2019 Volleyball Notebook - Week 7

COMING UP: vs. Multnomah, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. Warner Pacific, Saturday, 6 p.m.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
NOTE SATURDAY START TIME: First-serve for Saturday's match vs. Warner Pacific has been pushed back one hour (from the standard 5 p.m. Saturday start time) to accommodate game day staffing needs of the men's/women's soccer doubleheader at Simplot Stadium.
 
LIVE STATS / LIVE VIDEO: Live Stats and Live Video will be available for both weekend matches for fans unable to make the trip to Caldwell. Live Stats can be accessed through C of I's SIDEARM Sports Portal, while Live Video (pay-per-view) can be accessed through C of I's Stretch Internet Portal.
 
ALMOST AN UPSET: Squaring off against defending league champion Southern Oregon, the Coyotes went toe-to-toe with the fifth-ranked Raiders – building a two sets to one lead in the match. Though SOU was able to rally for the victory, C of I held a 59-55 edge in kills and limited the Raiders to just three aces – but Southern used 16 team blocks and forced 36 Coyote hitting errors to rally for the home win.
 
AGAINST TOP-5 TEAMS: Since the 2006 season, the Yotes have played 25 matches against Top-5 opponents – including last Friday's date at Southern Oregon. C of I has a 3-22 record against Top-5 teams, but have won at least one set against the top clubs in the NAIA in 16 of the 25 matches – taking the opposition to five sets seven times. The Coyotes are 0-9 against Top-5 teams in 3-set matches, 1-8 in 4-set matches and 2-5 in 5-set matches.
 
MATCH OF THE YEAR: A dominant performance by the Coyotes on both offense and defense were the key in a road sweep of Oregon Tech, their 11th-straight win over the Owls in Klamath Falls. C of I hit at a .300 clip – their best percentage in a road match this season, held a 6-3 edge in total blocks, while the defense did not allow an ace to the No. 2 serving team in the CCC.
 
COYOTES REMAIN PERFECT VS. UNRANKED TEAMS: The win over Oregon Tech improved the Yotes record to 9-0 in 2019 against unranked opponents – and 13-straight wins against non-Top-25 teams dating back to last season. C of I has played six matches vs. ranked foes – going a combined 1-5.
 
LONG HOMESTEAND AHEAD: For the first time in program history, the Yotes will play 6-straight CCC matches in a row in the Activities Center – starting with Friday's contest against Multnomah. It marks just the sixth time that C of I has played at least 6-straight home games – stringing together 6-straight matches during the 1989, 1998 and 2006 season, while the 2002 team played 7-consecutive home games and the 1996 team played a record 9-straight home games.
 
WIN #200 AT HOME IN REACH: The J.A. Albertson Activities Center continues to provide a huge home floor advantage for the Yotes. Since October of 2005, C of I has posted a 160-15 record at home – which included a 73-match CCC win streak – with C of I 251-51 all-time in the arena and 199-27 all-time at home under head coach Liz Mendiola. In addition, C of I has a stellar 24-2 record at home in the postseason. The current squad as a 4-1 record in the JAAC.
 
DOMINANT AGAINST UNRANKED TEAMS IN CALDWELL: Unranked teams have struggled in their trip to Idaho, as the Yotes extended their win streak against non-Top-25 teams to 17 with wins over Northwest and Evergreen on Sept. 20-21. Since September of 2013, C of I has posted a 52-1 record against unranked foes in the Activities Center.
 
DOBNEY LATEST TO 1,000 DIGS: With 39 digs over the weekend, libero Drew Dobney became the 17th player in program history to eclipse the 1,000-dig mark for a career. The junior had 18 digs in the 5-set marathon at Southern Oregon, tying a season-high with three aces, adding 21 digs and two aces at Oregon Tech. Dobney ranks second in the Cascade Conference in digs per set (4.87) and has racked up a combined 10 aces.
 
PAGAN HAS OUTSTANDING ROAD TRIP: Outside hitter Ashley Pagan continued her strong midseason push, recording 26 kills, 20 digs and nine blocks in the swing through Oregon. Pagan recorded a double-double – 14 kills and 14 digs, along with a season-high six blocks, at Southern Oregon, adding 12 kills with a .500 hitting percentage at OIT. She is averaging 3.6 kills and 3.3 digs over the past four matches adding nine aces – with Pagan recording at least one ace in 7-straight matches.
 
