Geoducks Throw Block Party in Win over Owls

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – Throwing down a season-high 13 blocks, including eight from senior Brittany Covert (Chino Hills, Calif./Ayala HS/Northern Michigan Univ.), the Evergreen Geoducks picked up the four-set win over the Oregon Tech Hustlin’ Owls in a Cascade Conference volleyball match on Friday night at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks (4-14, 3-10 CCC) got off to a big lead in the first set as Evergreen found themselves leading 13-5 following a 10-1 run.  Oregon Tech (12-15, 5-8 CCC) battled back and pulled back within one at 16-15 and eventually tied it up at 22 but the Geoducks dug deep to secure the 25-23 set one win.

Set two stayed tight the whole way with three lead changes and it looked late in the frame like the Owls might be able to even it up as Oregon Tech led 22-17.  Evergreen grabbed four quick points to pull within one and after the score was tied at 24-24, Covert picked up two solo blocks to give the Geoducks a 26-24 set two victory.

Oregon Tech reeled off the first five points in the third set and didn’t look back the rest of the way but Owls head coach Jason Corwin only saw the first half as he was ejected by the referees after disputing a back-row attack midway through the frame.  Dispute the disruption, OIT held on for the 25-21 set three win, mostly thanks to 18 kills with just seven errors on 36 total attacks for a match-high .306 hitting percentage.

After a tight start to the fourth set, the Geoducks blew it open with a six-point run that put Evergreen up 13-6 and the differential continued to grow as Evergreen took advantage of 13 Oregon Tech attack errors to collect the 25-14 set four win and clinch their third conference win of the year.

In addition to the eight blocks from Covert, the Geoducks were led by 22 kills from junior Victoria Love (Seaside, Calif./Seaside HS/Hartnell College).  Molly King (Centralia, Wash./Centralia HS/Tacoma CC) added 11 kills while Kelsey Delagrange (Longview, Wash./Kelso HS/Mt. Hood CC) put up 40 assists on 46 total Evergreen kills.

Oregon Tech was led by 17 kills from Marlee Smith.  Kayleigh Whelchel put up 26 assists while Victoria Porter came in for 18 assists.  Marie Baumann led all playeds with 23 digs on the night.  Oregon Tech had a strong night defensively as well, recording seven blocks on the match.

The Geoducks remain home on Saturday night as they host Southern Oregon, beginning at 7 p.m. at CRC Gymnasium in Olympia, Wash.

Box Score

Geoducks Rain Down Threes to Win Season Opener, 92-87

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KAMLOOPS, British Columbia – Senior Kyle Calhoun (Seattle, Wash./Hazen HS/Marshalltown CC) scored 34 and KJ Hong (Federal Way, Wash./Decatur HS/Shoreline CC) added 25 as the Evergreen Geoducks made 16 three-pointers en route to a 92-87 win over the University of British Columbia Okanagan Heat in a non-conference men’s basketball game on Friday afternoon in Kamloops, British Columbia.

After Hong drained a three pointer to open the scoring, UBCO (0-1) went on a 10-3 run to take the lead with 6:10 to go in the first quarter but the Geoducks (1-0) fought back to allow the Heat just nine points the rest of the period as Evergreen held a 22-19 lead after the first quarter of the game that was played under FIBA rules.  UBCO retook the lead briefly in the second quarter but a 13-0 run put the Geoducks up by seven as Evergreen held a 47-40 lead heading into halftime.

The Geoducks nearly pushed the lead to double-digits in the third quarter as Evergreen was up by nine with 6:27 to go in the period but the Heat got hot at the right time to close the gap to just two points, 70-68, heading into the final quarter.

UBCO continued the run into the fourth quarter as the Heat retook the lead but the Geoducks never backed down, pulling ahead for good on a three-pointer by Hong with 3:57 left to play as Evergreen held on for the 92-87 win.

Calhoun scored his 34 points on 11-of-24 shooting, including eight-of-16 from behind the arc.  Hong was eight-of-15 on the afternoon, including six three-pointers, as he scored 25 for the Geoducks.  Sophomore Michael Potter (Ridgefield, Wash./Ridgefield HS) earned the double-double, scoring 14 points and bringing down 10 rebounds in the win.

UBCO was led by 14 points from James Lum.  Mike Zayonc and Greet Gill each had 12 while Landry Ndayitwayeko and Ed Dane Medi put up 11 to round out the Heat in double-digit scoring.  Medi added 10 rebounds off the bench to earn the double-double.

Evergreen hits the hardwood again on Friday afternoon as they take on host Thompson Rivers, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Tournament Capital Centre in Kamloops, British Columbia.

Box Score

Geoducks Blank Yotes, 3-0

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OLYMPIA, Wash. – Opening up their final home stand of the 2013 season, the Evergreen Geoducks earned a crucial victory, shutting out the College of Idaho Coyotes, 3-0, in a Cascade Conference men’s soccer match on Friday afternoon at Evergreen Pitch in Olympia, Wash.

