Five-Set Thriller Concludes Red Lion Evergreen Invite

OLYMPIA, Wash. – A heart-stopping five-set thriller between host-Evergreen and Lewis & Clark wrapped up the action at the 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitational on Saturday afternoon at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Northwest 3, Camosun 0

The Northwest Eagles completed an undefeated week in Olympia with a straight-set victory over Camosun, winning 25-15, 25-22, 25-12.

Northwest was led by 10 kills from Breanna Covey, who was without an attack error on 17 attacks for a .588 hitting percentage.  Ashton Arbuthnot had 26 assists to go with five digs and three blocks while libero Heather Shulke led all players with 11 digs on the match.

Camosun was led by nine kills from Erika Morris.  Kelsey Clarke put up 13 assists for the Chargers, who hit .050 on the match with 22 kills and 18 errors on 80 attacks.

Columbia Bible 3, Simon Fraser 0

In the final battle of British Columbia, the Bearcats won in straight sets, defeating the Clan, 25-23, 25-23, 25-19.

Columbia Bible was led by 11 kills each from Sadie Ball and April Van Wieren.  Anna Cupido put up 31 assists for the Bearcats and Sharaya Schulte added 16 digs to her season totals.

Simon Fraser was paced by 10 kills from Amanda Renkema.  Victoria Senges had 25 assists on the match while Alanna Chan led all players with 20 digs.

Lewis & Clark 3, Evergreen 2

The final match of the tournament turned out to be the most exciting as Evergreen battled back from two sets down to force a fifth set but Lewis & Clark was eventually victorious, winning 25-23, 25-23, 23-25, 19-25, 15-12.

Lewis & Clark was led by 16 kills from Jennifer Dowdy and 13 from Alicia Callejo-Black.  Kelsie Dorpat was responsible for 31 assists while libero Elena Hoff dug out 28 balls on the day.

Evergreen was led by an incredible 27 kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.), the second-highest match total in school history and the first Geoduck to record over 20 kills in a match since Jazzmin Garcia had 23 against Oregon Tech on Sep. 17, 2010.  Her 76 attacks were a school record as she hit .145 on the match.  Sasha Nash (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline HS) had 44 assists, the most since Erin Mitchell had 44 on Oct. 30, 2010 against Warner Pacific.

All-Tournament Team

All six squads who participated were represented on the 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitation All-Tournament Team.  Northwest had two on the team as both Sarah Stoker and Olivia Vandlac earned honors.  The two Eagles were joined by Amanda Renkema (Simon Fraser), Carly Hilliard (Camosun), Sadie Ball (Columbia Bible), Jennifer Dowdy (Lewis & Clark) and libero Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Evergreen.).

Volleyballs Continue To Fly at Red Lion Evergreen Invite

OLYMPIA, Wash. – An exciting day of volleyball was capped off with a five-set nailbiter in the final match as day two of the 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitational came to a close at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Northwest 3, Lewis & Clark 0

The Northwest Eagles soared out to an early lead and never looked back, picking up their second sweep of the tournament over the Lewis & Clark Pioneers, winning 25-13, 25-17, 25-19.

Northwest was led by nine kills from Olivia Vandlac.  Ashton Arbuthnot put up 28 assists while Sarah Stoker put down nine blocks on the match to lead the Eagles to victory.  NU totaled 12 team blocks on the morning, compared with just six for Lewis & Clark.

Lewis & Clark was led by four kills each from Kayla Ernewein, Alicia Callejo-Black and Jennifer Dowdy.  The Pios, who totaled just 17 kills on the match, were in the red for the match, hitting -.080.

Simon Fraser 3, Camosun 0

In the first battle of British Columbia, it was Simon Fraser coming out on top, defeating Camosun College in straight sets, 25-21, 25-23, 28-26.

Simon Fraser was led by nine kills from Jessica Young and eight each from Danielle Curtis and Amanda Renkema.  Victoria Senges recorded 21 assists on the match while also putting down a pair of service aces.

Camosun was led by eight kills from Erika Morris.  Jamie Rodstrom led the Chargers with 17 assists while Morgan Marshall got her hands on four blocks for the team.

Columbia Bible 3, Evergreen 1

The Bearcats earned their first win of the young season as they knocked off host Evergreen in four sets, winning 25-16, 25-21, 14-25, 25-16.

Columbia Bible was led by 18 kills from Sadie Bell.  Maria Cupido put down 10 kills while Anna Cupido finished with 40 assists.  Jill Ratzlaff led the team with 21 digs on the match.

