‘Yote Notes – Oct. 15, 2002

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@albertson.edu

GENERAL ATHLETICS NEWS:

PRIZES STILL UNCLAIMED FROM COYOTE OPEN: Many prizes that were donated at the 2002 Coyote Open golf tournament have yet to be claimed.  If you still have your ticket stub, log onto the following website to see if you have won: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/2002Open.htm).

GOLFERS AT BOISE STATE: This Monday and Tuesday the Albertson men’s golf team is at the Bronco Round-Up at SpurWing Country Club in Meridian.  The event, hosted by Boise State University, has 36 holes played on Monday, with 18 holes on Tuesday.  Results will be posted in next week’s ‘Yote Notes.  The women’s golf team will also compete at Boise State, next week at Falcon Crest.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE: Men’s and women’s basketball season-tickets are now on sale.  Mailers have been sent out to last year’s season ticket base – with an October 25 deadline to be guaranteed your seats from last season.  Plenty of great seats are available for the biggest show in town, for as low as $40 dollars for student and seniors and $60 for adults – with at least 22 great games on the docket.  Contact Dave Hahn at (208) 459-5835 for more information.

MEN’S SOCCER (6-2, 10-3): ‘Yotes fall out of first-place with loss to Concordia, Michaelson named Player-of-the-Week

LAST WEEK: Won at Walla Walla, 8-0; defeated Cascade, 3-0; lost to Concordia, 4-2

COMING UP: at Warner Pacific, Friday, 3 p.m.; at Western Baptist, Saturday, 2 p.m.

COYOTES DROP FROM FIRST-PLACE: Although four games remain the Cascade Conference race, the match-up Saturday between Concordia and Albertson may have decided the regular-season championship and No. 1 seed into the postseason tournament.  The visitors from Portland outplayed the Coyotes for 90 minutes, scoring two goals in the final stages of the contest to win, 4-2.  Albertson had trailed 2-0, but a Jason Southward (Hailey, Idaho / Wood River HS) blast off a Dustin Crim (Boise, Idaho / Borah HS) assist cut the lead in half.  The ‘Yotes would tie it just before intermission, as Coe Michaelson (East Wenatchee, Wash. / Northwest Nazarene) connected on a penalty kick following a foul in the box.  However, Concordia would limit Albertson to just one second half shot – dominating play – to take the victory, and a one-game lead in the conference race.

REGIONAL AND NATIONAL RANKING: With the loss to Concordia, Albertson will most likely drop out of the national poll for the second time this season.  The ‘Yotes popped back into the rankings at No. 24 last week.  Simon Fraser continues to be the class of the Region I, followed by Concordia and Albertson.  Westminster has lost six games in a row since defeating Albertson a month ago and dropped to No. 5 in the region, with Western Baptist jumping up to No.4.

MICHAELSON HONORED FOR BREAKING ASSIST MARK: For the second time this season, Coe Michaelson has been named Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I Player-of-the-Week.  The senior set a new Albertson school-record with two assists in the 8-0 victory at Walla Walla on Tuesday.  He now has 36 assists in his Coyote career, one more than Matt Blazek had from 1995-98.  Michaelson now has 116 career points, and is four points away from moving past Jared Larsen (1997-00) into third-place on the all-time scoring list, trailing just Blazek and Derek Jordan (1989-92).

SOUTHWARD EARNS NATIONAL RECOGNITION: With an outstanding weekend in wins over Northwest Nazarene, Warner Pacific, and Western Baptist, sophomore Jason Southward was named NAIA National Men’s Soccer Player-of-the-Week for the week of September 30-October 6.  Southward scored seven goals and had an assist in the three ‘Yote wins, including two game winners.  He became the sixth Albertson student-athlete to win the NAIA honor.

CASCADE BLANKED: Three goals in the first 22 minutes was all the Coyotes needed on Friday afternoon, as Cascade was the victim of a 3-0 shutout.  Coe Michaelson, Jason Southward, and Roger Aguilar (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS) tallied the goals for the ‘Yotes, who ran their win streak to seven with the win.  The victory also took away the sting of a pair of losses to the T-Birds at Symms Field during the 2001 season.

