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WHAT’S BRUIN: Volleyball News & Notes 9/29
Overall Record: 6-8 (Home 0-3, Road 1-2, Neutral 5-3)
NWC Record: 1-3, 7th (Home 0-1, Road 1-2)
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: Bruins to Host National Powers UPS and PLU in NWC Matches
* Recent Games: Bruins Split with “Whits” on Eastern Washington Swing
* Valentine Honorable Mention for NWC Weekly Honors
* NWC Stats: Bruins, Reeves Remain Atop League in Digs
* Career Lists: Toedtemeier Continues Climb Toward 9th in Assists
Coming Up :
Fri., Oct. 1, 7:00 pm – vs. University of Puget Sound, Newberg, Ore. (NWC)
Sat., Oct. 2, 76:00 pm - vs. Pacific Lutheran University, Newberg, Ore. (NWC)
After splitting two matches on their eastern Washington swing last weekend, the Bruins return home to host the University of Puget Sound Friday and Pacific Lutheran University Saturday. Both opponents have been ranked in the AVCA / NCAA Division III national rankings at times this season, and are currently listed among “others receiving votes”, PLU with 23 points and UPS with 20.
Multimedia: George Fox will provide live stats, live video streaming via Stretch Internet, and live audio via campus radio station KFOX webcasting for both games this weekend. Links to each are listed above.
Tickets: Ticket prices for George Fox volleyball matches at the Wheeler Sports Center/Miller Gym on the main campus are $6 for adults and $3 for non-GFU students and seniors 55 and over. Children 6 and under who are not in school are free. George Fox faculty, staff, and students are admitted free with valid GFU ID; the ID covers immediate family members for all employees.
This Week’s Opponents:
Puget Sound (8-4, NWC 3-1, 2nd): The Loggers from Tacoma, Wash., were picked 2nd in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins 4th ... The Loggers have won their last two matches, including a 3-2 win at Willamette on Saturday … The Bruins and Loggers split last year, George Fox winning 3-1 in Tacoma on Oct. 10 and Puget Sound winning 3-1 in Newberg on Nov. 6 ... UPS in the latest NWC stats: hitting pct. (.210, 2nd), opponents’ hitting pct. (.135, 3rd), kills (12.47, 1st, 26th nationally), assists (11.20, 1st), blocks (2.43, 1st, 23rd nationally), aces (1.56, 4th), digs (18.18, 3rd) … Brynn Blickenstaff is 3rd in kills (3.58), 5th in hitting pct. (.261), 9th in aces (0.33) … Jaime Ecklund is 3rd in blocks (1.07), 7th in hitting pct. (.249) … Natalie Monro is 2nd kills (3.65) … Erika Greene is 1st in assists (9.98, 26th nationally), 5th in aces (0.40) … Molly Gibson is 5th in blocks (0.91) … Juliette Witous is 5th in digs (5.00) … Coach Mark Massey is 258-117 to date in his 15th season … Next: Oct. 2 at Lewis & Clark, 7 pm.
Pacific Lutheran (10-3, NWC 4-0, 1st): The Lutes from Parkland, Wash., were picked 1st in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins 4th ... PLU has won 33 consecutive NWC matches dating back to early 2008 … PLU has won its last four matches, including a 3-0 win at Pacific on Saturday ... The Lutes have won the last 16 meetings with the Bruins ... The Bruins’ last win in the series was 3-2 in Newberg on Oct. 27, 2001 ... PLU in the latest NWC stats: hitting pct. (.219, 1st), opponents’ hitting pct. (.153, 5th), kills (11.90, 2nd), assists (10.51, 5th), blocks (2.05, 4th), aces (1.90, 1st), digs (16.08, 5th) … Melissa DeWalt is 4th in hitting pct. (.269) … Erin Bremond is 6th in hitting pct. (.251), blocks (0.91) … Kelsie Moore is 7th in kills (3.14), 8th in hitting pct. (.242), 9th in digs (3.35) … Sarah Beaver is 3rd in assists (8.84) … Blair Bjorkman is 3rd in digs (5.02) … Coach Kevin Aoki is 252-127 to date in his 15th year ... PLU visits Willamette Friday before meeting the Bruins … Next: Oct. 6 at Puget Sound, 7 pm.
