2019 Volleyball Notebook - Week 8

COMING UP: vs. Northwest Christian, Friday, 7 p.m.; vs. No. 7 Corban, Saturday, 5 p.m.

COMPLETE MEDIA GAME NOTES
 
NOTE SATURDAY START TIME: First-serve for Saturday's match vs. No. 7 ranked Corban is set for 5 p.m. – the mandated Cascade Conference start-time for Saturday matches.
 
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.
 
HOME STREAK EXTENDED: A pair of weekend wins helped the Yotes extend their home court win streak to six and improved their home record in 2019 to 6-1. Since October of 2005, C of I has posted a 162-15 record at home – including a 73-match Cascade Conference win streak – with the team 253-51 all-time in the arena.
 
MENDIOLA WINS #200 AT HOME: Friday's win over Multnomah marked the 200th career home victory for head coach Liz Mendiola, who improved her home record to 201-27 in her 19 seasons as head coach.
 
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 19 with wins over Multnomah and Warner Pacific. Since September of 2013, C of I has posted a 52-1 record against unranked foes in the Activities Center.
 
COYOTES REMAIN PERFECT VS. UNRANKED TEAMS: The weekend wins improved the Yotes record to 11-0 in 2019 against unranked opponents – and 15-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 last 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.
 
BIG HITTING NIGHT / STELLAR DEFENSE: Friday night's win over Multnomah featured one of the more efficient offensive performances in program history, while the defense completely stifled the Lions attack. C of I finished the match with 42 kills on 78 swings, hitting at a .474 clip – their seventh-highest attack percentage in school history – and the highest since recording a school-record .644 percentage against Evergreen in 2011. It was just the seventh time a C of I team recorded five or fewer attack errors in a match. On the flip side, the Yotes limited MU to just 19 kills and 21 errors – the first time a C of I opponent hit at a negative percentage since Milligan had 24 kills and 28 errors against the Coyotes at the 2018 NAIA Championships.
 
GUINN EARNS WEEKLY AWARD: For the third time this season, Coyote freshman Abigail Guinn was honored as Red Lion-Cascade Conference Setter of the Week. The Nevada native had her best statistical weekend of the season, averaging over 13 assists per game in the two C of I wins. Guinn recorded 23 assists in just two sets in Friday's win over Multnomah, following it up with a career-high 57 assists, adding eight digs, three blocks and two aces in the victory over Warner Pacific. She currently leads the CCC with a 9.70 assists per set average and has recorded 40-or-more assists on six occasions.
 
DOBNEY HONORED AS TOP DEFENDER: Libero Drew Dobney was honored for the first time this season as Red Lion-CCC Defender of the Week – the fourth time the junior has earned the award in her career. Dobney was instrumental in the two C of I wins, leading all players with 10 digs in Friday victory over Multnomah, adding 24 digs in the win over Warner Pacific – her sixth match with 20 or more digs in 2019. She ranks second in the CCC in digs per set (4.87) and is tops on the squad with 21 service aces.
 
THOMPSON HAS CAREER NIGHT: C of I got a huge effort from middle blocker Kaydre Thompson in Saturday's win over Warner Pacific, as the sophomore posted career highs for kills and hitting percentage. Thompson had 19 kills in the victory – the most by a Coyote this season – surpassing her previous single-match high of 11 kills, while hitting at a .500 clip. Her efforts improved her team-best attack percentage to .279 and is now averaging 2.27 kills and 1.31 blocks per set in 2019.
 
PAGAN CONTINUES STELLAR STREAK: Senior Ashley Pagan continued a big midseason push, recording outstanding numbers for the third-straight weekend. The 6-rotation player combined for 20 kills on 42 swings in the two matches – recording just two attack errors – while chipping in with 19 digs. Over the last six matches, Pagan is averaging 3.66 kills and 3.43 digs per set, among the top numbers in the league over the stretch.
 
TOP OFFENSIVE OPTIONS: The Yotes have turned to a pair of underclassmen as top options at each of the pins – as Jordyn Boswell and Austyn Mauzy have established themselves in the C of I rotation. Boswell leads the team with a 3.07 kills per set average – No. 2 in the CCC – recording 10 kills in 21 swings vs. Multnomah and posting her second double-double of the year (12 kills, 10 digs) against Warner Pacific. Mauzy recorded eight kills in 12 attempts (without an error) against MU, adding 11 kills in the win over WPU and is averaging 2.38 kills per set on the year.
 
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 in the most recent national poll, released Oct. 2. The CCC 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. The next national rating will be released on Oct. 23.
 
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.
 
AT THE MIDWAY POINT: The four nationally-ranked teams in the CCC have separated themselves from the pack – with the lone losses by the squads against each other. Corban is the lone unbeaten team in the league – a game clear of Eastern Oregon (who has only lost to Corban; two games ahead of Southern Oregon (who has lost to just Corban and EOU); and three games ahead of C of I (who has only lost to the three aforementioned teams – all on the road). Corban has the toughest road remaining – having to play matches at C of I, EOU and SOU – while C of I will get rematches with Corban, Eastern and Southern in Caldwell. Four teams are battling for the final two postseason spots – as one game in the loss column separates Evergreen, Northwest, Northwest Christian and Oregon Tech.
 
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Corban and Northwest Christian head eastward for the 3-game trek at Walla Walla, C of I and Eastern Oregon, with Evergreen and Northwest, locked in a tie for fifth in the league standings, opening the second half at home against Warner Pacific and Multnomah. Travel partners Southern Oregon and Oregon Tech meet in Klamath Falls, with SOU putting a 33-match win streak against the rival Owls, dating back to 2005, on the line.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – NORTHWEST CHRISTIAN: The second half of the conference season starts Friday against Northwest Christian, as the Beacons (11-7, 3-6 CCC) hit the road after a first half slate that saw the squad drop four 5-set matches on their home floor. NCU leads the conference in aces per set (1.93) – keyed by libero Kayla Olson (4.49 d/s, 24 aces) and setter Makenna Northern (9.29 a/s, 20 aces). Outside hitter Claire Salness (2.87 k/s, 2.54 d/s) has been the top option for the Beacons attack, with Cambria Lingenfelder (2.12 k/s, 2.69 d/s) and Payton Jones (1.84 k/s, 0.76 b/s) key both offensively and defensively. NCU took C of I to five sets in the first meeting this season in Eugene, Ore.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – CORBAN: C of I earns a rematch with nationally-ranked Corban on Saturday, as the No. 7 ranked Warriors (12-3, 9-0 CCC) head out on a 3-game road swing riding a 9-match win streak. Led by outside hitters Cassie Cunningham (2.91 k/s) and Avari Ridgway (2.81 k/s, 0.58 b/s), along with blocker Jacquelyn Clark (1.82 k/s, 0.80 b/s), the Warriors are hitting .209 as a team – but opponents are hitting at a respectable .181 clip and averaging 2.23 blocks per set. Setters Jadyn Mullen (5.89 a/s, 1.73 d/s) and Cierra Leopoldino (4.38 a/s, 1.28 d/s) run the 6-2 offensive attack, with Kealani Ontai (4.39 d/s) the top back row defender.
 
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 (1,193), No. 7 in digs (1,295) and No. 13 in aces (111); Drew Dobney is No. 15 in digs (1,039) and No. 18 in assists (188); Abigail Guinn is No. 13 in assists (592); with Margie Beeler No. 17 in assists (301).
 
LOOKING AHEAD: The Coyotes close out their long homestand with matches next Thursday vs. No. 5 Eastern Oregon and an afternoon match-up next Friday vs. Walla Walla.