‘Yote Notes – Aug. 30, 2006

Mike Safford Jr. – Sports Info. Director

msafford@collegeofidaho.edu

ATHLETIC NEWS: Baseball off to Canada, Cross Country barbeque, new website unveiled

CALDWELL COYOTES SET FOR GRAND FORKS INTERNATIONAL: Many current and former members of the ACI baseball team will compete for the Caldwell Coyotes at next week’s Grand Forks International, one of the premier wood bat baseball tournaments in North America. A total of 12 teams will compete in the event, including two teams consisting of primarily Lewis-Clark State players, along with a squad of primarily University of British Columbia members – all rivals of ACI. The squad will play three games – Wednesday vs. the Trail (B.C.) Orioles, Friday vs. the San Diego Stars, and Saturday vs. the Los Angeles Terror, with the top-eight teams in pool play qualifying for a single-elimination bracket. Complete coverage of the tournament can be found at www.grandforksbaseball.com.

CROSS COUNTRY TO HOST RACE/DINNER: The ACI cross country program will host the 1st Annual Purple & White Race and Barbeque on Wednesday, August 30, on the ACI campus (near the Village Apartments). Both the men’s and women’s teams will race alumni teams over a 3,000-meter course, beginning at 6:15 p.m., with a barbeque to follow (cost $5.00). For more information, contact head coach Pat McCurry at 459-5085.

WEBSITE UNVEILED: Look for major changes to the ACI athletic website as the school has completed an overhaul of www.collegeofidaho.edu, including the athletics portal.

VOLLEYBALL (3-1): Lady Yotes take third in Tourney of Champions, open home CCC schedule on Friday night

COMING UP: vs. Concordia, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Corban, Saturday, 7 p.m.

LAST WEEK: at Holiday Inn Express NAIA Tournament of Champions, Salt Lake City – vs. No. 25 Westminster (W 3-1), vs. Adams State (W 3-1), vs. No. 4 National American (L 3-0), vs. Dixie State (W 3-0).

COYOTES TAKE THIRD AT SALT LAKE TOURNEY: The Albertson College of Idaho volleyball team had a successful opening weekend – winning three of four matches at the difficult Holiday Inn Express NAIA Tournament of Champions in Salt Lake City. The Coyotes opened with back-to-back four-game wins over Westminster and Adams State, dropped their final pool-play game to No. 4 ranked National American, but bounced back to stop Dixie State in three games to take the third-place trophy.

GAME-BY-GAME RECAP: Game 1 - ACI 3, No. 25 Westminster 1 (26-30, 30-24, 30-22, 30-17): The No. 16 ranked Coyotes rallied from a Game 1 loss to top the No. 25 ranked Griffins in a battle between the two top teams in the NAIA Region I. Junior Katie Hogue (Sparks, Nev. / Reed HS) had a game-high 16 kills for the Yotes, while junior transfer Catherine Everist (Portland, Ore. / Chicago State U.) recorded 37 digs - the third-highest total in school history. Freshman Sarah Buhler (Middleton, Idaho / Middleton HS) had 13 kills, with fellow freshman Kristen Henning (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) adding eight kills and four blocks. ACI improves to 13-0 all-time vs. Westminster. Game 2 - ACI 3, Adams State 1 (30-24, 28-30, 30-15, 30-20): The Coyotes used 14 team blocks to defeat the NCAA Division II Grizzlies. Sophomore Kathryn Ely (La Grande, Ore. / La Grande HS) had 15 kills, while Hogue chipped in with 12 kills, 11 digs, and six blocks, and Henning added 11 kills and six blocks. Everist led the way with 17 digs, while setter Erin Cherrington (Granby, Colo. / Middle Park HS) recorded 50 assists and 13 digs. Game 3 - No. 4 National American 3, ACI 0 (30-23, 30-20, 30-17): Led by the one-two punch of All-Americans Daniela Oliveiria and Leslie DaSilva, the Mavericks of Rapid City (S.D.) handed the Yotes their first loss of the year. Oliveiria had 21 kills and 11 digs, with DaSilva adding 14 kills, 11 digs, and six blocks in the win. Ely led ACI with six kills, as the Coyotes swung at a .020 clip. Game 4 - ACI 3, Dixie State (Utah) 0 (30-26, 30-21, 32-30): Ely had 12 kills and Hogue added 11, as the Yotes took the third-place trophy against the first-year NCAA Division II Rebels. Everist added 20 digs in the win.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS: National American took home the tournament title with a four-game victory over No. 1 ranked Cal Baptist. Westminster ended up taking home the fifth-place trophy with a win over Great Falls, while Olivet Nazarene took home seventh-place, outlasting Adams State.

