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WHAT’S BRUIN - Volleyball Weekly News & Notes 9/26
* HIGHLIGHT: Tiffany Burk Named NWC Player of the Week
* COMING UP: Three Home Matches on Consecutive Nights
* NCAA STATS: Burk in Blocks, Wilson in Digs Listed in Top 50
* NWC STATS: Capron, Bruins Lead League in Service Aces
NEWBERG, Ore. – A rare double-double in kills and blocks in a home win over Linfield College highlighted a fine week for George Fox University middle blocker Tiffany Burk, a feat which helped her earn the Northwest Conference Women’s Volleyball Student-Athlete of the Week award for games of Sept. 17-23.
Burk, a sophomore from Baker City, Ore., began the week by posting 6 kills with 3 errors in 20 attempts for a .150 hitting percentage in a 3-0 home loss to No. 20 Puget Sound on Sept. 21, along with 2 digs and 2 block assists. In a 3-1 win over Linfield the next night, she collected 14 kills with 3 errors in 29 attempts, a .379 percentage, with 10 blocks (4 solo, 6 assisted) and a dig and an assist. It was the first double-double in blocks and kills by a Bruin since Eliza Pledger’s 11 kills and 10 blocks vs. Redlands in the Cal Lu Fornia Invitational in Thousand Oaks, Calif., on Sept. 11, 2009, and only the seventh in the last 11 seasons (records prior to that are being researched).
For the week, Burk totaled 20 kills (2.86 kps) and 6 errors in 49 attempts (.286), with 12 blocks (1.71 bps), 3 digs and an assist. In the NWC, she ranks 4th in blocks per set (1.12), 5th in hitting percentage (.256), and 16th in kills per set (2.32). She is 28th nationally in blocks.
* 2012 HONORS *
Tiffany Burk
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week: Aug. 27-Sept. 2 (HM); Sept. 17-23
Chelsea Wilson
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week: Sept. 3-9 (HM)
Lucy Capron
- Northwest Conference Student-Athlete of the Week: Sept. 10-16 (HM)
- Bruin Athlete of the Week: Sept. 10-16
* COMING UP: Three Home Matches on Consecutive Nights
Sept. 27, 7 pm - vs. Colorado College (10-4), Newberg, Ore.
Sept. 28, 7 pm - vs. Whitman College (4-7, NWC 2-2), Newberg, Ore.
Sept. 29, 5 pm - vs. Whitworth University (5-6, NWC 1-3), Newberg, Ore.
The Bruins conclude a five-game home stand at the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym with matches on three consecutive nights, the first a non-conference clash with the 17th-ranked Colorado College Tigers. The weekend ends with the Whitman College Missionaries on Friday and the Whitworth University Pirates on Saturday in Northwest Conference action. The Whitworth match is at 5:00 p.m. to give the Pirates an earlier start home in the evening.
Tickets: Adults - $7.00; George Fox alumni - $5.00; non-GFU students / seniors 60 and up - $3.00; “Classic Bruins” (alumni who graduated 50 or more years ago) - $2.00; children 6 and under / GFU community with school ID - Free.
Multimedia: George Fox will provide The Automated Scorebook/StatCrew live statistics, KFOX radio live audio, and Stretch Internet live video streaming for all three games this week via the following links:
Live Stats: http://athletics.georgefox.edu/livestats/index
KFOX Audio: http://www.georgefox.edu/offices/asc/kfoxradio/
Stretch Internet Video: http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/georgefox.portal#
George Fox (4-6, NWC 2-2, 4th T): The Bruins, who were picked 6th in the NWC pre-season poll, split their last two matches at home Sept. 21-22, falling 3-0 to 10th-ranked Puget Sound before defeating Linfield 3-1. OH Erin Campbell led the Bruins with 14 kills vs. Puget Sound, while Tiffany Burk posted a rare double-double of kills and blocks with 14 and 10 respectively vs. Linfield. Payton Shrum had a career-high 43 assists and Chelsea Wilson made 34 digs in the win over the Wildcats.
