Recently in Cal State San Bernardino Category
Cal State San Bernardino Head Coach Jeff Oliver concluded a late spring and summer season of recruiting by signing one community college player and two NCAA Division I players to compete for the Coyotes in 2008-09.
All three have the potential to be key contributors as the Coyotes prepare to compete for another California Collegiate Athletic Association title and a shot at regional and national championships.
New to the fold are:
Tavaris Gilbert, a 6-8 post player from Ventura College who started 18 games, averaging 12.5 points per game, 7.8 rebounds per game and shot 49 percent from the field, 58 percent from three-point range. As a freshman at
Devin Montgomery, a 6-foot point guard who was a starter at
DuBois Williams, a 6-6 guard who is transferring in from St. Mary's College in
"Tavaris brings added depth to our front court," said Oliver. "He's a guy who can score underneath and step out to the three. He will present a difficult matchup for our opponents."
Williams, Oliver said, "is a point guard in a 6-6 body. He has more offensive tools than he has had a chance to display at his other schools. And, he's a tremendous rebounder for a guard."
Oliver previously announced the signings of Larry DeHughes, a 6-4 guard from
Cal State San Bernardino's convincing wins over 2007 national champion Concordia St. Paul and 15th-ranked
The Coyotes, 3-0 on the season, will face another top 25 team - No. 24 BYU-Hawaii - in the third match of the UC San Diego Tritons Tournament this Saturday at RIMAC Arena on UCSD's
CSUSB was also No. 1 in the national poll on Sept. 4, 2007 and stayed there for two weeks before losing to Cal Baptist on the road and dropping to No. 2. The Coyotes were also No.1 in the poll late in the 2004 and 2003 seasons and topped the poll for five weeks in 2002.
The Coyotes' 3-0 sweep of Concordia-St. Paul, ranked No. 1 in the pre-season poll, dropped the Golden Bears into a tie for No. 3 in the poll with
Washburn (
UC San Diego, which posted a 2-1 record in the Coyotes Volleyball Classic last weekend, moved up five spots from No. 22 to No. 17. Cal Poly Pomona, unranked in the pre-season poll, is No. 22 after winning three of four matches at a tournament in
No. Team Record Pts.
1 CSU SAN BERNARDINO 3-0 887
2. Washburn 4-0 850
3 (tie) Concordia St. Paul 3-1 810
Truman State 4-0 810
5.
6. West
7. Grand Valley State 3-1 682
8.
9. Western
10.
11. Hillsdale (3-1); 12.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
When opportunity knocked, both Sara Rice and Ashtin Hall answered the door. Now the two former Yucaipa High School standouts are starters for a Cal State San Bernardino volleyball team expected to contend for the Division II national championship.
The Coyotes, 27-3 a year ago, open the 2008 campaign this week, hosting a six-team tournament that starts tonight at Coussoulis Arena. The No. 4 Coyotes open against reigning national champion and current No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) at 7:30 p.m.
"We're very excited about our potential," Coach Kim Cherniss says. "We have high expectations. We have a great core of returning players and we have some talented freshmen. Maybe the best class we have had since I've been here."
The veteran cast is bolstered by the two former Citrus Belt League standouts.
Rice, a 6-foot senior middle blocker, arrived in 2005. She had planned to attend Golden West Community College but when Portala George went down with a knee injury, Cherniss needed another backup.
Rice was going to redshirt but when a second middle blocker also sustained a knee injury, that plan changed. She ended up playing a handful of matches which set the stage for a stellar sophomore campaign and second-team All-Conference honors.
Then came an even better junior season in which she earned first-team All-Conference and Pacific West Region honorable mention honors. She was fourth on the team in kills (190) but boasted an impressive attack percentage of .384 as well as a team-high 75 blocks.
"My confidence has just grown each season," said Rice, a 21-year-old business major. "When I played some as a freshman it made me realize I could compete at that level."
A key injury also paved the way for Hall, whose opportunity could not have come in a more pressure-packed situation.
The 5-11 junior outside hitter committed to the Coyotes in November of her senior year of high school. She also considered Division I UC Riverside and NAIA Point Loma but opted for Cal State after touring all three schools and considering the facilities and level of play at each.
She didn't choose Cal State because her former high school teammate was there, but called it an "added bonus."
Hall played little during her true freshman season in 2006. The time she did see came against lesser foes.
Then Lisa Dogonyaro, the lone senior on the squad, sustained a knee injury in the regular season finale at Cal State Los Angeles. Hall went from being a seldom-used sub to a starter on a team with national championship aspirations.
