‘Yote Notes – Nov. 22,
2006
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Mike Safford Jr. – Sports
Info. Director
msafford@collegeofidaho.edu
ATHLETIC
NEWS:
TEN YOTES NAMED SCHOLAR-ATHLETES: Ten
Women's Soccer: Laura Fink (
Women's Cross Country: Megan Longo (
Men's Soccer: Stephen Reinschmidt (Mountain Home, biology major, Junior), Rob Erichson (
Men's Cross Country: Jesse Chlebeck (
ORANGE SALES: The ACI baseball team has begun
their annual Orange Sales, to help raise funds for the 2007 season. This
year, the Yotes are selling not only oranges, but grapefruits and apples, just
in time for the holidays. Cost per box is $18.00. For more
information or to purchase a box, contact Shawn Humberger
at 459-5861 or at shumberger@collegeofidaho.edu.
BASEBALL
RECEIVES VOTES IN POLL: The ACI baseball team earned 14 votes in the NAIA Baseball Preseason
Poll, good enough for a No. 34 ranking to begin the 2007 season. The
Coyotes (36-20 last year) are coming off a solid 2006 season in which they
placed second at the NAIA Region I Tournament. ACI return a solid nucleus
of a squad, including All-American shortstop, Casey Oliver, All-American
catcher, Pat Burke, and All-American pitcher, Jason Roach.
SWIMMING IDLE: The Coyote swimmers are idle this
week, preparing for next weekend’s Northwest Invitational, hosted by Pacific
Lutheran.
VOLLEYBALL (33-2): Lady
Yotes repeat as NAIA Regional champs, receive Pool Play assignment at NAIA Nationals
COMING
UP: at NAIA Volleyball National Championships, Columbia, Mo., Nov. 29-Dec.
2 – vs. No. 25 Cedarville (Ohio), 11/29, 1:30 p.m. (CST); vs. No. 17 Lee
(Tenn.), 11/29, 6 p.m. (CST); vs. No. 4
LAST WEEK: hosted NAIA Region I Volleyball
Tournament – vs. Montana Tech (W 3-1), vs. Carroll (W 3-0), vs.
LADY YOTES REPEAT AS REGIONAL
CHAMPS: With four
consecutive victories last week, the ACI volleyball team earned their
second-consecutive NAIA Region I Volleyball Tournament championship. The Lady Yotes knocked off the top-four seeds
in the Frontier Conference during the weekend, improving their record to 33-2
on the season. With the victory come the
spoils – as ACI earned their third NAIA Volleyball National Championships berth
in school history, and the second-straight year that the Yotes have advanced to
nationals.
ABOUT THE NAIA CHAMPIONSHIPS: The event, held this year in
SEEDED SEVENTH, POOL D: Unlike in the past, the Lady Yotes
have been seeded into the tournament, earning the No. 7 seed by the NAIA
Volleyball Coaches Association. ACI was
put into Pool D – joined by No. 4 seeded Cal Baptist, and unseeded Lee (
HISTORY AT NATIONALS: 2006 marks the third time the Lady
Yotes have advanced to the NAIA Championships – making other trips in 2000 and
2005. The 2000 tournament was held in
CHERRINGTON NAMED REGIONAL PLAYER OF
THE YEAR: ACI
setter Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park HS) was
named Sunday the NAIA Region I Player of the Year, after balloting by the
18 regional coaches following this weekend's regional tournament. The senior helped the Coyotes to their
first-ever Cascade Conference regular-season title, and was the catalyst behind
ACI winning back-to-back CCC and NAIA Region I Tournaments. She is just
the second Coyote to earn the honor - as Kristyn
Price won the same award during the 2002 season. Cherrington leads the NAIA in assists per
game average (13.89) this season, while setting the ACI all-time record for
assists in a career (5,091). She is also in the top-five all-time in ACI
digs (1,083) and aces (189), while earning Setter of the Week honors 15 times
in her career, including seven times in 2006.
MENDIOLA COACH OF THE YEAR: Also earning kudos was
Coyote head coach, Liz Mendiola.
The sixth-year skipper was named Regional Coach of the Year after helping ACI break the school record for wins in a
season. Mendiola adds this hardware to her trophy case - as she
was named CCC Coach of the Year in 2003 and 2006.
OTHER REGIONAL AWARD WINNERS: Also earning regional honors were
teammates Katie Hogue (
STREAKS GALORE FOR THE YOTES: Impressive numbers dot the landscape
of the 2006 volleyball season for ACI, as the Lady Yotes have multiple streaks
still alive. ACI has won a school-record
20 matches in a row, have won a school-record 25-consecutive matches at home,
dating back to last season, and has won 45-consecutive matches against teams
not ranked in the national poll (or others’ receiving votes).
