OSU Women’s Volleyball Weekly Digest

Beavers Seek First Conference Win Against Cougs, Dawgs.

Photo: OSU Athletics

CORVALLIS - SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION:

• OSU travels to Pullman to get the weekend started. Washington State (12-6, 0-4) lost twice last week in Southern California. The Cougars managed to win one game in each match against then-No. 5 USC and No. 3 UCLA. WSU has started the conference season 0-4, but have played four top-8 teams.

• The Cougs’ offense is led by sophomore OH Brittany Johnson (4.10 kills per game) and junior OH Adetokunbo Faleti (4.00 kpg). Freshman S Corina Beyer directs the WSU offense handing out 12.43 assists per game, but the Cougars also resort to a multi-setter system with junior Maureen Perez sharing the setter position. Sophomore MB Tara West leads the Cougars with 1.32 blocks per game and freshman MB Cassie Robbins also averages better than a block per game (1.08 bpg).

• The Beavers cap off the weekend against the defending national champions, No. 5 Washington. The Huskies (12-3, 2-2) suffered a rare sweep at the hands of UCLA and USC, dropping both weekend matches for the first time since 2003. The Dawgs took the Bruins to the limit losing in a five-gamer and then fell to the Women of Troy in four.

• Two-time, All-American S Courtney Thompson leads the way for the Dawgs with 14.4 assists per game. Four Huskies average better than 2.5 kills per game led by junior OHs Christal Morrison (4.52 kpg) and Stevie Mussie (4.38 kpg).

RECAPPING LAST WEEK AT OREGON:

• Oregon State lost four-game match against intrastate rival Oregon. The loss marked the end of a six-match winning streak against the Ducks. The match was also the first time since 1999 that the Beavers had lost in Eugene.

• OH Rachel Rourke led the Beavers with 18 kills and OH Brittany Cahoon added 13 kills and six total blocks. L Tricia Yoshimura tallied a team-high 13 digs and S Camilla Ah-Hoy matched her career-high with 44 assists.

• UO freshman OH Sonja Newcombe paced the Ducks with a match-high 19 kills.

PAC-10 IN THE POLLS:

Five Pac-10 teams are ranked in the Top 10 in the nation. UCLA has the highest ranking among the conference’s members at No. 3 including six first-place votes. Fellow unbeaten, USC, ranks fourth this week with defending national champion, Washington at No. 5. The Bay Area schools, Stanford (No. 6) and California (No. 7), round out the Pac-10’s ranked teams.

WINDELL PUTTING THE ROOF ON THE RECORD BOOK:

Senior MB Abby Windell moved into ninth place in block assists in OSU history at Oregon passing Rachel Hochgesang (1993-96) last Friday. Windell, who now has 199 block assists in her career, needs 28 to catch Shelly Smith (1991-94) for eighth on the all-time list.

Windell has 224 total blocks in her career which ranks 12th in OSU history five blocks behind Carol Sears (1983-86)... Senior MB Brittany Cahoon in hot on the heels of Windell with 190 career block assists, which ties for 11th on the all-time list with Tami Good (1984-87), and 222 total blocks, which is 13th on that list.

KILLER CAHOON:

Senior OPP Brittany Cahoon vaulted past Julie Steding (1982-83) in 24th place on OSU’s all-time kills list at Oregon. Cahoon now has 636 career kills in her career and needs 11 to catch Krista Kinsman (1997-99).

ROURKE POUNDS WITH THE BEST:

Oregon State’s freshman outside hitter Rachel Rourke ranks fourth in the conference with 4.47 kills per game. Rourke is also eighth in the Pac-10 with 4.91 points per game (kills + aces + blocks). Rourke has posted 26 kills twice this season (against South Dakota State and UNLV), the most by any player in the Pac-10 2006.

HEAD COACH TARAS LISKEVYCH:

Oregon State head coach Taras Liskevych is in his second season at OSU and 11th overall as a collegiate head coach. In his first season in Corvallis, Liskevych led the Beavers to a 11-13 record overall including a win at then-No. 15 California, marking the first win over a ranked opponent since 2000.

The Beavers also recorded seven conference wins for only the fourth time in OSU history. Liskevych enters the season with a 278-98 (.739) college coaching record that includes a nine year stint at the University of the Pacific. Liskevych also coached the U.S. Women’s National Team for 12 years winning a bronze medal at the 1992 Olympics and led his team to gold at the 1995 World Grand Prix.

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM BEAVERS:

OSU placed players on the all-tournament teams of all three tourneys its played in during the preseason. Rachel Rourke and Kristin Murray represented the Beavers on the all-tourney team at the UNLV Classic, Brittany Cahoon was selected to the Wisconsin InnTowner Invitational team and most recently, Rourke and Cahoon earned spots on the Salbasgeon Suites Invitational team.

PAC-10 PRESEASON COACHES’ POLL:

The Beavers intend to exceed expectations in 2006 after being picked seventh in the preseason Pac-10 coaches’ poll. However, moving up in the standings will be a challenge as the Beavers compete in the best volleyball conference in America. All six teams (Washington, Stanford, California, USC, UCLA and Arizona) that finished ahead of the Beavers in 2005 reached the NCAA Tournament.

UP NEXT:

Next week, Oregon State returns to Gill Coliseum for a home stand against Arizona, Thursday, Oct. 12th, and Arizona State Friday, Oct. 13th. Both matches start at 7:00 PM.

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