‘Yote Notes – Oct. 4,
2006
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Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETIC NEWS: Skiers
Ranked, Season Tickets, Winter Sport Previews
SNOW
YOTES RANKED IN PRESEASON POLL: The Albertson College of Idaho ski
and snowboard programs were honored by the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association this
week, as a trio of Coyote teams were ranked in the preseason national
poll. The women’s alpine ski team was
ranked eighth by the USCSA, while the men’s alpine ski team was ranked
ninth. The Yotes men’s snowboard team
was ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, right behind the
SEASON
TICKETS SET TO GO ON
SWIM
SEASON BEGINS IN TWO WEEKS: The first winter sport at ACI will
kick off in just over two weeks, as the Coyote swim teams will compete in a
short-course dual at the
THE YOTE
TRAIN: For Coyote basketball fans, this season proves to be a different year –
as both Mark Owen and Reagan Rossi will provide an exciting brand of
basketball. We will unveil the 2006-07
hoop previews next week – get ready to “Jump on the Yote Train”.
VOLLEYBALL
(15-2, 9-0 CCC): No.
11 Lady Yotes preparing for Homecoming weekend against OIT and
COMING
UP: vs.
LAST WEEK: at
NATIONAL RANKING: The Albertson College of Idaho
volleyball team was ranked No. 11 in the fifth NAIA volleyball poll of the
regular-season, released this afternoon by the national office in
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the
Top-25 on 11 occasions in program history – the second (No. 24) and third (No.
19) polls of the 1997 season, the preseason (No. 15) and first poll (No. 19) of
the 2001 season, the final poll during the 2005 season (No. 24), the 2006
preseason poll (No. 16), and the past five rankings.
YOTES MAINTAIN PERCH ATOP REGIONAL
RANKINGS: With a
perfect 9-0 start to the Cascade Conference season and a 15-2 overall record,
the Yotes remain atop the NAIA Region I weekly Top-10 poll. ACI is followed by
CHERRINGTON PILING UP THE HARDWARE: Accolades are nothing new to the
Cherrington family during the past year – as former
OTHER NATIONAL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS:
Cherrington was not
the first Lady Yote volleyball player to earn honors from the NAIA national
office. Late in the 2003 season, Amanda Basañez was named NAIA National Setter of the Week, and
last season, Charity Gaston earned NAIA National Libero of the Week honors.
MENDIOLA ADDS
TO HER WINS RECORD:
With the Lady Yotes victory over Cedarville (
BEST START EVER: The 15-2 start by the Lady Yotes is
the best in program history, dating back to the 1982 season. In recent years, the 1997 and 2005 teams
opened the season with 7-3 marks, while the 2005 squad opened with a 12-3
record. The best 20-game start to a
season is 16-4, set last year. ACI is
also a perfect 6-0 on the road this year (not including neutral court matches).
COYOTES SWEEP EVERGREEN STATE: Three players recorded double-figure
kills as the Lady Yotes opened last week’s road trip with a 30-9, 30-27, 30-20
victory at Evergreen State on Friday night.
Tiffany Sower
(Eagle,
FEWEST POINTS IN A GAME: The nine points scored by
YOTES END LOSING STREAK IN
DOMINATING THE LEAGUE NUMBERS: As a team, the Yotes dominate the
Cascade Conference statistics, leading the loop in hitting percentage (.252),
assists per game (14.41), kills per game (15.26), blocks per game (3.16), and
aces per game (2.22). Those numbers balloon higher
when accounting just the nine CCC contests – hitting percentage (.295), assists
per game (15.82), kills per game (16.82), blocks per game (3.34), and aces per
game (2.61). Individually, Katie Hogue leads
the league in both hitting percentage (.400 – with a .533 hitting percentage in
CCC-only games) and blocks per game (1.56), while ranking sixth in kills per
game (3.35) and seventh in aces per game (0.47). As mentioned earlier, Erin Cherrington leads
the league in assists per game (13.24) and is fourth in aces per game (0.51),
while Kristin Henning is third in both blocks per game (1.26) and hitting
percentage (.335). Anne Parker (Pocatello, Idaho
/Century HS) is fourth in blocks per game (1.06) and fourth in hitting
percentage (.271), with Kathryn Ely ranking fifth in kills per game (3.59) and
sixth in hitting percentage (.262).
