Eastern Oregon's Casey Loper
LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon’s Casey Loper captured six of nine possible first-place place votes and was selected the Cascade Collegiate Conference’s Player of the Year by a vote of the CCC coaches.
The 5-foot-10 junior middle hitter from Powell Butte, Ore. ranked second in the CCC in hitting percentage at .350, kills per set (3.55) and was third in blocks with 1.07. Loper recorded double-digit kills in 23 of the 31 matches the Mountaineers played this season and has tallied at least one block in 30 of those 31 matches. Her efforts led the EOU to a conference-high 25 wins, including 15 out of a possible 18 matches in CCC play.
In her 13th season at the helm of the College of Idaho volleyball program, Liz Mendiola outdistanced her peers for CCC Coach of the Year honors for the second consecutive year. Mendiola guided the Coyotes to their eighth-straight CCC title and another trip to the NAIA National Championships. This will be the sixth-consecutive year and seven in the last eight for the Yotes in the representing the CCC in the NAIA tournament.
Southern Oregon’s Lauren McGowne was named the CCC’s Freshman of the Year. McGowne, a 5-foot-9 setter from Coos Bay, Ore. finished the season fourth in the conference with at 9.79 assists per game.
Southern Oregon also scored the Conference’s Defensive Specialist/Libero of the Year award when Renee Yamtob was chosen by the coaches group. The Raider’s 5-foot-5 senior libero led all Cascade Conference players with 5.72 digs per set.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Casey Loper, Jr., MH, Eastern Oregon
DEFENSIVE SPECIALIST/LIBERO OF THE YEAR: Renee Yomtob, Sr., Southern Oregon
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Lauren McGowne, S, Southern Oregon
COACH OF THE YEAR: Liz Mendiola, College of Idaho
FIRST TEAM
|
Name |
Institution |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown |
|
Chandler Gabrio |
Northwest Christian |
MB |
So. |
Creswell, Ore. |
|
Casey Loper |
Eastern Oregon |
MH |
Jr. |
Powell Butte, Ore. |
|
Victoria Love |
Evergreen |
RS |
Jr. |
Seaside, Calif. |
|
Lindsay Mangan |
Concordia |
S |
Sr. |
Huntington Beach, Calif. |
|
Lauren McGowne |
Southern Oregon |
S |
Fr. |
Coos Bay, Ore. |
|
Liz Myers |
College of Idaho |
MB |
Sr. |
Middleton, Idaho |
|
Paulla Pinheiro |
Southern Oregon |
OH |
Jr. |
Fortaleza, Brazil |
|
Janel Porter |
College of Idaho |
L |
Sr. |
Eagle, Idaho |
|
Sierra Porter |
College of Idaho |
S |
So. |
Eagle, Idaho |
|
Mariah Raudsepp |
Concordia |
MB |
Jr. |
Portland, Ore. |
|
Kelsey Sampson |
Oregon Tech |
OH |
Fr. |
Folsom, Calif. |
|
Stefani Sorensen |
Eastern Oregon |
OH |
Jr. |
Camas, Wash. |
|
Sarah Stoker |
Northwest |
MB |
Sr. |
Olympia, Wash. |
|
Renee Yomtob |
Southern Oregon |
L |
Sr. |
Boise, Idaho |
HONORABLE MENTION: Melanie Miller, Sr., Concordia; Kylee Nawahine, Sr., College of Idaho; Taylor Stewart, Sr., Eastern Oregon; Julia Toscano, Jr., Warner Pacific; Cori Wallace, Sr., Northwest Christian.