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Cal State San Bernardino senior libero Meghan Haas is chasing the school's career record for digs.
The Menifee resident currently has 1,294, ranking her fourth behind Kim Ford (1,543 from 2000-2003), Jamie Lieveld (1,466 from 1997-2000) and Bridget Harris Crosby (1,458 from 2000-2003).
The No. 2 Coyotes (15-1, 7-1) have 12 matches left in the regular season. Whether Haas gets the record or not, she has left her mark on the program and coach Kim Cherniss. Her 554 in 2006 is the best mark for a single season and her 493 in 2007 is the second best. She also has the second, third, fourth and fifth best totals for a single match.
"She is the best defensive player we have ever had here," Cherniss said. "It may not seem like a glamorous position to those casual observers but those in volleyball know how important it is."
Making the run at the record even more impressive is that Haas has played just three years, having transferred from Louisiana Tech. The players ahead of her all played four years. The large numer of matches the Coyotes win 3-0 also works against her.
What has helped her is the chance to play six full rotations in the back. Two of the three ahead of her played both front and back.
After a successful debut in 2007, the NCAA, Division II Disney's West Coast Tip-Off Classic will return in 2008 with an eight-team field, including four men's and four women's teams. The Classic will be held November 7-9 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
"The CCAA is extremely excited and happy to help sponsor this expanded Disney Classic event," CCAA Commissioner Robert J. Hiegert said. "This is a premier event and it has already proven to add to the prestige of Division II basketball. I am pleased to continue our relationship with Disney."
The tournament format calls for four games - two men's and two women's - to be played each day over three days.
The men's field will be comprised of Alaska-Anchorage, Fort Lewis, Humboldt State and Southwest Minnesota State. The women's field will include Cal Poly-Pomona, Central Washington, Concordia (Minn.) and Indianapolis.
Three of the four teams on the men's side advanced to NCAA post-season play during the 2007-08 campaign. Alaska-Anchorage captured the Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) title and reached the NCAA, Division II semifinals. Senior forward Cameron Burney (5.5 ppg., 4.3 rpg., 1.3 apg.) is the lone returning starter from last year's Seawolves team that concluded the season with a program-best 29-6 overall record.
Fort Lewis also enjoyed a program-high in wins after posting a 24-6 overall record, capturing the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) before suffering a first-round loss in the NCAA Championships.
Humboldt State grabbed a share of the 2008 California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) title after posting a 22-8 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in conference play. After being upset in the first round of the CCAA Tournament, the Lumberjacks suffered a first-round loss in the NCAA West Regional Championships.
Sophomore guard Ernie Spada is the top returning player for Humboldt State after averaging 6.1 points, 1.6 assists and 1.4 rebounds a contest.
Southwest Minnesota State registered a 17-12 overall mark a year ago and finished third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) with an 11-7 conference mark. Junior forward Ross DeMasi returns as the Mustangs' leading scorer after averaging 9.6 points and 3.9 rebounds a game.
On the women's side, Cal Poly-Pomona recorded a 12-16 overall record, including an 8-12 mark in CCAA play. After finishing third in the regular-season standings, the Broncos advanced to the second round of the CCAA Tournament.
Central Washington concluded the 2007-08 campaign with a 13-13 overall mark and placed eighth in the GNAC with a 5-13 record.
Concordia (Minn.) captured the NSIC Tournament title before suffering a first-round loss in the first round of the North Central Regional Tournament. The Golden Bears concluded last season with a 28-3 overall mark, including a 16-2 record in conference play.
Indianapolis tied for first place in the East Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) with a 13-6 conference mark before falling in the opening round of the Great Lakes Regional Tournament and concluding the season with a 22-8 overall record.