Rounding out the group is Catherine Everist,
who is No. 3 in digs per game (6.09), and Tiffany Sower,
who is No. 10 in hitting percentage (.220).
YOTES LEAD NAIA KILLS AND ASSISTS: As a team, ACI leads the entire NAIA
in assists and kills per game – while ranking No. 6 in blocks per game and No.
11 in hitting percentage. Along with
Erin Cherrington leading the nation in assists per game, Katie Hogue ranks No.
7 in the NAIA in hitting percentage and blocks per game, and Kristin Henning
ranks No. 12 in blocks per game.
RECORD BOOK: As the season progresses, it is
inevitable that the ACI record books will be rewritten. Currently, four players are already among the
all-time top-ten. Katie Hogue ranks No.
4 all-time with 342 blocks (13 behind third-place) and No. 7 with 804
kills. Erin Cherrington is third
all-time with 4,319 assists (235 from first-place), is No. 3 with 168 aces, is
No. 9 with 953 digs (47 from 1,000 in her career), and No. 10 in games played
(393). Also on the list are Tiffany Sower, who is fifth all-time with 117 aces, and Anne Parker,
who is eighth in blocks with 237.
HOMECOMING BRINGS TECH AND SOUTHERN TO
TOWN: With ACI
celebrating its Homecoming this weekend, the Cascade Conference has the
perennial top teams coming to Caldwell for the festivities. Friday night, Oregon Tech comes to town having won 12 of their last 14
games. The Owls (14-4, 7-2 CCC) are led
by hitter Krista Wooley (4.4 k/g, 3.5 d/g), blocker
Maggie Roberts (2.9 k/g, 1.0 b/g), and setter Megan Albertson (2.3 k/g, 9.3
a/g, 2.8 d/g). OIT and the Yotes have
met 44 previous times, with ACI holding a 27-17 all-time series edge, including
the 30-22, 30-23, 30-12 victory in September.
Saturday, ACI puts its three-game win streak against Southern Oregon on the line. The Raiders (10-4, 8-1) have won ten of their
last 11 matches, with the lone blemish a four-game loss to the Lady Yotes in
September. Blocker Mia Wortel (3.92 k/g, .393 %, 0.94 b/g) is among the best in
the league, with dangerous hitter Jacyln
Hamilton-Smith (3.17 k/g, 1.7 d/g) working the outside. Despite the current ACI streak, Southern
holds a commanding 51-12 all-time series edge.
MORE
INFORMATION:
Updated information and statistics on the 2006 volleyball team can be found on
ACI volleyball official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball/stats/standings.htm.
MEN’S
SOCCER (4-5-1, 2-2-0 CCC): Coyotes earn road split, set to host Concordia and Cascade on Homecoming
Weekend
COMING
UP: vs. Concordia, Friday, 3 p.m.; vs. Cascade, Sunday, 3 p.m.
LAST
WEEK: at Warner Pacific (L 4-2); at Corban (W 3-2)
REGIONAL RANKINGS: The fifth NAIA Region I weekly
top-five poll of the season saw parity in the Northwest soccer scene, as nearly
the entire look of the ranking changed.
Concordia, which slipped out of the NAIA poll for the first time this
season, remains No. 1, followed by Northwest and
CONFERENCE RACE UP FOR GRABS: Following the opening of the Cascade
Conference season last week, the league ripe for the taking by any of the seven
CCC teams. Concordia holds the loop lead
following weekend play, with all six other teams one
game back (CU has since defeated Cascade 4-2 on Tuesday, while Warner Pacific
has defeated Northwest, 6-0 on Wednesday).
The top-two teams during regular-season competition earn an automatic
berth to the NAIA Region I tournament in November.