"I remember that match when she got hurt. My whole frame of mind changed," said Hall, 20. "It was definitely very stressful but I tried to take it as a chance to prove myself."
Other teams went right at the untested rookie but Hall was up for the challenge.
"You never know what is going to happen," Cherniss said. "You have to be prepared for that situation and that comes with working hard in practice. It's my job as a coach to see that my players are ready when they're called on."
Hall started 29 of 30 matches as a sophomore and recorded 235 kills, including a career-high 17 in the Pacific Region final against Western Washington. She was rewarded with a spot on the all-conference second team.
The Coyotes will be looking for their sixth conference title in eight years and have advanced to the regional championship match nine straight years. Last year's loss was one of the most disappointing because it came in three straight games on their home floor to a team it had already beaten during the season.
Both players say the Coyotes didn't go into that matchup with the same intensity they would have had the opponent been long-time nemsis UC San Diego, which lost to Western Washington in the semifinal.
"It was a humbling experience," Rice said. "They took advantage of our weaknesses in a way no other team did."
Added Hall: "We have to try and put it aside but at the same time learn from it so we don't make the same mistake again if we're in that position."
California Baptist University made two first-half goals stand up for a 2-0 women's soccer exhibition victory over Cal State San Bernardino Thursday at the Lancers' field.
Fabiola DaSilva assisted on both goals for the Lancers as Jacquelyn Witz put CBU up 1-0 in the 16th minute with a shot inside the near post. Lizzy Bendrick converted DaSilva's corner kick into a goal in the 37th minute.
The Coyotes had just two shots on goal, both in the second half. Scoring attempts by freshman Casey Hirsch and junior Ashley Salas were stopped by CBU keeper Brittany Buchanan. Overall, CBU outshot the Coyotes 14-8.
Redshirt freshman Tiffany Mallick and senior Shawna-Rei Kam split time in goal for the Coyotes, each making one save. Only four of CBU's 14 shots were on goal.
CSUSB Head Coach Diego Bocanegra was not disappointed by the score. "The match gave us an opportunity to look at everybody on the team," he said. Twenty Coyotes saw playing time in the match.
The Coyotes complete their pre-season exhibition play on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Coyote Premier Field against Biola University, a 1-0 winner in its season opener earlier this week.
CAL BAPTIST 2, CAL STATE SAN BERNARDINO 0
CSUSB goalie saves: Tiffany Mallick (1); Shawna-Rei Kam (1).
CBU goals: Jacquelyn Witz, Llizzy Bendrick. Assists: Fabiola DaSilva (2). Goalie saves: Brittany Buchanan (2).
Cal State San Bernardino, with six of its top eight players returning to the fold, finds itself ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II women's volleyball in a pre-season poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
The top 25 poll, released today by AVCA, contains four West Coast teams with defending NCAA Pacific Region champion Western Washington listed at No. 10, UC San Diego at No. 22 and
The Coyotes volleyball program has been placed in the top 25 pre-season poll virtually every season since the year 2000 and they usually wind up in or near the top 10 at the end of the season. CSUSB (27-3) wound up No. 9 in the final 2007 season poll.
"It's great to know that we've reached a point where people expect us to be good," said Head Coach Kim Cherniss, starting her 18th season at the helm of the five-time California Collegiate Athletic Association champions.
"However, it's not something that will change what we do to prepare for the season or reset our goals," she added. Those goals are to win the conference first, then win the regional and then the national championship.
One of the Coyotes' other opponents in its Coyote Classic that runs Aug. 28-30 is
The first official poll is due out Sept. 1.
Rank School (1st place votes) Points 2007 record 07 Final Rank
1. Concordia-St. Paul (35) 897 36-4 1
2. Washburn 830 38-4 3
3. Truman 780 36-6 8
4. COYOTES 762 27-3 9
5. West
6. Grand Valley State 716 33-4 7
7.
8.
9.
10. Western Washington (1) 555 26-5 2
11 .Emporia State 498 27-9 15
12 S'West
13 Central
14. Nebraska-Kearney 416 33-5 19
15. Lewis 372 32-4 11
16.
17.
18. Hillsdale 298 26-8 16
19
20 Augustana (SD) 194 19-11 24
21.
22 .UC
23. West Florida 99 26-4 NR
24. Nova Southeastern 81 28-10 NR
25.
Others receiving votes included: Hawaii Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State
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.
Gene Webster Jr., a junior this fall at Cal State San Bernardino, was simultaneously happy and disappointed about playing one of his best rounds of the year in Monday's 36-hole sectional qualifer for the 2008 U.S. Amateur Championship at Glendora Country Club.
Webster, an NCAA all-West Region and all-CCAA conference player this past season for CSUSB, shot a 68 over his final 18 holes after a morning round of 74 to finish at 142 and wound up as the No. 2 alternate out of the sectional.
In order for him to advance to the tournament at Pinehurst, N.C. on Aug. 18-24, both of the two sectional qualifiers who finished four shots ahead of Webster and the No. 1 alternate (Andrew Roque of Fontana) would have to decline the trip.
Chances of that happening, Webster said, were "very unlikely."
"I didn't play well in the morning. I didn't putt very good, but I had it going in the second round," Webster said by phone Wednesday. The San Bernardino resident and Arroyo Valley High School graduate was three under par with three holes remaining. "I felt I had to shoot 66 to have a shot at it. At No. 16 I missed a 12-foot putt for birdie. I birdied No. 17. And, at 18, I had a 10-foot putt that looked like it was good but it did a slow lip-out. That kind of summed up my day."
Summer play has not been kind to Webster. He lost in the first round at the City of Long Beach Match Play tournament and missed the cut in the Long Beach City Amateur.
Next on his agenda is the California State Fair Amateur Tournament in Sacramento over Labor Day weekend. He hopes to qualify for the California State Open at the end of September.
Webster averaged a team-low 73.5 strokes for 34 rounds of golf for CSUSB this past season, helping them finish second in the CCAA conference, fourth in the NCAA West Regional and advance to the NCAA national championship for the third straight year. The Coyotes wound up a disappointing 18th at nationals.
By Michelle Gardner
Staff Writer
Tacy Duncan's job just got a lot easier.
Trying to compete in one of the premier conferences in the country was tough enough. And when Duncan took over three years ago the program was the conference doormat.
She did that while holding down a full-time job in the Alvord Unified School District in Riverside. Then a year ago motherhood factored into the mix as she gave berth to twins.
But the load has been lightened considerably as Duncan's position has been elevated to full time. She becomes the first full-time coach in the 11-year history of the program.
The school had planned on making the full-time appointment last year but the timing wasn't right so it was put on hold until this year.
Duncan had to go through the interview process all over again with job having to be advertised, even though she had done a stellar job in her three years as a part-time coach, highlighted by her selection as CCAA coach of the year by her peers.
She was still the best person for the job.
"We got a good pool of applicants," Cal State athletic director Kevin Hatcher said. "But I think much of the reason for that was the success she had last year and the recognition she brought to our program. We couldn't not look at what she has been able to do in a short time."
The Coyotes are coming off their best season in school history. Cal State went 36-32 overall (17-13 in CCAA play), advancing to the postseason for the first time ever. They also advanced to the Division II West Region, before being eliminated by Humboldt State which went on to win the national championship.
That was a significant improvement over the 2007 season in which the Coyotes were sixth in the conference and 27-27 overall.
The team went 21-32 in Duncan's first year and that represented a 10-win improvement over the previous year.
To put the progress in perspective, the Coyotes were a combined 38-129 overall and 24-70 in conference play the three seasons before Duncan took over.
Hatcher said he expects the program to continue to grow, thanks in part to the Western Interchange Program adopted by the school for the coming calendar year. The program gives all students from the western part of the country in-state tuition. That should make it easier for coaches to lure in top talent from out of the area.
"I see how well she has done evaluating talent," he said. "I can't imagine how much better she will do with more time to do it."
But Hatcher said the school will still stick to its core area for the majority of its players.
"We have great talent in this area," he said. "There is no reason we shouldn't get the bulk of our players from around here."
Duncan earned her bachelor's degree in education from the University of Mary in North Dakota where she also earned All-American honors as a player. She got a master's in counseling from the University of Redlands while serving as an assistant coach from 2002 to 2005.
Seven of the Coyotes 11 head coaches are full time. The exceptions are women's tennis coach Heather Lehman, women's water polo coach Tom Finwall, women's cross country coach Tom Burleson and men's golf coach Tom Mainez.
Hatcher said he would eventually like to have the other four coaches at full-time status as well.
"I'm asking them to go out there and win conference titles and it's hard for me to look them in the face and ask them to do it when this is their second job."
The Cal State San Bernardino baseball team signed three players,
all of them Inland Empire products and familiar names to local
enthusiasts.
Leading the trio is right-handed pitcher Andrew Schile out of A.B.
Miller High School and Chaffey College. Joining him are Riverside
Community College infielder Cody Madison and Upland Christian's Ethan
Chapman.
Schile posted a 9-3 record for the Foothill Conference champion
Panthers in 2008. He posted a 2.94 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 64
innings and limited opposing hitters to an overall batting average of
.212. He was chosen conference pitcher of the year.
Madison, out of Moreno Valley, batted .329 for the Tigers. He had
two home runs, 32 RBI and a .419 on-base percentage on a team that
went 34-20 and made it to the state championship tournament. He had a
.976 fielding percentage.
Chapman had an impressive high school career. He earned
all-league four times and was an all-CIF Southern Section selection
twice, as well as prep all-America.
He was the 2007 CIF player of the year in his division as Upland
Christian won the section championship and was the Arrowhead League
offensive player of the year in 2007 and 2008. He batted .685 as a
senior with eight home runs, 74 RBI and 30 stolen bases in 33
attempts.
Chapman led his team to a 19-11 season (12-0 in league) and a
second straight appearance in the CIF championship game. In his 92 at
bats over 30 games, he had 63 hits, 16 doubles, 10 triples and a
slugging percentage 1.337. His on-base percentage was .723. He plays
for the Southern California Bombers in travel ball.
The Coyotes graduated 16 seniors, including the bulk of their
pitching staff. Earlier this spring head coach Don Parnell signed
pitchers Dan Stenavich (all-Southern California first-team selection)
and Jorge Dryjanski from Pacific Coast Conference champion
Southwestern College along with lefthanders Kevin McLaughry and
Garret Nelson from Grossmont College.
Other recruits to date are Aaron Brooks, an all-CIF and all-area
pitcher-infielder from Cajon; Andrew Harrison, a slugging first
baseman from Riverside's Norte Vista; Matt Winn, an outfielder from
Canyon Springs HS; Darren Dworak, an infielder from Damien and Ken
Othman, a catcher from Riverside's Martin Luther King.
The Cal State San Bernardino men's basketball team graduated seven players, five of whom played considerable minutes. Head coach Jeff Oliver has started rebuilding with the addition of four players to the program.
All are transfers, which has pretty much been his pattern since stepping in as head coach six years ago.
Oliver said the team's biggest needs have been addressed. The Coyotes (22-8, 15-5) led the CCAA in scoring defense but were just fifth in offense and seventh in field-goal percentage.
The Coyotes have finished with at least a share of the conference title seven of the last nine years but were bounced from the Division II West Region tournament in the quarterfinal.
"Our achillies heel was our offense and the fact that we weren't consistent from long distance," he said. "We took care of those issues. I expect us to be one of the better 3-point shooting teams."
The newcomers are 6-foot-7 junior forward Brandon Brown (Holmes CC in Goodman, Miss.), 6-4 junior guard Larry DeHughes (Fullerton JC), 6-4 senior forward-guard Michael Frazier (Mt. San Jacinto/Northern Colorado) and 6-2 junior point guard Lawrence Tyson (Northeastern JC in Colorado/Cal State Northridge).
Brown, a New Orleans native, averaged 27 points and 13 points for a team that went 16-8. He had a season high of 38 points twice.
Oliver expects him to be an impact player.
"He could be the best inside scorer we have ever had," he said. "He is an absolute presence in the paint and has 101 post moves and he's a great athlete."
Frazier last played at Northern Colorado in 2003-04 after transferring from Mt. San Jacinto. Oliver said he has unlimited range and won't affected by the move of the 3-point line back a foot.
DeHughes played at Compton as a freshman and at Fullerton last year, helping the Hornets to the state title game and earning All-Orange Empire Conference honors.
Tyson played at Cal State Northridge as a freshman and is a graduate of Quartz Hill High School.
The Coyotes have just one returning starter - defensive stopper Phil Jones. Reserves Devon Davis, Reggie Brown and Steve Gaston saw considerable time while freshman Ryan Kinney saw some playing time.
Those who redshirted last year expected to have an impact next season are guard Tim Denson, a transfer from Colorado State, and center Jordan Richard, out of Los Osos High School.
Guard Omar Krayem, who redshirted last season afer coming in from Eastern Washington, is not returning.
Oliver is still looking for a wing, a point guard and another big man.
The only other question mark is an intangible as Oliver will be looking for a floor leader to replace departed guard Marlon Pierce who filled that role.
"We really don't know yet who is going to be the take charge guy," he said.
