Tyson Events Center in Sioux City will be the site of the 2009 NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins Wednesday and concludes March 17.
Concordia, College of Idaho, Southern Oregon Eye NAIA Women's Basketball Championship
Click here for CCC pre-tournament notes package.
Click here for live video streaming information.
Click here for tournament schedule, live stats, boxscores, recaps.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa -- A three-team contingent from the Cascade Collegiate Conference -- Concordia, College of Idaho and Southern Oregon -- has arrived here and commenced final preparations for the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament which begins Wednesday at Tyson Events Center.
The trio of teams from the CCC equals the most ever from the conference, matching the output from the 1998 and 1999 seasons. Concordia, the CCC's regular season co-champion and winner of the league's postseason tournament, is making its national tournament debut. College of Idaho, which shared the regular season league title with Concordia, is participating for the fourth time in the 14-year history of the Yotes' program. Southern Oregon, which is returning to the national tournament for the second consecutive year, is making its seventh appearance overall.
All three CCC teams come in with final NAIA Top 25 rankings -- Concordia is ranked No. 10, College of Idaho No. 15 and Southern Oregon No. 23. The Cavs are seeded third in their eight-team pod, C of I is seeded fourth, and SOU is seeded sixth.
Video and audio of he first 30 games of the national tournament will be streamed live over the Internet at www.watchnaia.com. The title game will be shown live on CBS College Sports. For links to live stats, boxscores and game recaps, click here.
First-round action involving CCC teams gets underway Wednesday at 11:45 a.m. PT when College of Idaho (29-4) takes on fifth-seeded Hastings (22-8). Hastings (Neb.) finished fifth in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, generally regarded as the best conference in NAIA Division II. At 7:15 p.m. PT Wednesday, Southern Oregon (25-6) will meet third-seeded Black Hills State (24-7). On Thursday, Concordia will make its national tournament debut when it faces sixth-seeded Iowa Wesleyan (22-9) at 11:45 a.m. PT.
Here is a preview of each of the CCC's first-round games:
College of Idaho (29-4) vs. Hastings, Neb. (22-8), Wednesday, 11:45 a.m. PT
The 15th-ranked Yotes are making their fourth trip to the national tournament (also 1998,
2000 and 2001) … C of I, the CCC regular season co-champion, earned an automatic bid by
finishing runner-up in the CCC tourney to the winner of the regular season automatic bid
(Concordia) … the Yotes are led by CCC MVP Christon Vander Esch, who led C of I to a
school-record 29 wins while ranking in the top five in four different league categories
(scoring, rebounding, blocked shots and steals) … she was named the CCC Defensive Player
of the Year for the second consecutive season … as a team, C of I has already broken 10
single-season school records … Hastings (Hastings, Neb.) is making its ninth consecutive
national tourney appearance … the Broncos finished fifth in the Great Plains Athletic
Conference … first team All-GPAC choice Lindsay Ducey averages 17.2 points and 8.5
rebounds per game
Southern Oregon (25-6) vs. Black Hills State, S.D. (24-7), Wednesday, 7:15 p.m. PT
The Raiders are making their second consecutive NAIA D-II tournament appearance under
fourth-year coach Lynn Kennedy … it marks the seventh national tournament appearance
in program history … No. 23 Southern Oregon finished third in the CCC’s regular season
standings and was the only team in the league to defeat the regular season co-champions
(Concordia, College of Idaho) … first team All-CCC selection Jacki Speer ranks No. 2
nationally in double doubles (22), and averages 16.9 ppg and 11.4 rpg … Black Hills State
(Spearfish, S.D.) is 24-7 and went 11-3 (second) in the Dakota Athletic Conference .. the
Yellow Jackets have a pair of first team All-DAC selections in 5-6 junior Brittany Fuhrman
who ranks 10th nationally in 3-point field goal percentage, and 5-8 sophomore Katelynn
Lamb … Janna Schriber, a 5-7 sophomore, was named co-Defensive Player of the Year in
the DAC … Black Hills State defeated Eastern Oregon in a second-round NAIA tournament
game a year ago, winning 63-48.