WARD RUNS ROUGHSHOD OVER WALLA WALLA: A quick jaunt over the Blue Mountains gave nearly the entire Coyote team a chance to see game action last Tuesday, as Albertson ran past Walla Walla College, 8-0.  The ‘Yotes scored seven times in the first half and were never headed, as the Wolves managed just two shots on goal.  True freshman Scott Ward (Rexburg, Idaho / Madison HS) scored the first three goals as a collegian, while Ryan Abo (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) had his first multi-goal game of his career.  Roger Aguilar added three assists, with Coe Michaelson scoring two goals and two assists.

TRACKING THE SHUTOUT RECORD: With two shutouts last week, Coyote keeper Jake Steele (Salt Lake City, Utah / Viewmont HS) continues to move himself up the national record list.  Steele now has 27 shutouts in his illustrious career, one away from moving into eighth-place on the NAIA’s all-time list.  Doug Seigle of Viterbo College in Wisconsin had 28 shutouts from 1991 to 1994.  Steele will end the season with Albertson career records for games played, games started, goals against average and shutouts.

CALPIN INCHING CLOSER: Head coach John Calpin is also making his assault on the NAIA record books.  With the Coyotes two wins last week, the 17-year veteran now has a career mark of 169-98-11, placing him one win behind Charlie Matlack, who coached at Earlham College in Indiana from 1954-78, for 19th-place on the all-time wins list.  Also in reach is Manfred Tschan, who coached at Concordia and George Fox from 1984-98, who had 173 wins in his career.  Calpin’s all-time win percentage of .635 is also among the top-25 in NAIA history.

KEEPING THE STREAK ALIVE: If Albertson is to extend is school-record nine game conference road winning streak, they will have to work hard in the Willamette Valley this weekend. Warner Pacific will host the Coyotes on Friday afternoon in Portland, hoping to end a personal seven-game losing streak to Albertson.  The Knights (2-6, 3-9-1) are among five teams within two games of third-place in the Cascade Conference, and gave the ‘Yotes fits two weeks ago before Albertson scored two late goals to win 3-1 at Symms Field.  Bernie Fagan’s club picked up a big 3-0 shutout of Evergreen on Saturday, holding a 25-5 shot advantage.  Aaron Marvin leads the Knights with five goals this season.  Saturday, it’s on to Western Baptist, who cracked the regional rankings, having won four of their last five games.  The Warriors (4-4, 8-6-2) evened their Cascade Conference mark with a sweep of Northwest and Evergreen.  Taurai Daka continues to be the most dominant player in the league with 20 goals and nine assists.  It was in Salem where the Coyotes last tasted defeat on the road in the CCC, losing a 1-0 match in October of 2000.

INSIDE THE CONFERENCE: The wheels fell off the Evergreen wagon last week, as the Geoducks accumulated seven cautions and two ejections in losses to Warner Pacific and Western Baptist.  On the opposite side is Concordia – with its victory over Albertson and a shutout of Cascade, the Cavs have now won 8-of-9, and should crack the NAIA Top-25 for the first time this season this week. Northwest split their games in the Valley last weekend and are set to host their final four CCC games at home, where they are 3-1 this year.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson men’s soccer program, head to the official site of Coyote soccer: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm.

CASCADE CONFERENCE HOTLINE: For up-to-date scores and information from the Cascade Conference, call the Cascade Conference Hotline at (208) 459-5135.

WOMEN’S SOCCER (6-5, 8-7): Weekend split leaves Lady ‘Yotes alone in fourth-place, Warner Pacific in town Saturday

LAST WEEK: Lost to Western Baptist, 8-1; defeated Cascade, 4-2.

COMING UP: vs. Warner Pacific, Saturday, 1 p.m.

EIGHT IS NOT ENOUGH: With a 4-2 victory over Cascade College on Saturday, the Albertson women’s soccer team tied the 13-year school record for wins in a season with eight.  Only John Calpin’s inaugural 1989 squad had posted as many wins before the 2002 crew.  But for Aisha Reed and her team, eight is not enough, as a .500 record and a possible playoff appearance loom in the final three weeks of the regular season.

THE PLAYOFF CHASE: No Albertson women’s soccer team has advanced to the post-season since 1989, when the Coyotes dropped a 2-1 decision to Willamette in the District 2 Final.  This season, however, will definitely have a different feel around the Caldwell campus.  With five games remaining in the regular season, four teams – Evergreen, Albertson, Warner Pacific, and Southern Oregon – all sit within two games of each other, with just two playoff berths available.  The top-four teams in the league meet Nov. 8 and 9 in Portland, and while Concordia and Western Baptist have all but etched their names in stone for the tourney, the other four teams will be in a horse race.  During the next three weeks, all four teams will have games against each other – so let the jockeying begin.