GUINN RECORDS CAREER HIGH: Setter Abigail Guinn recorded a season-best 50 assists in the loss at Southern Oregon – the most by a C of I player in nearly a year. The freshman is averaging over 10 assists per set over the last four matches, improving her assists per set average to 9.31 – No. 2 in the Cascade Conference.
 
THOMPSON LEADS COYOTE BLOCK: C of I got back-to-back big matches from middle blocker Kaydre Thompson, combining for 12 blocks on the recent road trip. The sophomore tied a career-high with 11 kills and Southern, adding nine blocks – her sixth match of the season with five or more blocks – adding nine kills and three blocks at OIT. Thompson leads the Cascade Conference in blocks per set (1.40), while leading the Yotes with a .246 hitting percentage.
 
TOP-25 POLL: A 4-2 record during the three weeks spanning the first and second NAIA Top-25 polls saw the Yotes drop three positions to No. 23. The Cascade Conference was well-represented in the ranking – as three teams sit in the Top-10 (No. 5 Eastern Oregon, No. 7 Corban, No. 10 Southern Oregon), while three other preseason opponents are in the Top-25 (No. 16 Montana Tech, No. 18 Rocky Mountain, No. 20 Providence.
 
A MARK OF CONSISTENCY: The Yotes have been one of the premier volleyball programs in the Northwest, recording 20 or more victories 19 times, including 12 of the past 13 seasons – with the team recording 21-straight seasons with an above .500 record. C of I has won 25 or more matches 12 different times, with the 2006 team setting the school record with 35 victories.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Corban continued their perfect start to the league schedule with road wins at Multnomah and Warner Pacific, while Eastern Oregon completed a sweep of the Oregon Tech-Southern Oregon trip to remain one game back of the top spot. While C of I and EOU return home to host MU and WPU, OIT and Southern make the long trip to the Seattle area for tough matches at Evergreen and Northwest, while travel partners, Corban and Northwest Christian, play their rivalry match in Eugene. This weekend's contests conclude the first half of the 20-game league schedule.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – MULTNOMAH: The weekend opens against a Multnomah squad searching for their first conference win of 2019. New head coach Colton Naill has a young Lions (1-7, 0-7 CCC) squad that has struggled in serve receive (allowing 2.6 aces per set), while ranking last in the league in all offensive categories (7.3 kills per set, 0.88 blocks per set). A trio of outside hitters are MU's top offensive options – Taryn Frey (1.74 k/s), Danae Stokes (2.08 k/s, 2.17 d/s) and Taylor Howie (1.63 k/s, 1.28 d/s), while Amanda Holm (4.44 a/s, 1.56 d/s) is the Lions top setter in a 6-2 system.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – WARNER PACIFIC: Saturday night, Warner Pacific closes out their 3-game trip east, trying to snap a 21-match losing streak in Caldwell. The Knights (2-9, 1-6 CCC) have struggled through the first month of the season, ranking among the bottom three in the CCC in all team statistical categories. Middle blocker Haley Yoder (2.43 k/s, 0.50 b/s) and outside hitter Audree Gormanson (1.60 k/s, 2.30 d/s) are the top offensive threats for WPU, with setter Matalasi Laban (7.03 a/s, 1.50 d/s) playing all six rotations and libero Mercedes Massey (3.63 d/s) the top defender.
 
EFFICIENCY THE KEY: After a slow start to the season, the Coyote attack has showed marked improvement in recent weeks. C of I has recorded a .300 or better hitting percentage in two of their last four matches – after failing to crack a .200 hitting percentage in eight of their first nine matches of 2019. This weekend, the Yotes will be facing two teams that have struggled to stop opponents – as Multnomah opponents are averaging a .281 hitting percentage in their eight matches, while Warner Pacific opponents are hitting at a .238 clip
 
CAREER RECORD BOOK: Four players currently are ranked among the Top-25 in the C of I career record book – as Ashley Pagan is No. 6 in kills (1,173), No. 8 in digs (1,276) and No. 13 in aces (110); Drew Dobney is No. 17 in digs (1,005) and No. 18 in assists (183); Abigail Guinn is No. 13 in assists (512); with Margie Beeler No. 17 in assists (293).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Coyotes begin the second half of the Cascade Conference schedule next weekend, hosting Northwest Christian and Corban.