Opening its season in the Whitworth Invitational in Spokane, Wash., the Whitman women's volleyball team started slowly and dropped a three-game decision to Western Baptist College Friday morning. The scores were 15-4, 15-10, 16-14.
The Missionaries stayed within striking distance in both the second and third games. In game two, the teams were tied at 9-9 before Western Baptist pulled away. In game three, the teams deadlocked at 14 before Western Baptist, an NAIA school that gives athletic scholarships, scored the final two points to take the match.
"We stayed close but we're not as athletic as Western Baptist," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "It made it hard for us to finish points. Other than that, we did a lot of things well. We blocked well, we scrambled well on defense, and we were passing well at times."
Kelly Williams led Whitman in kills with 10, while Valerie Hamm and Alison Roth sparked the defense with 14 digs and nine blocks, respectively. Claire Novotny with 13 assists and Heather Cushing with 12 shared the setting duties.
Playing their second match Friday in the Whitworth Invitational volleyball tournament, Whitman fell in three games to Albertson but twice came within a few points of extending the match to four or five games. Albertson, an NAIA school, took both the first and third games by 15-13 scores.
The Missionaries started strongly in game one, bolting to a 12-7 lead before Albertson rallied to win. "We just let that first game slip away," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We had the same problem against Albertson as we had against Western Baptist earlier in the day. We played well but had trouble finishing off points. We need to find more ways to get more kills."
Kelly Williams again paced the Whitman offense with seven kills. Leslie Crandell and Alison Roth both six kills. Roth was highly efficient, notching her six kills on just eight attempts. Jeni Brown contributed 16 digs, while Claire Novotny had 15 assists and seven blocks in two games. Heather Cushing chipped in with 12 assists.
Whitman Rolls Northwest, 15-11, 15-13, 15-10
Whitman Drops Eastern Oregon, 14-16, 16-14, 15-8, 15-13
After losing to three strong opponents Friday, the Whitman women's volleyball team rebounded to win its final two matches Saturday in the 16-team Whitworth College Invitational in Spokane, Wash.
In Saturday's first match, Whitman rolled over Northwest College in three games, 15-11, 15-13, 15-10. Later in the day in a four-game victory over Eastern Oregon University, the Missionaries dropped a 16-14 first-game decision but then bounced back to win the next three games by scores of 16-14, 15-8, 15-13.
"The match with Eastern Oregon was tight the whole way," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "Our two teams match up well with each other. We played well at the end of those games and found ways to win."
Valerie Hamm, a junior co-captain, paced Whitman with 27 digs, 20 kills and two blocks against Eastern Oregon. Kristin Carter, a sophomore playing her first season of collegiate volleyball, saw her first extensive playing time of the weekend and responded with 11 kills and five blocks.
Senior Barby Ream added nine kills in 13 attempts, in addition to six digs and five blocks. Claire Novotny contributed 58 assists from the setter's position.
Hamm also led the Missionaries in Saturday's victory over Northwest College, combining 14 kills with 12 digs. Ream had nine kills and four blocks, while Leslie Crandell had 10 digs, four blocks and three service aces. Heather Cushing set for 37 assists.
"For our first matches of the season, I was pleased with the progress we showed from the first day to the second," Snider said. "We played some strong teams Friday, and we looked shaky at times. By today's matches, we had settled down and were playing well, pursuing points and performing well in tight situations."
Whitman Loses Rematch 15-8, 11-15, 15-12, 15-10
After dropping a 15-8 decision to Eastern Oregon University in the first game of a nonconference match at Sherwood Center Tuesday night, the Whitman College women's volleyball rallied to take leads in each of the next three games. The Missionaries managed to hold those leads only once, however, as the Mountaineers took the match in four games.
Whitman evened the match at 1-1 after winning game two, 15-11. But EOU then wiped out Missionary leads to capture the third and fourth games, 15-12 and 15-10.
