Yote Notes – November 5, 2001
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DEPARTMENT NEWS:
Fall Sports Honors: All-Conference teams for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and volleyball will be announced on Tuesday, November 6.
Alums earn high honors: Former men’s soccer and men’s basketball star Dan Bruce and women’s basketball standout Alyson Pincock were named Cascade Conference male and female Athlete of the Year for the 2000-01 season at the CCC Fall Meeting in Portland. Bruce was an Academic All-American in both sports, along with earning CCC Player-of-the-Year honors in soccer, while Pincock earned Academic All-America, First-team All-America, and CCC Player-of-the-Year honors. Albertson men’s soccer coach John Calpin earned men’s soccer Coach-of-the-Year honors, as did Marty Holly for his duties as athletic director.
Canyon County Showdown tickets to go on sale: Beginning Tuesday, fans can purchase tickets for the Nov. 24 men’s basketball contest at the Idaho Center against Northwest Nazarene. All seats are general admission (except $20.00 Coaches’ Row seats) and cost $7.00 for adults, $4.00 for seniors, and $2.00 for students). Tickets can be purchased in the Albertson sports information office or at the Idaho Center Box Office.
Men’s Soccer: 16-4
Last Week: Lost 1-0 to Cascade in conference playoffs
Up Next: NAIA Region I Tournament in Portland, Ore. – vs. Westminster (Utah), Friday, 2 p.m.; (with win) vs. winner of Concordia-Seattle, Saturday, time TBA
WIN STREAK STOPPED BY CASCADE: In September, Cascade College stunned Albertson fans by defeating the ‘Yotes, 3-2 in overtime. Until last week, that was the last time Albertson had dropped a match. Chris Langford scored a goal early in the second half and despite a flurry of shots by the ‘Yotes, it stood up, as the Thunderbirds advanced with a 1-0 win. The loss halted an Albertson 11-game winning streak.
ONLY HAVE TO WIN TWO: The 2001 team has won 16 games this season, but now needs a two-game win streak to clinch a berth to the NAIA National Championships for the second consecutive year. At regionals, the ‘Yotes will meet Westminster of Utah in one semifinal, with Concordia (the CCC Tournament champion) meeting Seattle University. Albertson dropped a 3-1 decision to the Griffins back on September 14, but Westminster has been idle for the past three weeks. The Coyotes defeated Simon Fraser, 3-1, in last year’s championship game to advance to nationals.
NATIONAL RANKINGS: Finally, some respect has come back to Albertson. After being shunned by the national pollsters for the entire season, the ‘Yotes broke into the NAIA Top-25 during the final rating last week, earning the No. 23 spot in the poll. This is only the second time in school history that the ‘Yotes have been ranked.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/menssoccer.htm
VOLLEYBALL: 16-10
Last Week: (Lost five-game match at Northwest Nazarene, won three-game match vs. Warner Pacific)
Up Next: At Cascade Conference tournament – vs. Eastern Oregon, Friday, time TBA; (with win) vs. Southern Oregon, Saturday, TBA
‘YOTES SPLIT FINAL TWO REGULAR SEASON GAMES: Albertson dropped a tough five-game affair with rival Northwest Nazarene on Tuesday, then ended the regular-season with a three-game sweep of Warner Pacific, earning the No. 3 spot in the conference tournament. Junior Kristyn Price had an outstanding week, recording 38 kills, 19 in each match.
FINAL HOME GAME FOR SENIORS: Friday’s match against WPC was the last home match for a trio of seniors. Brecia Gamett, Carly Merkel, and Ellie Taggart have given their heart and soul to the ‘Yotes over their tenure at Albertson, on and off the court. Congratulations on a fine career and a successful future.
THE CONFERENCE TOURNEY: Albertson meets Eastern Oregon in one quarterfinal, with Western Baptist meeting Oregon Tech. The winner of the ACI-EOU match will face Southern Oregon in the semis, with the WBC-OIT winner meeting Concordia. The participants in the championship game receive an automatic berth to regionals, with the winner of the third-place game having an outside chance at an at-large berth to regionals.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/vball.htm
Last Week: 2-0 (defeated Robert Morris 85-80, defeated Great Falls 81-70 at NAIA Las Vegas Invitational)
This Week: at Westminster Tournament – Thursday vs. Montana-Western, 4 p.m.; Friday vs. Westminster, 6 p.m.; Saturday vs. Carroll, 6 p.m. – all games broadcast on 1490 KCID-AM
MEN OPEN SEASON WITH A PAIR OF VICTORIES: Head coach Mark Owen was pleased with the play of the ‘Yotes as Albertson opened the 2001-02 basketball season with a pair of victories at the Las Vegas Invitational. Against No. 24 Robert Morris, Albertson jumped out to a 30-17 lead, keyed by the shooting of senior Kris Cox. Cox hit all seven of his shots from the floor, including four three-pointers, as part of a 22 point night. The ‘Yotes led 79-65 with seven minutes left, but let the Eagles rally, but it wasn’t enough. Transfer Eric Hare had a big night in his Coyote debut, scoring 26 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. The following night, Albertson’s legs faltered a bit, but the outcome was the game against Great Falls. The Argos saw only two leads in the game, the final one coming with the score at 16-14. Ty Shaw led the ‘Yotes with 27 points and seven boards, with Neal Robertson adding 23 points, as Albertson was one of three teams in the tourney to finish at 2-0.