Concordia (27-3) vs. Iowa Wesleyan (22-9), Thursday, 11:45 a.m. PT
Concordia, ranked No. 10 nationally, is coming off its first regular season (shared) and CCC
Tournament titles, and is making its first NAIA Division II tournament appearance … CU
suffered a key injury in the quarterfinals of the CCC Tournament when senior guard
Rebecca Gimeno was lost with a torn Achilles’ … three other players are averaging in
double figures, including Danielle Clauson (11.5 ppg), Ann Snodderly (10.7 ppg) and Angela
Gimeno (10.3 ppg) … Angela Gimeno ranks fourth nationally in assist/turnover ratio, while
Snodderly ranks sixth in the NAIA in blocked shots … third-year CU coach Aaron Christian
was named the CCC Coach of the Year … Iowa Wesleyan won the Midwest Collegiate
Conference regular season and tournament titles … Heather Larson leads Iowa Wesleyan
in scoring (12.6 ppg), and Rachel Mitchell ranks 11th nationally in assists (5.1 apg).
Pre-Tournament Quotes from CCC Head Coaches:
Aaron Christian, Concordia:
“We are very excited to be the first women's basketball team in school history making it thus far. It will be a great experience for our kids and very rewarding for all of their hard work this season.
“From what I can see, Iowa Wesleyan is a very good team that will knock down 3-pointers. Looking at their starting lineup, it is very similar to ours and should be a good matchup.
“My expectation is that we go there and play to the best of our abilities. Since losing Rebecca Gimeno to injury in the playoffs our team has really stepped up and filled holes. I think of many teams who would pack it in after losing your leading scorer, but our team is playing really well in her absence. We are who we are.
“Being my first trip to the national tournament, I guess I am the rookie, and will take it in stride. Our coaching staff has been talking with many coaches from our league who have attended the tournament before to get their insight. We have picked up some valuable information and hope it we’ll help us not look like the rookies we are. I think the tournament has some really great teams in it. I could see some upsets in the first round, because teams are so balanced. The top teams Morningside and Shawnee State have had unbelievable seasons by going undefeated, and look to be the favorites. I'm really hoping our conference can represent well at that national tournament, thus helping our conference in future year's ratings and seedings.
Lynn Kennedy, Southern Oregon
“Getting back to the national tournament has been a goal for this team since getting a taste of it last year. We wanted to come back and prove we belong. We feel fortunate to be one of 32 teams to play for a national championship.
“Black Hills State played a very tough preseason schedule and league schedule and they are used to success and getting to the national tournament.
“We want to come out and play to our potential. With everyone already having a taste of the tournament last year, hopefully any tournament jitters will be out of the way.
“Defense will be key for us. We've been preaching defense since last year's national tournament, and we know that this is another level and we have to step up to that level to be competitive.
“This year's field has five really strong teams at the top. It's the best it has been in the last four or five years.”
Reagan Rossi, College of Idaho
"One of our main goals throughout the season has been to earn the right to play at the NAIA Tournament. This is an outstanding achievement for our team and will be an amazing experience for us all. It will be exciting for Christon Vander Esch, whose family is originally from Iowa.
"Don't take anything away from Hastings being the fifth-place team out of the GPAC; it has been the top conference in NAIA Division II women's basketball for years. Coach Dittman has a battle-tested team that advanced to the Final Four last year, and Lindsay Ducey will be one of the better posts we have seen this year.
"With our style of play, we have the ability to win games in this tournament. That being said, we need Nicole Gall to make perimeter shots, and Christon Vander Esch and Whitney Owen to be able to adjust to the physicality of the play at the national level. As we have all season long, we will take it one game at a time.
"We need to be able to play our game and not be content with making it to the NAIA Tournament. Vander Esch and Owen know that they will not be getting to the free throw line much in Sioux City, so they will need to focus on finishing near the basket. For us to be successful, Gall, ShaNae Horner, and Meghan Hughes will all need to contribute from the perimeter.
"On paper, Morningside is the team to beat - - but there are 32 teams at this tournament that have the same goal, and that is to win a national title. Shawnee State is 30-0, Northwestern won the title last year, and Ozarks returns most of its team that advanced to the national championship game. Any of the GPAC or DAC schools are battle tested to win five games in seven days. I feel that Concordia, Southern Oregon, and us all have the ability to advance in this tournament. It should be fun.”