"We gave away three leads out there tonight," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We need to take advantage of our opportunities on offense. Our defense was superb, but every time we made a great dig, our shot wouldn't fall in."
Whitman was led by the strong defensive play of juniors Kelly Williams with a match- high 24 digs and Val Hamm with 20 digs.
Snider said his Missionaries, who had defeated the Mountaineers in four games during a tournament last weekend in Spokane, failed to exploit Eastern Oregon's defensive weaknesses this time around.
"Our difficulty was giving away a lead by our own mistakes," Snider said. "Sometimes we got too frantic, but as a whole, I was happy with our effort."
Snider said he is confident his team can rebound and compete well this weekend in a tournament at Colorado College. Whitman's next home dates are Sept. 17-18 against conference opponents Willamette University and Lewis & Clark College.
Whitman Downs Redlands 15-4, 15-11, 15-11
Colorado Edges Whitman 15-13, 15-10, 15-13
Whitman Over Lewis & Clark 15-0, 15-7, 9-15, 15-11
Wartburg Raps Whitman 15-5, 15-1, 15-1
Senior middle blocker Barby Ream led the Missionaries to a third-place finish and earned a spot on the all-tourney team at the Colorado College Invitational volleyball tournament, which ran Friday and Saturday in Colorado Springs, Colo. Whitman played two games both days, winning once and losing once each day.
The Missionaries opened the five-team tournament by rolling over the University of Redlands in three games, 15-4, 15-11, 15-11. Ream had nine kills, nine digs and three blocks. Teammate Valerie Hamm also had nine digs.
In its second match Friday, Whitman fell in three close games to Colorado College, the tournament host and its eventual champion. The scores were 15-13, 15-10 and 15-13. Ream again paced Whitman with seven kills, 15 digs and three blocks. Heather Cushing had 21 assists and three service aces.
On Saturday, the Missionaries got started with a four-game victory over one of their Northwest Conference rivals, Lewis & Clark College. Whitman took the first game 15-0, with junior Jeni Brown serving for 13 of those points.
After the Missionaries took game two 15-7, Lewis & Clark rallied for a 15-9 victory in game three. Whitman then closed out the match with a 15-11 triumph in game four.
In its final match Saturday, Whitman fell to Wartburg College 15-5, 15-1, 15-1. Ream had seven kills and eight digs for the Missionaries.
In the tournament championship game, Colorado College downed Wartburg in four games. Whitman's Ream was one of seven players named to the all-tournament team. Colorado College had three all-tournament selections, while Wartburg had two. A player from the Redlands also was named to the team.
The Whitman women's volleyball team opened its Northwest Conference season Friday night in Sherwood Center with a five-game upset of Willamette, one of the league's preseason favorites. The match scores were 15-7, 3-15, 16-14, 6-15, 15-12.
The victory raised Whitman's season record to 5-6, while the loss was Willamette's first of the fall. The visiting Bearcats dropped to 1-1 in conference and 5-1 overall.
"This was a really big win for Whitman," fourth-year Missionary coach Dean Snider said. "This is the first time we've defeated Willamette since I've been here. We gained an element of belief tonight. This match should be a hallmark for us to start the season."
One of the keys to victory for Whitman was junior outside hitter Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn Riverside HS) and her attacking style on offense, Snider said. Williams paced the Missionaries with 16 kills and 15 digs.
"Kelly was really solid attacking," Snider said. "She never backed down and never took anything for granted. As a team we didn't wait for them to mess up, but instead we took control ourselves."
Three others added to Whitman's offensive attack. Sophomores Allison Roth (Arlington WA, Marysville-Pilchuck HS) and Leslie Crandell (Redding CA / Foothill HS) had 15 and 11 kills, respectively, while senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA / Garfield HS) registered another all-around outstanding performance with 14 kills, 19 digs and six blocks.
"Barby was just all over the court tonight," Snider said. "She can do everything."