Evergreen was led by nine kills from Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.).  Sasha Nash (Salt Lake City, Utah/SkylineHS) chipped in 20 assists while K.C. Beadle (Prunedale, Calif./Gavilan College) had five blocks in the losing effort.

Northwest 3, Simon Fraser 1

Northwest continued their winning ways against Simon Fraser, defeating the Clan in four sets, 25-18, 21-25, 25-19, 25-23.

The Eagles were led by 10 kills from Vandlac.  Arbuthnot added 30 assists to her tournament totals while libero Heather Shulke dug out 16 balls on the match.

Simon Fraser was led by 15 kills from Jessica Young.  Remkema added 13 while Madelin Hait finished with 11 kills.  Senges put up 35 assists on 45 kills.

Columbia Bible 3, Lewis & Clark 1

Columbia Bible earned their second win of the day in the game’s fifth match, defeating Lewis & Clark in straight sets, 25-23, 25-20, 25-18.

The Bearcats were led by 11 kills each from Ratzlaff and Sadie Ball.  Anna Cupido earned 32 of 37 total assists for CBC.

Lewis & Clark was led by eight kills from Brigitte Russo.  Kelsie Dorpat had 23 assists for the Pios while Elena Hoff led the team with 12 digs on the match.

Camosun 3, Evergreen 2

Down two sets to none, the Camosun Charges charged back, defeating the Evergreen Geoducks, 21-25, 23-25, 25-21, 25-10, 15-8.

Camosun was led by 14 kills from Carly Hilliard.  Kelsey Clarke finished with 38 assists while Mariah Holmstrom led the team with 18 digs on the match.

Evergreen was led by 12 kills from Watkins, the only Geoduck with double-digit kills.  Nash added 15 assists to her season totals while Sonja Arrasi-Nash (Salt Lake City, Utah/Westminster) led all players with 35 digs on the night.

The 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitational wraps up on Saturday morning, beginning with Camosun and Northwest at 9 a.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.  Simon Fraser will then face Columbia Bible at 11 a.m. with Evergreen hosting Lewis & Clark in the tournament finale at 1 p.m.

Day One of Red Lion Evergreen Invite In The Books

OLYMPIA, Wash. – It was a border war on Thursday afternoon at the 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitational as all three matches featured a Canadian team against an American team and it was the stars and stripes winning the day, winning two of three matches, as Northwest and Lewis & Clark both proved victoriously.

Northwest 3, Columbia Bible 0

Northwest University took care of a fresh Columbia Bible team in straight sets in the opening match of the 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitational, winning 25-17, 25-16, 25-17.

Northwest was led by Olivia Vandlac who contributed  nine kills and a .333 hitting percentage to go along with  11 digs in the match. Breanna Convey added eight kills. Ashton Arbuthnot finished the match with 25 assists. As a team Northwest hit .214 compared to just .072 by Columbia Baptist.

Columbia Baptist got a team-high seven kills each from April Van Wieren and Sadie Ball while Anna Cupido finished with five kills, eight digs and 20 assists. Jill Ratzlaff had a match-high 14 digs.

Simon Fraser 3, Evergreen 1

Simon Fraser used 10 aces and 10 blocks to sneak past host Evergreen in four sets, winning 25-13, 20-25, 25-23, 25-22.

The Clan were led by 16 kills and seven blocks from Amanda Renkema.  Danielle Curtis added 10 kills while Victoria Senges recorded assists on 41 of 47 SFU kills.

Evergreen was led by eight kills from Brittany Covert (Chino Hills, Calif./Northern Michigan Univ.).  Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) led the Geoducks with 15 digs on the match while Sasha Nash (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline HS) put up 18 assists for the green and white.

Lewis & Clark 3, Camosun 1

Opening the match with a pair of outstanding hitting sets, the Lewis & Clark Pioneers picked up their third win of the season with a four-set win over Camuson, 25-17, 25-9, 20-25, 25-18.

Lewis & Clark was led by 12 kills from Jennifer Dowdy, the only Pioneer with double-digit kills.  Kelsie Dorpat put up 19 assists with a pair of service aces and Daniela de Kervor dug out 11 balls to lead the Pios.

Camosun was paced by 10 kills from Carly Killiard.  Kelsey Clarke finished with 26 assists while Kelsey Johns was the only Charger with double-digit digs, finishing with 11.

