November 2008 Archives
Williams led this year's Broncos to the 2008 NCAA West Region championship match Saturday, where CPP lost to No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino. The Broncos were 20-8 this season and ranked in the Bison/AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll all 12 weeks of regular-season play. They tied for second place in the CCAA with a 15-5 record.
The 6-foot-1 Williams led the Broncos in several categories this season including kills (292), hitting percentage (.304), solo blocks (15) and block assists (133). In the most recent NCAA rankings, she was third in blocks/game and ranked first in blocks/game and fifth in hitting percentage in the CCAA. She was named first-team All-CCAA for the second straight year and earned West Region All-Tournament honors.
She also was a two-time CCAA Player of the Week honoree.
By virtue of her first-team status, Williams now moves on to the national All-America ballot. Voting is coordinated by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The All-American team will be announced Dec. 4.
Cal State San Bernardino's Jessica Granados has been voted the Daktronics/NCAA Division II West Region player of the year for the second straight year it was announced Monday.
Granados, the two-time California Collegiate Athletic Association player of the year, received the most votes in player of year balloting by sports information directors of the region's universities and colleges.
The 6-1 right-side hitter from Beaumont (Beaumont HS) is averaging 4.22 kills per set with a total of 392 kills in 93 sets covering 31 matches as the Coyotes prepare to compete in the NCAA National Championship Tournament on Dec. 4-6 at Concordia-St. Paul,
Also voted to the first team were teammates Sara Hoffman, a junior setter from
Granados is hitting .317 for the season with 29 service aces and 1.88 digs per set and 59 blocks. Her kills per set ratio ranks her No. 9 in the nation in that category.
This is her third straight year as a member of the Daktronics all-region first team.
She was a first-team All-American in 2007 as well as first-team American Volleyball Coaches Association all-region first team.
Granados was among four Coyotes voted to the West Regional all-tournament team following Saturday's 3-0 win over Cal Poly Pomona in the title match.
She currently ranks No. 4 on the CSUSB career kills list with 1,255.
Hoffman ranks No. 7 in the nation in assists per set at 11.52. She has 1,094 for the season and her 2,901 career assists is No. 4 on the Coyotes' career list. Hoffman was an all-CCAA first team selection this season and a Daktronics all-West Region first team pick in 2008 amd 2007
Haas has covered the back line like a blanket this season, averaging 4.62 digs per match and a total of 462 for the season in 31 matches. She also has produced a team-high 34 service aces. She was named to the all-CCAA first team and the West Regional all-tournament team in 2008 and the Daktronics all-region second team in 2006.
The 6-foot senior has 1,509 career digs, No. 2 on the CSUSB career list. She needs 35 digs in the national championship tournament to surpass Kim Ford (2000-03) as the all-time Coyotes digs leader.
Rice is among the national leaders in hitting percentage at .414, averaging 2.37 kills and 0.71 blocks per game with 66 blocks to her credit. She has been an all-CCAA first team pick the past two seasons. She was a CCAA player of the week and was named to the West Regional all-tournament team this past weekend.
The 6-foot former
The Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team had been hoping to take a shot at a national title on its home floor but the No. 2 Coyotes will be hitting the road after all.
The privilege of hosting the Elite Eight Dec. 4-6 was awarded to Central Region champion Concordia-St. Paul, the defending national champion and current No. 1 according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Cal State submitted a bid to host and athletic director Kevin Hatcher thought his team had a good shot at getting the nod but took the news in stride.
"We would be disappointed if we were No. 1 and didn't get the bid. That's the only way to look at it," he said. "We just have to make sure and bring our winter clothes."
The NCAA likes to move the event to a different region each year. The Coyotes hosted in 2003. Sites since then include Barry University in Miami (2004), Nebraska-Kearney (2005), West Florida (2006) and Washburn University in Kansas (2007).
"From a cost standpoint its easier if they have it somewhere more in the middle," Coyotes coach Kim Cherniss said. "We're on one extreme so that probably works against is. I'm sure the Eastern schools feel the same way."
The Coyotes (28-3) polished off local rival Cal Poly Pomona 3-0 Saturday night in the West Region title match to earn a spot in the national quarterfinal for the third time in the last seven years.
In 2003 the Coyotes lost the semifinal to Concordia-St. Paul. A year later they were eliminated in the quarterfinal by Nebraska-Kearney.
The eight-team draw was also finalized. The Coyotes quarterfinal foe will be Atlantic Region champion California University of Pennsylvania (40-1). The No. 17 Vulcans will also be playing in the Elite Eight for the third time. They lost the quarterfinal to Concordia last season.
The Atlantic Region typically has not been one of the most competitive but Cherniss isn't taking its representative lightly.