Emotionally drained by Friday's huge win over Willamette University and nursing a few injuries, the Whitman women's volleyball team still found a way to win Saturday afternoon against Lewis & Clark College, rebounding from a first-game loss to win in four. The scores were 8-15, 15-7, 15-2, 15-13.
With Saturday's victory, Whitman ended its first weekend of Northwest Conference action with a 2-0 record and a share of first place. The Missionaries are 6-6 on the season.
"We looked pretty bad at the start against Lewis & Clark," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "Not only were we mentally fatigued, we were physically tired. It was clearly a case of not having any energy."
With Jeni Brown, a key reserve, sidelined by injury for the weekend, six Missionaries played all but two rotations of Friday night's victory over Willamette. One of those six, Leslie Crandell, sat out Saturday's first game because of a bad knee.
When the Missionaries fell flat in that first game against Lewis & Clark, Snider blew off some steam and put Crandell back in the lineup. "I got a little steamed on the sideline at that point, trying to give them a boost of energy that way," he said. "But, really, there isn't much a coach can do. You cross your fingers, put on a brave face and hope your players respond."
With Crandell sparking the offense, Whitman regrouped to win games two and three. After falling behind 9-2 in game four, the Missionaries mounted one final comeback to win the game and close out the match.
Starting setter Heather Cushing, after taking a breather in games two and three, returned midway through the fourth game to stabilize the offense. "Claire Novotny did a good job for us at setter while Heather was out," Snider said. "But Heather has more experience, and we feel really confident she will make the right choices and put the ball in the right hands."
Valerie Hamm paced Whitman with 16 kills and 19 digs. Kelly Williams added 13 kills, five digs, three blocks and two service aces. Barby Ream contributed 11 digs and four blocks on defense, along with five kills. Allison Roth also was a force on defense with 10 digs and four blocks, and she, too, had four blocks.
In playing the final three games, Crandell had eight kills, seven digs and three blocks. Novotny collected 24 assists in her two-plus games, while Cushing had 13 assists.
The Whitman women's volleyball team remained undefeated in Northwest Conference action by overcoming a first-game loss to down Pacific University in four games Friday night in Forest Grove. The scores were 11-15, 15-4, 15-10, 15-9.
The Missionaries pushed their conference record to 3-0 and season mark to 7-6. The loss dropped Pacific to 0-3 in conference, 3-4 overall.
"It was not our best attacking game," Missionary coach Dean Snider said. "We came out slow but were able to fight back and win the match in four."
Senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS) led Whitman with 13 kills and a .344 hitting percentage. Junior co-captain Val Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS) was the other Missionary in double-figure kills with ten.
"Pacific is vastly improved from last year," Snider said. "They are a team that would have beaten us last year because they are aggressive and they dig the ball well." Pacific had 78 digs in the four-game contest.
"It was definitely nice to get another win in conference," Snider said.
The Whitman women's volleyball team overcame a slow start and rolled to a five-game Northwest Conference (NWC) victory over the University of Puget Sound Friday night in Sherwood Center.
After Puget Sound took the first game 15-6, Whitman rebounded to win two of the next three games, each of which ended at 15-12. The Missionaries closed out their victory with a 15-11 decision in the fifth game.
Whitman elevated its NWC record to 4-1, moving into a momentary four-way tie for first place with Pacific Lutheran University, Willamette University and George Fox University.
One-half of that logjam will be broken when Whitman hosts Pacific Lutheran at 2 p.m. Saturday in Sherwood Center. Meanwhile on Saturday, George Fox will play at Willamette.
Sparked by senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS), who had 14 kills in 29 attempts with no errors, Whitman as a team posted its highest kill percentage of the season. Ream, an athletic 6-foot middle blocker, also had 18 digs and nine blocks.
Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn-Riverside HS) had a match-high 24 kills for Whitman along with 10 digs. Valarie Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS), who had 14 kills and three service aces, led the defense with 27 digs.
