‘Yote Notes –
Aug. 26, 2002
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Mike Safford Jr.
– Sports Info. Director
msafford@albertson.edu
GENERAL ATHLETICS NEWS:
COYOTE OPEN COMING UP: The 2002 version of the Coyote Open, one of the
biggest golf tournaments in the area, is set for September 27 at River Bend
Golf Course. For more information on
how to play or sponsor this year’s tournament, contact Athletic Marketing
Director Dave Hahn at (208) 459-5835.
WHY
RIVER BEND?: Many folks have asked, "Why
have you moved the Coyote Open to River Bend?" The answer is simple,
variety. Although the tournament has been wildly successful at the Purple
Sage Golf Course, the athletic department thought that a change for this year
would be good. So River Bend, along the Snake River, will host the
Coyotes at the end of September.
VOLLEYBALL: Lady ‘Yotes tune up with exhibition win, head off to San
Diego to open 2002 season
COMING
UP: at Seaside Invitational, San Diego, Calif. –
vs. Olivet Nazarene, Friday, 2 p.m.; vs. Madonna, Friday, 6 p.m.; vs. Missouri
Baptist, Saturday, 9 a.m.; vs. Point Loma Nazarene, Saturday, 11 a.m.
NEXT
STOP, SAN DIEGO: After three weeks of
intense workouts, the Albertson volleyball team will finally make its
long-awaited debut in San Diego, Calif., at the Seaside Invitational, hosted by
Point Loma Nazarene. This is the third
season in a row that the Lady ‘Yotes will compete in the tournament – which has
seven of the ten teams participating ranked in the preseason NAIA national
poll.
BUT
FIRST, COYOTES DISPATCH NNU: Last
Thursday, Northwest Nazarene made the short jaunt to Caldwell for a friendly
scrimmage between the two rivals. Spots
to fill in the rotations, the Lady ‘Yotes didn’t seem to miss a beat, stopping
the Crusaders in three games – 30-28, 30-21, 30-22. Senior Kristyn
Price (Bellevue, Idaho / Wood
River HS) didn’t seem to miss a
beat, recording a team-high 12 kills and eight digs. New setter Amanda
Basañez (Elko, Nev. / College of
Southern Idaho) had 27 assists, five
digs and three blocks. True freshman Fran Hartman (Lakeview, Ore. / Lakeview HS) had a nice outing in her first collegiate
experience, recording eight kills and a .333 attack percentage.
TIPTON
OUT INDEFINITELY: The Coyotes sustained a
big blow this preseason, as All-Region selection Katy Tipton (Ontario, Ore. /
Ontario HS) has been out of action
with a back injury. The time table for
her return is unclear, and she will not be making the trip to Southern
California. A trio of players – Kristen Bailey (Fountain Green, Utah), Jessie
Lassen (Buhl, Idaho / Filer HS), and Jaime
Russell (Grangeville, Idaho /
Grangeville HS) will all try to fill the
void.
FOUR
NATIONALLY RANKED OPPONENTS: The
Seaside Invitational has Albertson playing two games each on Friday and
Saturday, each against nationally ranked opponents. The season opener is against No. 14 ranked Olivet Nazarene, from Bourbonnais, Ill. The Tigers (44-10 in 2001) are coming off a trip to the NAIA
National Tournament. Also on Friday,
the Coyotes meet 22nd-ranked Madonna, from Livonia, Mich. The Crusaders (4-0) won the Michigan-Dearborn Tournament last weekend,
winning all 12 sets, with hitter Shelly Stanton (5.69 kills/gm) leading the
way. Albertson met MU at the 2000
national tournament. Day two is just as
tough, with Missouri
Baptist, meeting the Lady ‘Yotes at 9 a.m. The Spartans (24-9 in 2001), from St. Louis,
open the season ranked No. 20. To round
out pool play, Albertson meets Point
Loma Nazarene, one of the premier
clubs in the nation. The Crusaders
(35-4 in 2001) lost in the national semifinals in 2001, and open 2002 ranked
No. 4. If Albertson finishes in the
top-three in its pool play, they will compete in one final game on Saturday
night against either Carroll (Mont.), California Baptist, St. Thomas (Fla.),
Christian Heritage (Calif.), Georgetown (Ky.).
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: No. 15 ranked Southern Oregon opened the 2002
slate for the Cascade Conference, splitting four games at the Sunbird
Invitational, hosted by Fresno Pacific.
The Raiders defeated Doane (Neb.) and Concordia (Calif.) in five sets,
lost to Biola (Calif.) in five, and to the hosts in four. Eight teams within the conference play this
week, with Concordia hosting Western Baptist at its Concordia Invitational
Tournament, Cascade hosting Northwest at the Cascade/Lewis & Clark
Tournament, and Evergreen headed to Hawaii for the Hawaiian Style
Tournament. Both Southern and Oregon
Tech will conduct tours of Northern California. The Cascade Conference season begins a week from Friday with
three games slated.
MORE INFORMATION ON THE
COYOTES: 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.
CASCADE CONFERENCE HOTLINE: For up-to-date scores from the Cascade Conference,
call the Cascade Conference Hotline at (208) 459-5135.