"The word is champion. They're a champion," she said. "Anyone that wins a championship is playing their best volleyball at this time of the season. You have to respect that."
Other quarterfinals will pit No. 8 Truman (32-7) against unranked Nova Southeastern (24-1), No. 3 Grand Valley State (32-3) against unranked Armstrong Atlantic (26-8) and unranked New Haven (31-3) against host Concordia-St. Paul (34-1).
If the Coyotes were to win their quarterfinal they would meet the Truman-Nova winner in the semifinal.
Concordia is the only team in the field the Coyotes have played this season and it was Cal State handing the Bears a 3-0 loss in the season opener for both teams. But that match was played at Coussoulis Arena where Cal State went 17-0.
The Coyotes were 4-0 on a neutral court and wouldn't see Concordia unless both teams advanced to the championship match.
Cherniss said having to make a road trip won't change the way her team practices, just the schedule. The Coyotes 20-member traveling party will leave on Tuesday.
"There is still game maintanance things we want to work on so we can keep playing at the level we have been playing at. I have been very pleased with the way the girls have worked and gone about their business."
volleyball team take care of business - it did so quickly.
The Coyotes opened play in the Division II West Regional at
Coussoulis Arena with an impressive 3-0 (25-14, 25-15, 25-12)
thumping of Pacific West Conference champion Brigham Young-Hawaii
Thursday night. The match took a little more than an hour.
The win sends the Coyotes (26-3) into tonight's 7:30 semifinal
against Chico State (21-10), a 3-0 winner over Sonoma State. The 5
p.m. semifinal will pit Cal Poly Pomona against Cal State Los Angeles.
The Coyotes hit .506 for the match which could have been higher had
coach Kim Cherniss not used primarily reserves in the second half of
the third game. Cal State hit .625 in the opening game and was at
.600 in the through two games.
Perhaps the highest praise came from Seasiders coach Wilfred Navatla.
``I don't know if we had played our best volleyball if we would have
beaten them,'' he said. ``They do everything well. Our strength is
our serving and our backcourt defense but that really didn't show
because of how well they played.''
Setter Sara Hoffman spread the wealth around. Sara Rice had a
team-high 12 kills, one more than Jessica Granados. Jane Chafeh had
nine with no hitting errors for a .750 percentage.
The Coyotes aren't worried that having such an easy match will take
an edge off their game heading into what will likely be tougher
matches.
``We're pushing ourselves to get better,'' Rice said. ``That's
getting us ready. We're worried about doing what we do the best we
can.''
The Coyotes wrapped up the first game in a crisp 25 minutes. Cal
State was never challenged, scoring 13 of the first 19 points and
going up 13-6 on a kill by Granados, one of six she had in the game.
The host team outscored the Seasiders 12-8 the rest of the game which
ended on a spike by Rice off a quickset from Hoffman.
The second game was even more lopsided. It was tied at seven but the
Coyotes reeled off 11 straight points, three in a row coming on
winners by Chafeh. The run also included two straight block winners
from the combination of Chafeh and Samantha Middleborn. Cal State
eventually put it away on a spike by Granados.
Cal State opened a commanding 15-5 lead in the final set. Cherniss
substituted freely the rest of the way, using a total of 14 players.
The Coyotes held BYU to a .129 hitting percentage but the visitors
hit .357 in the opening game. The Seasiders only managed a .108 in
the second game and an even-more woeful minus .028 in the third.
Tonight's match will be the third of the season between the Coyotes
and the Wildcats. Cal State won both regular season meetings 3-0.
Cherniss was impressed with how well Chico played earlier in the
night.
``We're playing inspired. They're playing inspired. It should be a
great match,'' Cherniss said.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - The top team in the Great Northwest Athletic
Conference was no match for Cal Poly Pomona.
The third-seeded Broncos advanced to the semifinals of the Division
II West Regional with a convincing 3-0 (25-19, 25-12, 25-20) win over
fifth-seeded Western Oregon Thursday afternoon at Coussoulis Arena.
It is the 15th playoff appearance for the Broncos but the first win
in the postseason since 1997.
Next up for Cal Poly (19-7) is tonight's 5 p.m. semifinal against Cal
State Los Angeles which upset second-seeded UC San Diego 3-2 (24-26,
25-19, 26-24, 25-23, 15-13).
``You go back to CCAA play and we have had a lot of battles where we
had to come through and show a fighting spirit,'' Broncos coach Rosie
Wegrich said. ``That is something this team has shown this year and
it showed again today. The conference really helped prepare us for
this.''
The Broncos posted a .237 hitting percentage while limiting the
Wolves to a .052, including a minus-0.28 in the second game. They
tallied 10 team blocks - one solo and 18 assisted.
Counterpart Brad Saindon of Western Oregon (22-3) was impressed.