Colorado College (10-4): The Tigers from Colorado Springs, Colo., are members of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference. They are No. 17 in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association NCAA Division III national poll. The Tigers went 33-7 last year, finished second in the SCAC to Trinity (Texas), then won the conference tournament and reached the finals of the NCAA Division III West Regional, where they were eliminated by California Lutheran. They have won their last two matches, the latest a 3-1 road win vs. Austin ... Colorado College ranks 48th nationally in digs per set (18.35). OH Courtney Birkett (2.38 kps) and OH Emily Phillips (2.37 kps) lead the Tigers’ offense, S Devon Lucero (8.72 aps) sets them up, and L Laura Goldsmith (4.74 dps) and MB Randi Braak (0.82 bps) are the defensive leaders. Coach Rick Swan (James Madison ’86) is 342-135 to date in his 15th year at CC, and 375-175 in his 17th year overall ... Next: at Linfield, Sept. 28, 7 pm.
Whitman (4-7, NWC 2-2, 4th T): The Missionaries from Walla Walla, Wash., were picked 9th in the NWC pre-season poll. Whitman has won two in a row after a five-game losing streak, the latest a 3-0 home win over Willamette ... Whitman is 11th nationally in blocks (2.46 dps). OH Jillian Davis leads the Missionaries in kills (3.62 kps, 38th nationally) while S Rachel Cline is the assists leader (7.00 aps). Defensively, L Hannah Linsenmayer leads in digs (4.64 dps), while MB Olivia Nielson (1.45 bps, 5th nationally) and MB Courtney Brewer (1.16 dps, 23rd nationally) are a formidable tandem up front. Coach Matt Helm (La Verne ‘97) is 4-7 in his 1st year at Whitman ... Next: at Lewis & Clark, Sept. 29, 5 pm.
Whitworth (5-6, NWC 1-3, 7th): The defending conference champion Pirates from Spokane, Wash., were picked 2nd in the NWC pre-season poll. The Pirates snapped a three-game losing streak with a 3-1 home win over Willamette their last time out ... The offensive leaders for the Pirates are OH Nicole Leonard (3.32 kps) and RS Jalana White (3.07 kps). Whitworth uses two setters in Maddye Dinsmore (8.50 aps) and Shawna Korshavn (6.66 aps). Leonard is the digs leader (4.46 dps) and MB Briauna Stadeli leads in blocks (0.65 bps). Coach Steve Rupe is 208-143 in his 14th season at Whitworth ... The Pirates play Lewis & Clark Friday before meeting the Bruins. Next: vs. Pacific, Oct. 5, 7 pm.
* NCAA STATS: Burk in Blocks, Wilson in Digs Listed in Top 50
In the latest NCAA Division III nationals statistics (thru Sept. 24), Tiffany Burk is 28th in blocks per set (1.13) ... L Chelsea Wilson is 41st in digs per set (5.5) ...
* NWC STATS: Capron, Bruins Lead League in Service Aces
In the latest Northwest Conference statistics (thru Sept. 24), George Fox is 1st in service aces (1.98), 3rd in blocks (1.99), 5th in hitting pct. (.135), digs (17.25), 6th in kills (10.48), 7th in assists (9.58) ...
OH Lucy Capron is 1st in service aces (0.53), 17th in digs (3.08), 18th in kills (2.25), 20th in hitting pct. (.151) ...
L Chelsea Wilson is 2nd in digs (5.50), 18th in service aces (0.30) ...
MB Tiffany Burk is 4th in blocks (1.12), 5th in hitting pct. (.256), 16th in kills (2.32) ...
MB Kylee Adderson is 7th in service aces (0.38), 13th in blocks (0.68) ...
S Payton Shrum is 11th in assists (5.12) ...
S Chelsea Brustad is 12th in assists (4.67) ...
OH Erin Campbell is 15th in kills (2.38), 21st in digs (2.80) ...
OP Cassie Irwin is 21st in blocks (0.50, T), 23rd in hitting pct. (.148), 25th in kills (1.82) ...
* COACH STEVE GRANT:
Head coach Steve Grant (Biola ’69) has a career record to date of 581-401 (.592) in his 31st season at George Fox. Entering this season, he ranked 14th in victories among currently-active NCAA Division III coaches, and 22nd all-time among D-III coaches. He led the Bruins to NCCAA national championships in 1984 and 1987, earning NCCAA National Coach of the Year honors both times, and was the Northwest Conference Coach of the Year in 1998 as the Bruins won the NWC and advanced to the NAIA National Tournament.
