CBC returns to NWAC volleyball tourney

It’s been six years since the Columbia Basin College volleyball team has made it to the Northwest Athletic Confereence championship tournament.

But Hawks coach Sandra Olin led her team to a fourth-place finish in the East Region — which comes with a tournament berth.

The Hawks (11-27) open play at the Tacoma Convention Center — a new venue for the tournament — at 11:30 a.m. today when they take on the top-ranked Chemeketa Storm (36-2).

CBC did all this with just one player being named to the East Region all-star squad: Kennewick High grad Kelly Dyer, who made the second team based on her ability to go down and get digs. Dyer led CBC with 236 digs this season.

Mackenzie Monahan (Pomeroy) leads CBC with 166 kills, while teammate Morgan Wilder (Kennewick) has 156.

For Olin, this Hawks squad has been a special group to her.

“No. 1, they are a family and they really care about each other,” said Olin. “They’re committed. They play hard.”

And by just getting into the tournament after a long absence, anything that happens from here on out is gravy.

“Actually for me, just seeing my girls compete and leave it all on the floor will make me happy,” said Olin. “We have seven freshmen, and they are all inexperienced.”

This will be godd experience for those freshmen for next year. But it’s also great for the three sophomores — Dyer, Monahan and Wilder.

“I have to give it to the three sophomores,” said Olin. “They took charge and backed me up. They bought in and held each other accountable. I definitely couldn’t be prouder of this group.”

Meanwhile, Walla Walla also qualified for the tournament, and will play at 2 p.m. against Clark College of Vancouver.

Amy Arnzen (Walla Walla Valley Academy) and Alexa Lindgren (Oakesdale) were first-team East Region all-stars, while Taylor Hall (Grandview) and Savannah Ruark (Pomeroy) were second-teamers.

Arnzen leads the Warriors with 163 kills and 187 digs.

Warriors coach Chelsie Speer was named East Region Coach of the Year.

The Warriors (27-18) are a good defensive squad, ranked second in the entire NWAC in opponent hitting percentage at .111. Walla Walla is also ranked third in the NWAC in digs with 17.02 per game.

The tournament is a true double-elimination format, and runs from today through Sunday’s scheduled 2 p.m. championship match (with a second title tilt to follow immediately if necessary).

Blue Mountain (37-9) and Chemeketa are considered the tournament favorites. Blue Mountain has won four out of the last five tournament titles.

TOURNAMENT NOTES: A win over Chemeketa in today’s first round would give CBC the rest of the day off and a 10 a.m. winner’s bracket quarterfinal match at 10 a.m. Friday. A loss, and the Hawks would have to play in a loser-out contest at 6:30 p.m. today. Either way, they’ll either be playing Tacoma or Olympic in their second match. ... Southridge grad Jordan Mix will be playing for Blue Mountain. She’s had 114 kills this season for the Timberwolves. ... Freshman setter Brea Kestler (Hermiston) plays for Southwestern Oregon. ... Kasandra Galbraith, a Umatilla grad, also plays for CBC. ... Nataly Aguilar (Columbia-Burbank), Dani Burke (Kamiakin) and Samantha Grove (Grandview) are also on the Walla Walla roster. ... Freshman setter Leilani Moody plays for Spokane. ... Sophomore setter Katelynn Fullmer (Kamiakin) will be playing for Highline.

Soccer all-stars

CBC’s Jason Rodriguez was named as an East-West Region all-star defender in men’s soccer awards. ... Pasco High grad Emilio Meraz-Rodriguez was named an all-star forward while playing this fall for Walla Walla. ... The women’s East-West all-star soccer squad includes defender Desirae Lyall (Grandview) and keeper Stephanie Gibson (West Valley-Yakima), both of whom played for CBC. ... Richland High grad Jaz Lemos also made the team as a forward while playing for Walla Walla.

Basketball starts

It’s hard to believe, but the men’s and women’s basketball season begins this weekend.

The CBC men open on the road Saturday at the College of Southern Idaho, then take on Salt Lake Community College on Saturday. Both contests will be played in Twin Falls, Idaho.

Meanwhile, the CBC women open the season with games Saturday and Sunday in Longview. The Hawks play Lower Columbia on saturday, then take on Highline on Sunday.

This story was originally published November 18, 2015 at 9:10 PM with the headline "CBC returns to NWAC volleyball tourney."