``We didn't play well and they played very well. That isn't a good
combination for us.'' he said. ``I was impressed with their
blocking. They're physical and very imposing. We had 23 hitting
errors and that was uncharacteristic for us. But that was due to what
they did at the net.''
Cal Poly, ranked 18th nationally, led from the first serve. It led by
as many as seven in the opening game at 19-12. It got a set point on
a kill by Vanessa Williams and wrapped it up seconds later when
6-foot-3 Wolves standout tipped a ball in the net.
But it was a 10-point run in the second game that gave the Broncos a
lead that was never challenged. The Wolves, ranked 20th nationally,
were still in striking distance at 11-8 when Rafaela Rosa went to the
service line for nine straight points, three coming on winners by
Willams.
The Broncos converted their first set point of the game on a tip by
Jenna Young.
Despite the big lead, the Broncos never felt they were in the clear.
``In volleyball the momentum can change so quickly,'' Young said.
``You never know when something crazy is going to happen. But we felt
good about the way we were playing.''
The third game stayed tighter longer. It was even 10 times, the last
at 14-all. Young unleashed a service ace that gave the Broncos a
23-18 lead. They wrapped it up a few minutes later on another Western
Oregon hitting error.
The offensive attack was balanced with Young and Anne-Marie Hofmans
each putting down 11 kills, with five of Young's coming in the third
game. Williams contributed eight but managed a team-high five block
assists. Setter Jasmine Davis tallied 34 assists and Rosa led in digs
with 15.
The Wolves were led by Bennett with 12 kills but she needed 34
attacks and only managed a percentage of .088.
This will be the third meeting between Pomona and Cal State Los
Angeles. The two split during the regular season wit each team wining
at home.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - For a second straight year Cal State San Bernardino
rightside hitter Jessica Granados has been named CCAA Player of the
Year.
The awards were announced Thursday in conjunction with the Division
II West Regional tournament being held at Coussoulis Arena.
Granados, a 6-foot-1 senior out of Beaumont, led the conference in
kills per game (4.19) and fourth in hitting percentage (315). In
addition to her 352 kills Granados tallied 27 service aces, 153 digs
and 50 total blocks in leading the Coyotes to a 25-3 regular season
record and No. 2 national ranking.
She was one of five Coyotes honored. Joining her on first team were
senior middle blocker Sara Rice, junior setter Sara Hoffman and
senior libero Meghan Haas. Junior outside hitter Ashtin Hall was
named to the second-team.
Cal Poly Pomona (19-7) had four players recognized. Seniors Jenna
Young and Vanessa Williams were selected to the first team while
junior setter Jasmine Davis and senior outside hitter Anne-Marie
Hofmans made second team. It was the fourth first-team selection for
Young and third for Williams.
Sonoma State coach Bear Grassl earned Coach of the Year honors for
leading the Seawolves to a 23-6 record, highlighted by the school's
first playoff appearance and national ranking since 1993.
Junior Gabriela Builawczyk of Cal State Los Angeles, a transfer from
Southern Idaho, was named Newcomer of the Year and UC San Diego's
Hillary Williamson earned Freshman of the Year accolades.
FIRST TEAM
]
Rebecca Bailey (UC San Diego, OH, Sr.)
Erica Brick (Chico State, S, Sr.)
Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A., OH, Jr.)
Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino, OH, Sr.)
Meghan Haas (Cal State San Bernardino, LIB, Sr.)
Gillian Heydorff (Chico State, OH, Jr.)
Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino, S, Jr.)
Sara Rice (Cal State San Bernardino, MB)
Kristy Sather (Sonoma State, OH, Sr.)
Sylvia Schmidt (UC San Diego, MB, Jr.)
Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A., RS, Sr.)
Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona, MB, Sr.)
Jenna Young (Cal Poly Pomona, OH, Sr.)
Second Team
Lynsey Adams (Humboldt State, OH, Sr.)
Lindsay Brown (Sonoma State, S, Jr.)
Elaine Chen (UC San Diego, S, Jr.)
Jasmine Davis (Cal Poly Pomona, S, Jr.)
Ashtin Hall (Cal State San Bernardino, OH, Jr.)
Annie Hoffmans (Cal Poly Pomona, OH, Sr.)
Taylor Krenwinkle (Sonoma State, S, Fr.)
Lindsay Macias (Chico State, OH, Sr.)
Amy McMahon (Cal State L.A., MB, Sr.)
Beth Perkins (San Francisco State, OH, Jr.)
Crystal Trifeletti (Chico State, MB, So.)
Ali Walker (Sonoma State, OH, Jr.)
Hillary Williamson (UC San Diego, OH, Fr.)
Most Valuable Player: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino)
Freshman of the Year: Hillary Williamson (UC San Diego)
Newcomer of the Year: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.)