2008 Division II Disney's West Coast Tip-Off Classic Schedule
Friday, November 7
MEN
Noon - Southwest Minnesota State vs. Alaska-Anchorage
2:30 p.m. - Fort Lewis vs. Humboldt State
WOMEN
5 p.m. - Concordia (Minn.) vs. Central Washington
7:30 p.m. - Game 2 - Indianapolis vs. Cal Poly-Pomona
Saturday, November 8
WOMEN
Noon - Concordia (Minn.) vs. Cal Poly-Pomona
2:30 p.m. - Central Washington vs. Indianapolis
MEN
5 p.m. - Humboldt State vs. Southwest Minnesota State
7:30 p.m. - Alaska-Anchorage vs. Fort Lewis
Sunday, November 9
MEN
11 a.m. - Fort Lewis vs. Southwest Minnesota State
1:30 p.m. - Humboldt State vs. Alaska-Anchorage
WOMEN
4 p.m. - Indianapolis vs. Concordia (Minn.)
6:30 p.m. - Cal Poly-Pomona vs, Central Washington
* Designated home team is listed second. The home team will wear light uniforms, and the visiting team will wear dark uniforms.
(Source CCAA)
Cal State San Bernardino's volleyball team, ranked tops in the country, faces a gauntlet of tough foes this week, all within Southern California.
First up is No. 20 Cal Poly Pomona, which will invade Coussoulis Arena for a 7 p.m. showdown tonight. On Friday, the Coyotes travel to RIMAC Arena to battle long-time nemesis UC San Diego, ranked 16th. To finish the week, Cal State returns home Saturday to face Cal Baptist, the No. 2 team in NAIA.
"It makes for a tough week because it's every single day, a practice or a tough match. There is no break," coach Kim Cherniss said. "That's where I am happy I have so much depth in case the fatigue sets in. "Those are all teams we get pretty pumped up for."
Both the Coyotes (11-0, 4-0) and Broncos (7-2, 4-0) are coming off strong showings last weekend. The two notched wins over the same foes, the only difference being that Cal State swept Chico State 3-0 while Cal Poly needed five games.
The two are part of a three-way tie for first in the CCAA, with the other party being surprising Sonoma State (11-1, 4-0).
Cal State leads the CCAA in most offensive categories, including hitting percentage. The Coyotes are hitting an impressive .302 as a team, with three players in the top six individually. The trio is led by senior Sara Rice, who is at .398 overall with a whopping .588 in conference matches alone.
Senior Jessica Granados, the reigning conference and region player of the year, is second at .344 with junior Ashtin Hall sixth at .272.
Cal State also has the conference leader in assists in junior Sara Hoffman and the top performer in digs in senior Meghan Haas.
Cal Poly is sixth, hitting .191 as a unit. Senior Anne-Marie Hofmans is ninth in the conference in kills at 2.95 per game.
Veteran Cal Poly Pomona coach Rosie Wegrich, who notched her 300th career win at the school on Saturday, knows the firepower of the Cal State offense, but insists her biggest concern is on her own side of the net.
"It's probably 80-20, with 80 percent of your focus on your own offense and what you're doing," she said. "You have to worry about your own side of the net first."
The Broncos strength has always been blocking. That is again the case with Cal Poly third in that department, one spot ahead of Cal State. Standouts in the middle are seniors Vanessa Williams and Allie Newman. Junior Jasmine Davis, one of the Broncos two setters, has also been a top blocker.
The Broncos will also play San Diego this week, heading down there Saturday, the day after the Coyotes play there.
It was probably fitting that Cal Poly Pomona took five games in getting by CCAA rival Chico State Saturday at Darlene May Gymnasium. Veteran coach Rosie Wegrich says those are the ones she remembers most vividly.
She has been coaching for 34 years and is in her 17th year directing the Broncos. The 3-2 (25-21, 21-25, 21-25, 25-22, 15-7) win over the Wildcats was the 300th in her tenure at Cal Poly. She owns a career record of 629-446-10.
She didn't know about the milestone until after the match when she was congratulated by school president Michael Ortiz and athletic director Brian Swanson.
"I didn't even think about it," said Wegrich, whose team improved to 7-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. "I was so focused on the match. I really had no idea."