Whitman coach Dean Snider reserved his player-of-the-match honors, however, for junior setter Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS), who had 52 assists, 13 digs and two blocks. "Heather showed some solid composure on the floor," Snider said.
Whitman is now 8-7 on the season. Puget Sound, which had six players register 10 or more kills, is 1-3 in conference and 4-8 on the season. All three of Puget Sound's conference losses have come in five games.
The Whitman College women's volleyball team dropped into a tie for second place in the Northwest Conference after losing a three-game match to Pacific Lutheran University Saturday afternoon in Sherwood Center. The scores were 15-9, 15-11, 15-10.
Whitman, now 8-8 overall and 4-2 in conference, is tied for second place with George Fox University. Pacific Lutheran and Willamette University share the top spot with 5-1 records.
After outlasting the University of Puget Sount Friday night in a tough, five-game bout, the Missionaries came into Saturday's game tired and "unfresh," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We had a tough time passing today. We just sputtered on offense at times and you can't do that against a team like PLU."
Val Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS) led Whitman with eight kills and 15 digs. Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn-Riverside HS) had seven kills and eight digs, while Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS) added 14 digs, five kills and two blocks. Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) had 24 assists for the Missionaries, and Jeni Brown (Bellingham WA, Sehome HS) contributed 10 digs.
The Whitman women's volleyball team moved into sole possession of third place in the Northwest Conference (NWC) by posting a five-game, comeback victory over Whitworth College Tuesday night in Sherwood Center. The scores were 8-15, 15-9, 8-15, 15-8, 15- 10.
With the win, the Missionaries raised their record to 5-2 in conference and 9-8 on the season. Whitworth fell to 3-4 in the NWC and 6-9 overall.
Whitman moved a half-game ahead of George Fox University in the NWC standings, although the Bruins will look to pull even when they host last-place Lewis & Clark College Wednesday night.
One of the keys to victory Tuesday night for Whitman was its defense. The Missionaries collected 117 digs, or 29 more than visiting Whitworth.
The Missionaries were paced by junior Val Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS), who had 26 digs and 17 kills, and senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS), who added 21 digs and 14 kills.
Also contributing to the Missionary attack were its two setters, junior Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) with 41 assists and sophomore Claire Novotny (Boulder CO, Machebeuf HS) with 17 sets of her own in only two games.
"Claire really gave us a lift tonight coming off the bench in the third and fourth games," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "I think the change in setters really helped us focus as a team and come together for those fourth and fifth games."
"This was a really big win," Snider added. "Whitworth is a much improved team over last year. They are going nowhere but up." The Pirates were led by Abby Hornstein with 12 kills and 18 digs.
Whitman is now 3-0 in matches decided in five games.
The Whitman women's volleyball team closed out the first half of its Northwest Conference schedule with an impressive four-game victory over Linfield College Friday night in McMinnville, Oregon. The Missionaries took the first two games 15-12 and 15-3 before the host Wildcats turned the tables to take the third game 15-12. Whitman then wrapped up the match with a 15-11 win in game four.
The victory elevated Whitman's record to 6-2 in conference and 10-8 overall. While the Missionaries are done for the weekend, the win will leave them in either a tie for first or second place by the time other conference games are played on Saturday.
"It was a tough battle and a nice win for us," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "Linfield started playing really well in games three and four. They weren't to give it to us. We had to take it."
"It was great to see our players continue to push and play aggressively," Snider added. "I'm very proud of the way they've played in the first half. Now, we need to continue playing the same way in the second half and see where that takes us."
Whitman senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS), who began the week with a conference-leading hitting percentage of .436 percent, converted 13 kills Friday night in 27 attempts with just one error, good for a .444 hitting mark. Ream also had 16 digs and six blocks.
Junior Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn-Riverside HS) also had 13 kills for Whitman along with 10 digs and four blocks. Another junior, Valarie Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS), paced the defense with 17 digs. Hamm also had nine kills.