Coach of the Year: Bear Grassl (Sonoma State)
Williams, a senior from Riverside, Calif., led the Broncos to a pair of wins over Cal State Dominguez Hills and Cal State L.A. In two games, Williams totaled 24 kills, 10 blocks, four digs and posted a .477 hitting percentage.
In a three-set win over Cal State Dominguez Hills, Williams recorded a .545 hitting percentage (6-0-11) in helping the Broncos to a CCAA-record .488 team hitting percentage.
In a five-set win over Cal State L.A. on Saturday, Williams totaled 18 kills, nine blocks and three digs while registering a .455 hitting percentage.
Cal Poly Pomona, which tied for second in the final CCAA standings, earned the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Division II West Regional and will take on No. 6 Western Oregon in a first-round match on Thursday.
Molten CCAA Women's Volleyball Player of the Week:
Aug. 25-31: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino); Sept. 1-7: Jessica Granados (Cal State San Bernardino); Sept. 8-14: Ursula Vieira (Cal State L.A.); Sept. 15-21: Joliann Arzadon (Humboldt State); Sept. 22-28: Sylvia Schmidt (UC San Diego); Sept. 29-Oct. 5: Sara Hoffman (Cal State San Bernardino); Oct. 6-12: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.); Oct. 13-19: Gabriela Bulawczyk (Cal State L.A.); Oct. 20-26: Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona); Oct. 27-Nov. 2: Megan Loghry (Cal State Stanislaus); Nov. 3-9: Sara Rice (Cal State San Bernardino).; Nov. 10-16: Vanessa Williams (Cal Poly Pomona).
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - Kim Cherniss couldn't stop smiling. Winning a
conference title can do that to even a veteran coach.
The Coyotes secured at least a share of their third straight CCAA
title and the sixth in eight years, besting Cal State Los Angeles 3-0
(25-20, 25-18, 25-22) Friday at Coussoulis Arena. A win tonight and
the Coyotes will claim the title outright but that seems like just a
formality as they will be playing last-place Dominguez Hills (3-24,
2-17).
The victory also keeps the Coyotes (24-3, 16-3) first in the Pacific
Region which would assure them the right to host next week's
eight-team regional. It also avenged a loss to the Eagles earlier
this season.
``I'm ecstatic,'' said a beaming Cherniss. ``A conference title,
another banner to hang. We beat a very good team and we played well
so it feels good. We're peaking at the right time.''
The Coyotes turned in their best blocking effort of the season,
knocking down 14 total team blocks to six for the Eagles. It seemed
to be one area where Cal State wasn't as faring as well as it did
last season when it had a dominant blocker in Sharea Drawn.
But Samantha Middleborn, a freshman out of Carter High School, came
up with seven block assists and two solos to lead the effort.
``We had some individual blocking but we weren't doing a good job of
team blocking and that's important. It's something we have been
making an effort to focus on and it showed.''
It was appropriate that the Coyotes closed out the match at the net.
Up 21-20 in the third set after winning the first two, Sara Rice
recorded a solo block to make it 22-20. Middleborn and junior setter
Sara Hoffman teamed up for one seconds later against Eagles 6-foot-1
standout Gabriela Bulawczyk.
Middlborn blocked a tip by Mary Laupepa to give the Coyotes a match
point and they wasted no time converting with Jessica Granados lining
a winner off the Eagles block.
``We have been working hard on our blocking and it was nice to come
up big against a big team,'' Middleborn said. ``We took what we have
been doing in practice and brought it out here.''
The Coyotes hit a solid .293 on the night with Granados notching 14
kills in 28 attacks. Sophomore Jane Chafeh added 10, seven of those
coming in the final game. Rice contributed eight. Hoffman had 37
assists and Meghan Haas a team-high 11 digs.
The Coyotes held the Eagles (20-6, 13-6) to a .192 average, Bulawczyk
had 12 but took 32 total attacks.
The loss was as costly to the Eagles as it was beneficial to the
Coyotes. They are sixth in the region and very much on the bubble of
making the playoff field. It won't get easier as the Eagles face a
must-win tonight at Cal Poly Pomona (17-7, 14-5).
The Coyotes have one game under their belt - a 63-55 loss to UNLV, a Division I program - last weekend while the Rebels of Dixie State have three pre-season games in the book.
CSUSB has been experimenting with different lineups on the court to give the coaching staff a feel for which combination can be most effective.
The team mounted a 10-point lead in the first half against UNLV while shooting well from the floor but UNLV defense and cold shooting caught up with the team in the second half as they trailed by as much as 10 in the final minutes.