Wegrich, who grew up and still lives in Manhattan Beach, is the dean of coaches in the CCAA. She joined the Broncos in 1992 after 17 years at the Division I level - two at Minnesota (71-30-1) and 15 (258-229-9) at Arizona.
While there may be more notariety at the Division I level, Wegrich enjoys some of the other intracacies that come with working at a Division II institution.
"I love dealing with really smart girls who want to be here," she said. "We don't give fully funded scholarships so these girls are working in addition to playing so they are seeing what live after sports is going to be like."
She also enjoys the camaraderie of her players. The team started the season with a trip to Hawaii where they played four matches. A similar venture at the Division I level would probably have been paid for by the athletic department.
In this case the athletes spent much of the offseason raising the money themselves with fundraisers including summer camps, a garage sale and working the concessions stands at Angels Stadium.
"When you spend so much time together you really build memories," she said.
Asked what her most memorable match is and she doesn't single out her 200th at Cal Poly which came in 2002 against Cal State Los Angeles or the 500th of her career which came against Grand Canyon in 2000.
She goes back to one in the regional playoffs against Cal State Bakersfield in which her team came from down 15-12 in the decisive game to win 16-14.
Wegrich isn't saying how long she will coach. She said she has been blessed with good assistant coaches in the past and will do so as long as she has that kind of help and passes along credit to her current assistant Kenji Mukai.
"I don't know if I could do it if I didn't have such good help," she said. "We really are on the same page and he really brings a fighting spirit and an energy that make it fun."
Seniors Vanessa Williams (Riverside) and Anne-Marie Hofmans (Glendora) were the catalysts Thursday night for Cal Poly Pomona, which defeated Chaminade 3-0 in the 2008 season opener for the Broncos.
Williams led the Broncos with 11 kills (11-3-18) and had a .444 attack percentage in the 25-19, 28-26, 25-16 victory, while Hofmans added eight kills (8-1-15) with a .467 attack percentage and a team-high 11 digs.
"Annie played the type of match that we've been waiting for in her career,'' Bronco coach Rosie Wegrich said. "She had a sound all-round match and really played a big role in helping us earn a season-opening victory. It was a solid performance all the way around.''
The Broncos fired on all cylinders in the match as they earned a .281 attack percentage (41 kills, 14 errors and 96 total attacks). Seniors Allie Newman (Redlands) and Jenna Young (Arcadia) each had six kills and Young led the Broncos in service aces with three. Senior Rocio Vargas (Baldwin Park) led the Broncos on the block with two solos and four assists. She also had four kills.
The Broncos return to the court this afternoon with a 4:30 p.m. (Pacific Time) match against No. 14 Nebraska-Kearney, and then face host Brigham Young-Hawaii at 10:30 p.m. On Saturday, they play against Hawaii Pacific to round out the trip to nation's 50th state.
Courtney Lorusso led the Silverswords with 10 kills.
Cal Poly Pomona volleyball standout Allie Newman admits being happy that she wasn't given much of a warning when called on in a critical match late last season. She had just finished warmups and thought she would be taking a seat at the end of the bench like she had for the duration of the season. But then-assistant coach Vinh Nyugen informed her she would be starting.
"I'm glad they didn't tell me before or I would have had way too much time to get nervous," Newman said. "It was better I didn't have time to think about it."
The 5-foot-11 middle blocker delivered 13 kills and 11 block assists, helping the Broncos to a school-record 40 block assists in a five-game upset of nationally ranked UC San Diego.
She also tallied eight kills and 10 block assists in a Pacific Regional semifinal loss to Cal State Los Angeles.
Her showing at the end of the season has set her up for more significant playing time this year, especially with the departure of two other middle blockers -- most notably All-American Antoinette Kathol.
The Broncos open the new season with four matches in Hawaii, the first coming Thursday against Chaminade.
The court time has been a long time coming for the former Redlands East Valley High School and San Bernardino Valley College standout.
"We always knew she could play," veteran Broncos coach Rosie Wegrich said. "It was just a matter of when she would get that chance. She had worked very hard in practice and deserved that opportunity. We're looking forward to bigger things from her this season."
