2020-21 Volleyball Notebook (Week 5)

COMING UP: at No. 8 Eastern Oregon, Friday, 7 p.m. (PDT); at No. 8 Eastern Oregon, Saturday, 5 p.m. (PDT)

COMPLETE WEEKLY MEDIA NOTEBOOK
 
ON THE ROAD: After spending the first month of the season at home, the Coyotes will hit the road for Friday and Saturday matches at No. 8 ranked Eastern Oregon. It will be the start of a 4-game road excursion, as C of I will trek next weekend to Lewis-Clark State for back-to-back matches. The four road dates this season equal the fewest ever by a C of I team, as both the 1988 and 1989 teams played just four true road dates (the 1988 team also played six neutral site matches and the 1989 team played five neutral site contests).
 
LAST ROAD MATCH: The Yotes last played away from the Activities Center on Nov. 9, 2019 – a stretch of 493 days between road contests.
 
LONGEST STRETCH OF HOME MATCHES?: C of I has opened the 2020-21 season with 10 home matches – the longest stretch of home matches to open a season and the longest stretch of home matches in program history. Prior to this season, the Yotes had never played more than 3-straight matches to open a season at home (2011), with the 11-straight home games (including a home playoff date to end 2019) surpassing the mark of nine set from Oct. 4-19 in 1996 (as C of I sandwiched five CCC matches around their Blocktoberfest Tournament).
 
SPECTATOR INFORMATION: Despite the change in the Cascade Conference Spectator Policy, spectators will be unable to attend either of the matches hosted this weekend by Eastern Oregon – due to EOU's campus policy and guidance from both the City of La Grande and Union County.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION: Both matches will feature both Live Video and Live Statistics – Live Video can be accessed through the EOU Sports Network ($7.95 pay-per-view), with Live Stats through EOU's SIDEARM Stats Page.
 
TOUGH LOSS TO WESTMINSTER: Competing against a Division II program for the first time in seven years, the Coyotes dropped a tough 3-set decision to Westminster College of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Despite holding the Griffins to under a .200 hitting percentage on the night, WC was able to side-out at a 69-percent clip and finished the match with seven aces.
 
HIGHEST SCORING SET SCORES: The third and final set of the Westminster match was epic, as the visitors outlasted five set points by C of I en route to a 33-31 win. It was the Coyotes and their opponent combined for 64 or more points in a 25-point rally scoring set – as the Yotes defeated Corban, 33-31, in a set during the 2016 season, while losing a set 34-32 to Eastern Oregon in 2014. In the 30-point rally scoring system (from 2001-07), the Coyotes and their opponent posted 12 sets with 64 or more points scored – including a 36-34 set win over Southern Oregon in 2005, a 38-36 set loss at Northwest Nazarene in 2001 and a 39-37 set loss to Carroll in 2004.
 
MAUZY HAS STELLAR NIGHT: After missing nearly the first month of the season due to injury, outside hitter Austyn Mauzy had a breakout game on Saturday night, posting a match-high 12 kills in the loss. The junior was dominant in the third set, recording seven kills in the frame. It marked the tenth time in her C of I career that Mauzy has recorded 10-or-more kills in a match.
 
MIDDLES CONTINUE BLOCKING TEAR: The Coyotes continue to lead the Cascade Conference in blocks per set (2.69), with the success of the middle blockers the key. Both Jade Warren and Cameron Wallace each had four blocks in the contest, with Warren averaging 2.29 kills and 1.39 blocks per set and Wallace averaging 2.28 kills and 1.21 blocks per set – as the duo ranks No. 3 and No. 4 in the CCC in blocks per set.
 
NEUMAN A KEY OFFENSIVE THREAT: During her first two seasons with the Yotes, Danielle Neuman was utilized primarily as a blocking option during her rotations at middle blocker – recording 67 kills in 67 sets played as a freshman and 53 kills in 47 sets as a sophomore. This year, she has proven to be a capable weapon on the Coyote offensive attack, recording 51 kills in just 26 sets played, while hitting at a career-best .250 clip. Neuman had eight kills in the loss to Westminster and has posted at least five kills in five of her eight matches played.
 
SETTERS SHARING THE STAGE: C of I has ran a 2-setter offensive attack throughout the majority of the 2021 spring season, with Abigail Guinn and Margie Beeler sharing the back row setting duties. The duo put up nearly identical numbers against Westminster – Guinn recording 20 assists and five digs, with Beeler finishing with 18 assists and seven digs. Combined, the two players are averaging 9.97 assists per set on the season.
 
OFF TO LA GRANDE: The Yotes will make the 150-mile drive to La Grande for back-to-back matches against No. 8 ranked Eastern Oregon. It is the tenth-straight time C of I has faced EOU in La Grande with the Mountaineers ranked in the Top-25, with the Yotes posting a 3-7 mark – including postseason wins in 2014 and 2015 and a regular-season win in 2018. C of I had a 17-match win streak against Eastern inside Quinn Coliseum from 1995-2011.
 
OPPONENT PREVIEW – EASTERN OREGON: Eastern Oregon has been the class of the CCC this spring, posting a perfect 9-0 overall record and jumping to No. 8 in the latest NAIA Top-25 coaches' poll. The Mountaineers lead the league, averaging over 14 kills per set and rank second only to the Yotes with 2.6 blocks per set. EOU has multiple offensive weapons, paced by outside hitters Sade Williams (2.93 k/s, 0.52 b/s) and Breanna Shaffer (3.15 k/s, 0.70 b/s), middles Cambree Scott (2.50 k/s, 1.43 b/s) and Jet Taylor (1.64 k/s, 0.89 b/s), and opposite hitters Preslee Jensen (1.86 k/s, 0.93 b/s) and Madison Morgan (2.71 k/s). Madison Pilon (8.31 a/s, 1.86 d/s) earned All-America honors in 2019, as did Mounties libero Kiley McMurtrey (5.69 d/s).
 
PLAYOFF SCENARIOS IN 2021: The CCC has changed the postseason process in during the spring season, as only eight of the 12 teams in the league are participating. The Top-4 teams in the regular season will advance to the CCC Championships, hosted by the regular-season champion, who will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Championships. The winner of the CCC Championship will earn the league's second automatic bid – if it is the same as the regular-season champion, the tournament runner-up will earn the berth to the NAIA Tournament.
 
RECORD BOOK: Two Coyotes rank among the Top-20 in the career record book, as Abigail Guinn ranks No. 11 in assists (1,088) and Margie Beeler is No. 14 in assists (521).
 
HOME COURT SUCCESS: Since October of 2005, C of I has posted a 173-25 record at home – including a 73-match Cascade Conference win streak – with the team 260-61 all-time in the arena. Head coach Liz Mendiola has recorded a home record of 208-35 in her 20 seasons as head coach
 
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 14 seasons – with the team recording 23-straight seasons with a .500 or better record. C of I has won 25 or more matches 12 different times, with the 2006 team setting the school record with 35 victories.