Shannon Gholar and Morgan Pryor came off the bench to provide some valuable minutes for the Coyotes against UNLV and could get the start on Saturday along with Krystal Urzua, who scored 21 against UNLV, Jaclyn Rainville and point guard Ashlee Ford.
PROBABLE STARTERS - For
ON THE WEB - The
LIVE STATS - Follow the Coyotes via Live Stats, also on the athletics website home page.
DIXIE DOODLES - The Pacific West Conference member Rebels return four starters from last year's team that went 16-11 and 12-6 in the Pac West....Jessica Carver was the team's leading scorer and rebounder at 15.5 ppg and 9.2 rpg with 48 blocked shots and 38 steals. She also made 82 percent of her free throws.....Lindsey Chettinger averaged 10.1 ppg with 23 steals.....Courtney Boyd led the team in assists with 109 with 41 steals and averaged 6.3 ppg and 3.1 rpg.....the team averaged 70 points a game while giving up 64 ppg....in 2008 pre-season games this month, the Rebels beat Southern Utah 59-53, lost to Utah State 74-58 and lost to BYU 77-40, all exhibitions....coach Angela Kristensen is in her seventh year of college coaching, her third at Dixie where she is 32-23 after two seasons.....her overall record is 103-84....Dixie State has 6,400 students and was founded in 1911....the Rebels head for UC San Diego for a 1 p.m. game Sunday against the Tritons.
YOTES NOTES - Senior forward Rachel Johnson and Ana Onaindia, a guard who transferred from UC Santa Barbara, are both in rehabilitation after surgery on their injured legs and both will be out of action indefinitely.....Morgan Pryor had 11 points and two steals against UNLV....Jaclyn Rainville had 10 points and four rebounds in 22 minutes against UNLV....Shannon Gholar had three assists and two steals in 23 minutes and knocked down a three-pointer against UNLV....Krystal Urzua's 21 points came on nine field goals in 18 tries but the was just two of 10 from 3-point range. Urzua collected a team-high five rebounds and dished off three assists and even blocked a shot in 33 minutes....CSUSB shot 47 percent in the first half but only 19 percent in the second half against UNLV....Coyotes will be two games in the Grand Canyon tournament in
For the first time since Coussoulis Arena opened in 1995, Cal State San Bernardino's men's basketball team will be playing a home game away from campus.
The Coyotes, in an effort to reach out to faculty, staff and students at CSUSB's
CSUSB, ranked No. 20 in one national NCAA Division II poll and picked to win an eighth CCAA conference title by the conference coaches, will open the regular season on Sunday at 3 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena against University of Alaska-Fairbanks of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
Although it is an exhibition game for CSUSB which does not count toward its season record, it is a regular season game for the Cougars.
The Coyotes are coming off an 83-62 win over Vanguard University in their exhibition opener last Friday night in Coussoulis Arena, led by senior guard Tim Denson with 19 points and senior forward Michael Frazier with 18 points.
APU is 1-1 after defeating Montana Western 77-69 in
COYOTES VS. COUGARS - APU leads the all-time series 6-1, including last season's 78-75 win over overtime over the Coyotes in Coussoulis Arena. APU returning guard Mike Danielian scored 17 points and returning center Dave Burgess took down 14 rebounds in that game.
COYOTES VS. NANOOKS - Alaska-Fairbanks leads the series 2-1 and two big wins they were, too. Behind all-American Brad Oleson's 30 points, seven rebounds and four assists, the Nanooks downed the Coyotes 82-78 in overtime in the 2004 NCAA West Regional semifinals in Coussoulis Arena. Then, Oleson was present with 12 points and five assists as
YOTES NOTES - Coyotes shot 53 percent from the field in the win over Vanguard....Tim Denson was six-for-nine en route to 19 points and four assists and three steals....Michael Frazier hit six of 10 shots and was four-of-seven from three-point land for 18 points....DuBois Williams, a 6-6 guard, had 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals....freshman center Jordan Richard had 10 points, three rebounds and two blocked shots....junior guard Larry DeHughes had a game-high six assists.....senior Reggie Brown, who missed the Vanguard game due to a sore knee, is expected to play against APU....senior Devon Davis remains on the shelf with back problems....Devin Montgomery is still awaiting clearance by the NCAA....
PROBABLE STARTERS: For CSUSB -
COUGAR CLIPS - Azusa Pacific is coming off a 24-11 season (14-6 in the GSAC conference (2nd place)....team was ranked as high as No. 8 in NAIA and finished No. 15....program has won 13 GSAC titles, made 15 NAIA tournament appearances, including the last 12 in a row....The program's all-time record for men's hoops is 945-505.....Mike Danielian is the leading returning scorer at 10.7 ppg in 2007-08...Dave Burgess averaged 9.6 points and 9.1 rebounds a game with 21 blocked shots....in the team's first two games this season, Dominique Johnson scored 18 against Montana Western and 17 against Westminster Utah....Burgess had 15 points and seven boards against Western Montana.....