Pool A Pool B

#4 National American 4-0 #1 Cal Baptist 3-1

#16 ACI 3-1 Dixie State 2-2

#25 Westminster 2-2 Great Falls 1-3

Adams State 0-4 #17 Olivet Nazarene 1-3

NOTES FROM THE COACH: “I was really impressed with the way we played this weekend,” said head coach Liz Mendiola. “We made some good adjustments in the Westminster match that helped us defeat a really good squad, and it carried over against Adams State. National American is an extremely talented team – but we battled back to defeat Dixie. Our block for the most part was solid and I felt that our defense at times was tremendous. It’s still early and we need to improve week in and week out.”

CONFERENCE PLAY STARTS EARLY: Starting Friday night, all ten teams in the Cascade Conference will open up the 18-game league schedule – the earliest start in loop history. ACI opens with a home date with Concordia, picked to finish fourth in the preseason coaches poll. The Cavaliers (0-2) opened the season with a pair of three-game home losses to Point Loma Nazarene and Humboldt State, along with a three-game exhibition loss to the University of Portland. Leading the way early for Christopher Duenow’s club is Erin Murphy (24 kills), along with setter Andrea Brandt (45 assists), and defensive specialist Rachel Cotter (21 digs). ACI took both matches from CU last year and holds a 27-20 all-time series edge, dating back to 1982. Saturday, Corban heads to town after spending their opening weekend in Lewiston at the NAIA Region I Challenge. The Warriors (1-3) opened up the tournament with a victory over MSU-Northern, but lost matches along the way to Carroll, Lewis-Clark State, and Rocky Mountain. Despite Hallie Hofferd racking up 40 kills in the four matches, Corban managed to swing at just a .073 clip. Their bright spot is defense, where All-CCC libero Becky Horn, who registered 113 digs at L-C, including a school-record 49 digs against the hosts. ACI swept both meetings with Corban last year, and holds a 19-10 all-time series edge.

LOOKING AHEAD: ACI will play back-to-back games each of the next two weekends – a road trip to Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech, and a home twinbill against Warner Pacific and Cascade. Following a midweek game against Eastern Oregon, the Yotes will head east for just the second time in school history (the first was to Florida for the 2000 NAIA Championships) – going to Fort Wayne, Indiana for the Best of the Best Challenge, hosted by St. Francis University.

NATIONAL RANKING: The Albertson College of Idaho volleyball team was ranked No. 16 in the 2006 NAIA preseason poll, released August 16 by the national office in Olathe, Kan. It marks just the second time in program history that the Lady Yotes have been in the NAIA preseason poll. The 2001 squad set the benchmark, beginning the year at No. 15 - the highest ranking achieved by an ACI volleyball team. Last season, the Coyotes won the Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I tournaments, followed up by a 2-2 mark at the NAIA Championships, finishing in a tie for ninth. The 27-7 team last season, which was ranked No. 24 in the final NAIA poll, along with a preseason No. 1 ranking in this year's CCC coaches' poll, helped ACI out in the latest ranking. National American (S.D.), Westminster (Utah), Southern Oregon, and Lindenwood (Mo.) were among the ACI opponents this season in the Top-25 and others receiving votes. Six others - No. 1 California Baptist, No. 3 Columbia (Mo.), Savannah A&D (Ga.), Cedarville (Ohio), Olivet Nazarene (Ill.), Cornerstone (Mich.), and Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) are among ranked teams the Coyotes may face in their two preseason tournaments.

PREVIOUS RANKINGS: The Coyotes have been ranked in the Top-25 on four occasions in program history – the preseason and first poll of the 2001 season, the final poll during the 2005 season, and this week’s ranking.

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 (0-0-1): Tough three-game set in Salt Lake after season-opening draw at Whitman

COMING UP: at Westminster Invitational, Salt Lake City, Utah – vs. Westminster, Thursday, 4 p.m.; vs. Fresno Pacific, Friday, 2 p.m.; vs. Morningside, Saturday, 12:30 p.m.

