Determined to make a change, LCVB worked hard at practice to prepare for our final, home-game match-ups in round one of conference, against Whitworth and Whitman.  Whitworth was ranked number one in conference with an undefeated record of 7-0, and we had nothing to lose.  The team came together in a way that we have not done before, flowing together and communicating to create a single, cohesive unit on the court.  Not only did we play with our hearts, but we left everything on the floor: dominating Whitworth in a 3-0 win and ruining their undefeated record.  The next night, we did it all again against Whitman, winning 3-1.

LCVB has found its spark.  We ended the first round of conference with a bang and were ready to start round two the following week.  Throughout the week we continued our steady growth on the court during practice, and we entered the weekend ready to shake up conference.  We faced Puget Sound in our first home-game of round two, and just like the weekend before, we were ready to pursue a victory.  We defeated #19 in the nation, Puget Sound, in three sets!  Finally in our most recent match on Saturday against Pacific Lutheran, LCVB fought hard.  We left everything on the court and came out on top in a 3-2 victory against the Lutes.  This is the first win that LCVB has had over PLU since 2005, and it felt great.

It is safe to say that LCVB has really stepped up and set a new standard for its level of competition in conference.  Next weekend, we will face George Fox and Pacific University on the road.

On September 9 and 10, LCVB traveled down the coast to Thousand Oaks, CA for a tournament hosted by Cal Lutheran.  While we only won one of our matches, we showed a tremendous effort against both Occidental and Cal Lutheran.  Our determination, effort, and cohesiveness on the court really showed this weekend and will carry us through our conference matches.

After two consecutive weekends of tournament play, pre-season is over, and LCVB is ready to begin conference matches today!  This has been a tough week of practice, and we are all ready to show the effects of our hard work on the court!

Tonight at 7pm, we kick off the season with an away match against University of Puget Sound.

On Saturday, August 20, we were all given the opportunity to meet a previous Lewis & Clark volleyball team.  This team won conference and finished runner-up in the national championships in 1986.  After talking to the players one-on-one about the school subject that each studied, the changes in volleyball over the years, and what allowed this specific team to achieve victory, head coach, Ron Kay gave an inspirational speech on his experiences working with this extraordinary group of women. 

The opportunity to meet such an iconic volleyball team was the perfect start to a very busy week and a great preseason.  On Sunday, after a day full of meetings with various members of the Athletic Department, the returning sophomores, Kayla Ernewein, Alicia Callejo-Black, Erika James, and Kelsie Dorpat, surprised the team with a scavenger hunt through downtown Portland, taking us from the waterfront and Naito Parkway to Powell’s Bookstore on Burnside.

Having enjoyed a great team bonding experience the night before, on Monday morning LCVB was ready to jump into the first day of preseason camp.  During the summer, each player worked hard to prepare for the start of season, and those efforts are visible every time we play.  It has been one week since the beginning of tryouts, and LCVB is well on its way to becoming a dominant force in the Northwest Conference.  Now, as school begins we will learn to manage our time in order to balance both academics and athletics, especially as we prepare for the fast-approaching 2011 season, beginning with our first matches this coming weekend!

While the season concluded in November, the LCVB mentality has continued.  Though we are no longer competing against other teams in the Northwest Conference, as a team, we are constantly striving to become better athletes.  Pushing and encouraging one another, both in the weight room and on the court at our weekly open gyms, allows us to become stronger, faster, and more agile.

However, we have remained united off the court as well.  LCVB made a showing at Spring into Action, Lewis & Clark’s community service day.  We went to Hoyt Arboretum in NW Portland, where we weeded, planted trees, and helped tame a tree that was entangled with a rose bush.  As Kayla Ernewein, class of 2014, explained, “It’s always good to take a break from studying and put your hands in the dirt.”

Now that the stress of finals and school is over and summer has begun, our efforts off the court have increased!  Working as individuals now will allow us to come together to create a collectively stronger, fiercer, and more aggressive team for the Fall 2011 season. 

Sophomore Jenn Dowdy finished with 14 kills, while Leia Matsunaga dished out 35 assists. Senior Lou Ohki returned to the line-up to lead the team with 14 digs, after sitting out the last match due to an injury. Elena Hoff and Matsunaga each contributed 10 digs. Katherine Fiedler came up with three block assists.

Alicia Callejo-Black easily had the best game of her freshman season with the team, dominating the net with her towering block, powerful kills and perfectly placed tips. It was an overall team effort and really, it felt fantastic to get back in the saddle again, to implement a cheap cliche.

Heading to Forest Grove tonight to beat Pacific in a few hours!

We start the second half of the season tonight with an away game against George Fox. It’s time for LCVB to turn a corner and as practice mantra has become, “Less talk – more action”.

In the meantime, please enjoy some pictures from our team outing to the pumpkin patch over fall break.

I’d also like to add that the ‘player profiles’ section of this blog has been partially updated as I start to get freshmen profiles posted. Thanks!

Go Pioneers!

Yes, we are excited and relieved to have come away with a win but I think the manner in which we arrived at that victory should have been more in our control. Errors and lack of confidence plagued the third and fourth games, but on a positive note, we battled back in both after digging ourselves a tremendous hole in the first 10 points. We may have underestimated our opponent, but we never surrendered to their drive or momentum.

Two things stood out in the first two games: our dominance at the net (our freshmen front row shined in Salem: Gabby Hands, Alicia Callejo-Black and Kayla Ernewein, who accomplished her pregame goal of shutting down their outside hitters) and our serves (Elena Hoff finished the night with four aces). We kept Willamette out of system and reliant on their safe sets.

I am proud of our tenacity and unwillingness to submit to defeat. We pulled out a win in the fifth game, 15-13, by some clutch execution of the basics that our coaches are always stressing: calm serve-receive passing, a fast offense, and a confident attack high off the hands of the blocker opponents.

We are now 3-2 in conference and face UPS this Saturday for our homecoming match. There should be a large turnout, what with all the activities and promotions during the day, and I am ready and willing to beat UPS at HOME in front of a loud crowd. YES WE CAN!

We do have something to prove: to our fans, to the conference, and to ourselves most of all. LC Volleyball is a force to be reckoned with and we refuse to allow setbacks to dissuade us from our intended path.

We are on the road tonight, playing Willamette in their own gym in Salem.

Go Pios!

Margaret, Elena, Lou, Jenn, Leia, Kat

GAME DAY – Beat the Lutes!

See you all at 7pm!