NANOOKS NIBBLES - Alaska-Fairbanks has a new coach in interim head man Clemon Johnson. He has two volunteer assistants - Ted DeLeon and John Mancuso.....last year's leading scorer, 6-8 forward Colin Matteson (13.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg with 40 assists, 10 blocked shots and 21 steals) is back along with forward Mladen Begojevic (11.4 ppg, 34 assists).....Matteson had a season-high 31 points in a loss to Saint Martin's last March...Matteson's young brother, freshman Evan Matteson, 6-9, joined the team this season...UAF opens the regular season Saturday night at Cal State Dominguez Hills in a 7 p.m. match..
BROADCAST - Thursday night's game with Azusa Pacific will be broadcast live on KCAA-AM in
Cal State San Bernardino is back in the driver's seat on its road to the post-season as the NCAA Division II championships committee put the Coyotes back in the No. 1 position in the West Region with two matches to play.
The Coyotes, ranked No. 2 in the nation, moved past CCAA rival UC San Diego into the No. 1 spot as they prepare for a showdown with No. 7 Cal State L.A. on Friday night at 7 p.m. in Coussoulis Arena. The Golden Eagles won the first meeting, 3-1, in
Meanwhile, UC
A win Friday to enable the Coyotes to clinch at least a tie for their third straight CCAA title and sixth in the last eight seasons with the season finale coming up Saturday night in Coussoulis Arena against conference cellar-dweller Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-23 overall, 2-16 in CCAA).
CSUSB brings a 23-3 record into the final weekend of the regular season, 15-3 in the CCAA. The team is 77-8 since the start of the 2006 season and 51-5 in the CCAA.
Should the Coyotes finish out with a pair of wins this weekend, they should be No. 1 in the final regional poll due out Sunday night along with the announcement of the eight teams that will compete in the West Regional on Nov. 20-22.
CSUSB could well be the host for the three-day tournament if it meets the site selection criteria set by the NCAA. The Coyotes have hosted the last two regional tournaments, losing in the title match both times to UC San Diego (2006) and
The Coyotes have an unprecedented string of reaching the regional title match for eight straight years, winning on two occasions (2003 and 2004), both at UC San Diego.
The Nov. 12 West Region Poll:
1. CSUSB (23-3)
2. UC
3. Cal Poly
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. BYU-Hawaii (16-7).
named the Molten-California Collegiate Athletic Association women's
volleyball player of the week for her performances in two victories
last weekend.
The Yucaipa High School product averaged 3.83 kills per set and 1.16
blocks per set as the Coyotes stayed atop the CCAA standings with 3-0
shutout wins over Sonoma State and Humboldt State and improved their
national ranking from No. 3 to No. 2.
The 6-foot Rice had 14 kills and three blocks while hitting at a .545
clip as CSUSB handed Sonoma State its first home loss of the season
after 12 straight wins.
She followed that up with a team-leading nine kills and four blocks
on .533 hitting in the sweep of the Lumberjacks in Arcata. For the
two games she totaled 23 kills, two digs and seven blocks with a
combined hitting percentage of .541.
Rice leads the CCAA in hitting percentage at .407 with only 39 errors
in 334 attacks in 78 games over 26 matches.
The Coyotes, 23-3 overall and 15-3 in the CCAA, have a one-game lead
in the CCAA standings with two regular season matches at home left -
on Friday against third-place Cal State L.A. (13-5, 20-5 overall) and
on Saturday against cellar-dweller Cal State Dominguez Hills (3-23).
CSUSB can clinch a tie for its third straight CCAA title with a win
over L.A. on Friday. The Coyotes have won six of the last eight
conference championships.
Rice is the third Coyote to earn the weekly honor. Jessica Granados
and Sara Hoffman were lauded for their efforts earlier this season.
Senior libero Meghan Haas and junior setter Sara Hoffman of Cal State San Bernardino's women's volleyball team have been voted to the CoSIDA-ESPN The Magazine all-District 8 academic teams announced Thursday.
Haas was named to the first team and will be eligible for consideration for Academic All-America honors. Hoffman was voted to the third team.
A kinesiology major, Haas has a 3.83 cumulative grade point average. Hoffman, a business major with an emphasis in marketing, carries a 3.57 GPA.
They were among four CCAA conference student-athletes named to the three teams selected by sports information directors in District 8 (West Region) under the direction of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Haas is in her third season as the Coyotes' libero, averaging 4.61 digs per set with 22 service aces. She ranks third in the CCAA in digs per set and is among the top 50 in the nation in NCAA Division II.
