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WHAT’S BRUIN: Volleyball News & Notes 10/6
Overall Record: 6-10 (Home 0-5, Road 1-2, Neutral 5-3)
NWC Record: 1-5, 7th (Home 0-3, Road 1-2)
Links: Quick Facts / Roster / Schedule & Results / Statistics / Press Releases
Multimedia: Live Stats / Video / KFOX Radio
HIGHLIGHTS:
* Coming Up: Bruins Close First Half of NWC Play at Pacific and Linfield
* Recent Games: Bruins Fall in Home Matches to Tacoma Teams
* Valentine Again Honorable Mention for NWC Weekly Honors
* NCAA Stats: Bruins, Reeves Among National Leaders in Digs
* NWC Stats: Pledger Takes Over League’s Top Spot in Hitting Pct.
* Career Lists: Toedtemeier Continues Climb Toward 9th in Assists
Coming Up :
Fri., Oct. 8, 7:00 pm – at Pacific University, Forest Grove, Ore. (NWC)
Sat., Oct. 9, 7:00 pm – at Linfield College, McMinnville, Ore. (NWC)
The first half of the Northwest Conference schedule comes to a close as the Bruins, hoping to end a three-game skid, visit the Pacific Boxers on Friday and the Linfield Wildcats on Saturday. The Bruins and Boxers are currently tied for 7th in the conference, so that deadlock will be broken. Linfield was one of the early-season success stories in the NWC, winning four of its first five conference matches after being picked to finish 7th in the pre-season poll.
Multimedia: Pacific will provide live stats of the match on Oct. 8 at www.goboxers.com/live. There will be no multimedia presentation from Linfield on Oct. 9.
This Week’s Opponents:
Pacific (2-12, NWC 1-5, 7th T): The Boxers from Forest Grove, Ore., were picked 8th in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins 4th ... The Boxers defeated Whitman 3-1 at home on Sunday, snapping a 12-game losing streak … The Bruins have won the last three meetings with the Boxers, including 3-1 in Forest Grove on Oct. 3 and 3-0 in Newberg on Oct. 30 last year ... Pacific’s last win in the series was 3-0 in Newberg on Sept. 17, 2008 ... Pacific in the latest NWC stats: hitting pct. (.127, 6th), opponents’ hitting pct. (.217, 9th), kills (10.22, 9th), assists (9.53,9th), blocks (1.75, 6th), aces (1.41, 9th), digs (13.86, 9th) … Kelsy Takashima is 8th in kills (2.92) … Danica Thompson is 5th in assists (8.57) … Jade Thompson is 4th in digs (5.00) … Coach Lena Chan is 16-46 to date in her 3rd season … Next: Oct. 9 at Puget Sound, 7 pm.
Linfield (6-8, NWC 4-2, 4th): The Wildcats from McMinnville, Ore., were picked 7th in the NWC pre-season poll, the Bruins 4th ... After a 4-1 start in conference, the Wildcats let a 2-0 lead get away Saturday at home and fell to Whitworth 3-2 … The Bruins won both meetings with the Wildcats last year, 3-0 in McMinnville on Oct. 2 and 3-1 in Newberg on Oct. 31 ... The Wildcats’ last win in the series was 3-1 in McMinnville on Oct. 31, 2008 ... Linfield in the latest NWC stats: hitting pct. (.100, 9th), opponents’ hitting pct. (.126, 1st), kills (10.22, 8th), assists (9.76, 6th), blocks (1.49,7th), aces (1.42, 8th), digs (19.49, 1st, 26th nationally) … Cora Hall is 9th in assists (5.54) … Tara Hill is 10th in aces (0.31) … Samantha Lau is 1st in digs (6.33, 11th nationally) … Coach Shane Kimura is 592-421 to date in his 33rd season ... Next: Oct. 10 at Pacific Lutheran, 4 pm.
Recent Results (0-2):
Fri., Oct. 1 – L 1-3 vs. Puget Sound (25-12, 20-25, 22-25, 17-25)
After hitting a sparkling .303 to cruise past the Loggers in the first set, the Bruins could not sustain the momentum and hit under .100 in the final three sets. Isabel Valentine had 13 kills and hit .524 and Betsy Wilhelm added 12 kills, but the Bruins played without All-NWC middle Eliza Pledger for the third match in a row due to back problems. Ali Toedtemeier had 41 assists and 14 digs, while Patti Reeves added 22 digs, Wilhelm 11, and Chelsea Wilson 10. Reeves served 4 aces.
Sat., Oct. 2 - L 0-3 vs. Pacific Lutheran (17-25, 28-30, 14-25)
Out-hit .271 to .131, the Bruins could not slow down the visiting Lutes, who won their 35th straight conference match. The Bruins had a chance to even the match with a 27-26 lead in the second set but could not hang on. Eliza Pledger, Isabel Valentine, and Cassie Irwin led the Bruins with 9 kills apiece, and Ali Toedtemeier passed out 33 assists. Pattie Reeves led the defense with 16 digs and Toedtemeier added 12.
BRUIN BITS ---
* Valentine Again Receives Honorable Mention for NWC Honors
Continuing her fine freshman season, 6-1 middle blocker Isabel Valentine from Wet Linn, Ore., had two good games despite the Bruins’ 0-2 week and and received honorable mention for Northwest Conference Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week for Sept. 27-Oct. 3, the second week in a row she has been so recognized.
In a 3-1 loss to Puget Sound on Oct. 1, Valentine had 13 kills in 22 attempts and a .542 hitting pct., with 2 service aces, a dig, and 3 blocks (one solo, 2 assists). In a 3-1 setback to Pacific Lutheran on Oct. 2, she had 9 kills in 32 attempts and a .094 hitting pct., with 3 consecutive aces, 4 digs, and a block assist. For the week, in 2 matches and 7 sets, she totaled 22 kills (3.14 per set) and 8 errors in 54 attempts (.259), with 5 aces, 5 digs, and 4 blocks (one solo, 3 assists). Valentine currently stands 2nd on the team in hitting pct. (.191) and blocks (0.80).
* 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; HM, Sept. 27-Oct. 3)
* NCAA Stats: Bruins, Reeves Among National Leaders in Digs
In the latest NCAA Division III national statistics (thru Oct. 3), George Fox ranks 28th in digs per set (19.45) ... Patti Reeves is 16th in digs (6.16) ...
* NWC Stats: Pledger Takes Over League’s Top Spot in Hitting Pct.
In the latest Northwest Conference statistics (thru Sept. 26), George Fox ranks 2nd in digs (19.45), 3rd in assists (10.79), 4th in kills (11.52), aces (1.64), 5th in blocks (1.84), 6th in opponents’ hitting percentage (.161), 8th in hitting pct. (.121) ...
Eliza Pledger is 1st in hitting pct. (.305), 2nd in blocks (1.06) ...
Patti Reeves is 2nd in digs (6.16), 4th in aces (0.45) ...
Ali Toedtemeier is 4th in assists (8.91) …
Chelsea Wilson is 6th in aces (0.34) …
* Career Lists: Toedtemeier Continues Climb Toward 9th in Assists
Ali Toedtemeier: With 74 assists in the last two games, Toedtemeier has 517 for the season and 1,611 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 had two blocks in the Bruins’ last game and has 50 blocks for the season and 167 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: Kerr had no blocks in the last two games and remained with 43 on the season and 143 for her career. She 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 562-375 (.600) 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.