Junior setter Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) combined 29 assists with 17 digs. Whitman also got solid contributions for two sophomores. Leslie Crandell (Redding CA / Foothill HS/Palo Cedro) contributed 16 digs, eight kills, six blocks and four service aces before leaving the match late in the fourth game after tweaking an ankle and knee. The other sophomore, Allison Roth (Arlington WA, Marsyville-Pilchuck HS) had 11 blocks and seven kills.
After Crandell left game four, freshman Megan Kanaga (Maple Valley WA, Tahoma HS) stepped into the void with three critical blocks to help the Missionaries finish off the match. "We think Leslie is going to be okay," Snider said. "But when she had to leave the match, it was great to see Megan, one of our youngsters, get out on the floor and make an impact," Snider said.
The Whitman College volleyball team dropped from a four-way tie for first place in the Northwest Conference after losing in straight sets to Willamette University Friday night in Salem, Oregon. The scores were 15-8, 15-9, 15-10.
Willamette improved to 7-2 in conference, 12-6 overall, while Whitman fell to 6-3 in conference and 10-9 on the season. Pacific Lutheran University and George Fox University also held 7-2 conference records after Friday's action.
"We played okay, but Willamette was outstanding," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "They jumped on us quickly and we never did get into a rhythm. It wasn't from lack of effort on our part. Give Willamette credit. They are a good team."
Prior to this weekend's action, Willamette was ranked No. 6 in the NCAA Division III west region ranking, one spot ahead of Whitman.
Junior Val Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS) paced Whitman with 11 kills, 13 digs and two blocks. Senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS) added 11 kills, 11 digs and two blocks.
Junior Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) had 23 assists for the Missionaries, while junior Jeni Brown (Bellingham WA, Sehome HS) led Whitman's defensive effort with 16 digs.
The Missionaries, who edged Willamette in five games earlier this season, collected 40 kills and 72 digs in Friday's rematch.
Whitman stays on the road Saturday afternoon when it faces Lewis & Clark College in Portland.
It wasn't supposed to be quite so difficult, but the Whitman women's volleyball team notched a five-game Northwest Conference victory over winless Lewis & Clark College Saturday afternoon in Portland.
Playing without senior middle blocker Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS), the Missionaries jumped in front by winning the first two games, 15-12 and 15-5. But with Whitman's starting setter, Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) leaving the match for good in the third game after banging her head on the floor, the Pioneers rallied to win the third and fourth games, 15-10 and 15-4.
"When we got to game five, I just smiled, looked at the players and said, 'We've had a lot of success in game fives, so let's go,'" Whitman coach Dean Snider said. With sophomore Leslie Crandell (Redding CA, Foothill HS/Palo Cedro) serving, the Missionaries jumped in front 9-1 and eventually closed out match by a 15-7 score. Whitman is now 4-0 in game fives this season.
"Leslie had a good match for us, both offensively and defensively," Snider said. Crandell finished with 14 digs, six saves, three blocks and two service aces.
Jeni Brown (Bellingham WA, Sehome HS) also sparked the defense with 16 digs. "Jeni was the one who really kept us in the match defensively," Snider said. "She was filling holes all over the floor and doing far more than her share. Without Jeni, we might have been in deep trouble."
Valarie Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS) had a strong all-around game with 15 kills, 17 digs and three blocks. Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn-Riverside HS) also had a big game, combining 18 digs with 13 kills and two service aces. Allison Roth (Arlington WA, Marsyville-Pilchuck HS) contributed 11 kills, seven digs and two blocks.
Cushing collected 20 assists, six digs and three kills before leaving the match in the third game. Claire Novotny (Boulder CO, Machebeuf HS/Denver) filled her void with 21 assists, four digs and three kills.
Saturday's victory kept Whitman within a game of the conference leaders.
After trailing 12-9 in its first game at Whitworth Tuesday night, the Whitman College women's volleyball team rallied to win the opener 17-15 and set the stage for a four-game Northwest Conference victory.