MORE ON THE CASCADE WIN: Banged up after a tough Friday loss to Western Baptist, the Coyotes regrouped and completed the season-sweep of Cascade, stopping the T-Birds, 4-2. Alyssa Latham (Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla CC) recorded her second hat trick of the season, along with an assist, as Albertson moved back over the .500 mark.  Latham and her former high school and junior college teammate Jessie Harwood (Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla CC) worked a nice combination, allowing Becky Robertson (Othello, Wash. / Columbia Basin CC) a through ball for the opening goal just seven minutes into the game.  Robertson turned the tide a minute later, finding Latham on goal for a 2-0 lead.  Albertson would never relinquish the lead, with the junior scoring twice early in the second half.  The Coyotes had a 23-14 shot advantage on the afternoon.

LATHAM ON THE RECORD HUNT: With three goals and two assists this week, Alyssa Latham is quickly elevating herself up the Albertson College record book and inching up the NAIA chart.  Her 15 assists this season is not only a single-season record for the women’s program, but eclipses the men’s school record of 14 as well.  Add in her 12 goals, and she is just eight points away from the school record of 47 set by Kristine Halter (Jones) in 1993.  On a national scene, Latham is also making noise.  Her three assists against Northwest Nazarene two weeks ago ties her for 14th-place on the single-game list – the NAIA record for assists in a game is five.  She is also just four assists away from entering the NAIA book for assists in a season – No. 6 on the list is Nora Ohrnberg of Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), who had 19 assists in the 2000 season.

ROBERTSON CLOSING IN ON MARK: Also in the chase for records is Becky Robertson.  The senior scored two goals and had two assists this weekend, moving her closer to the all-time goals scored mark in school history.  Kristine Halter set the mark by scoring 30 goals from 1990-93.  Robertson, with ten goals this year, now has 26 for her career.  She now has 61 career points (26 goals, nine assists), just 19 points behind Halter’s school mark of 80.

WESTERN CLEANS HOUSE: Friday was a day that Albertson would like to forget, as Western Baptist scored five goals in the first 20 minutes of the match, coasting to an 8-1 win at Symms Field.  Reigning Cascade Conference Player-of-the-Year, KeriAnn Lawson, scored three goals and had three assists for the victors.  It was the 15th win in-a-row for Western over the Coyotes.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Symms Field has been a kind place to the Lady ‘Yotes this season – Albertson has won five of their six matches on the home pitch this season.  With three of their final five games at home this season, it will hopefully give the Coyotes an advantage.  They will need the home cooking on Saturday when Warner Pacific comes to town.  The Knights (5-6-1, 5-7-1) defeated Albertson, 2-1, earlier this year in Portland, and are, along with the Coyotes, the most surprising team in the league.  Holly Tillett leads the first-year program with 10 goals, as Warner looks to break a four-game winless streak this weekend.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Concordia pulled off the biggest upset so far this season, defeating No. 2 ranked Simon Fraser, 2-1, in Burnaby, B.C.  With the win, the Cavs ran their winning streak to 13 games.  With their sweep on the eastside, Western Baptist keeps their conference title hopes alive – the Warriors themselves have won eight in-a-row, and 10-of-11. Oregon Tech has been playing much better as of late, upsetting Warner Pacific, 3-2, in Portland last weekend.  Ditto for Eastern Oregon, who shutout Cascade, 1-0, on Friday – knocking the T-Birds into the CCC cellar. Southern Oregon ended a six-game winless streak with a win over OIT, before playing to a 1-1 draw with Warner on Saturday. Evergreen had momentum in its Friday match with Concordia, leading 1-0.  But the Geoducks missed a first half penalty kick and watched the Cavaliers score five unanswered goals to end the Clams four-game win streak.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson women’s soccer program, head to the official site of Lady ‘Yote soccer: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm.

VOLLEYBALL (5-4, 9-11): Lady ‘Yotes split games at Blocktoberfest, end homestand with key games vs. Southern and OIT

LAST WEEK: Defeated Eastern Oregon, 3-0; defeated Westminster, 3-0; lost to Montana-Western, 3-0

COMING UP: vs. Southern Oregon, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Oregon Tech, Saturday, 7 p.m.