Hoffman, a third-team all-American in 2007, leads the CCAA in assists at 11.73 per set and ranks No. 6 in the nation in that category. She also has 20 service aces.
Other CCAA players who received academic all District 8 honors were Rikki Buckshnis and Kristy Sather of
The college division of CoSIDA includes NCAA Div. II and Div. III schools along with NAIA schools.
It was a tale of two halves Saturday night in Coussoulis Arena with host Cal State San Bernardino winning the first half 38-33 and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, winning the second half to pull out a come-from-behind 63-55 exhibition victory over the Coyotes.
A crowd of 313 watched CSUSB shoot 47 percent in the first half to lead the NCAA Division I Rebels of the Mountain West Conference by five points at the half after leading by as many as 10 points.
However, a combination of Rebels defense and cold shooting by the Coyotes in the second half (seven for 37 - 19 percent) doomed CSUSB as UNLV caught up at 44-44 on a layup by Shamela Hampton, took the lead 46-44 on a layup by Dominique Harris and never trailed again.
The win was the first for new UNLV Head Coach Kathy Olivier, who returned to her alma mater after 15 years at UCLA.
Junior Krystal Urzua had a game-high 21 points and five rebounds for the Coyotes. Junior transfer Morgan Pryor came off the bench to score 11 points. Senior forward Jaclyn Rainville had 10 points and four rebounds.
The Rebels shot 36 percent for the game (21 of 58) and were five of 16 from three-point range. CSUSB shot 32 percent for the game on 23 of 71, but hit just six of 29 from long range (20.7 percent). UNLV outrebounded the Coyotes 53-36.
The Coyotes went up by six points with 11 minutes left in the first half, 22-16 on a jumper by Audrey Duran and by the 5:50 mark were up by 10 on a three-pointer by Urzua, 36-26.
UNLV whittled away at the lead and went to the locker room leading 38-33 on a layup by Morgan Pryor.
The Coyotes moved out to a 44-36 advantage four minutes into the second half on a jumper by Rainville but UNLV went to work and tied the game at 44 at the 13:14 mark. UNLV eventually led by 10, 58-48 on a layup by
CSUSB will host
The Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team gets a jump on the competition starting the season tonight in the Disney West Coast Classic at the
``It is a little tough now but hopefully will help us come conference time,'' second-year coach Scott Davis said. ``We start out with a couple of tough games so we need to know exactly what we've got. This will help us do that.''
The Broncos (12-16, 8-12) will face
Unfortunately Colson, the CCAA Freshman of the Year in 2007, is sidelined with a knee injury.
``She is the focal point of our team so obviously we're a different team without her,"
Two other players decided not to play but are still enrolled at the school. A pair of others transferred to schools in the conference - Anna Pineda to
Davis is high on a number of his newcomers, most notably junior forward Stephisha Walton, a transfer from Division I Portland State, 6-foot-1 freshman center Megan Ford (Hart HS), freshman guard Rosslyn Beard (San Francisco Sacred Heart Cathedral) and 6-2 freshman center Nicolette Brown (Long Beach Poly). Brown is sidelined with a broken foot but expected back soon.
The Broncos will also be bolstered by the return of senior Ally Smith, who started for two years before having to red-shirt last season with a shoulder injury.
Despite the early injuries,
``We have a lot of girls that are versatile and can play different positions,'' he said. ``We're not going to be locked into playing someone in one spot.''
After seven seasons heading the men's soccer program at Cal Poly Pomona, Paul Caligiuri has resigned.
Caligiuri said he told his team before its final regular season game against UC San Diego on Sunday at Kellogg Field. He plans to pursue other interests and wanted to give the school as much time as possible to search for his successor.
"I really thought it was the right time," he said. "It was an emotional, difficult decision. I had a great time here and I will always feel like I'm part of the Bronco family."
Caligiuri's overall record in seven seasons with the men's team was 45-67-16 (35-52-12 in the CCAA). This year the Broncos went 4-11-3 overall and 2-10-2 in conference.
He also spent four years simultaneously heading the women's program, going 37-31-1 from 2002-2005.
"Looking back now I don't know how I did it," he said, of coaching both teams. "It was a challenge."
Caligiuri, a former member of the Los Angeles Galaxy and the U.S. National Team, was inducted to the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame in 2005 after playing professionally for 18 years.
From 1984-97, Caligiuri was a member of the U.S. National Team with 110 game appearances. He participated in two World Cups (1990, 1994) and the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea.
Caligiuri played professionally in Germany and became the first American player to make a Division I professional team in Europe, completing his career with St. Pauli, German Bundesliga in 1995.
In 1996, Caligiuri played for the Columbus Crew of the newly-founded Major Soccer League. After one year with the Crew, Caligiuri was assigned to the Galaxy. Caligiuri, who graduated from Walnut High School and UCLA, said he will probably look into rejoining the Galaxy in some capacity.