Newman, now 22, has been a later bloomer. She didn't play until her sophomore season in high school after her family moved to Southern California from Pullman, Wash.
"It was my mom and dad that encouraged me to play," she recalled. "We had just moved and they thought it would be a good way to make friends because all the girls on the team seemed nice."
She spent her sophomore year on the junior varsity just learning the basics. She followed that up with two years on the varsity. The idea of playing for a four-year school was appealing but she wasn't quite ready. So she opted for SBVC, then coached by current athletic director Dave Rubio.
Newman was a quick study, earning All-Foothill Conference honors both years there, highlighted by a Most Valuable Player selection in 2004.
"She has a great work ethic and she has athletic ability," Rubio said. "She just needs time to develop. It was the experience and technique, especially her footwork, that were lacking."
The decision on a four-year school was even more of a challenge. The most obvious choice would have been Cal State San Bernardino, Cal Poly's conference rival. Not only does it boast great tradition in the sport but her father, Eric, is a marketing instructor there.
But that's exactly why she chose not to go there.
"I wanted to make my own name somewhere else," she said.
Newman actually recruited the Broncos more than they recruited her. She sent Wegrich a letter and the veteran coach invited her to a tryout which several of Newman's SBVC teammates also attended.
But it hasn't been easy. Newman redshirted her first season because of an elbow injury that later healed without surgery. It turned out being a blessing in disguise.
"I learned a lot by watching," she said. "I don't think I would be playing today if I didn't have that year to watch and learn. And I appreciate playing a lot more now."
She played in 16 matches (39 games total), including the two pivotal ones at the end of the season, totaling 48 kills and 30 total blocks.
She has lofty goals for her final go-round including winning a conference title and dethroning the juggernaut that is Cal State.
"This is it. I want to make it a great year," said Newman, who would like to go into sports marketing. "We have some great new players that have fit right in so I think we can do it."
The Coyotes posted a 17-1 CCAA record and advanced to the NCAA Pacific Regional final before finishing the 2007 campaign with a 27-3 overall mark. Cal State San Bernardino received eight of the 11 first-place votes and totaled 96 points.
UC San Diego, which tied for second in the CCAA a year ago with a 13-5 conference mark, was picked to finish second after totaling 83 points and one first-place vote. Cal State L.A. garnered 77 points to finish third, while
The 2008 season will mark the first for
The 2008 campaign is slated to begin the weekend of August 28 with teams competing in tournaments. CCAA play is scheduled to begin Sept. 12-13.
2008 CCAA Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
Rank -- Team (First place votes) -- Points
1.
2. UC San Diego (1) - 83
3.
4.
5. Cal Poly
6.
7.
8.
9.
10. Cal State Dominguez Hills - 19
11.
Cal Poly Pomona head women's soccer coach Isabelle Harvey has named Erin Reinke as Broncos' assistant coach.
"I'm thrilled to be a part of Cal Poly Pomona's women's soccer program,'' Reinke said. "My playing career has reached its end and this is the next challenge. I look forward to doing all I can to help Isabelle build this program to be at its best with quality student-athletes.''
Reinke brings a wealth of playing experiences - both as an amateur and as a professional goalkeeper - into her first season.
She spent 2005 through 2007 playing as an amateur and
professional in the Elite Division for women in Denmark. In that three-year span, she played for four teams including one full season with Fortuna Hjorring - one of the top women's teams in the world. She completed her playing career this past summer with the Ottawa Fury, a member of the USL W-League, who reached the league finals against FC Indiana.
She and Harvey played against each other in college and were teammates on the semipro team Ajax in Southern California, which won national championships from 2001-2004.
Reinke's coaching experience includes a one-year stint as a volunteer coach at Long Beach State. She also coached club soccer in Palos Verdes for three years.
Reinke was the first-ever in-state recruit for Arizona State University and went on to start four seasons for the Sun Devils. In her senior year, Reinke was a member of the 2000 Sun Devils' NCAA postseason team, which lost in the second round to eventual semifinalist Portland. She remains the career leader in saves and shutouts for ASU.