The Missionaries took control of the match with a 15-6 victory in game two, although Whitworth bounced back to take game three 15-8. Whitman then regained the upper hand and closed out the match with a 15-12 triumph in game four.
The Missionaries completed a two-game series sweep of the Pirates and elevated their record to 8-3 in the NWC and 12-9 on the season. Whitworth dropped to 5-6 in conference and 8-12 overall.
Whitman coach Dean Snider singled out two of his players for high praise.
"In that first game, we were really struggling on the outside, and Barby Ream really carried us with her play in the middle," Snider said. "Leslie Crandell also had an outstanding match for us. She was just a super sparkplug out there tonight. She got all of our big points and fittingly finished out the match with a block-kill combination in that decisive fourth game."
Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn Riverside HS), a junior, led the Missionaries with 18 kills and also finished with 15 digs, three blocks and two service aces. Ream, a senior and graduate of Seattle's Garfield High School, led the team with six blocks and 17 digs. Ream also hit for a .382 percentage with 14 kills and only one error.
Crandell (Redding CA, Foothill HS), a sophomore, finished with 13 kills, 16 digs and two blocks. Junior setter and co-captain Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) had 54 assists and 11 digs for the Missionaries.
"Cushing kept us in the game with her sets tonight," Snider said. "She did a good job of setting to the players who were hitting well."
Sophomore Jennifer Chong (Woodinville WA, Woodinville HS) saw her first action of the year for the Missionaries, coming off the bench in the fourth game as a defensive specialist. "Chong made some key sideout passes," Snider said. "She did a super job in her first time on the floor. She looked like a seasoned veteran out there."
Whitman is now one of four teams bunched within a half-game of one another in the conference standings.
After playing their last four conference matches on the road, and winning three of them, the Missionaries return home this weekend for a pair of matches in Sherwood Center. Whitman hosts Pacific University at 7 p.m. Friday night and George Fox University, one of the other league leaders, at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Playing well as a unit, the Whitman women's volleyball team won its third consecutive match, and its fourth in its last five contests, with a four-game Northwest Conference (NWC) victory over Pacific University Friday night in Sherwood Center. The scores were 15-7, 8-15, 15-2, 15-4.
Whitman, just a game behind the conference leaders and ranked No. 8 in the most recent NCAA III west region poll, improved to 9-3 in the NWC standings and 13-9 overall. Pacific dropped to 1-10 in conference and 5-12 on the season.
Whitman coach Dean Snider commended his squad for playing three good games, particularly on defense against a hard-nosed Pacific attack. "It was a team game with strong effort from all of the players," Snider said.
Kelly Williams (Auburn WA / Auburn Riverside HS) paced Whitman with 18 kills and 12 digs. Ream added eight kills, 11 digs and four blocks. Jeni Brown (Bellingham WA / Sehome HS) had a team-high 15 digs, and Heather Cushing (Yakima WA / Davis HS) collected 32 assists and nine digs in the three games she played.
Leslie Crandell, who leads the conference in service aces, collected two more to go along with 11 digsand six kills. Jennifer Chong contributed 10 digs in two games, while Hamm had nine digs and five kills.
Whitman's surging volleyball team rolled over George Fox in four games Saturday in Sherwood Center to keep its hopes alive for a Northwest Conference title and a berth in the NCAA III post-season playoffs. The scores were 15-9, 7-15, 15-13, 15-10.
"That was the best we've played in my four years here," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "We played an outstanding match against a very good. There wasn't an easy point to be had all night."
The victory moved Whitman's record to 10-3 in conference and 14-9 on the season. George Fox drooped to 9-3 in conference and 16-6 overall.
At the end of conference play Saturday, Willamette held a slim lead for first place with a 10-2 record. Pacific Lutheran is 9-2.
Whitman has been ranked in the NCAA III west region poll for more than a month, but the past week's three victories should move the Missionaries up a notch or two. Whitman was ranked No. 8 last week, while George Fox was No. 5. The regional rankings are important because only the top six teams advance to the playoffs.
