament champion.
SCORING CHANGES: During the 2001 season, collegiate volleyball adapted the rally scoring system – playing each game to 30 points, instead of the traditional side-out scoring method. In 2008, the system has been tweaked again, adopting the international rally scoring system, with sets (as they are now known, instead of games) played to 25 – with Game 5 still played to 15.
CCC/NAIA PRESEASON POLL: The Lady Yotes were selected by the CCC coaches as the preseason favorite for the third-consecutive season, earning seven of the 11 first-place votes. Southern Oregon, Oregon Tech, Eastern Oregon, and Concordia rounded out the top-five. The C of I also earned a lofty ranking in the NAIA Top-25 Preseason Coaches Poll, as the Yotes were ranked No. 9. It marks the 25th-straight NAIA poll that the Lady Yotes have been in the Top-25 – dating back to the 2005 season. Seven C of I opponents were ranked or received votes in the poll – No. 3 Concordia (Calif.), No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), No. 10 Madonna (Mich.), No. 12 Southern Oregon, No. 16 Lewis-Clark State, No. 24 Westminster, and RV Oregon Tech.
LAST SEASON / PLAYERS LOST: The 2007 season was an up-and-down year for the Lady Yotes, starting the season 2-6, but rallying to go 19-1 in CCC play – sharing their second-straight league crown with Southern Oregon. At the NAIA Region I Tournament, the Yotes swept through pool play, but lost a tough 3-2 decision to regional champ, Lewis-Clark State, ending the season. The loss ended the career of five seniors – two-time All-America middle Katie Hogue (1,309 kills, 571 blocks, 183 aces in career), Region I Libero of the Year Catherine Everist (1,437 digs in two seasons), two-time All-CCC rightside Anne Parker (901 kills and 386 blocks in career), All-CCC hitter Katie Zillner (2.7 kills per game in 2007), and four-year starter Tiffany Sower (1,200 digs, 182 aces in career) – who all played in two NAIA National Tournaments. The quintet helped the Yotes extend win streaks into 2008 – as The C of I takes a 35-match home win streak and a 64-match win streak against teams not receiving votes in a national poll into the new season.
POSITION BY POSITION – HITTERS: The Coyotes return two members of their regular rotation on the outside – including four-year starter Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS). The All-CCC selection averaged over three kills per set last season and heads into the 2008 season fifth on the all-time kills list with 1,156. Sliding over from a middle position is junior Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS), who had a quality sophomore season – averaging 2.2 kills per game and ranked sixth in the CCC with her 1.1 blocks per game average. Redshirt freshman Lauren Bourgeau (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), along with true freshmen Ciciley Fox (Challis, Idaho / Challis HS) and Courtney Bull (Pocatello, Idaho / Century HS) will be gunning for playing time.
POSITION BY POSITION – BLOCKERS: The middle will again be strong for the Yotes, as two-year starter Kristin Henning (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) leads the way. Henning set a school record for blocks per set last season, while averaging 2.4 kills per game. She’ll be joined by transfer Marcella Hernandez (Torrance, Calif. / El Camino CC), who helped her junior college team to the CCCAA championship, earning All-State honors, and junior Jessie Link (Tonopah, Nev. / Nicholls State U.), who played both the middle and the right side in 2007.
POSITION BY POSITION – OPPOSITES: A pair of newcomers will be handling the right-side of the front row in 2008, as transfer Ali German (Jereome, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC) and freshman Megan Spinks (Manteca, Calif. / East Union HS) join the Lady Yotes. German was an All-NWAACC selection after averaging 3.8 kills per game as a sophomore, while Spinks had a banner high school season, while playing at a high-club level with the Delta Valley Volleyball Club 18-1.
POSITION BY POSITION – SETTERS: For the second-straight season, the Yotes will employ a 6-2 scheme – and return both of their starting setters from 2007, as Madie Machurek (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) and Naomi Reimer (Killarney, Man. / Killarney SS) each have a year of collegiate experience under their belt. Machurek had 511 assists, 216 digs, and a team-high 58 aces last season, while Reimer had 478 assists, 156 digs, and 34 aces as a freshman – including four double-doubles.
