CCC Volleyball Championships Preview
COMING UP: Cascade Conference Championships, presented by U.S. Bank. J.A. Albertson Activities Center (Caldwell, Idaho) – Friday, No. 25 Eastern Oregon vs. Concordia (Semifinal #1), 4 p.m.; No. 22 C of I vs. Southern Oregon (Semifinal #2), 7 p.m.; Saturday, Championship Match, 3 p.m.
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO: All three CCC Championships matches will feature Live Stats and Live Video for fans who cannot make it to Caldwell. Live Stats will be available online at
http://zeus.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/livestats/xlive.htm, with the Live Video available at
http://yoteathletics.com/sports/2012/8/14/live_video.aspx?&tab=2. C of I SID Mike Safford and CCC Commissioner Rob Cashell will have the play-by-play for all three matches.
8-TIME CHAMPS: With their victory over Northwest Christian on Friday night, College of Idaho secured their eighth-straight CCC regular-season championship – a conference record. The C of I won outright titles in 2006, 2008, 2011, 2012, and 2013, while sharing the crown with Southern Oregon in 2007, 2009, and 2010.
YOTES HOST CCC TOURNAMENT: By virtue of winning the regular season CCC title, The C of I has earned the host berth for the 2013 CCC Tournament, Friday and Saturday in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center. It marks the sixth time that the Lady Yotes have hosted the tournament, The C of I hosted the CCC Tournament at the conclusion of the 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012 seasons.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: There will be one session per day at the tourney, with ticket prices set at $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors, and children ages 5-17. Only NAIA passes will be accepted. The semifinal winners from Friday will meet for the championship on Saturday afternoon and the league's lone automatic berth to the NAIA National Championships.
WHAT'S AT STAKE: For the sixth-straight year, the winner of the CCC Tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NAIA Championships. A total of 36 teams will advance to the National Tournament, with 27 teams receiving a bid through their affiliated conference, eight teams receiving an at-large berth based on the final national poll, and one host berth. The Top-11 seeded teams (plus the host institution) will automatically move to the final site in Sioux City, Iowa, while the remaining 24 teams will play an Opening Round match at various campus sites on Nov. 23 to determine the remaining 12 spots to Sioux City. The eight at-large berths will be allotted to teams not securing their conference's automatic berth, selected in descending order by the NAIA Top-25 Poll released on Nov. 17.
QUALIFIERS ANNOUNCED: The 36 teams to advance to the NAIA National Championships will be released on Sunday evening, with the 12 teams advancing to the Final Site in Sioux City, Iowa, and the 12 Opening Round pairings to be released on Monday afternoon.
PAST TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS: The C of I has won five of the past seven CCC Tournaments (the event was not held in 2007), winning the tourney at Southern Oregon in 2005, and winning the tourney in Caldwell in 2006, 2008, 2009, and 2012. SOU claimed the titles in 2003, 2004, and in 2010 in Ashland, while winning the 2011 title in Caldwell, with Concordia dominating the league from 1999-02. The C of I and Southern played for the league crown every year from 2005-11, with the Yotes and Eastern Oregon meeting in the title match in 2012.
QUARTERFINAL RESULTS: Tournament play was expanded to six teams in 2012, with the 2013 quarterfinals played on campus sites on Tuesday. Southern Oregon rolled past Northwest Christian in the No. 4-5 match-up, 25-15, 25-20, 25-23, as middles Emma Gasman and Nikki Keller combined for 19 kills. On the other side of the bracket, Concordia swept Oregon Tech in the No. 3-6 game, 25-21, 25-15, 25-18, behind 10 kills from Jackie Stein
ABOUT COLLEGE OF IDAHO: The No. 22 ranked Lady Yotes (16-9) enter the tournament winners of six in a row and 12-of-13 and are paced by middle blocker Liz Myers (3.05 k/s, 1.37 b/s), outside hitter Emily Ottinger (2.90 k/s, 0.41 b/s), and opposite hitter Kylee Nawahine (2.17 k/s, 3.17 d/s, 0.70 b/s). Setter Sierra Porter (10.22 a/s, 2.63 d/s) runs the traditional 5-1 offense, with libero Janel Porter (5.40 d/s) leading the team defensively.
ABOUT SOUTHERN OREGON: The Raiders (17-9) are the only CCC team to defeat C of I at home since 2005 – beating the Yotes in the 2011 CCC finals and earlier this season. SOU looks to stellar outside hitters in Mona Goudarzian (3.13 k/s, 1.70 d/s) and Paulla Pinheiro (2.91 k/s, 2.39 d/s, 43 aces), and the blocking tandem of Emma Gasman (2.56 k/s, 0.89 b/s) and Nikki Keller (1.71 k/s, 0.86 b/s). Setter Lauren McGowne (9.80 a/s, 1.39 d/s) directs the offense, with Boise native Renee Yomtob (5.74 d/s) the top defender.
ABOUT EASTERN OREGON: The Mountaineers (25-5) come into the tournament with the most wins of any team, having opened the season 21-2 and climbing to No. 9 in the NAIA Top-25 poll. EOU has slipped to No. 25 in the most recent Top-25 ballot after a stretch of three losses in five matches, but are capable of making their first trip to Nationals – thanks to the play of hitters Casey Loper (3.58 k/s, 1.08 b/s), Stefani Sorensen (3.42 k/s, 2.30 d/s), and Taylor Stewart (2.89 k/s, 3.05 d/s). Setters Karly Stack (7.60 a/s, 2.45 d/s) and Bobbi Sumpter (4.64 a/s, 1.57 d/s) have split time this season, with libero Jessalyn Smith (5.21 d/s) the top defensive player.
ABOUT CONCORDIA: The Cavaliers (22-6) are having their best season since Joe Houck led CU to four-straight CCC titles from 1999-2002, climbing as high as No. 19 in the NAIA Top-25 poll. The Cavs bring a four-match win streak into Caldwell, riding the offensive firepower of Brianna Hogan (2.80 k/s, 0.47 b/s), Jackie Stein (2.64 k/s. 0.39 b/s) and Mariah Raudsepp (2.51 k/s, 1.00 b/s). Setter Lindsay Mangan (10.74 a/s, 2.22 d/s) leads the CCC in assists per set, while Shantel Gritsch (4.87 d/s) leads a CU defense that is averaging nearly 18 digs per set.
C OF I PLAYOFF HISTORY: With their win Oct. 18 vs. Eastern Oregon, the Lady Yotes clinched their 15th-straight postseason berth and their 13th-straight playoff appearance under head coach Liz Mendiola. The C of I has advanced to every CCC Tournament since 1999, advanced to regional playoffs in 2001, 2003, and 2005-07, and the NAIA Tournament in 2000, 2005-06 and each year since 2008.
CCC/NAIA POLLS: In the latest CCC weekly poll, the Lady Yotes climbed into the No. 1 position for the first time since the preseason poll. Following the Yotes were Eastern Oregon, Concordia, Southern Oregon, and Northwest Christian. In the NAIA Top-25 poll, The C of I climbed one spot into the No. 22 position, receiving 195 voter points. Texas-Brownsville holds the No. 1 spot, followed by Concordia (Calif.), Biola (Calif.), Madonna (Mich.), and Northwestern (Iowa). Preseason opponent Vanguard was ranked No. 10, Westmont sits at No. 14, The Master’s is at No. 16, and Eastern Oregon dropped to No. 25.