LONG GRASS, LONG AFTERNOON FOR
YOTES: An early
lead was not enough for the Coyotes on Friday afternoon, as the Coyotes dropped
a 4-2 decision at Warner Pacific. “We
were playing on a field that had extremely long grass, which made it difficult
to play tactical soccer,” said head coach Brian
Smith on the pitch at Portland Adventist High. “We got an early lead, held control of the
action most of the game, but gave up too many easy goals.” Mitch
White (
COYOTES BREAK THROUGH AT CORBAN: A solid final ten minutes of play
made up for a difficult first five minutes as the Coyotes rebounded Saturday
with a come-from-behind 3-2 victory at Corban – the
first win in Salem in Brian Smith’s three years as coach. Caleb Louvier and
Scott Marshall tallied goals in the opening minutes of the game, staking the
Warriors to the two-goal edge. However,
ACI dominated the remainder of the game – as Mitch White drew the Yotes closer
midway through the first half with a penalty kick, then the Purple and Gold got
the equalizer in the 83rd minute on a goal by Cameron Johnson (Boise, Idaho
/ Treasure Valley CC) off a cross from Kazuki Murata (Tokyo, Japan / Ichiritu HS).
The Coyotes won the game three minutes later, as Corban
knocked the ball into their own net, trying to clear a ball from the endline. “We played
some of our best soccer of the season,” said Smith. “The guys learned what it takes to win in
this league and I feel this win could be a turning point in the season.”
CASCADE CONFERENCE NUMBERS: As a team, the Yotes rank second in
the league in total shots (179) and shots per game (17.9), but are sixth in the
loop in goals allowed per game (2.1) and goals scored per game (1.6). Individually, Mitch White leads the league in
total shots (52), shots per game (5.2), and goals scored (8), ranking second in total points (17), and is third in points
per game (1.7) and goals per game (0.8).
Alex Penrod
(
RIVAL AND LEAGUE-LEADING CONCORDIA
OPENS HOMECOMING WEEKEND: If the ACI men’s soccer team has a rival (since Northwest Nazarene
dropped the sport in 2001), Concordia would
be at the top of the list. Longtime head
coach Dan Birkey has the Cavaliers (6-3-2, 4-1 CCC)
atop the league standings, looking for their fifth-straight CCC title and
second-straight trip to the NAIA Championships.
Leading the CU charge is Mirzet Sacirovic (8 goals, 1 assist) and Kossivi
Alokpovi (4 goals, 3 assists) – part of a Cavalier
attack that has scored 14 goals in CCC play, while keeper Garrett Staples (0.98
GAA) is among the top goalies in the league.
Friday’s meeting is the 37th between the teams, with ACI holding a
19-16-1 all-time series edge. The two
teams split matches during the 2005 season – each winning on the others’ home
field.
RARE SUNDAY LEAGUE TILT: Typically, the Cascade Conference
completes its soccer schedule on Saturday’s, but that is not the case this
week, as Cascade makes a rare Sunday
appearance at Symms Field.
With head coach Jeremy Schwartz running both the men’s and women’s
program, the change was necessitated with his women’s team playing home games
on Friday and Saturday. His Thunderbirds
(7-3, 2-3) have put the struggles of the past three seasons behind them,
cracking this week’s Region I Top-5 poll.
The punch of strikers Adalberto Angulo (6 goals, 3 assists), Girardo
Cifuentes (6 goals, 6 assists), and
MORE
INFORMATION:
Updated information and statistics on the 2006 men’s soccer team can be found
on Albertson men’s soccer official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/msoccer/stats/standings.htm.
WOMEN’S
SOCCER (5-6-1, 4-1-1 CCC): Lady Yotes host
COMING
UP: vs.
LAST
WEEK: at Corban (W 1-0); at Warner Pacific (L 2-1 OT)
NAIA REGION I WEEKLY POLL: With a 5-6-1 overall record, the
Lady Yotes were just outside the NAIA Region I weekly top-five poll. Leading the way was Concordia, followed by
Carroll, and Simon Fraser. Rounding out
the top-five is
IT LOOKS BETTER FROM THE TOP: Three full weeks into the Cascade
Conference season and the ACI women’s soccer team sits alone in second-place,
just two points behind
NEW PLAYOFF SCENARIO: With the Cascade Conference eliminating
divisions and double round-robin play, a new playoff format will also debut
this season. The top-six teams during
the nine-game conference schedule will qualify for the CCC Tournament – with
the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds earning quarterfinal byes. The regular-season champion, along with the
CCC Tournament champion will receive automatic bids to the NAIA Region I
Tournament.
