CALDWELL, Idaho - A 27-game schedule awaits the College of Idaho volleyball team – including 13 home games, the most regular-season dates in the J.A. Albertson Activities Center since 2003.
Though the Coyotes do not travel to California during the preseason for the first time since 2010, the team will head to Butte next weekend for the Big Sky Volleyball Challenge. While in Montana, C of I meets perennial Frontier Conference powers in Carroll College, Montana Tech and Rocky Mountain, along with Olivet Nazarene of Illinois. Carroll (19-14) and Tech (17-15) both look to rebound after tough 2018 seasons; Rocky (30-6) won the regular-season FC title and advanced to bracket play at the NAIA Championships, while ONU (22-16) meets the Yotes for the first time since 2002.
C of I will host a tournament for the first time since 2012 – as four other teams converge on Caldwell for a Labor Day Weekend Classic. The Yotes and Cascade Conference rival, Eastern Oregon, will be joined by Frontier Conference foe, Providence, Hope International of California, and Cardinal Stritch of Wisconsin. UP (23-11) earns a rematch with the Coyotes after C of I defeated the Argos in Pool Play at last season's NAIA Championships; HIU (16-15) makes the trip north after hosting the Yotes during their annual Summer Slam tournament the past three years; while CSU (19-20) heads to Idaho for a homecoming for head coach Dan Mathews, a native of Oregon.
The 20-game CCC schedule looks different than past seasons – as the Yotes will play six of their first eight games away from Caldwell, before playing eight of their next 10 games at home, including six-straight to start October. With four CCC teams qualifying for last season's NAIA Championships – all reaching bracket play.
"I do think our conference is getting respect nationally, you can't disregard having four teams made it out of pool play at Nationals and all of those team return a good core," said head coach
Liz Mendiola. "I think there finally is that realization that the Cascade Conference is good."
Joining the Yotes in the preseason NAIA Top-25 were defending champ, Southern Oregon (No. 6), Eastern Oregon (No. 10) and Corban (No. 19). SOU (29-5) returns the bulk of their offense from a team that advanced to the national quarterfinals – including All-Americans Taylor Ristvedt (3.4 k/s, 0.7 b/s) and Makayla Hoyt (2.7 k/s, 1.0 b/s). EOU (25-9) returns two All-Americans – Hailee Ackerman (3.1 k/s) and Morgan Bunn (3.4 k/s, 3.4 d/g), while Corban (23-13) returns their top hitter in All-CCC pick Adriana Aguayo (3.0 k/s).
Playoff teams Northwest and Evergreen look to be improved – as NU (16-14) returns top hitters Keann White (2.3 k/s, 0.8 b/s) and Hannah Lord (2.1 k/s, 0.5 b/s), while TESC (12-18), coming off their first postseason appearance in over a decade, return setter Sierra Wolff (8.9 a/s, 0.5 b/s) and blocker Chloee Hunt (2.1 k/s, 1.0 b/s) – both All-CCC picks.
"The league is going to be extremely tough this year," Mendiola said. "Northwest and Evergreen will be better than they were a year ago and they were really good last year and we have that same consistent group of Southern, Eastern and Corban that went to the national tournament and didn't lose many players. Every match will be tough, there are no breaks in the Cascade Conference."
The remaining five teams in the circuit are all expected to be improved. Oregon Tech (12-15) returns on of the top servers in the league in Lindsey Sampson (3.9 d/s, 47 aces), but have to replace their top hitter in Chase Bowman (4.6 k/s); Northwest Christian (12-17) lost All-America middle Megan Van Marter (2.8 k/s, .432 hitting percentage), but return four starters; Warner Pacific (10-16) returns No. 2 hitter Haley Yoder (2.5 k/s, 0.7 b/s); while Multnomah (6-23) has a new coach and Walla Walla (0-21) looks to snap a 42-match losing streak.
