Monthly Archives: November 2013

Evergreen Volleyball Named Adidas Team of the Week

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LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Evergreen State College volleyball team has been named the “Adidas Team of the Week” for Oct. 27 – Nov. 2, the Cascade Collegiate Conference announced Sunday.

“This was a great weekend for Evergreen volleyball,” said first-year head coach Angela Spoja. “It’s always awesome to get wins on the road but this second half of the season we have seen a growth in our players and applying what they have learned.”

The Geoducks completed their first ever CCC road weekend sweep with a 3-1 win over Northwest Christian on Friday night and a 3-0 win over Corban on Saturday.  In addition to being the first conference weekend sweep in school history, it was the first time since 2005 that the Geoducks won two conference matches in a row and the first time since 2003 that Evergreen has won three conference road matches.  Evergreen also held an opponent to single digits in a set for the first time since Oct. 28, 2006 as the Geoducks won Saturday’s second set, 25-8, over Corban.

“Instead of having one or two people contributing all players are contributing and we are working together towards a common goal,” added Spoja.  “We are already talking about next year and ready to start a new generation of Evergreen volleyball!”

Evergreen wraps up the 2013 season this week as they play host to Northwest in back-to-back matches beginning on Thursday night.

Geoducks Make History in 3-0 Win at Corban

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SALEM, Ore. – Completing their first Cascade Conference road weekend sweep in school history, the Evergreen Geoducks swept past the Corban Warriors to win a CCC volleyball match on Saturday night at C.E. Jeffers Sports Center in Salem, Ore.

The Geoducks got to business in the first set but the Warriors weren’t going to make it easy for them.  Battling for most of the frame, Evergreen used two kills from Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College) and a block from Love and Brittany Covert (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS/Northern Michigan Univ.) to take the 25-23 set one win.

The second set was the polar opposite of the first as Evergreen took the initial lead and never looked back.  A 5-0 run put the Geoducks up by double-digits at 13-3 and Evergreen went on another run, this time 6-0 as the lead continued to grow.  Evergreen used yet another 5-0 run to close out the set, 25-8.  It marked the first time since Oct. 28, 2006 that the Geoducks held an opponent to single digits in a set.  On that date, the Geoducks beat Cascade College by a score of 30-9 in the first set en route to a 3-0 win.

In the third set, it looked like the Warriors were going to spoil the party as Corban held a 10-5 lead early.  The Geoducks battled back but Evergreen wasn’t able to tie it up until 19-19 and from that point, Evergreen let momentum carry them the rest of the way, earning to 25-22 set three win to clinch their first 3-0 sweep since 2008 and their first road CCC sweep since 2006.

In addition to being the first conference weekend sweep in school history, it was the first time since 2005 that the Geoducks won two conference matches in a row and it is the first time since 2003 that Evergreen has won three or more conference road matches.

Evergreen was led by 19 kills from Love, who finished with an outstanding 56 kills against Corban this season.  Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) had 33 assists on 39 Evergreen kills while Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Mountain View HS/Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) led the squad with 14 digs.  The Geoducks had seven blocks on the night, including five from Covert and four from Love.

Corban was led by eight kills from Claire Bailey.  Haley Smith finished with 13 assist while Brittany Sweet led the back row with 11 digs.  The Warriors hit just .078 on the match, connecting for 29 kills with 21 errors on 102 total swings.

The Geoducks return to action on Thursday night when they play host to Northwest for the first of two back-to-back matches at home against the Eagles.  Corban hits the road next weekend, traveling to Eastern Oregon on Friday and College of Idaho on Saturday.

Box Score

Eagles Weather Geoducks, 3-2

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KIRKLAND, Wash. – Battling high winds, heavy rains and stormy conditions, the Northwest Eagles held off the Evergreen Geoducks, 3-2, in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer game on Saturday afternoon at NU Soccer Field in Kirkland, Wash.

The Eagles (13-4-0, 11-2-0 CCC) opened up the scoring in just the fifth minute as Brendon Wheeler fed in a ball behind the Evergreen (7-7-3, 5-6-2 CCC) defense to the feet of Jacob Weaver, who chipped the ball over Geoduck keeper Mauricio Sanchez (East Wenatchee, Wash./Eastmont HS/Wenatchee Valley CC) for the 1-0 lead.

Evergreen evened it up shortly after halftime as Jack Fortune (Monroe, Wash/Monroe HS) dropped a ball back to Joseph Ademofe (Ifon, Nigeria/Shoreline CC), who sent in a beauty from 30 yards deep past NU keeper Joe Galbraith for the score.

Northwest took the lead again in the 63rd minute as Weaver scored his second goal of the afternoon from about 12 yards with assists going to Edgar Esquivel and Adam Loga.  Esquivel made it 3-1 in the 78th minute, gathering a deflection following a shot by Mackenzie Samuelsen and scoring from six yards out.