BLOCKTOBERFEST A SUCCESS FOR ALL: Six teams, 12 games, two days – all summed up in one word, Blocktoberfest.  In what has to be a record for a tournament of its size, all but one match started on time, each team recorded at least one victory, and fun was had for all in attendance or involved.

NO CANADA: The only hiccup for the tournament was the fact that the University of Victoria, the seventh team in the Blocktoberfest line-up, cancelled their appearance on Thursday, less than 12 hours before the excitement was to begin.  The Vikes apparently have been dealing with a flu bug that limited their team to seven players – and with a 14-hour drive to Caldwell, playing seemed out of the question.  Never fear, the tournament was redrawn, and a true champion was crowned for the first time since 2000.

CSI TAKES TITLE: Sweeping aside all comers, the College of Southern Idaho made a statement against NAIA schools that last year’s fifth-place finish at the NJCAA Tournament was a fluke, by winning the Blocktoberfest crown.  Ben Stroud’s Golden Eagles, who have won seven of the last eight junior college national titles, did not lose a game during the tournament.  Montana-Western placed second, Albertson third, with Westminster, Eastern Oregon, and Montana Tech tied for fourth.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Southern Idaho’s Keli Paiva was named Blocktoberfest MVP after a tremendous weekend  - 35 kills, 36 digs, 14 aces, 14 blocks, and a .438 attack percentage.  Teammates Amanda Santos and Mindee Magill joined Paiva on the All-Tournament team, as did Kasey Smith and Amy Smith of Montana-Western.  Not to be outdone, Albertson placed a pair on the squad as well – setter Amanda Basañez (Elko, Nev. / College of Southern Idaho) and hitter Kristyn Price (Bellevue, Idaho / Wood River HS).

ACES AWAY AGAINST EASTERN: Thursday’s game against Eastern Oregon was a rare combination – a Cascade Conference match, along with the opening game of Blocktoberfest.  The Coyotes used a school-record 22 service aces to dismantle the Mountaineers in three games – 30-19, 30-16, 30-15.  Junior Laura Solberg (Castle Rock, Wash. / Castle Rock HS) led the way with seven aces, with sophomore Jennifer Luchini (Cataldo, Idaho / Kellogg HS) adding five.  Kristyn Price had a big game as well – 12 kills, nine digs, four aces, and four blocks.  The Lady ‘Yotes extended their win streak against Eastern to 14.

COYOTES SPLIT VS. FRONTIER CONFERENCE: The other two Blocktoberfest match-ups (excluding an exhibition loss to CSI) pitted the Coyotes in cross-over games against Frontier Conference schools.  Albertson routed Westminster in three games on Friday – 30-13, 30-18, 30-10.  The match was never in doubt, as the Lady ‘Yotes forced more Griffin attack errors (24) than kills (23).  Price again led the way with 14 kills, seven digs, and six aces.  It was the opposite effect on Saturday, as Montana-Western defeated Albertson for the second time this season, this one a 30-28, 33-31, 30-19 victory.  The Coyotes held serve and a 31-30 lead in Game 2, but watched the Bulldogs rattle off three-straight points for the win.  Price had 15 kills and 16 digs, with Amanda Basañez recording a tournament-high 43 assists.

ACE RECORDS CHANGING BY THE MINUTE: Not only did the Lady ‘Yotes set a new mark for aces in a game, breaking the oldest school-record on file (Oct. 8, 1994 vs. Montana Tech), but both Kristyn Price and Laura Solberg made noise in the record books.  Price had 14 aces over the weekend, tying her with Jesse Evett for the career record at Albertson with 191.  Solberg had ten aces in the three matches, moving her career total to 97, passing Carly Merkel (1998-01) into fifth-place all-time.

