Logger women host soccer playoff game

Wire
Published on: November 13, 2008

After winning a seventh-straight Northwest Conference title and cruising through the NWC season with an unblemished 16-0-0 record, the Puget Sound Loggers have been awarded a first-round bye in the 2008 NCAA Division III Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament. The Loggers will host the winner of the St. Scholastica and Carleton tilt Nov. 16 on East Athletic Field.

The Loggers earned one of three byes in the 61-team field, with the other two going to Williams and Wesleyan. This year marks the third straight season the Loggers will host an NCAA tournament match, after hosting the first and second rounds in both 2006 and 2007.

St. Scholastica and Carleton will play Nov. 13 in Northfield, Minn., for the right to travel to Tacoma for the second-round match against the Loggers.

Tickets for the match are $6 for adults, $3 for senior citizens and students with identification and $2 for children ages 3-12. Children under 2 will be admitted at no charge and the gate will open at noon on Nov. 16.

Aoki and Hanna saluted

For the second straight year, Beth Hanna and Kevin Aoki have received the top awards in Northwest Conference volleyball.

Conference coaches named Hanna, a sophomore outside hitter from Clackamas, Ore., as repeat winner of player of the year honors. The NWC coaches also selected Aoki, in his 13th season at PLU, as coach of the year.

Hanna was joined on the all-conference first team by setter Sarah Beaver, a sophomore from Gresham, Ore. Brenna Archibald, a junior libero from Seaside, Ore., earned second-team honors. Kelsie Moore, a freshman outside hitter from Oregon City, Ore., was named to the honorable mention list.

Hanna becomes the first player since Whitworth’s Julie Weatherred in 2001-02 to win back-to-back player of the year honors. Hanna easily led all players in kills per set in conference play with 4.36 and she ranked sixth in hitting percentage at .226 and 10th in digs with 4.02 per set.

Last year, Hanna became the first freshman to earn Northwest Conference Player of the Year honors. She later received first-team West Region and first-team All-America recognition, as well as being named national Freshman of the Year in Division III volleyball.

Aoki received Coach of the Year recognition from his peers for the third straight season and the fifth time since 1999. He has compiled a 222-116 record while leading the Lutes to the conference title, their third in a row – including a shared title with Linfield in 2006 – and the fifth in 10 seasons.

Beaver took the reins of the PLU offense from graduated two-time, first-team all-conference setter Gina Di Maggio and averaged 10 assists per set in conference matches. Archibald finished first in the conference in digs per set with 5.16 and second in aces per set with 0.45, while Moore finished 10th in conference with an even 3.00 kills per set.

PLU, 20-6 overall, faces Nebraska Wesleyan, 19-9, Nov. 13 in the first round of the NCAA Division III West Region volleyball tournament scheduled for Nov. 13-15, at the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif.

Denman, Blickenstaff All-NWC

After attacking their way to the NCAA Division III Tournament, junior Lindsey Denman and freshman Brynn Blickenstaff have been named to the first-team All-Northwest Conference team.

Denman earned first-team honors in 2008, and was honorable mention in 2007. She finished the 2008 regular season leading the Loggers with 3.35 kills per set in 85 sets played. She also added 2.24 digs per set.

Blickenstaff had a solid freshman season, putting down an average of 3.09 kills per set while hitting .208 from the floor.

Also earning honors for the Loggers were junior middle Kalli Kamphaus and senior setter Jamee Fred, who both earned honorable mention honors.

The Loggers open up the postseason Nov. 13, when they take on the Cal Lutheran Regals in the first round of the NCAA West Regionals at 4:30 p.m. at the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif.

Logger women host soccer playoff game

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