NATIONAL RANKING: The Yotes were ranked No. 8 in
the final NAIA volleyball poll of the regular-season, released last week
by the national office in
PREVIOUS RANKINGS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the
Top-25 on 17 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 all 11 rankings this year.
MENDIOLA ADDS
TO HER WINS RECORD:
With the Lady Yotes victory over Cedarville (
HOME SWEET HOME: Under Mendiola, the Lady Yotes are 66-12
in the
BEST SEASON EVER: The 33-2 mark by the Lady Yotes has
shattered all season records. In recent
years, the 1997 and 2005 teams opened the season with 7-3 marks (best ten-game
mark), while the 2005 squad opened with a 12-3 (best 15-game mark), 16-4 (best
20-game mark), 20-5 (best 25-game mark), and 25-5 (best 30-game mark) start to
a season. ACI finished the year a
perfect 18-0 at home (second time the Yotes have gone unbeaten at home) and a
perfect 11-0 on the road this year (not including neutral court matches). The win total has eclipsed the former record
for wins in a season – as the 1981 team, led by ACI Hall of Famer
Lerna Thames and coached by Don Braunecker,
went 30-11.
RECORD BOOK: It has already happened, but it is
inevitable that the ACI record books will continue to be rewritten. Currently, five players are already among the
all-time top-ten. Katie Hogue ranks No. 3
all-time with 391 blocks (five from second-place), No. 6 with 127 aces, and No.
7 with 981 kills (needing 19 kills to become the sixth player to reach the
1,000 kill plateau). Erin Cherrington
holds the all-time record with 5,091 assists, is third with 189 aces, is No. 4
in games played (446), and is No. 5 with 1,083 digs. Also on the list are Tiffany Sower (Eagle, Idaho / Eagle HS, who is fifth all-time with 141 aces, Anne
Parker, who is fifth in blocks with 289 and tenth in kills with 696, and Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS), who is No. 9 in kills with 784.
YOTES STOP MONTANA TECH: Katie Hogue recorded a season-high
19 kills as the Coyotes shook off a rusty Game 2 to top Montana Tech, 30-22,
26-30, 30-24, 30-21 in their regional tournament opener. After winning Game 1, the Yotes sprinted out
to a 12-5 edge in Game 2, only to watch the Orediggers
of Butte, Mont. rally. Four CoreyAnne Russell
kills helped Tech tie the score at 18-18 and the Diggers tallied the final four
points of the game on Kristi Witt's serve - handing ACI their first game loss
on their home court this season. The
Yotes however, controlled the tempo in Games 3 and 4, getting five Katie Zillner
(
BIG WIN OVER CARROLL: Kathryn Ely led the way with 13
kills as the Coyotes defeated
SECOND WIN OVER
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 BASKETBALL (4-0): Yotes
win Golden Rule Shoot-Out for ninth time, take 4-0 record to
COMING
UP: at
LAST
WEEK: hosted 20th Annual Duane Wolfe Memorial Golden Rule Shoot-Out – vs.
RADIO: All regular-season men’s basketball
games will be broadcast live in the
NO INTERNET BROADCAST, LIVE STATS
AVAILABLE: No live
internet broadcasts of the
YOTES TAKE 4-0 RECORD TO
MORE ON THE 4-0 START: ACI is off to their best start in
five seasons, when Mark Owen led his
2001-02 squad to a 5-0 start. Including this year, ten teams since the
1932-33 season have began 4-0, with the 1998-99 and 2001-02 squads going
5-0. The 1991-92 team went 6-0 to start
the season, with the 1958-59 and 1984-85 team – which
Owen was a member of as a player, began 7-0.
The best start by a Coyote team was the 1995-96 NAIA Division II
national championship squad that began the year, 8-0.
ABOUT
REMATCH WITH
AMONG THE NAIA’S BEST: Through the first three weeks of the
NAIA basketball season, the Coyotes are among the nation’s best in multiple
categories. As a team, ACI leads the
NAIA in turnover margin, forcing 17 more turnovers than they commit per
game. The Yotes rank second in the
nation in scoring average (103.5) and steals per game (17.7), while ranking
third for three-pointers made per game (12).
Individually, Ike Stafford (
BIGGEST WIN EVER VS. WILLAMETTE:
Ike Stafford led six Coyotes in double figures with 19, as ACI recorded their
most lopsided victory ever against
POINTS IN THE NEW GYM: The 116 points scored by the Coyotes
on Friday night was the second-highest total ever by an ACI team in the
MOST POINTS IN A GAME: The Yotes have scored 116-or-more
points in a game 14 times in school history – which includes both Friday’s
total and the 129 points scored by the team on Nov. 10 against
Montana-Western. The top scoring games
in school history –
132 – vs.
Warner Pacific (1990-91) 121
– vs. Wassuk (1985-86) 116 – vs.
130 – vs.
Warner Pacific (1990-91) 118
– vs.
129 – vs.