Cal State San Bernardino senior Micah Burke has been selected as the California Collegiate Athletic Association golfer of the week for his performance in leading the Coyotes to a fourth-place finish in the Bill Cullum Invitational Golf Tournament Oct. 27-28, hosted by Cal State Northridge.
Burke, a
Burke shot rounds of 70-68-72 over the 6,761-yard, par-72 Wood Ranch Golf Club in
Teammate Gene Webster Jr. also broke par for the tournament with a one-under total of 215 as CSUSB finished 19 shots behind tournament champion Cal State Northridge.
Earlier this fall, Burke helped the Coyotes win the Grand Canyon Fall Invitational by shooting three-under-par 213 to finish sixth.
Cal State San Bernardino's untimely loss at the hands of Cal Poly Pomona last Wednesday was enough to drop the Coyotes from No. 2 to No. 3 this week in the Bison/American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 poll.
The Coyotes, 21-3, have lost to the No. 18 Broncos (0-3), No. 12 UCSD (3-2 earlier in the season) and No. 20 Cal State L.A. (3-1), all on the road. The Coyotes are 12-0 at home this year.
Concordia-St. Paul, the 2007 NCAA Division II champion, leads the poll with its 27-1 record, the only loss coming at the hands of the Coyotes, 3-0, back in August at the Coyote Classic tournament. CSP earned all 36 first-place votes from the committee.
UCSD, a 3-2 winner of
The Coyotes, 13-3 in the CCAA and ranked No. 2 in the Pacific Region, hold a one-game lead in the CCAA standings with four to play, starting Friday night at
CSUSB finishes the road trip on Saturday night at
The next regional poll won't be out until Nov. 12 so UCSD will continue to hold down the No. 1 spot until then despite losing to the No. 2 Coyotes last Saturday.
BISON/AVCA DIVISION II TOP 25
1. Concordia St. Paul (27-1)
2.
3. COYOTES (21-3)
4.
5.
6.
7. Wasburn (27-3)
8. Nebraska-Kearney (29-2)
9.
10. Truman (25-7)
11.
Staff Writer
SAN BERNARDINO - There is nothing like a big rivalry game with
everything on the line to cure what ails a team.
The No. 2 Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team came in to
Saturday's match against UC San Diego reeling after a 3-0 loss to Cal
Poly Pomona Wednesday. But the Coyotes regrouped and steamrolled
their arch-rival 3-0 (27-25, 25-13, 25-16) at Coussoulis Arena.
Of course it helped that the match was for first place in the CCAA
and most likely the top spot in the West Region. The Coyotes (21-3,
13-3) now have a one game lead over No. 15 San Diego (18-5, 12-4) and
Cal Poly Pomona (15-6, 12-4) with Cal State Los Angeles (18-5, 11-5) in striking distance
with four matches left.
``We have always had at least a share of the lead and that is
something in the bloodbath that is the conference,'' Coyotes coach
Kim Cherniss said. ``We watched the Cal Poly match over on Thursday
and addressed some things we did wrong and worked specifically on
them. It paid off.''
Only the first game was a battle. It was tied 14 times, the last at
25-all. But a kill by Samantha Middleborn gave the Coyotes a game
point and they converted with Jane Chafeh knocking home the winner.
Cal State was in control the last two games. The second was even at
11 but the Coyotes took a command with a 10-point run that included
two kills by Middleborn and two service aces by Kelcie Tolan. Up
24-3, Cal State converted its first game point with Jessica Granados
lining a winner off a blocker.
The Coyotes surged out to a 14-11 lead in the third game, but tallied
11 of the next 12 points with four different players factoring in
that run. Cal State wrapped up the match on their first try when Sara
Rice blocked a tip by Cara Simonsen.
The Coyotes hit a lofty .337 for the match with Granados notching 15
kills. Rice contributed seven with Ashtin Hall and Middleborn
collecting six each. Cherniss singled out junior setter Sara Hoffman
who added to her conference-leading assist total with 37.
``We gave her a very definite assignment on who we wanted to go to
and where in certain situations and she was absolutely on-point,''
Cherniss said. ``And sometimes that's difficult to do when you're
running around out there and the pace is hectic.''
``It didn't matter who it was. We came out determined to dominate,''
Hoffman said. ``We tried to play every ball like it was our last
point.''
Cal State held San Diego to a .153 hitting percentage. It won the
battle of digs 42-27 with Meghan Haas celebrating her 21st birthday
with a team-high 16. Granados added nine.
The win avenged a 3-2 Coyotes loss at San Diego earlier this season.
The Coyotes will be on the road next weekend for matches at Sonoma
State and Humboldt State.