LAST WEEK: at Whitman (T 0-0), scrimmage at Walla Walla CC (T 1-1)

SEASON SOCCER TICKETS: For the first time ever, a season ticket for Albertson College of Idaho men’s and women’s soccer will be available. For $20 per person, a fan can attend all seven men’s home games, along with all seven women’s home games – at a savings of $50. Admission prices for home soccer games are $5 for adults and $2 for students. For more information, contact Mike Safford at 459-5681.

SCORELESS DRAW AT WHITMAN: Despite holding a 23-11 edge in the shots column, the ACI men's soccer team could not find the net, as the Coyotes opened the 2006 regular-season with a 0-0 draw at Whitman College on Friday night. Playing a Missionaries squad that just completed a two-week, five-game trek of England, fatigue was a possible factor - but didn't come into play. "We were very fit and had chances late in the game - I am proud of the guys," said head coach Brian Smith. Whitman keeper Brett Axelrod made eight saves under the lights to keep ACI off the board.

NOTES FROM THE CHIEF: "I was very pleased with the effort, we were very unlucky," said Smith following the game. "We hit the crossbar on four occasions and missed some one-on-one opportunities. I was really happy with the play of transfer Cameron Johnson (Boise, Idaho / Treasure Valley CC), thought both Mauricio Both (Cachoeira do Sul, Brazil / Nampa HS) and Kazuki Murata (Tokyo, Japan, Ichituru HS) did good things in the offensive end, and Rob Erichson (Boise, Idaho / Walla Walla CC) was outstanding in goal."

SECOND SCRIMMAGE ENDS IN DRAW: The Coyotes concluded the weekend with a 90-minute scrimmage at Walla Walla Community College, with the two teams deadlocked 1-1 in the non-counter. Brandon Koomler (Boise, Idaho / Bishop Kelly HS) netted the Yotes lone goal, as Smith was able to allow every player on the trip an opportunity to see game action.

INJURY REPORT: The Yotes played the Whitman game without the services of senior All-Conference players Tyler Seaman (Boise, Idaho / Centennial HS) and Scott Fuller (Boise, Idaho / Cal State-Fullerton). Seaman, who is recovering from season-ending knee surgery in 2004, has struggled with a nagging hamstring injury, while Fuller tweaked an ankle during the first week of practice. Seaman did see limited action in Saturday’s scrimmage with Walla Walla CC, while Fuller is expected to make his 2006 debut this weekend at the Westminster Invitational.

HISTORY AT THE WESTMINSTER INVITE: This will be the 11th consecutive season that ACI has played in the Salt Lake Tournament. The ‘Yotes are 11-17 all-time during the Invite, having won the 2004 title, but going 0-2 at the tournament last season. This season, the tournament moves from the West Jordan Soccer Complex to Dumke Field, a field turf facility on the Westminster College campus in the Sugar House section of Salt Lake City.

ABOUT WESTMINSTER: The Griffins (2-0) are hosting their second-consecutive tournament, a week after sweeping Dana (Neb.) and Mary (N.D.) by identical 2-1 margins. Longtime head coach Chris Dorich has multiple options – as his roster is 37 players strong. Last season, Westminster handed ACI a 3-0 loss, allowing the NAIA independent to take a 12-11-2 all-time series edge over the Coyotes.

ABOUT FRESNO PACIFIC: The Sunbirds (1-0) head to Utah after splitting a pair of games to open up the 2006 season – defeating Cal State-Stanislaus 1-0 in a counter, and dropping a 4-1 decision to Cal State-Bakersfield in an exhibition. FPU is led by NAIA All-American Amaury Nunes, who led the team with 17 goals last season, helping the Sunbirds to a second-place finish in the Golden State Athletic Conference – along with a preseason No. 30 ranking in the NAIA poll. It is the first meeting all-time between the teams, however, the Yotes are 5-9-1 all-time against teams from California.

ABOUT MORNINGSIDE: ACI will round out the tournament with a rare game against a squad from east of the Rocky Mountains, meeting Morningside College, an NAIA school from Sioux City, Iowa. The Mustangs (0-0 in 2006, 11-9 last season) return four starters from last season, when they finished second in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. They look to All-American Brandon Wylie (4 goals, 7 assists) for production. It is the first meeting between the teams and just the 12th match all-time against a team from east of the Continental Divide (7-4 record in previous matches).