"This was a really big win for us in terms of the regional rankings," Snider said. "We've done what we can at our end to move up."
Saturday's match gave the Missionaries four straight wins, and six victories in their last seven outings.
After Whitman and George Fox split the first two games, the visiting Bruins were ready to take control after bolting to an 11-3 lead in the third game. But the Missionaries rallied for a 15-13 victory, after which there was little doubt which team would take game four, Snider said.
As it turns out, there also was relatively little for Snider to do in the wake of Whitman's dramatic comeback in the third game. "I was wondering what I could say to keep our players pumped up," he said. "By the time I got to the huddle, they were already talking about what they needed to do next. I just stood there and listened. Before they went back on the floor, all I had to say was, `You know what you're doing. Go for it.'"
Snider called it a "coach's dream," knowing that his players had reached the point where they were driving themselves.
Senior Barby Ream had another strong game, mixing 14 kills, 17 digs, seven blocks and two service aces. Heather Cushing ran the offense to perfection, handing out 50 assists, which was well above her season average. "The offense was hitting on all cylinders, and a lot of that was due to Heather's setting," Snider said. "Her leadership on the court also was fantastic. She never stopped talking to her teammates. She was convinced we would win, and she kept talking until everyone bought into it."
Valarie Hamm led the defense with 37 digs and four blocks. She also had 10 kills. Kelly Williams added 14 kills, while Leslie Crandell chipped in with 21 digs, eight kills and three blocks.
The Whitman women's volleyball team suffered a four-game Northwest Conference defeat at the hands of the University of Puget Sound Friday night in Tacoma. After winning the first game 15-11, the Missionaries dropped the next three, 15-13, 15-10, 15-2.
The loss, which snapped a four-match Missionary winning streak, put a damper on Whitman's conference title hopes. Whitman fell to 10-4 in the NWC and 14-10 on the season. The Loggers jumped to 5-8 in conference and 8-13 overall.
Despite the strong play of junior co-captain Val Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS), the Missionaries were unable to maintain their momentum after winning game one. Hamm finished with 17 kills, nine digs and two blocked shots. She also led the team with a .273 hitting percentage.
Senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS) and junior Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn Riverside HS) also had good matches for Whitman. Ream had 14 kills, 20 digs and four blocks, while hitting a solid .263. Williams added 13 kills and 13 digs.
Defensive standouts for the Missionaries included junior Jeni Brown (Bellingham WA, Sehome HS) and sophomore Leslie Crandell (Redding CA, Foothill HS). Brown had a match-high 26 digs, while Crandell turned in a solid performance of 12 digs, nine kills, two service aces and four blocks. Junior co-captain Heather Cushing (Yakima WA, Davis HS) had 52 Missionary assists.
For only the second time this season, the Whitman College women's volleyball team dropped a second straight match when it lost Saturday afternoon to Pacific Lutheran University, 15-4, 15-13, 15-9.
Coming on the heels of a Friday night loss at the University of Puget Sound, Saturday's setback all but ends Whitman's chances for post-season play. Despite the losses, the Missionaries are 10-5 in the NWC and 14-11 overall, one of the volleyball program's most successful seasons ever.
PLU raised its record to 11-3 in conference, 17-5 overall.
"We thought we had a good chance to win coming in here," Whitman coach Dean Snider said. "But we really struggled today in all areas of our game. We just had a hard time putting the ball down."
Junior Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn Riverside HS) led Whitman with nine kills. Senior Barby Ream (Seattle WA, Garfield HS) added seven kills, and sophomore Alison Roth had five.
"I think we were just a little tight, a little wound up today," Snider said. "That never helps in a big match like this. But this is the position we want to put ourselves in every year, to be in the thick of things until the end of the season, so I am very proud of how far we've come."
