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.

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

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

OLYMPIA, Wash. – Featuring just two lead changes the entire match, the Southern Oregon Raiders made quick work of the Evergreen Geoducks, winning in straight sets in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Saturday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Following a service error that gave Southern Oregon (14-7, 11-3 CCC) the initial lead, SOU never looked back as the Geoducks (4-15, 3-11 CCC) couldn’t pull even.  Hitting .265 on the frame with 16 kills and seven errors on 34 attacks, the Raiders earned the 25-17 set one win to take the initial lead.

In the second set, Evergreen played the Raiders tight as the two teams found themselves deadlocked early.  An 11-2 run put Southern Oregon up by eight at 16-8 and SOU wouldn’t look back, taking the 25-18 set two win to put the Geoducks behind, 2-0.

The Geoducks again looked tough in the early parts of the third frame but a 11-1 run put SOU up 15-6 and Evergreen had no way back in, falling 25-17 and allowing the Raiders to clinch the match in three.  SOU had their top hitting frame in the final set, putting down 16 kills with just five errors on 28 swings for a .393 hitting percentage.

Evergreen was led by 13 kills from junior Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College).  Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) put up 25 assists on the night while Brittany Covert (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS/Northern Michigan Univ.) had a match-high five blocks.

Southern Oregon was led by 14 kills from Paulla Pinheiro.  Mona Goudarzian added 10 kills and Lauren McGowne finished with 36 assists for the Raiders.  SOU finished the match hitting .272 with 44 kills and 19 errors on 92 total attacks.

The Geoducks hit the road next week, traveling to Eugene, Ore. on Friday to take on Northwest Christian.  First serve with the Beacons is set for 7 p.m.

Box Score