The 2012 Red Lion Evergreen Invitational continues on Friday morning with six matches, kicking off with Lewis & Clark and Northwest at 9 a.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Eagles Slip Past Geoducks, 3-1

OLYMPIA, Wash.  –  A strong opening set and a solid closing set proved to be the difference as the Northwest Eagles defeated the Evergreen Geoducks, 25-14, 25-22, 24-26, 25-16, in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Tuesday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

In the first set, it was all Northwest (3-5, 1-2 CCC) as the Eagles flew out to a 12-3 lead over the Geoducks (0-8, 0-3 CCC).  Northwest continued to cruise, leading 24-10, before the Geoducks finally woke up, landing five straight points before the Eagles clinched the frame, 25-14.

In the second set, the Geoducks had a strong game hitting, with 12 kills and just five errors on 36 attacks but six service errors by the green and white allowed Northwest to steal the set, 25-22.  The Eagles managed 10 kills with five errors on 34 attacks for a .147 clip in the second frame.

The third set looked to be going Northwest’s way early but a six-point Geoduck swing put Evergreen ahead 18-17.  The teams continued to trade points before a kill by Cassidy Watkins (Tucson, Ariz./Trevecca Nazarene Univ.) and an attack error by NU’s Arika Zwack gave the Geoducks, the 25-24 set three win to force a fourth game.

Northwest took control of the fourth set early and the Geoducks could never close the gap at the Eagles cruised to a 25-16 set four win to clinch the match.  The Eagles had their top hitting set of the match, putting down 17 kills with just two errors on 46 attacks for a .326 clip.  On the other side of the net, the Geoducks managed 11 kills with six errors on 45 attacks for a .111 hitting percentage.

The Geoducks were led by 14 kills from Watkins, who also added 11 digs on the night.  Sasha Nash (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline HS) added 23 assists to go with a team-high 19 digs while Brittany Covert (Chino Hills, Calif./Northern Michigan Univ.) earned four blocks on the match.

Northwest was led by 18 kills from Olivia Vandlac.  Ashton Arbuthnot had 43 assists on the night while Heather Shulke, the reigning CCC Libero of the Week, led all players with 21 digs.

Both teams will play their next match at CRC Gymnasium as the Eagles head back down to Olympia to participate in the Evergreen Red Lion Invitational.  Northwest will open up tournament action on Thursday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Columbia Bible, followed by the Geoducks and Simon Fraser at 5 p.m.  Camosun and Lewis & Clark will also be participating in the tournament, and will face off at 7 p.m.

Box Score

Geoducks Fall To Battlin’ Bears, 6-3

OLYMPIA, Wash.  –  With a total of nine goals scored, it was the Rocky Mountain Battlin’ Bears who came out on top, defeating the Evergreen Geoducks, 6-3, in a non-conference NAIA men’s soccer match on Monday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Rocky Mountain (4-0-0) opened up the scoring in just the 12th minute when Brandon Loeffler fired in a rocket from about six yards out that got past Evergreen keeper Mitch Treend (Vancouver, Wash./Prairie HS).  RMC made it 2-0 in the 20th minute when Nick Heffernan took advantage from a free kick to score.

The Battlin’ Bears extended the lead to 3-0 just a minute later when Heffernan fed in a ball to Oliver Gore, who sprinted up the field and finished from the top of the box.  Loeffler scored again in the 26th minute on the assist from Heffernan, firing in a ball from point blank for the 4-0 lead.

The Geoducks finally got on the board in the 28th minute when Kevin Flavin (Oak Harbor, Wash./Shoreline CC) put in a cross that was put in the net by a Rocky Mountain defender for an own goal.  Evergreen scored the most impressive goal of the game in the 51st minute when Jeff Roland (Windsor, Colo./Windsor HS) fired in a cross and 5-foot, 7-inch Brandon Wood came flying in to head the ball past RMC keeper Joachim Soderstrom to cut the deficit to just two goals at 4-2.

Unfortunately for the Geoducks, the Battlin’ Bears answered back in the 52nd minute as Heffernan picked up his third assist on a feed to Michael Eggen, who finished from 10 yards out for the score.  Rocky Mountain scored the next goal as well, as Heffernan assisted for a fourth time, feeding in a free kick from about 30 yards out in the 61st minute to the waiting head of Mikey Wall to push the lead to 6-2.

Evergreen scored the final goal as junior Brady Espinoza (Pasco, Wash./Walla Walla CC) scored his second goal of the year off a beautiful free kick from about 30 yards out that flew past Soderstrom.

Rocky Mountain outshot Evergreen, 13-8, on the afternoon.  Treend finished with three saves for the Geoducks while Soderstrom made three saves for Rocky Mountain before leaving the game in the 80th minute.

Evergreen will take a break before their next game as they open up Cascade Conference play on Sept. 14 at home against College of Idaho.  Kick with the Coyotes is set for 3 p.m. at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score