The Geoducks closed the gap in the 86th minute as Kodey Eley (Federal Way, Wash./Federal Way HS) scored from 20 yards out but the NU defense stayed tough for the final five minutes to earn the 3-2 win and move one step closer to the CCC regular season title.

Evergreen held a 12-9 advantage on shots with just four shots on goal for each team.  The game was a physical one, with 33 total fouls called and seven yellow cards shown.

The Geoducks, who currently sit in fourth place in the CCC standings, wrap up the regular season next Saturday against Northwest Christian.  Kick with the Beacons is set for 3 p.m. in Springfield, Ore.

Box Score

Geoducks Fall as Owls Earn Playoff Berth With 4-1 Win

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – With winds gusting near 40 mph, the Oregon Tech Owls survived the elements and survived the Evergreen Geoducks, earning a 4-1 win in a Cascade Conference women’s soccer game on Saturday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Oregon Tech (7-9-1, 4-5-0 CCC) got on the board first as Kylie Durant sent in a ball from the right side in the 18th minute that deflected to the feet of Jacque Wood, who put the ball in the net for the 1-0 lead.  Evergreen (3-11-0, 2-7-0 CCC) answered back in the 19th minute as Delaney Smith (Dupont, Wash./Steilacoom HS/Tacoma CC) sent in a shot from about 20 yards out that snuck right inside the near post to even the game at 1-1.

The Owls took the lead before the break, using a cross from Mikaila Riddle in the 36th minute that gave Tarryn Miyamura the chance to score and she did, giving Oregon Tech a 2-1 lead heading into the halftime break.

In the second half, the Owls made it 3-1 in the 72nd minute after Kayla Campbell gathered the ball out a scrum following a corner kick by Rebekah Nisbet and Campbell shot from close for the score.  Oregon Tech finished up the scoring in the 84th minute as Nisbet stole the ball from Evergreen keeper Kaitlin MacKenzie (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS/Shoreline CC) and finished on the open net for the 4-1 win.

Evergreen outshot the Owls, 21-15, on the afternoon but OIT keepers Rebekah Matteri and Kourtney Scoggins were strong between the pipes, combining for eight saves on the afternoon.  MacKenzie made four saves for Evergreen in her final collegiate game.

With the loss, the Geoducks finish the season in eighth position in the Cascade Conference standings with a record of 3-11 overall and 2-7 in CCC play.  Oregon Tech clinched the final berth in the 2013 Cascade Conference Women’s Soccer Championships presented by U.S. Bank.

Box Score

Geoducks Win Four-Set Thriller to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive

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EUGENE, Ore. – Knowing that they have to win out to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Evergreen Geoducks picked up a huge four-set win over the Northwest Christian Beacons in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday night at Morse Event Center in Eugene, Ore.

The match got off to an ominous start for the Geoducks (xxx) as the Beacons (xxx) scored the first six points of the night and continued to push the advantage, leading 12-5.   Evergreen finally woke up, using a 10-3 run to tie the set at 15-15.  The frame stayed tight the rest of the way but a pair of blocks by Brandee Victorino (Kauai, Hawai’i/Waimea HS/Tacoma CC) gave the Geoducks the 27-25 set one win.

In the second set, it was the Geoducks who got off to a hot start as Evergreen led 10-5 early.  A 6-1 run tied things up at 11 and the teams kept it close before NCU blew the frame open with a 6-0 run before taking the set, 25-20, to even the match at one game apiece.

The third set was tight from the beginning as the Geoducks began to pull away late, leading 21-17, but the Beacons battled back to tie it at 23-23.  Evergreen dug deep, using a kill by Victorino and a rare attack error from NCU’s Chandler Gabrio to earn the 25-23 win to take the lead.

The final set was another nailbiter as the Geoducks came back from being down 17-12 to take a 21-19 lead but the Beacons came back as well, forcing extra points. Trailing 26-25, the Geoducks rattled off three straight points to clinch the match with a 28-26 set four win.

Evergreen was led by 12 kills from senior Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Mountain View HS/Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) and 10 from Natimia Barker-Doss (Tacoma, Wash./Wilson HS/Pierce College).  Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) had 39 assist while Victorino finished with six blocks as the Geoducks recorded nine total blocks on the night.  The win marks the third straight Friday that Evergreen has posted a win and it is the first time since 2003 that the Geoducks have won multiple road matches in conference play.

Northwest Christian was led by 14 kills each from Gabrio and Maren Mansfield.  Janel Fetters finished with 13 kills with Taylor Richardson posted 11 on the night.  Cori Wallace put up an incredible 57 assists on 59 total NCU kills while Dana McDowan defended the back row with 25 digs.  The Beacons were hurt by 16 service errors, compared with just six service aces.

The Geoducks will try to keep their postseason hopes alive on Saturday night when they travel to Salem, Ore. to take on Corban.  First serve with the Warriors is set for 7 p.m.

Box Score