THE STREAK IS OVER: An early goal was all the Lady Yotes
needed last Friday, as ACI ended eleven years of frustration over Corban (Western Baptist), as the Coyotes recorded a 1-0
victory in
MORE ON HUGHES: The freshman earned Cascade
Conference and NAIA Region I Player of the Week honors after the Yotes swept
ROUGH LOSS AT WARNER: The Lady Yotes figured the tough
game of the weekend would be at Corban, with an
easier game at winless Warner Pacific.
It was completely the opposite – as the Knights tallied an goal early in overtime to stun ACI, 2-1. Just as they did at Corban,
the Yotes scored early, as Leah Roach slotted home a feed from Mandy Greif (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS) in the fifth minute. However, WP would tie the score early in the
second half, and despite the Yotes missing a trio of golden opportunities late
in regulation and in overtime, Kristen Ruff ended the match just 68 seconds
into the extra session – leaving the Lady Yotes winless on WP’s pitch.
CONFERENCE STATS: Individually, four different players
are among the league’s top ten. Allie Dufault
(Irvine, Calif. / University HS) leads
the way, ranking in four different categories – No. 5 in both shots (31) and
shots per game (2.58), No. 7 in goals scored (4), and No. 9 in total points
(10). Both Mandy Greif and Leah Roach are found in two
categories apiece – Greif seventh in both shots (30) and shots per game (2.5),
with Roach sixth in assists (4) and seventh in assists per game (0.33). Rounding out the group is Sadie Hughes, who
as earlier mentioned, is second in save percentage (.807) and fourth in goals
against average (1.33).
HOMECOMING BREAK FROM CONFERENCE
PLAY: As Homecoming
Week takes over ACI, the Lady Yotes (along with
FIRST-EVER MEETING WITH THE
TOP-TEN TEAM HEADS TO CALDWELL: It gets difficult on Sunday, as No.
8 ranked Carroll College returns to
Caldwell for the first time since 2004.
The Saints (6-4) are amongst the NAIA’s elite
teams – with three of their four losses coming to Top-10 teams, and already
handing perennial power Simon Fraser a 3-1 defeat. The
MORE
INFORMATION:
Updated information and statistics on the 2006 women’s soccer team can be found
on Albertson women’s soccer official website at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmenssoccer.htm. Up-to-date Cascade Conference standings can
be found online at www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wsoccer/stats/standings.htm.
CROSS
COUNTRY: Coyotes
have average day at Willamette Meet, set to rebound at Eastern Oregon Open
COMING UP: at Eastern Oregon Invitational /
NAIA Region I Preview Meet - La
LAST WEEK: at Charles Bowles
COYOTE FALL OUT OF TOP-25: A Top-15 finish at the biggest cross
country meet in the West was not enough for the ACI men's harriers, as the
Yotes fell out of the NAIA Top-25 for the first time in 11 weeks. The
Coyotes, however, received 13 votes in the poll, remaining in the Others
Receiving Votes category.
WHAT WENT WRONG FOR THE MEN: The Yotes ran extremely well at the
Invite, however, the first mile of the race told the story. "Our top
runners did not stay with the top 30-or-40 runners in the field and were
swamped by over 100 racers - coming you only face at a big
meet," said head coach Pat McCurry.
They ran extremely well, working their way into the Top-30, but would have had
faster times and higher finishes if they did not have to do the extra
work." Tyler Hopper (
FRESHMEN LEAD THE WAY FOR THE
WOMEN: It's been a
great year for the freshman runners on the women's cross country team, as the
top-three finishers on Saturday for the Lady Yotes were rookies - competing in
a collegiate 5,000-meter race for the first time. Out in front was Molli Lee-Painter (
PREVIEWING THE
COURSE: This
Saturday, ACI heads to La Grande,
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more information on the ACI
cross country team, including runner profiles and top times, head to the
official website of the Yotes, www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/xc.htm.
- ACI -