There is no question that the Columbia Basin College volleyball team enters this year's NWAACC tournament battled-tested.
The Hawks won three of their final four East Region matches just to climb into a tie for fourth place in the East Region.
Then on Monday, the Hawks rallied from two sets to one down and beat Walla Walla in five sets to qualify for the NWAACC tournament for the third consecutive season. It was the second time in a week the Hawks beat the Warriors in five sets to keep their season alive.
When CBC starts play at 2 p.m. today against third-ranked Mount Hood, the Hawks will be making their 18th appearance in 22 seasons under coach John Patrick.
"The goal is always to get to the tournament and keep playing," said Patrick, who is resigning at the end of the season.
But being such a veteran at the NWAACC tournament, Patrick enters with realistic expectations for a team that got off to a slow start this season.
He knows winning the tournament is probably far-fetched, but he also knows that his team definitely has the capability to place.
"We can certainly get a trophy," Patrick said.
CBC (24-16) played Mount Hood (29-9) twice this season and lost to the South Region champions both times.
If CBC wins, they would not play again until Friday in the 16-team, double-elimination tournament.
A loss and the Hawks will be back on the court tonight against the loser of the Whatcom/Pierce match. The Hawks split their two matches with Whatcom this season, winning the second meeting in three sets on Halloween. CBC has not played Pierce this season.
CBC is 6-13 against teams at the NWAACC tournament.
"We are definitely playing better," Patrick said. "We've worked on some things and continued to improve in a lot of areas."
Tacoma, the No. 1 seed from the West Region, enters the tournament ranked No. 1 in the final coaches' poll with an impressive 38-4 record. Blue Mountain (37-6) is ranked second, followed by Mount Hood.
Chemeketa (29-17), last year's champion which went 50-0 on its way to the title, is the No. 2 seed from the South Region.
* Ben Reynolds: 509-582-1509; breynolds@tricityherald.com
Similar stories:
Mid-Columbia connections many at NWAACC volleyball
Mid-Columbia connections many at NWAACC volleyball
Columbia Basin College's volleyball team didn't make it to the NWAACC tournament this season.
But there are still plenty of Mid-Columbian connections when play begins at 9 a.m. today in Gresham, Ore.
First, there's Walla Walla, set to meet Olympic at 4:30 p.m. in the first round.
CBC men, women trip Blue Mountain (w/ gallery)
CBC men, women trip Blue Mountain (w/ gallery)
PASCO -- In the rough-and-tumble region of community college basketball known as the NWAACC East, you do what you have to in order to get the victory.
For the Columbia Basin College men's and women's teams on Saturday in Pasco, that meant getting just enough clutch plays down the stretch for both Hawks teams to beat a pair of scrappy squads from Blue Mountain.
The CBC women defeated Blue Mountain 78-71, as the top-ranked Hawks raised their East record to 3-0, 15-1 overall.
CBC, Walla Walla CC split basketball doubleheader (w/ gallery)
CBC, Walla Walla CC split basketball doubleheader (w/ gallery)
PASCO -- The key to winning basketball games is putting together a good run or two during the game.
The Columbia Basin College women and the Walla Walla men did just that Wednesday night to win their respective contests in an NWAACC East Region men's-women's doubleheader in Pasco.
The CBC women used a 17-4 run to open the second half and blew open a tight contest, beating the Warrior women 65-53.
Yakima Valley sweeps aside CBC men, women
Yakima Valley sweeps aside CBC men, women
PASCO -- The Columbia Basin College men's and women's basketball teams got a wake-up call Saturday in their own house, as the visiting Yakima Valley Yaks dominated in NWAACC East Region victories.
In the women's game, YVC led by as many as 29 points before settling for an 81-61 victory.
The Yak men used a key 9-0 run late in the first half and was never threatened in an 89-57 win over the Hawks.
CBC women begin defense of East title
CBC women begin defense of East title
PASCO -- Cheryl Holden had one of her best women's basketball teams ever last spring at Columbia Basin College.
The Hawks, ranked almost all season at No. 1 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges, finished the season with a 26-3 record with a third-place trophy in the tournament at the Toyota Center.
Some of those standouts have moved on. Guard Trishi Miller, the East Region MVP, is now at Western Washington University.
Print
Email Story