Montana-Western (2006-07) 117 – vs.
125 – vs.
Northwest Nazarene (1984-85) 117 – vs. Carroll (1986-87) 116 – vs.
123 – vs.
Lipscomb (1987-88) 117 – vs. Patten (1995-96)
YOTES UPSET
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Only one Coyote was named to the
All-Tournament team of the Golden Rule Shoot-Out, as Ike Stafford was one of
three unanimous selections. Also
appearing on all ballots were Willamette wing Dan
Nugent and
GOLDEN RULE TITLES: The victory by ACI clinched their
ninth Golden Rule title in the 20-year history of the event. Northwest Nazarene has won five GRSO titles,
while
MORE INFORMATION ON THE COYOTES: For game stories, statistics, and information regarding the ACI men’s basketball program, head to the official site Coyote Basketball: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm.
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (1-3): Lady
Yotes notch first win of season, set to host Best Western Lady Yote Classic
COMING
UP: host Caldwell Best Western Inn and Suites Lady Yote Classic – Friday,
Eastern Oregon vs. Willamette, 5 p.m., ACI vs. Westminster, 7 p.m.; Saturday,
Eastern Oregon vs. Westminster, 3 p.m., ACI vs. Willamette, 5 p.m.
LAST
WEEK: vs.
YOTES
SET TO HOST TOURNAMENT: The five-game homestand
for the ACI women’s basketball team continues during Thanksgiving Weekend, as
the Lady Yotes host the Caldwell Best Western Inn and Suites Lady Yote
Classic. Game times for the tournament
are a bit different than normal – games at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Friday and 3
p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
HISTORY
OF THE LADY YOTE CLASSIC: 2006 marks the eighth-year that the Lady Yote
Classic has occurred at ACI, and it is the fourth year that the Caldwell Best
Western Inn and Suites has been the title sponsor. The tourney began in 1996 and 1997 as the
Ste. Chapelle Lady Yote Classic, then
reappeared in 2000 as the Lady Yote Holiday Classic. The 2001 tourney was the Best Inn Lady Yote
Classic, while the 2002, along with the 2004 and 2005 tourneys were sponsored
by the Best Western.
TOURNAMENT
CHAMPIONS: The Lady Yotes have an all-time record of 12-2 in
their own tournament and have claimed five tournament titles.
1996 – Montana-Western 2001 – Albertson and
1997 – Albertson 2002 – George Fox
2000 – Albertson 2004 – Albertson
2005 – Albertson and
ABOUT
ABOUT
WILLAMETTE: Longtime Northwest Conference foe,
ACI AND
THE NORTHWEST CONFERENCE: Although ACI was a charter member of the
Northwest Conference and participated as a league member from 1926-1977,
women’s athletics were not sanctioned league sports during that time. In fact, the Lady Yotes have faced six of the
nine members of the league prior to this weekend. ACI has a combined record of 14-3 against NWC
teams (George Fox, Lewis & Clark, Linfield,
Pacific Lutheran, Whitworth, Whitman) since women’s hoop began in 1995, while
they have not met Puget Sound, Pacific, or Willamette. On the flip side, the ACI men’s basketball
team has played 670 games against NWC competition, dating back to the 1932-33
season.
ABOUT
EASTERN OREGON: The fourth team in the Lady Yote Classic (and the
team ACI will not face) is
LADY YOTES TOP GREAT FALLS: A 17-3 run to close the first half
gave the Lady Yotes all the breathing room they needed, as ACI picked up their
first win of the season, a 79-50 victory over the University of Great Falls in
the J.A. Albertson Activities Center on Saturday afternoon. After the Lady Argos cut an early ACI margin
to 30-23, the Coyotes forced ten of UGF's 41
turnovers over the five minute stretch to blow the game open at the
break. The Yotes would lead by as many as 43 points in the game. Whitney
Clark (
BALANCED ATTACK: With the Lady Yotes high-octane
attack, it has led Reagan Rossi to
go deeper into her bench that she has had to during her six-year stint as head
coach. In fact, 11 players are averaging
six or more minutes per game, nine players are averaging more than 11 minutes a
game, while no player is seeing the court for more than 27 minutes a contest. This has led to a balanced scoring attack –
with six different players averaging eight or more points per game – led by
post Denise Hill (Eugene, Ore. / Boise State U.) and
guard Whitney Clark, who each average 12 a night.
AMONG
THE LEAGUE LEADERS: As a team, the Lady Yotes lead the CCC in steals per
game (19.5), turnover margin (+6.5), and turnovers forced per game (30.8). ACI ranks No. 2 in the NAIA in the steals per
game category and No. 9 in the NAIA in the turnover margin column.
SUCCESS
IN THE
FOR MORE
INFORMATION: For
up-to-date statistics, stories, and information about the ACI women’s
basketball team, head to the official website for the Lady Yotes – www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm.