COMING UP: Host NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round – vs. No. 22 Cal State San Marcos, Saturday, 2 p.m.
LAST WEEK: at Cascade Conference Championships (La Grande, Ore.) – vs. No. 11 Eastern Oregon (W 3-2), vs. No. 24 Concordia (W 3-2)
VIDEO / LIVE STATS: Live Video and Live Stats of the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round will be available online through C of I's new partnership with Stretch Internet. Both platforms will be available in one convenient place (
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/yoteathletics/) - with the video broadcast available for a pay-per-view cost of $7.95.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION: Ticket prices for the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round are $8.00 for adults, $5.00 for seniors and children ages 5-17. Only NAIA passes will be accepted. The winner of the Opening Round match will earn a spot at the NAIA National Championship, presented by J&L Industries in Sioux City, Iowa, Dec. 2-6.
YOTES WIN CASCADE CONFERENCE CROWN: Heading into the CCC Championships as the No. 4 seed for the first time since 1999, the Lady Yotes had a difficult road to make their seventh-straight trip to the NAIA Championships. However, following a quarterfinal victory at home over Northwest, C of I rattled off back-to-back five-set wins in La Grande, Ore., over Top-25 teams in Eastern Oregon and Concordia, to secure their seventh CCC Championships crown and their third-consecutive league tournament title.
OPENING ROUND INFORMATION: A total of 24 teams will compete at 12 campus sites on Saturday in the NAIA Volleyball National Championship Opening Round – with the winners advancing to the NAIA Championship Final Site, in Sioux City, Iowa, Dec. 2-6. Following the final NAIA Top-25 poll that was released on Sunday, teams' ranked No. 12-21 earned host berths, along with two other schools – all of which submitted a minimum bid of $4,000 to host the event.
OTHER OPENING ROUND GAMES: Xavier (La.) at No. 12 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.); Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) at No. 13 Davenport (Mich.); Menlo (Calif.) at No. 14 Eastern Oregon; Point Park (Pa.) at No. 15 Georgetown (Ky.); Union (Ky.) at No. 16 Madonna (Mich.); College of the Ozarks (Mo.) at No. 17 Southern Oregon; Kansas Wesleyan at No. 18 Jamestown (N.D.); Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) at No. 19 Indiana Wesleyan; Evangel (Mo.) at No. 20 Wayland Baptist (Texas); Concordia (Ore.) at No. 21 Vanguard (Calif.); Embry-Riddle (Fla.) at No. 23 Coastal Georgia.
TEAMS SEEDED THROUGH TO FINAL SITE: The Top-11 teams in the final Top-25 poll, along with the host institution were seeded through to Sioux City – No. 1 Rocky Mountain (Mont.), No. 2 Park (Mo.), No. 3 Concordia (Calif.), No. 4 Biola (Calif.), No. 5 Texas-Brownsville, No. 6 Missouri Baptist, No. 7 Northwestern (Iowa), No. 8 Columbia (Mo.), No. 9 Viterbo (Wis.), No. 10 Midland (Neb.), No. 11 Grand View (Iowa), and host Briar Cliff (Iowa).
AGAINST THE FIELD: Of the 36 teams in the National Championships, the Lady Yotes have faced seven opponents', going 4-8 – including wins against Midland (Neb.), Eastern Oregon, and two wins against Concordia (Ore.). Cal State San Marcos is 3-6 against teams in the tournament – including wins against C of I, Southern Oregon, and Vanguard.
HISTORY AT NATIONALS: It marks the tenth time in program history that the Lady Yotes have earned a berth to the National Championships and the sixth time they have competed in an Opening Round match – the most among all NAIA institutions. In 2000, the Lady Yotes earned an at-large berth to Nationals in West Palm Beach, Fla., going 1-3 in Pool Play, while in 2005, the squad traveled to San Diego, Calif., going 2-2 in Pool Play. The 2006 season saw the Lady Yotes go 2-1 in Pool Play in Columbia, Mo., losing a quarterfinal play-in match against host Columbia. In 2008, the Yotes defeated Menlo (Calif.) in the Opening Round, going 0-3 in Pool Play in Sioux City, Iowa, while in 2009, The C of I was seeded through to Sioux City, going 2-1 in Pool Play, losing a four-set quarterfinal play-in against Texas at Brownsville. In 2010, the Yotes swept St. Thomas (Texas) in an Opening Round match, going 2-1 in Pool Play, losing in three sets to Cal Baptist in a quarterfinal play-in match. In 2011, the Yotes defeated Carroll (Mont.) in three sets in an Opening Round match, going 2-1 in Pool Play, before defeating Rocky Mountain (Mont.) in five sets in a quarterfinal play-in match, before losing to Columbia (Mo.) in four sets in the national quarterfinals. In 2012, the Yotes swept Menlo in the Opening Round, going 2-1 in Pool Play – with wins over Westmont and St. Francis, before losing in the bracket quarterfinal play-in match to MidAmerica Nazarene. Last season, C of I lost in the Opening Round for the first time, a tough five-set decision to Rocky Mountain – currently the No. 1 rated team in the NAIA. Overall, the Yotes have a record of 18-19 in tournament play.
ABOUT CAL STATE SAN MARCOS: For the second time this season, the Lady Yotes will meet Cal State San Marcos – this time with a trip to Sioux City, Iowa, on the line. The Cougars (27-10), the champions of the Association of Independent Institutions, are making their fourth appearance in the NAIA Championships and looking for their second trip to the Final Site, going 1-2 inside the Tyson Events Center in 2012. CSUSM is led by a quartet of top hitters – Jordan Banich (2.96 k/s, 1.70 d/s), Alyssa Hubbard (2.59 k/s), Brooke Butler (2.33 k/s, 2.16 d/s), and Cheyenne Richards (2.13 k/s). Setter Alyssa Foster (10.09 a/s, 2.58 d/s, 41 aces) is a quality player through each of the six rotations, with libero Samantha Flores (3.77 d/s, 33 aces) the top defender. It is the third meeting between the teams, with CSUSM holding a 2-0 edge, including a five-set victory over C of I this August at the Biola SummerSlam.
AT HOME: Playing at home has been a key for the Yotes, as C of I is a combined 116-9 in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center since October of 2005 – including a 73-match CCC win streak that was snapped last season. Overall, the Lady Yotes are 207-45 at home all-time, including a 155-21 record under head coach Liz Mendiola.
NAIA POLL: For the first time since the NAIA Preseason Poll was released in August, C of I returned to the Top-25, ranked No. 24 in the final tabulation, released on Sunday. The Yotes received 146 voter points by the 20 conference raters – one of four CCC teams in the poll (No. 14 Eastern Oregon, No. 17 Southern Oregon, RV Concordia). Rocky Mountain claimed 15 first-place votes and was the No. 1 team, followed by Park (Mo.), Concordia (Calif.), Biola (Calif.), and Texas-Brownsville.
YOTES NAB TWO ON ALL-CCC TEAM: A pair of C of I players were honored as members of the All-CCC Team, released on Tuesday afternoon. For the second-straight year, setter
Sierra Porter (Eagle, Idaho / Rocky Mountain HS) was honored after an outstanding season. The junior ranked fourth in the CCC in assists per set (10.38), while leading C of I with 22 service aces. Earning honors for the first time was middle blocker
Kylie Porter (Boise, Idaho / Capital HS), who ranked among the CCC's Top-15 in kills per set (2.90), hitting percentage (.255), and blocks per set (0.79). Named as an honorable mention selection to the team was senior outside hitter
Emily Ottinger (Palmdale, Calif. / Coll. of Southern Idaho). Eastern Oregon middle hitter Casey Loper was named Player of the Year, with EOU head coach Kaki Morehead earning Coach of the Year honors.
RECORD BOOK: One player currently is ranked in the C of I Top-10 career record book, as Sierra Porter is No. 4 all time with 3,318 assists.
GAME RECAP: C OF I 3, EASTERN OREGON 2: Emily Ottinger recorded a match-high 19 kills helping the C of I rally to upset No. 11 ranked Eastern Oregon in five sets at the CCC Championships, presented by U.S. Bank, inside Quinn Coliseum. The 25-19, 14-25, 22-25, 25-23, 15-3 victory by the fourth-seeded Lady Yotes move the squad into the title game for the ninth-straight year. C of I rallied from a two sets to one deficit, holding off a huge Mountaineers surge in Set 4 before crushing the regular-season league champs in the winner-take-all finale, recording the largest margin of victory in a fifth set in school history in the rally scoring era (breaking the mark of 15-6 vs. Palm Beach Atlantic in 2001 and Northwest Nazarene in 2002). After three kills from Casey Loper, part of a 4-0 run to cap Set 3, giving EOU the match lead, C of I responded in a big way. A 7-1 surge midway through the period, gave the Yotes a 19-11 edge, before the Mounties evened the score at 22-22 on a Piper Cantrell ace. Tied 23-23, Kylie Porter smashed a kill, with the junior combining with Sierra Porter for a combo-block to force Set 5. From there it was all C of I, as Ottinger recorded three kills and
Bailee Kendall (Mount Pleasant, Utah / Salt Lake CC) added three more, as the Yotes sprinted to a 9-3 lead. Ottinger closed out the match by serving the final six points – as EOU recorded three hitting errors, with a
Katy Robinson (Kimberly, Idaho / Kimberly HS) spike sending the visitors into a frenzy. Kylie Porter had 15 kills and five blocks, Kendall added 13 kills, and
Janessa Koelliker (Kaysville, Utah / Salt Lake CC) recorded 10 kills and five blocks. Sierra Porter had 56 assists and four blocks, with
Kilee Lopez (Caldwell, Idaho / Vallivue HS) leading C of I with 26 digs. Loper, Amanda Miller, and Katina Ferguson each had 14 kills in the loss for EOU, with Kasaundra Tuma recording 10 kills.
GAME RECAP: C OF I 3, CONCORDIA 2: Emily Ottinger had four of her season-high 22 kills in an epic fifth set, lifting the College of Idaho to their third-straight CCC Championships crown, surviving a talented Concordia University squad inside Quinn Coliseum. The Lady Yotes 25-20, 13-25, 25-20, 21-25, 15-12 victory clinched C of I's seventh-straight trip to the NAIA National Championships, surviving the first five-set title match since 2005. Ottinger, the lone senior on the Coyotes squad, had a pair of kills in a 5-1 surge to break a 3-3 stalemate in the winner-take-all final set. The Cavaliers answered the call, using a three point push, including two Brenna Huwe kills, to pull CU within 11-10. The Yotes responded kills from Katy Robinson and Ottinger and the third ace of the match from
Cheyan Coburn (Moore, Idaho / Butte County HS) to earn match point. After CU staved off two chances, C of I went to Ottinger for the title clinching kill. Ottinger led the charge in Set 1, breaking a 20-20 tie with a kill, part of a five-point run by C of I to close out the frame. The Cavs countered in Set 2, forcing seven Yotes errors in a 10-1 run to even the match. In Set 3, a Nicole Barth kill gave the Cavaliers a 15-14 lead, but the Yotes ran off five-straight points on Coburn's serve, with three late Ottinger kills closing out the set. Concordia answered with Lindsey Dorsey in Set 4, smashing seven of her match and career-high 23 kills in the period to force the final set. Kylie Porter and Robinson each had nine kills, with Bailee Kendall adding eight kills and five blocks. Sierra Porter added 46 assists, with both Kilee Lopez and
Kathyn Nasburg (Boise, Idaho / Meridian HS) recording 11 digs. Huwe and Barth each had eight kills in the loss for CU – the second-straight season they've been turned away by C of I in the title match. Jenessa Taylor had 44 assists, 12 digs, and five blocks for the Cavs.
ABOUT THE COACH: Liz Mendiola is in her 14th season as head volleyball coach at the C of I. During her 14 seasons at the helm, the Coyotes have advanced to 13 consecutive CCC tournaments, four NAIA regional tournaments, and trips to the NAIA National Championships in 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013. Last season, the squad won their eighth-straight CCC regular-season title, won their seventh CCC Tournament title in the last nine years, advancing to the NAIA National Championships Opening Round. During her career, she has amassed a record of 324-119, the most wins and highest winning percentage in school history, and has been honored as CCC Coach of the Year eight times. In 2006, she led the Lady Yotes to the best single-season record in program history, compiling a 35-4 overall mark - earning CCC and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year honors. The Yotes won their first CCC championship in 24 years, becoming just the second school to complete the league schedule without a loss, placing ninth at the NAIA Championships – with a school-record with 22 straight wins. In 2011, the Lady Yotes advanced to the national quarterfinals and finished the season ranked No. 7. Her teams have won 108 of their last 115 home matches. Mendiola was an assistant for the Coyotes on two separate occasions – from 1995-96 and from 1999-2000, before elevating to head coach. She has also coached at Emmett High, for the Treasure Valley Volleyball Club, the Boise River Volleyball Club, and various camps in the Northwest. A native of Jerome, Mendiola graduated from the C of I in 1996 with a degree in elementary education, and taught kindergarten in Nampa before becoming head coach in 2001. A two-year member of the Coyotes, Mendiola set school records for kills per game (4.86) in 1994, and holds the school mark for kills per game in a career (4.46). She earned All-CCC honors following her senior season with the Yotes.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For more on the Lady Yotes, head to the official homepage of C of I volleyball,
http://yoteathletics.com/index.aspx?path=wvball&tab=1.
