NWC POLL: Young but Experienced Bruins Hope to Surpass 6th-Place Prediction in 2012

NEWBERG, Ore. - With 10 returning letter winners but only two seniors, the young but relatively-experienced George Fox University Bruins entertain serious hopes of rising above a predicted sixth-place finish in the Northwest Conference women’s volleyball race in 2012 as voted on in a pre-season poll by the league’s nine coaches.

After going 10-15 overall in 2011 and tying for seventh with a 5-11 conference record, George Fox garnered 30 votes in this season’s poll.  The Bruins lost honorable mention All-NWC performers in right-side hitter Stephanie Kerr and libero Patti Reeves, the school’s career leader in digs per game, but return five starters, four of them sophomores. 

Back for the Bruins and veteran coach Steve Grant, who takes a 577-395 record into his 31st season at George Fox, are outside hitters Betsy Wilhelm and Erin Campbell, middle blockers Tiffany Burk and Kylee Adderson, and setter Mackenzie Teigen.  Wilhelm is the lone senior among the starters returning.

Coming off of its sixth 21-victory season in the past seven years, Pacific Lutheran University has been picked to win the conference championship after finishing second in 2011 and earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III National Tournament.  The Lutes received five first-place votes and 65 total points.  Setter Samantha North, a 2011 First Team All-NWC selection, returns to lead the Lutes, along with middle blocker Bethany Huston and libero Blair Bjorkman, who both received honorable mention recognition.

Whitworth University edged the University of Puget Sound 54-50 in points for second place.  The defending NWC champion Pirates, who had two first-place votes, welcome back 2011 Coach of the Year Steve Rupe but lose Player of the Year Kaimi Rocha.  The Loggers, who received one first-place vote, will look to outside hitter Jackie Harvey, a Second Team All-NWC selection in 2011, to lead the way. 

Lewis & Clark College picked up the final first-place vote and was picked fourth with 44 points.  The Pioneers will look to setter Leia Matsunaga, who led the team in assists, for leadership.

Linfield College finished just ahead of George Fox in fifth with 35 points in the balloting.  The Wildcats lost First Team All-NWC defensive whiz Samantha Lau, but welcome back outside hitter Kailana Ritte-Camara.  Pacific University was seventh with 24 points.  Second Team All-NWC Jade Thompson returns as the defensive anchor for the Boxers, who will be under first-year head coach Kip Yoshimura.

Willamette University received 21 points to finish eighth.  The Bearcats’ attack will be led by their two honorable mention All-NWC middle hitters, Madisyn Leenstra and Shannon Waltz.  Whitman College rounded out the voting with 10 points.  Outside hitter Jillian Davis earned Second Team All-NWC last season.

The 2012 season gets under way on Aug. 31, including a non-conference tilt between the George Fox Bruins and the Pacific Boxers in Forest Grove, Ore., on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.  The Bruins’ home opener is Saturday, Sept. 1, at 1:00 p.m. against Occidental College in the Wheeler Sports Center’s Miller Gym. 

(First-place votes in parenthesis. Points awarded on 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.  Coaches cannot vote for their own team)