Reinke, a Mesa, Ariz., native, was a member of ASU's Maroon and Gold Scholars twice in her career. She earned her bachelor's of science degree in Sociology from ASU in 2000.
It's ready, set, hike time for Ashley Moody. But her chance to play football didn't come until she finished up her collegiate basketball career.
Moody, 22, finished her eligibility with the Cal Poly Pomona women's basketball team in March. As soon as her season ended she was on the gridiron with the Los Angeles Amazons of the National Women's Football Association.
"I always wanted to play football," said Moody, who averaged 6.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists for the Broncos. "When I was little my uncle had a team and he wanted to play but of course my mother said no. I love all sports but this is new so it's exciting."
Moody was introduced to the sport and the franchise by Tamara McDonald, a first-year assistant coach for the Broncos who was playing for the Amazons, but has since stopped because of injury.
McDonald talked up the football team with the Broncos and invited the seniors to come to a practice, an offer Moody gladly accepted.
Moody, a 5-foot-7 guard on the hardwood, said even she was surprised at what she found when it came to the team.
"I thought there would be all these massive 6-foot-4 women. And it wasn't that at all," she said. "There are players all different sizes, different ages. And the competition is tough. We play hard."
Moody, a native of Carson, didn't get much playing time at first but has become a valuable addition, particularly on special teams. The highlight for her this season was a 63-yard punt return for a touchdown in a 41-14 win over the Phoenix Prowlers.
She has also seen some time at cornerback and has 13 carries for 133 yards on offense.
The Amazons are one of 38 teams in the league which is set to expand by nine teams in 2009. They are 9-0 and the only unbeaten team in the 19-team Southern Conference. They will host a playoff game at 7 p.m. Saturday at Bassett Stadium in La Puente.
Moody can forsees the sport gaining in popularity.
"It is that way for every woman's sport," she said. "It always takes awhile to catch on. Look at the WNBA. It has become very popular but it wasn't always that way."
Although Moody is done with basketball, she still has a year left before getting her degree in graphic design. She plans to follow through with that.
"Definitely, school comes first," she said.
The Cal State Fullerton volleyball team announced Tuesday that Vinh Nguyen has been hired as an assistant coach replacing Traci Dahl who vacated her spot to become head coach at Indiana State.
Nguyen comes to Fullerton with an extensive coaching resume that dates back more than 20 years. For the past 12 season, Nguyen, has been an assistant coach at Cal Poly Pomona where he helped Head Coach Rosie Wegrich lift the Broncos to six seasons with at least 18 wins and a program-best 24-3 mark in 2005. That same year, Pomona won its first California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) championship since 1990.
Nguyen was the Broncos summer camp director for the past nine years and taught as a kinesiology professor on campus as well.
In 2007, Nguyen was hired by the USA Men's National Team as an assistant coach to help the team prepare for its run at World League, Pan-Am Cup, Americas Cup and Norceca Cup championships, which resulted in two gold medals, a silver and a bronze.
Prior to his work at Cal Poly Pomona, Nguyen coached at five Southern California high schools (Hoover, San Gabriel, Arcadia, Alhambra and La Habra) and worked with the San Gabriel, Magnum and Power Volleyball Clubs.
In 1996, Nguyen co-founded the Top Gun Volleyball Club, one of Southern California's most respected youth volleyball programs which has trained more than 800 athletes since its inception.
In 2005, under the guidance of USA Volleyball, Nguyen was named head coach and led the Southern California Youth National Team to a sixth-place finish in the USA High Performance Championships in Austin, Texas. A year later, his Top Gun 18 Red club team won a gold medal at the USA Junior Olympic Invitational in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Nguyen played at Mt. San Antonio College and Long Beach City College before transferring into the Big West Conference with Long Beach State. He finished his schooling and graduated from Cal Poly Pomona in 2000 with a degree in kinesiology.