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 (1-0): Lady Yotes score upset win at Whitman, set for Les Schwab Invitational in Nampa

COMING UP: at Les Schwab Invitational, Nampa – vs. Northwest Nazarene, Thursday, 4 p.m.; vs. Eastern Oregon, Friday, 1 p.m.

LAST WEEK: at Whitman (W 3-1), scrimmage at Walla Walla CC (L 4-0)

COYOTES STUN WHITMAN IN OPENER: Niki Taylor made the most of her debut as ACI head women's soccer coach, as her Lady Yotes upset Whitman College, 3-1, in Walla Walla. The Coyotes jumped on the board in the 20th minute, as Allie Dufault (Irvine, Calif. / University HS) converted a Leah Roach (Boise, Idaho / Timberline HS) pass into the back of the net for the early lead. ACI would make it 2-0 ten minutes into the second half, as Katie Ball (Boise, Idaho / Boise HS) took a Dufault pass, made a move, and blasted the ball past keeper Courtney Porter. Whitman, picked to finish fourth in the NCAA Division III Northwest Conference preseason poll, broke up the shutout bid in the 75th minute on a Betsy Neel goal, but the Yotes quickly answered, as freshman Mandy Greif (Payette, Idaho / Payette HS) collected a goal kick from Sadie Hughes (Courtenay, B.C. / G.P Vanier SS) and scored. The Missionaries held a 20-13 shot advantage, but managed just five shots on goal. The hosts also held a commanding 9-1 edge in corner kicks.

MORE ON THE UPSET: It was the ninth meeting between the two teams, with Whitman winning six of the previous battles, along with two draws. It was a far cry from the last meeting of the teams, which the Missionaries defeated ACI, 8-0, during the 2004 season.

WORDS FROM THE COACH: “We put it all together tonight and looked like a true soccer team,” said Taylor after the win. The ladies were organized throughout and I felt our distribution of the ball was outstanding – especially playing against a team that had three All-Region selections and picked to be in the upper half of their conference.”

COYOTES LOSE SCRIMMAGE WITH WALLA WALLA: Just 13 hours after walking off the pitch with Whitman, the Lady Yotes squared off with Walla Walla Community College in a 90-minute scrimmage, with the JC’s taking a 4-0 decision in the non-counter. Most of the Yotes starters did not see action during the scrimmage, as every available player on the roster saw action in the final scrimmage of the season.

OFF TO NAMPA FOR CANYON COUNTY CLASH: Since their move to the NCAA Division II, longtime rival Northwest Nazarene and ACI meet only once a year in women’s soccer, and it has traditionally been at the Les Schwab Invitational in Nampa. The Crusaders (2-1) have opened up the new season by playing three of the Yotes Cascade Conference rivals, with varying success. NNU opened with a convincing 5-2 win over Oregon Tech, dropped a tight 2-1 decision to Corban, then shutout Warner Pacific, 4-0. Led by striker Katy McNutt’s four goals, Jaime Lindvall’s club is already halfway to last year’s win total.

LAST YEAR, A COYOTE UPSET: Erin Quinn flicked home a loose ball in the 88th minute, as the ACI women's soccer team opened last season with a 3-2 upset win over NNU. Tied 2-2 late in the game, a cross across the goal was misplayed by NNU keeper Amanda Merrlee, with Quinn finding the open net for the game winner. It was the ‘Yotes first win vs. NNU since a 4-3 win over the Crusaders in Caldwell on Oct. 1, 2003. The victory was the first for Albertson in Nampa since September 26, 1997 - a 1-0 win over the Crusaders. Thursday’s meeting will be the 20th all-time meeting, with NNU holding a 12-7 advantage.

FIRST I-84 CUP CLASH: The Lady Yotes round out their week with a friendly with Eastern Oregon, their I-84 rival. The Mountaineers (0-0 in 2006, 5-10-2 last year) will be opening the season against ACI, but have split a pair of scrimmages, losing to Walla Walla CC, 4-2, and defeating Treasure Valley CC, 6-0. Eastern has their biggest squad in school history and led by All-Conference midfielder, Kristen Rice. The Yotes took 2-of-3 meetings with EOU last season and holds a 12-4-1 all-time series edge. The two teams will round out the regular-season with a match-up in La Grande on October 18.