C of I Heads to SOU for Key Volleyball Tilt as Conference Play Begins
CALDWELL, Idaho -- The 20-match Cascade Conference schedule opens up this weekend, as the College of Idaho volleyball team looks to defend its back-to-back loop titles. The Yotes open up play Friday against rival Southern Oregon in Ashland, playing the No. 12-ranked team on its home court. The Raiders (2-5) have played a tough opening season schedule – with losses to Fresno Pacific, Concordia-Irvine, and Cal Baptist, with their two wins coming over Hope International and Simpson.
The potent SOU attack is paced by All-Star middle Mia Wortel (1.7 k/s, 0.9 b/s) and CCC Player of the Year Lindsey Stone (7.9 a/s, 1.1 d/s) – but are hitting just .079 as a team through seven matches. It is the 68th meeting between the teams, with the Raiders holding a 52-15 all-time edge – with the two clubs split a pair of matches last season. Saturday, it’s over the hill to Oregon Tech, where the Owls (5-2) received votes in the preseason NAIA poll. OIT has sandwiched five wins around losses to Fresno Pacific and Northern State – thanks to the play of Krista Wooley (3.4 k/s, 3.0 d/s) and Nicole Andrews (2.6 k/s). The Lady Yotes swept Tech last season and hold a 30-17 all-time series edge with the Klamath Falls school.
BUHLER NAMED CCC PLAYER OF THE WEEK: College of Idaho outside hitter Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS) was named Monday the Cascade Conference Volleyball Player of the Week, as announced by the league office in Portland, Ore. The junior had a banner weekend at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego, Calif., earning All-Tournament Team honors. She averaged 3.38 kills per set in the Coyotes four matches, leading the team to a 2-2 overall record, including three-set victories against both Ashford (Iowa) and Mount Mercy (S.D.). Buhler recorded a career-high 21 kills in the Yotes five-set loss to No. 10 ranked Madonna, and added 13 kills in a five-set loss to No. 8 Point Loma Nazarene. She leads the league with 95 total kills and is fourth in the loop with a 3.4 kills per set average.
YOTES PLAY WELL IN CALIFORNIA, BUT NET A SPLIT: The Lady Yotes made the long trip to San Diego last week, playing four matches in two days at the Seaside Invitational, hosted by Point Loma Nazarene. The Yotes took care of business in three sets against a pair of unranked NAIA teams, but faced stiff competition against Top-10 NAIA foes. The C of I held a two games to one lead against both host Point Loma Nazarene and against Madonna –but could not hang on.
TROUBLE IN FIVE-SET MATCHES: When matches have been forced to a deciding fifth set over the past two seasons, the Lady Yotes have struggled in the 15-point situations. The C of I have managed to win just two of the ten matches extended to a fifth set – going 2-5 last season (wins over Vanguard and Oregon Tech), while three of the four losses this season have been in the fifth set.
OVERALL TRIP NUMBERS: Along with the outstanding trip by Sarah Buhler, Kristin Henning (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) continued to show why she has been a force in the Cascade Conference the last two years. The junior recorded 36 kills with a .338 hitting percentage in the four matches, while recording 13 total blocks and a pair of aces. Marcella Hernandez (Torrance, Calif. / El Camino CC) excelled at the net, recording 17 kills, 15 digs, and a team-high 23 blocks. Madie Machurek (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) handle most of the setting duties, recording 99 assists and ten aces, while Naomi Reimer (Killarney, Man. / Killarney SS) continued to serve well, racking up ten aces. Courtney Gamel (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS) led the way defensively with 42 total digs.
CAREER RECORD BOOK: Four C of I players currently rank among the Top-10 in the all-time career record book. Leading the way is Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS), who is fifth in school history with 1,199 kills. Also Kristin Henning ranks No. 6 all-time in blocks with 279, Madie Machurek is seventh in assists with 731, and Naomi Reimer is eighth in assists with 523.
TOUGHEST ROAD TRIP: The Lady Yotes have made the trip to Southern and OIT 18 times previously, and have swept the trip only twice – the last time in 2006.
RECAP – DAY 1: The C of I volleyball team split a pair of matches on the opening day of the 2008 Seaside Invitational in San Diego, Calif., routing Mount Marty (S.D.) in the opener in three-sets, then watching No. 8 ranked Point Loma Nazarene rally from a 2-1 deficit to top the Yotes in five sets. The No. 9 ranked Coyotes won the first match of the day against the Lancers, 25-16, 25-18, 25-6 - as all 13 ladies that made the trip to California were able to see game action. Sarah Buhler led the way with 11 kills - including five in each of the first two sets. Kristin Henning added eight kills, with Jessie Link (Tonopah, Nev. / Nicholls State U.) adding six kills in only ten swings. Madie Machurek and Naomi Reimer combined for 29 assists, seven aces, and nine digs from the setter position, while Courtney Gamel had nine digs. The feature match of the night against a pair of Top-10 teams was all it was billed to be, as the Sea Lions took the match 25-19, 19-25, 21-25, 25-23, 15-13. The Lady Yotes were in position to steal the victory in Set 4, holding a 23-21 edge, however, three consecutive C of I hitting errors and a ball handling error handed it to PLNU. In the finale, the match was tied at 11-11, before the Sea Lions scored three points. The Coyotes staved off a pair of match points, before a C of I attack was blocked at the net to close out the match. Buhler and Kathryn Ely led the way with 13 kills, with Henning adding ten kills and four blocks. Marcella Hernandez had a well-rounded night, recording three kills, three aces, five digs, and ten blocks. Machurek had 29 assists, with Stacie Drumm (Salem, Ore. / South Salem HS) recording 14 digs.
RECAP – DAY 2: The C of I split a pair of volleyball matches Saturday afternoon at the Seaside Invitational in San Diego, Calif., losing a five-set marathon with No. 10 ranked Madonna, but making quick word of Ashford in three. In the opener, the Yotes had a 2-1 lead in the match, but lost to the Marauders of Livonia, Mich., 22-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-21, 15-12. Sarah Buhler led The C of I with a career-high 21 kills, along with six blocks, and six digs, with Kristin Henning adding 11 kills in the loss. Marcella Hernandez had eight kills and eight blocks, with Madie Machurek adding 28 assists and 11 digs. In the afternoon game, the Yotes pounded the Saints of Clinton, Iowa, 25-17, 25-14, 25-20. Buhler had nine kills in the win, with Machurek adding 25 assists, five aces, and six digs.
ABOUT THE COACH: Liz Mendiola is in her eighth season as head volleyball coach at The C of I. 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 164-68, 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.