The Geoducks (6-5-3, 4-4-2 CCC) opened up the scoring in the 14th minute as Willie Spurr (Seattle, Wash./Roosevelt HS) had a shot deflected to the feet of Ethan Sumlin (Littleton, Colo./Littleton HS), who put it past Colin Benham-Marin for his second goal of the season and the 1-0 lead over the Yotes (4-10-0, 4-6-0 CCC)

Spurr earned another assist in the 28th minute, this time feeding a ball to senior Brice Boum (Doula, Cameroon/College Cite’ Vienlle/Edmonds CC) and Boum lowered the boom for his first goal of the year and the 2-0 Geoduck lead.

Senior Dyson Fowler (North Bend, Wash./Mt. Si HS) scored his first goal of the season in the 62nd minute, using some fancy footwork to deke a pair of Yote defenders before shooting from about seven yards out for the 3-0 lead as the Geoducks moved into fourth place in the CCC standings with the win.

Evergreen outshot College of Idaho, 16-9, on the match but the Yotes held a 7-1 advantage on corners, putting pressure on the Geoduck defense.  Keeper Mauricio Sanchez (East Wenatchee, Wash./Eastmont HS/Wenatchee Valley CC) made three saves to preserve the shutout while Benham-Marin made five saves for the Yotes.

The Geoducks wrap up the home portion of the schedule on Saturday afternoon as they play Oregon Tech, beginning at 1 p.m. on Evergreen Pitch.  Prior to the match, Evergreen will take a few moments to honor their 2013 seniors before kicking off with the Owls.

Box Score

Strong Second Half Leads Top-Ranked Cavs Past Geoducks, 4-0

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PORTLAND, Ore. – Held without a shot, the Evergreen Geoducks found themselves on defense most of the night, falling to the Concordia Cavaliers, 4-0, in a Cascade Conference women’s soccer match on Thursday night in Portland, Ore.

In the first half, the top-ranked Cavaliers (12-1-1, 6-0-0 CCC) kept the pressure on the Evergreen (3-8-0, 2-4-0 CCC) defense, outshooting the Geoducks 15-0, but just three of those shots found their way on net as Kaitlin MacKenzie (Lake Stevens, Wash./Lake Stevens HS/Shoreline CC) made a trio of saves to preserve the scoreless tie headed into the halftime break.

Concordia finally got on the board in the 57th minute as Ashley Ames put in a shot from close to MacKenzie, who couldn’t get the right angle to make the save.  CU doubled the lead in the 73rd minute when McKayla Madison took advantage of a corner and shot point blank for the 2-0 lead.

The Cavs scored for a third time in the 79th minute as Alex Blalock took a cross form Hannah Smith and put it in for her fifth goal of the season.  Concordia got their final score in the final minute as Erin Husingh sent in a corner to the waiting head of Shannon McMahon, who put it in to secure the 4-0 win.

Evergreen was outshot 28-0 on the night but MacKenzie was strong in goal, making six saves despite allowing the four goals.  Nicole Franklin had it easy, not having to make a save to collect the shutout for CU.

The Geoducks return to the Rose City on Saturday night as they visit Warner Pacific.  First kick with the Knights is set for 6 p.m. at David Douglas High School in Portland.

Box Score

This Week In Geoduck Athletics

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Last weekend was a great one for the Geoducks as they look to continue the strong play this week, both domestically and abroad!

Men’s Basketball
After beating the alumni for the first time in many years, the 2013-14 Geoduck men’s basketball team heads up to Kamloops, B.C. and Thompson Rivers University for the first two games of the season.  Evergreen faces off against UBC-Okanagan on Friday afternoon at 2 p.m. before taking on the host Wolfpack on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Men’s Soccer
The Geoduck men continue their push towards the postseason this week as they play their final two home games of the season on Evergreen Pitch (Field #4). Evergreen hosts College of Idaho on Friday afternoon (3 p.m.) and fans will have a chance to win free Chipotle coupons during the “Frizbee Toss Challenge.”  On Saturday, the Geoducks honor their seniors prior to a 1 p.m. kick with Oregon Tech and the green and white will be joined by the musical stylings of Olympi a’s own Artesians Arkestra, who will perform at various times during the match.

Women’s Soccer
The Geoduck women hit the road this weekend, making the short trip down I-5 to Portland for a pair of matches in the Rose City.  Evergreen take on the top team in the nation on Thursday when they visit Concordia for a 7 p.m. start and then the Geoducks return to Portland on Saturday for a 6 p.m. kick at Warner Pacific.

Volleyball
Evergreen returns to newly-dedicated Costantino Recreation Center Gymnasium this weekend as they host Oregon Tech on Friday night and Southern Oregon on Saturday.  Both matches are at 7 p.m. and YOUR Geoducks could use some fan support as they try to climb into the playoff picture for the first time since 2003.

Geoduck Gallop
Runners looking for something to do on Feb. 1 can stop their search as the Geoducks are proud to announce the annual Geoduck Gallop 10k/Half-Marathon will take place beginning at 9 a.m.  For more information, including how to register, visit the Geoduck Gallop page here.

Follow the Geoducks this weekend and all season long on Twitter (twitter.com/GoGeoducks) and Facebook (facebook.com/GoGeoducks) or simply visit us on the web at www.evergreen.edu/athletics.