POSITION BY POSITION – DEFENSE: Three players are battling for the starting libero spot, as the Yotes are again loaded with defensive specialists this season. Juniors Stacie Drumm (Salem, Ore. / South Salem HS) and Courtney Gamel (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) have two years of experience in their court, but are being pushed by incoming freshman Kaylyn Hayashikawa (Waikoloa, Hawaii / Hawaii Prep Acad.). Drumm has served as a back-row specialist each of the last two years, recording 280 digs and 35 aces last season, while Gamel made the most of her limited playing time, notching seven aces and 22 digs in just 22 sets played. Hayashikawa was an All-Big Island Federation selection as a senior and joins her sister, Karly (who played at Washington State) as a collegiate player. Four others – sophomore Whitney Owen (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS), and freshmen Bryanne Gribble (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS), Melanie Stieg (Brigham City, Utah / Box Elder HS), and Mackenzie Crawford (McCleary, Wash. / Elma HS) will battle for time in the back row.
NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: Once again in 2008, the Lady Yotes will play a very competitive preseason schedule, with four of their seven opponents ranked in the NAIA Top-25 poll. The Purple and Gold head first to Salt Lake City for the NAIA Tournament of Champions, to be held a Salt Lake Community College – facing host Westminster, Concordia-Irvine, and Mesa State. The Griffins (25-12 in 2007) are coming off their first-ever trip to the NAIA Tournament and are paced by outside hitter Ali Culp (409 kills, 337 digs) and setter Leigha Dangerfield (895 assists, 282 digs). The Eagles (30-6) are the premier team in the tourney, reaching the national semifinals in 2007 – thanks to the play of hitter Traci Weamer (374 kills, 419 digs) and opposite Stephanie Scheeb (295 kills, 77 blocks). The Division II Mavericks (15-14) of Grand Junction, Colo., are paced by blocker Jessica Bird (301 kills, .356 hitting percentage), a preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference selection. Labor Day weekend, the Lady Yotes head to San Diego for the Seaside Invitational and matches against Mount Marty, Point Loma Nazarene, Madonna, and Ashford. Up first is the Lancers (7-22) of Yankton, S.D., who are led by setter Abby Haiar, who had 716 assists and 184 digs last year, earning All-Great Plains Athletic Conference honors. The host Sea Lions (17-13) are always a quality team, led by All-Golden State Athletic Conference hitter, Melissa Boer (371 kills, 498 digs). Day two opens with a meeting against Marauders (35-12) of Livonia, Mich., the who has won the past 11 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference championships – and are led by All-American Lubovj Tihominova (967 kills, 142 blocks). The tourney closes with a match against the Saints (17-23) of Clinton, Iowa, who were led last season by libero Abby Adams (871 digs) and hitter Jenny Buelow (484 kills, 668 digs). The C of I will also host one home non-conference match, meeting rival Lewis-Clark State in October. The Warriors (26-8) won both the Frontier Conference and NAIA Region I titles a year ago, led by hitter Anile Clemente (346 kills, 146 digs) and middle Julie Maciboba (280 kills, 115 blocks).
CASCADE CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: The 20-match CCC schedule will again be challenging for the Coyotes – especially the opening match at Southern Oregon. The Raiders (26-6) ended The C of I’s league win streak at 31 last year, thanks to the play of CCC Player of the Year Lindsey Stone and three-time All-CCC middle Mia Wortel. Oregon Tech was picked third by the coaches, with the Owls (23-13) led by hitter Krista Wooley (4.38 k/s). Eastern Oregon continues to improve, thanks to the play of Grace Deboodt, while Concordia, Corban, and Northwest all battle for playoff positioning. After a one-year hiatus, the CCC Tournament returns in 2008, with the quarterfinals (third-place vs. sixth-place and fourth-place vs. fifth-place) played at campus sites for the first time, with the four-team single-elimination tournament determining the CCC’s automatic berth to the NAIA Championships.
ABOUT THE COACH: Liz Mendiola will begin her eighth season as head volleyball coach. During her first six seasons at the helm, the Coyotes have advanced to six consecutive Cascade Conference tournaments, four NAIA regional tournaments, and back-to-back trips to the NAIA National Championships in 2005 and 2006. Last season, the squad won their second-straight CCC title and advanced to the NAIA Region I Tournament semifinals - while being ranked as high as No. 6 in the national poll. During her career, she has amassed a record of 161-64, the most wins and highest winning percentage in school history. In 2006, she led the Lady Yotes to their best season in program history, compiling a 35-4 record - earning CCC and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year honors. The Yotes won their first Cascade Conference championship in 24 years, becoming just the second school to complete the league schedule without a loss. The Coyotes also captured their second-straight CCC Tournament title, along with their second-straight NAIA Region I Tournament title, before placing ninth at the NAIA Championships. Her team set a school-record with 22 straight wins and heads into the 2008 season with a 36-match home win streak and a 63-match win streak against non-ranked opponents, dating back to 2005.