MEN’S SOCCER: With No. 16 ranking, Coyotes to open season at home against
tough Mount Vernon Nazarene
COMING UP: Host Mount Vernon Nazarene, Thursday, 4 p.m.
ALBERTSON EARNS NO. 16 RANKING IN PRESEASON POLL: Coming on the heels of
their first-ever No. 1 regional ranking, the Coyotes attained another lofty
pre-season status – their highest-ever national ranking. Albertson was ranked No. 16 in the
NAIA-NSCAA national poll, well above the No. 23 mark the ‘Yotes finished 2001
at. Fellow Cascade Conference member,
Concordia, was just outside the top-25, ranking third in the “others receiving
votes” category. Defending national
champion Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) leads the pack, followed by Auburn-Montgomery
(Ala.), Rio Grande (Ohio), William Carey (Miss.), and Westmont (Calif.).
2002 ROSTER SET: Head coach John Calpin has firmed up the 2002
squad with 22 student-athletes, with three others serving as redshirts. The full roster can be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/msoccer/roster/02.htm.
CHANGE IN GAME TIME: Thursday’s home opener
is set for 4 p.m. at Symms Field on the Albertson College campus. This differs from the originally published
game-time of 2 p.m.
COUGARS HEADED TO THE WEST: It’s not often that a
non-regional opponent comes calling on the Coyotes in Caldwell. This season is different, as NAIA Region
IX’s Mount
Vernon Nazarene makes its first-ever appearance in the Treasure Valley. It will be a tough opener for the ‘Yotes, as
not only have the Cougars (14-6-2 in 2001) played a pair of difficult
exhibition games, they are tournament tested.
Head coach Paul Furey (15th year, 136-106-15) has seen his team run off
a five-year record of 78-34-6, including a trio of NCCAA tournament
appearances. Keeper Trevor Knowles
(1.07 GAA in 2001) heads a defense that gave up just 22 goals last season. MVNU opened its exhibition season at
Columbus Crew Stadium last Saturday, where they dropped a tough 2-0 decision to
Ohio Wesleyan, a 2001 NCAA Division III semifinalist. The Cougars responded the next day, stopping Columbus State
Community College, 1-0.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: The 2002 slate opened
last weekend, as Concordia took 2-of-3 games at the Westminster Tournament –
defeating Hope International and Biola, and losing to the host Griffins. The remainder of the conference opens play this
week, with key match-ups including Cascade at Simon Fraser, Warner Pacific at
Pacific, Whitworth at Evergreen, and Pacific Lutheran at Western Baptist.
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.
WOMEN’S SOCCER: Ortman Invitational the site for the kickoff of the 2002
Lady ‘Yotes season
COMING
UP: at Arthur D. Ortman Invitational, Nampa – vs.
Pacific Lutheran, Friday, Noon; vs. Eastern Oregon, Saturday, 11 a.m.
IT’S
TIME TO PLAY SOME FOOTBALL: After
two full weeks of two-a-day practices, the Albertson women’s soccer team will
finally kickoff the 2002 season this Friday at the Arthur D. Ortman
Invitational, hosted by Northwest Nazarene.
It will be the first opportunity for fans to see the four new Lady ‘Yote
players, along with new head coach Aisha
Reed.
SCHEDULE
CHANGES: The scheduled Labor Day
tilt between Albertson and Northwest Nazarene, originally set for 12:30 p.m.,
will instead be played at 3 p.m. NNU
requested the change in time, due to classes being held on campus.
ABOUT
THE OPPONENTS: The Ortman Invitational was
an easy way for the Lady ‘Yotes to get three solid games, without having to dip
into the travel budget. Albertson will
open the four-day tournament (with Sunday serving as a rest-day) against Pacific Lutheran, an NCAA Division III opponent out of Tacoma,
Wash. The Lutes (3-12-2 in 2001)
finished seventh in the eight-team Northwest Conference a year ago, but have a
new head coach in Jerrod Fleury (3rd season in college ranks, 22-16-2 overall). PLU will have a very youthful team, with a
possibility of seven starting either being true freshman or sophomores. Leading scorer Leah Anderson (2 goals, 3
assist) returns, but the team must find a way to locate the back of the net
(only 13 goals in 2001). The squad won
a trio of NAIA national titles (1988, 1989, 1991) before making the transition
to the NCAA in 1998. Saturday, its
Cascade Conference rival Eastern
Oregon on the docket. The game with the Mountaineers (1-16-1 in 2001) will be a non-conference affair, with two
more games scheduled between the schools set for later in the season. Eastern is in its third season of
intercollegiate soccer, and picked up its first-ever point in the CCC standings
last year with a 3-3 draw against the Coyotes.
Of the 21 players on their roster, 17 are underclassmen, with Amber Moon
(3 goals) serving as the leading scorer among the returners. The key for EOU will be keeping the ball out
of their own net, as opponents scored four or more goal in 12-of-18 games last
year. Albertson holds a 4-0-1 all-time
mark against the Mountaineers.
AROUND
THE CONFERENCE: The 2002 season begins
in earnest this week as five teams hit the field. Key games include fifth-ranked Concordia heading to Southern
California to meet third-ranked Azusa Pacific, along with the first-ever game
for Warner Pacific, a conference meeting with Western Baptist.
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.
- ALBERTSON -