The Whitman College women's volleyball team lost a three-set match at the hands of the Eastern Oregon University team earlier this evening, 15-8, 17-15, 15-8. The loss left the Missionaries with a 14-12 season record, while the non-conference contest did not change their 10-5 Northwest Conference mark. The Eastern Oregon women are now 7-20 on the season.
The Missionaries, who were without senior leader Barby Ream due to an illness, experimented with a number of players in the three games. "We had a chance to get a lot of playing time for a lot of people tonight," said Missionary head coach Dean Snider. "It was a good game to let some people show what they can do out there."
Junior Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn Riverside HS) and sophomore Allison Roth (Arlington WA, Marysville-Pilchuck HS) led the Missionaries in kills with 12 and 10, respectively.
Sophomore setter Claire Novotny (Boulder CO, Machebeuf HS) played in two of the games for the Missionaries and led the team with 27 assists. "Claire did very well setting tonight," Snider said. "Game two was a pretty good game for us. The team played fairly well together, but just not quite well enough to win."
Junior Jeni Brown had 15 digs to pace the Missionaries on defense. The team had 55 total digs on the night. Leslie Crandell (Redding CA, Foothill HS), a sophomore, also turned in a strong performance for Whitman with 10 digs.
The Missionaries close out their season at home on Friday when the Linfield Wildcats come to town.
The Whitman College women's volleyball team ended its season on a positive note with a decisive three-game victory over Linfield College Friday night in Sherwood Center. The scores were 15-5, 15-8, 15-11.
The Missionaries finished with an impressive 11-5 record in Northwest Conference play, one of their most successful seasons in years. Depending on the outcome of other NWC matches this weekend, Whitman will finish no lower than fourth in its nine-team league.
By winning its last match, Whitman also ran its season record to 15-12, matching the 15 victories it posted in 1997. The loss dropped Linfield to 6-9 in the NWC and 10-12 overall. The Wildcats finish their season Saturday at Whitworth College in Spokane.
The Missionaries took control of Friday's match from the outset, racing to leads of 4-0, 8-1 and 11-3 en route to its game one victory. Whitman jumped in front 3-1 in game two, although Linfield rallied to forge four ties and hold one-point leads on two occasions. The hosts regained the lead for good at 7-6 and pulled away.
In game three, Whitman again bolted to early leads of 4-0 and 8-2 before the Wildcats rebounded to knot the score at 9-9. The Missionaries pieced together a 6-2 spurt to close out the match.
The victory marked the final collegiate matches for two Missionaries, senior middle blocker Barby Ream and junior setter Heather Cushing. "What a tremendous way to end two super careers," Whitman coach Dean Snider said.
Ream, a graduate of Seattle's Garfield High School, collected 13 kills without a single error, hitting a rock-solid .722 while also contributing 10 digs and six blocks. Ream has led the conference in hitting percentage for much of the season, and she ranks No. 7 nationally in the most recent NCAA Division III.
Ream, a four-year starter who has led Whitman in blocks each season, finished her college career with nearly 350 blocks, nearly 700 kills and 800 digs.
Cushing, a graduate of Yakima's Davis High School, will not return return for a fourth volleyball season because she is completing her Whitman degree in three years. She handed out 41 of Whitman's 43 assists Friday night and added 10 digs. She holds Whitman school records for assists in a single season (1,074) and career (2,295).
Ream and Cushing "connected extremely well tonight," Snider said.
"We really couldn't script a better ending for our season," he added. "It was a total team effort tonight. Everyone played extremely well."
Junior Kelly Williams (Auburn WA, Auburn Riverside HS) had 12 kills and 14 digs for the Missionaries, while junior co-captain Val Hamm (Port Townsend WA, Port Townsend HS) added a solid 12 kills, 12 digs and two blocks. Sophomore Leslie Crandell (Redding CA, Foothill HS) added more firepower with eight kills, seven digs and two service aces.
As a team, the Missionaries hit for a .324 percentage. "I think this season shows that high expectations are a good thing," Snider said. "We really increased our effort to reach our goals this year. Maybe next year we can take our program a step further."