This Week In Warrior Athletics

October 30, 2006

EVENTS: 

Volleyball:  at Albertson College, 6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1; at Westminster, 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3; at University of Montana-Western, 7 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 4.

Cross country: at Region I Championships, LaGrande, Ore., Saturday, Nov. 4.

Men’s basketball: vs. Cascade College, 7 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 1, Activity Center; at Carroll Tournament, vs. Vanguard, Friday, Nov. 3, 3 p.m.; vs. Point Loma, Saturday, Nov. 4, 3 p.m.

Women’s basketball: at Washington State University (exhibition), 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 3; at Boise State University (exhibition), 1 p.m., Sunday, Nov. 5.

Fun bus: to Washington State University women’s basketball game, Friday, Nov. 3, 5 p.m. 

VOLLEYBALL: 

The Warriors wrap up the regular season this week with three matches on the road, including two against nationally-ranked opponents.

LCSC, 7-16 overall and 3-9 in the Frontier Conference, are looking to wrap up the No. 6 spot in the conference standings, heading into the conference tournament next week.

The Warriors, however, face a tough task prior to league play this week when they take on Albertson College on Wednesday at 6 p.m., in Caldwell. Albertson is ranked No. 9 in the country and is 24-2 overall. The Coyotes clinched its first-ever Cascade Conference regular-season title last week and is 16-0 in conference play.

Following Wednesday’s match, the Warriors will keep heading south to Salt Lake, where they will take on Frontier Conference co-leader Westminster on Friday. Westminster, 10-2 in league and 16-9 overall, is ranked No. 22 in the NAIA. Westminster is battling the University of Great Falls for the conference title.

LCSC will wrap up the regular season on Saturday against Montana-Western, which is 1-11 in league play and 1-23 overall. LCSC swept Montana-Western at home earlier this year.

The Warriors will be without freshman Kelly Scott of Moscow, who had her appendix removed over the weekend. Before she went out, Scott led LCSC in kills.

LCSC coach Erin Mellinger says losing Scott hurts, but expects the Warriors to play well this week.

“We’re not working on new things at this point, just working on getting better on the things we’re good at,” she says. “It’s going to be a tough week for us and we’ll have to make some adjustments without Kelly, but I expect us to play hard.”

The conference tournament will be held at the site of the league champion.

Frontier Conference standings – Great Falls 11-2 in conference and 18-7 overall; Westminster 10-2, 16-9; Carroll 8-4, 18-7; Rocky Mountain 7-6, 14-8; Montana Tech 6-6, 11-13; Lewis-Clark State 3-9, 7-16, Montana State-Northern 3-9, 5-13, Montana-Western 1-11, 1-23. 

Cross Country: 

The Warrior men’s and women’s teams look for big performances on Saturday as they take part in the Region I championships in LaGrande, Ore.

The meet serves as a qualifier for the national meet, which will be held Nov. 18 in Louisville. The meet involves the 10 teams from the Cascade Conference along with the six independents in the region – LCSC, Great Falls, Westminster, British Columbia, Simon Fraser and Northwest Christian.

Both LCSC teams have enjoyed strong seasons as the men’s team is ranked 18^th in the country, while the women’s team is No. 13. Both, however, will face stiff competition on Saturday.

On the men’s side, Albertson is No. 12 in the country, while Concordia is No. 16. and Eastern Oregon is at No. 25.

In the women’s poll, Simon Fraser is the top-ranked team in the NAIA, and British Columbia is No. 11. Eastern Oregon also is ranked at No. 22.

The winners of the 14 regional meets this week qualify for nationals, with 14 at-large berths available. At-large berths will be based on the finishes at the regional meet as well as the final NAIA poll. 

MEN’S BASKETBALL: 

The Warriors kick off the regular season Wednesday night at home against non-conference foe Cascade College. LCSC then takes part in the Carroll Tournament in Helena, Mont., on the weekend, facing Vanguard on Friday and Point Loma on Saturday.

Second-year coach Tim Walker returns six players from a year ago and has eight new players in the system.

Walker says the team again will be strong on defense, where it led the NAIA last year in fewest points allowed per game. He’s hoping that newcomers Mike Gordy, a 6-foot-5 junior from Denver, and Robert Cromer, a 6-2 junior from Buhl, will add some offensive punch to the squad.

The Warriors return three players who were at least part-timer starters last year, led by 6-4 senior guard Keith Scarbrough, who led the team in 3-pointers and was second in assists. Senior posts Jared Tikker and Chris Pitts return for their fourth season.

The Warriors play seven of their first 11 games on the road this season, but the highlight is a home matchup on Nov. 25 against Oklahoma City, which finished second in last year’s NAIA national tournament. 

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: 

With high expectations, the Warrior women get things rolling this week with a pair of exhibition games on the road against NCAA Division I schools. On Friday, the Warriors trek to Pullman to face Washington State University, and then head to Boise on Sunday to face Boise State University.

Last season, the Warriors gave WSU all it could handle before falling.

LCSC finished as co-Frontier Conference champions last year at 11-3, and went 26-7 overall. They advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NAIA national tournament.

With nine of 10 players returning, including four starters – along with two solid newcomers – the Warriors are again expected to make another trip to Jackson, Tenn., for the national tournament.

Ashley Baker, the program’s all-time leading rebounder, and Aundrea Morrison give the Warriors a solid one-two punch inside. The two seniors were first-team all-conference selections a year ago and both averaged in double figures scoring. Baker also led the team in rebounding and had 16 double-doubles a year ago.

Also returning are starters Jade Fulbright and Katie Hart, both juniors. LCSC also added depth inside with 6-2 Mandy Troutt, a junior college transfer from Pullman, and freshman point guard Madison Mendezona.

The Warriors will play five contests on the road before kicking off the home season on Nov. 17-18 in the Staples Classic. LCSC will face Evergreen College and Eastern Oregon. Like the men, LCSC women will spend a majority of the early season on the road with nine of its first 11 games away from Lewiston. 

FUN BUS: 

The Warrior Athletic Association is sponsoring a Fun Bus to watch the Warrior women’s basketball team take on Washington State University in Pullman. Friday’s festivities begin at 5 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center with some snacks before boarding the Wheatland Coach bus at 5:30 p.m. and leaving for Pullman. The bus ride will feature a basketball bingo game and the chance to win some prizes.

The game begins at 7 p.m. and the bus will return to Lewiston immediately following the game. 

Cost of the trip, which includes admission to the game, is $15, but reservations on required. Space is also limited to 40 people. 

To reserve a spot on the bus or for more information, contact the LCSC Athletic Development Office at (208) 792-2692 or e-mail cfdurgan@lcsc.edu.