Clackamas Print
Lydia Bashaw
said, “Our goal is still to
have a share of the Southern
Region Title, and our ultimate
goal is to win the NWAAC.”
One word to describe this
In the game agaiPst
year’s Cougars volleyball Mt. Hood on Sept 28., the
team: disciplined.
Cougars fought a long battle
After the first loss of the for victory, but it just wasn’t
season, the team propels enough. They fell short, and
toward the Northwest Athletic have rededicated their efforts
Association of Community toward the future.
Colleges Championship. Now
Ranked
only
below
ranked fifth in the region, Columbia Basin, Mt Hood,
the team is putting the loss Walla Walla and Spokane,
against the Mt. Hood Saints Clackamas is following in
behind them.
the footsteps of the teams
Head Coach Kathie Woods that have come before them.
The Cougars of the
past have qualified
for the champion-
ships.10 times in the
last 11 seasons.
“We have been
to the NWAACS the
last three years,”
said Woods. “So, we
always make that our
goal to get back to
that championship.
The top four teams
go to the NWAACS.
We are still confi
dent we are going to
go there.”
With almost a
brand new team,
Woods set out to
keep the program
strong at the end of
last season. With
only three return
ing players and one
red-shirt freshman,
the team is inexperi
enced but strong.
“We are a very
young team,” said
Woods. “We had a
slow start this year
... but we are full of
Clackamas player Baeckel jumps to
character, and they
spike in the game against Mt. Hood.
have been work
ing very hard and
The Clackamas Print
Wednesday. Oct. 10, 2007
improving
by leaps and
bounds.”
The team’s
returning play
ers bring experi
ence to the fresh
talent. Sophomore blocker
Sarah Hall was named as the
NWAAC’s Southern Region
Offensive Player of the Week
in week two of play. Carley
Johnson and Carla Crowder
also return to the team this
season.
New this year is Alaura
Little from Sisuslaw High
School, Taya Clark from
Newport, Melita Elliot from
Estacada, March Hiedenreich
from Ritzville, Mellissa
Fay from Skyview, and
Kristel Baeckel and Alyssa
Hernandez, both from Sam
Barlow. Rounding out the
new talent is Lindsay Ables,
another freshman who was
around the volleyball pro-
gram last year.
Recruiting from all over
the Northwest, Woods has
created a well-rounded team.
The program, though dedi
cated to volleyball, also con
centrates on community ser
vice, academics and personal
growth.
“We are doing more than
just volleyball,” said Woods.
“We have more than one
aspect to worry about. It’s
also about service and how
we treat others.”
Last year’s Cougars were
honored with the National
Team Academic Award, an
award given to teams with a
high average GPA. The girls
have set the goal of having
their academics on the same
level as their athletics.
Now halfway through the
season, the Cougars concen
trate on
improving their
game and getting ready for a
tougher level of play.
“They are just learning the
adjustments from high school
to college ball,” said Woods.
“We have been*talking about
the factors of high-paced
games. We are learning that
as we get into the better play
the second half of the year.
We are trying to pick up our
intensity and speed of our
games.”
Setting their sights high,
the Cougars continue in
their excellence on the
court, in the classroom
and in their hearts.
“I want everyone to
know that we came
into this year work
ing hard ... we are
known for having
a very successful
program,”
said
Woods. “But there
is more to it than
just that: There is
the academics, but
most important is how
we are as people.”
Andrea Simpson Clackamas Print
6
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Marcy Heidenreich
an outside hitter
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