MORE ON THE RECORD WATCH: Along with the ace record, Kristyn Price continues to close in on other school marks.  Most notably is the kill per game average that head coach Liz Mendiola set as a Lady ‘Yote back in 1994.  The head chief had a 4.86 kill per game average during the 25-game 1994 season, while Price has kept her average above five (currently at 5.06) all season, leading the Cascade Conference.  Mendiola will most likely keep her career kills per game record (4.46), although Price (4.27) is inching up the ladder.  Price currently has 1,843 career kills, needing 157 more to become the first-ever Coyote to register 2,000 spikes.  At her current pace, she would surpass the mark in Portland during the final road trip of the regular season.  The school dig record is also in jeopardy, as Price trails Brecia Gamett (1998-01) by 104 digs heading into the weekend.  At her current pace, Price would break the record at the Cascade Conference tournament, should the Coyotes qualify.

UNDERCLASSMEN IN ROTATION: Part of the recent success of the Coyotes has been the play of underclassmen in the regular rotation.  Sophomore middle blocker Jessie Lassen (Buhl, Idaho / Filer HS) has rebounded from a rocky end of September to shine as of late.  Lassen is averaging 2.3 kills and nearly two blocks per game in the last five matches, along with a .356 attack percentage.  The same goes for fellow sophomores Jennifer Luchini and Kahli Mann (Nampa, Idaho / Skyview HS).  Luchini is has 14 aces over that same span, nearly 1.5 per game.  Mann is averaging nearly three digs per game, and now ranks second on the team in that category.  Don’t leave the freshmen out of the mix as well.  Both Annie Rice (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS) and Fran Hartman (Lakeview, Ore. / Lakeview HS) have impressed fans – Rice clocking two kills and two digs per game, while Hartman registered 1.7 kills and a .326 attack percentage.  Rice had eight kills in the loss to Montana-Western, with Hartman slamming eight spikes against Westminster for a .615 attack percentage.

REGIONAL RANKINGS: With a 2-1 week, Albertson finally re-entered the NAIA Region I Poll at No. 10.  Concordia continues to lead the bunch, followed closely by Southern Oregon.  Montana-Western stays at No. 3, followed by Carroll and Oregon Tech.  Montana Tech falls only two spots to No. 6, despite losing to 2-16 Westminster, with Lewis-Clark State, Rocky Mountain, Western Baptist, and the Coyotes rounding out the poll.

SEVEN-GAME HOMESTAND COMES TO A CLOSE: Having gone 4-1 so far on a season long seven-game homestand, the Lady ‘Yotes end the string with a tough slate this weekend.  The front half of the doubleheader has Southern Oregon, the No. 17 ranked team in the land, coming to town.  The Raiders (10-1, 14-3) have won five matches in a row, and 12-of-13.  Outside of its loss to Concordia, only Western Baptist and Albertson have been able to take a game from Southern – the Coyotes falling 30-26, 29-31, 30-23, 30-22 on September 14.  All-American Kristina Matchett is to the Raiders what Kristyn Price is to the Lady ‘Yotes – averaging five kills and three digs a night.  Southern holds a 21-3 all-time advantage over Albertson, but the Coyotes won last year’s meeting in Caldwell.  Saturday night, Oregon Tech puts their own four-game win streak on the line.  The Owls (8-3, 16-4) are off to their best start in school history, thanks to a balanced attack (four hitters averaging over two kills per game) and their solid setter, Julie Dancer.  Albertson won a three-game match earlier this year in Klamath Falls, and has won 10-of-13 matches with OIT.

INSIDE THE CONFERENCE: Just past the halfway point in the conference season and the CCC looks like it has been split into two divisions.  Concordia continues to lead the way, running its CCC win streak to 57 matches in a row.  Southern, OIT, Albertson, Western Baptist – which won its two loop encounters last week, and Northwest – which has lost four-in-a-row, along with the Cavaliers, are the “cream of the crop.”  The remaining four teams – Warner Pacific, Evergreen, Eastern Oregon, and Cascade – which combined went 0-7 in the conference last weekend, are the second tier.  Northwest currently has a two-game lead on Warner Pacific for the sixth and final playoff spot to the CCC postseason tournament.

ON THE INTERNET: All home volleyball games are broadcast live over the WorldWide Web, courtesy of the Albertson athletic website.  Listen to Jordan Komoto and Jake McClean call the action this Friday and Saturday by logging on at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/athletics.asx and clicking on the link provided.  Archives of five previous games can also be heard by logging on at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball/profiles/2002/radio.htm.

MORE INFORMATION ON THE LADY ‘YOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the Albertson volleyball program, head to the official site of Lady ‘Yote volleyball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm.

- ALBERTSON -