THE ROAD GETS HARDER: As part of a six-game road swing to open the season, Albertson heads to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Westminster Tournament against a trio of NAIA Division I teams. Prior to their first home tilt on Nov. 16, the ‘Yotes will travel to Boise State and meet the Broncos on Nov. 13.
HIGH RANKINGS: Albertson was ranked No. 8 in the preseason NAIA Division II poll. Oregon Tech (No. 4) and Western Baptist (No. 22) were the other Cascade Conference teams in the initial posting.
ON THE AIR: All Albertson men’s basketball games will be broadcast live on KCID-AM, 1490 on the dial. Mike Safford Jr. will call the action, beginning with a pregame show 15-minutes prior to tip-off.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/mensbasketball.htm
Up Next: Season Opener vs. Carroll, Friday, 7 p.m. – Albertson Activities Center
NO. 24 ‘YOTES TO OPEN FRIDAY: The 2001-02 version of the Lady ‘Yotes open the season at home with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Carroll College of Montana Friday night. Albertson was one of three Region I teams that earned a preseason national ranking in the initial NAIA Division II poll – Concordia (No. 20) and Northwest Nazarene (No. 22) were the others.
ABOUT THE LADY ‘YOTES: From the opening tip against Carroll on Friday, fans in the Activities Center will notice major changes in the Albertson College women’s basketball program. Gone is Todd Corman as head coach, enter Reagan Rossi. Gone is two-time Cascade Conference MVP Alyson Pincock – gone is All-CCC members Cecilie Bates and Linsi Sloan – but what remains is the fact that the Lady ‘Yotes are still the defending CCC regular-season champions and are the team to beat. Rossi, a former Albertson assistant when the women’s program was resurrected in 1995, has a tough chore in front of her. After Corman resigned earlier in the year to take an assistant coaching job at Oregon State, the Wisconsin native had to quickly go on the recruiting trail, needing to replace four starters from last season’s 26-8 team that advanced to the NAIA Division II championship game. Without Pincock, who left Albertson with six single-game, nine single-season, and six career school records – the Lady ‘Yotes lose a proven leader and go-to player. Without Bates, who averaged 14 points a game in her career, and Sloan, who played in more games (132) than any other women’s basketball player in school history, the phrase “rebuilding year” has come up in talk regarding the 2001-02 season. “This season will be a challenge for the players and staff,” said Rossi. We are putting in a new system that requires the ladies to learn and make adjustments from what they are accustomed to.” One thing Albertson does not have to change is at a guard position, as three-year starter Jeannie Thompson returns. The Albertson all-time leader in assists averaged nearly five dishes a game last year, and should break the school record for games started in a career by midseason. “Jeannie has shown leadership and maturity with a young, inexperienced team,” the rookie head coach said. “Her role has changed this year (moving from point to off guard), and I think she welcomes the challenge of expanding her game and making her team better.” The Lady ‘Yotes also return Heidi Goicoechea to the line-up in the backcourt, who will move into the starting line-up this season. As a freshman, the Burley, Idaho native averaged over seven points a game, including a 20 point outburst against Maine-Machias. Goicoechea has the knack to hit the outside shot – she canned 43 treys last season, making .367 percent of her three-pointers, leading the team. Reserves Carley Williams and Tia Sinclair will also see more time at the guard positions this season, along with point-guard Krystal Thacker from Ricks Community College. As freshmen, Williams and Sinclair combined to see action in just 20 games – but with the youth of this team, that game action at this level will pay dividends. With the loss of Pincock, Sloan, and Melissa Jensen in the paint, a question will be Albertson’s effectiveness inside. The Lady ‘Yotes return a pair of letterwinners in Megan Henrichs and Janelle Marchiano, who each have national tournament experience. Henrichs saw action in 25 games as a sophomore, averaging three points and three boards a night, while Marchiano, who has been battling the injury bug for the last two seasons, averaged 2.5 points and 2.4 rebounds in 26 games last season. The key will be the development of transfer Kristen Bailey, who led the Scenic West Conference in blocked shots last year at Snow Community College. The 6-4 Bailey gives Albertson much needed size in the post, however, the question mark is her transition from the junior college ranks to the tough Cascade Conference. “Kristen and Jan both have unique opportunities in which to be a major force in the conference. Kristen will also be challenged with a change of roles – we have asked he to have a scorers mentality, instead of being used primarily as a rebounder and screener,” said Rossi. A pair of new players round out the roster and should get playing time this season. Heather Olson will see time at a guard position, with another frosh, Andra Peterson providing minutes at forward. The 2001-02 schedule is once again a difficult one for the Lady ‘Yotes. The team will travel to California for tournaments on two occasions, along with squaring off with Southern Utah and the University of Utah, both NCAA Division I programs. Cascade Conference play begins the first week of January and should prove to be interesting. Cascade, Concordia, Evergreen, Southern Oregon, Warner Pacific, along with Albertson each have new head coaches – which definitely adds to the uncertainty of who will emerge from the pack. Western Baptist, which upset the Lady ‘Yotes in the conference tourney last year en route to their first-ever national tournament appearance, returns four starters, as does Concordia. It is safe to say that game in and game out, the parity among the nine teams in the conference is as good as it has ever been. “With so many new coaches around the conference, there is no clear favorite going into the season,” said Rossi. What will happen this year? Will there be a third consecutive trip to Sioux City, Iowa for the Albertson women’s basketball program? One thing is for sure, it will be a fun and exciting ride during the 2001-02 season for the Lady ‘Yotes – remember, anything can happen.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.collegeofidaho.edu/athlete/wmensbasketball.htm