Recent Results (1-1):
Fri., Sept. 24 - W 3-1 at Whitman (15-25, 25-17, 25-17, 25-22)
A 79-57 advantage in digs enabled the Bruins to rally from a first-set loss to take the next three sets from the Missionaries and secure their first conference win of the season. Patti Reeves led a quartet of defensive players in double figures with 20 digs, while offensively, Betsy Wilhelm paced the Bruins with 14 kills. Ali Toedtemeier made 34 assists, and Stepahnie Kerr had six block assists.
Sat., Sept. 25 - L 0-3 at Whitworth (12-25, 16-25, 24-26)
Whitworth hit .289 while holding the Bruins to only an .057 hitting percentage. The Pirates crusied through the first two sets, but had to rally from set point twice in the third set and scored the final four points to mail down the win. Isabel Valentine had eight kills while Ali Toedtemeier had 27 assists and eight digs to lead the Bruins.
BRUIN BITS ---
Valentine Receives Honorable Mention for NWC Honors
Stepping up her game after a back injury to All-NWC middle blocker Eliza Pledger, Isabel Valentine had three good games and received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week for Sept. 20-26.
In a 3-0 loss to Concordia-Portland on Sept. 21, Valentine had 9 kills in 19 attempts and a .316 hitting pct. with one dig. In a 3-1 win at Whitman on Sept. 24, she had 9 kills in 22 attempts, a .182 hitting pct., one assist, one dig, and 4 block assists. In a 3-0 loss at Whitworth on Sept. 25, she had 8 kills in 22 attempts, a .136 hitting pct., one dig and 3 block assists. For the week, in 3 matches and 10 sets, she totaled 26 kills (2.60 per game) and 13 errors in 61 attempts (.201), with one assist, 3 digs, and 7 block assists.
A 6-1 freshman from West Linn, Ore., Valentine is 2nd on the team in hitting pct. (.176) and 3rd in blocks (0.84).
2010 Honors
Eliza Pledger ---
Bruin Athletic Association Women’s Athlete of the Week - (Sept. 6-12)
Northwest Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week - (HM, Aug. 30-Sept. 5; HM, Sept. 6-12; HM, Sept. 13-19)
Isabel Valentine ---
Northwest Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week - (HM, Sept. 20-26)
NCAA Stats: Bruins, Reeves Among National Leaders in Digs
In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics (thru Sept. 19), George Fox ranked 15th in digs per set (20.34) ...
Patti Reeves was 4th in digs (6.97) ...
NWC Stats: Bruins, Reeves Remain Atop League in Digs
In the latest Northwest Conference statistics (thru Sept. 26), George Fox ranks 1st in digs (19.63), 2nd in assists (10.82), 4th in kills (11.49), opponents’ hitting percentage (.150), 5th in blocks (1.96), 7th in hitting pct. (.121), aces (1.53) ...
Patti Reeves is 1st in digs (6.29), 4th in aces (0.49) ...
Eliza Pledger is 2nd in hitting pct. (.295), blocks (1.09), 10th in kills (2.61) ...
Ali Toedtemeier is 4th in assists (8.69) …
Stephanie Kerr is 10th in blocks (0.84) ...
Betsy Wilhelm is 10th in digs (3.28) …
Career Lists: Toedtemeier Continues Climb Toward 9th in Assists
Ali Toedtemeier: With 61 assists in the last two games, Toedtemeier has 443 for the season and 1,537 in her career, 10th on the all-time list. Ahead is Gina (Coolen) Kluver, now a Bruins’ assistant coach (1,797, 2003-04) ...
Eliza Pledger: Pledger missed the Bruins’ two games this past weekend with a back injury and remained with 48 blocks for the season and 165 for her career, 9th on the all-time list. Ahead are Mindi (Yost) Cotner (182, 1999-2002) and Jeni Nelson (194, 2000-03) ...
Stephanie Kerr: With 7 blocks in the last two games, Kerr has 43 on the season, 143 for her career, and needs 13 more to tie Sarah Crossfield (156, 2006-09), now a Bruins’ assistant coach, for 10th on the all-time list …
Coach Steve Grant:
Steve Grant (Biola ‘69) has a 562-373 (.601) record to date in his 29th season as the Bruins’ head coach. Entering this fall, his 556 career wins were 13th among active NCAA Division III coaches and 19th among D-III coaches all-time. He was the NCCAA National Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1987 for leading the Bruins to NCCAA national titles, and in 1998, he was the NWC Coach of the Year. The Bruins have posted 21 winning seasons in his time as the GFU coach. Click here for the complete bio on Coach Grant.
