Mount Hood

Volleyball wins one, loses one

Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor

Wolves’ volleyball headed to Portland on Oct. 3 to face off against Concordia University. After a series of tight sets, the final score read 0-3, with the Wolves’ giving up the win.

Junior Mariella Vandenkooy scored the most kills for Western, tallying up 19.

Throughout the first set, Concordia held a consistent lead above Western. The Wolves finally began to redeem themselves with a series of kills and attack errors, but not before Concordia beat them to the 25. The final score read 21-25.

The team kicked it into gear for the second set, leading the way for the majority of the remaining time. Their steady lead was halted with repeated kills from Concordia sophomore Jessica Wheeler and Concordia senior Colby Barnette. The repeated attack led the Wolves to a close second set at 24-26.

The third set was a slow-build in favor of Concordia; kills and errors were the name of the game. The final score was 17-25, rounding out a loss for the Wolves.

The team headed back home to play the Montana State Billings on Oct. 7.

After losing to Concordia, the Wolves made a comeback with a 3-0 win against the Billings.

Vandenkooy was the kill leader in this game, as well, racking up 20.

Vandenkooy started the Wolves off with a kill at the top of the game. This put the Wolves on a path of steady points ahead of the Billings. The end of the first ended with a gutting 25-9 in favor of Western.

The Billings made the first kill of the second set, but Western came back with eight consecutive points. The rest of the set played out in a similar way; Montana State getting a kill in, followed by Western coming in and scoring multiple consecutive points.

The third set mimicked the one before it, with both the second and third sets ending 25-18.

This win makes Western 2-6 in GNAC. Their only other win of the season so far was against Saint Martin’s in September.

The Wolves face two Alaska teams at home this week; University of Alaska on Oct. 12 and University of Alaska Anchorage on Oct. 14.

 

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Western’s campus is home to a variety of different sports

Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor

It’s difficult to go to college without being aware of the myriad of different NCAA sports teams on campus. For students who aren’t inclined to go the NCAA route, Western is also home to intramural programs and club sports, both of which are open to students across campus.

Both IM and club sports are a way for members of the Western community to participate in recreational sports at varying levels of intensity.

Club Sports are run by students and go through the university’s campus recreation department. Some of the clubs offered include rugby, wrestling and rock climbing. Club Sports are a way for students to participate in structured games and practices, as well as travel and compete with other college students throughout the Pacific Northwest.

“Playing club sports here has opened so many doors that I never even thought it would,” said Lake Larsen, senior Lacrosse player and Club Sports Supervisor. “On the field I’ve been able to travel all over the west coast ranging from Las Vegas and San Francisco to Seattle and Boise.”

In addition to being part of a team, participating in club sports can also come with various responsibilities. Larsen, who was elected president of the Lacrosse team, can attest to this; “The biggest impact of club sports has come from my time off the field and behind the scenes … with this title I learned how to manage an annual budget of approximately $50K, hired a new coaching staff and have developed great relationships with people around the school.”

IM programs are less structured; they’re less likely to have a coach, and take on a more freeform nature. Unlike club sports, they are also open to Western faculty and staff.

“IM teams are usually a group of friends comprised of WOU students competing to have fun and try to win an Intramural championship T-Shirt,” said Andy Main, the Assistant Director of Campus Recreation Intramural and Club Sports.

Some of the intramural sports programs, such as Flag Football and Basketball, cost students a registration fee of $50. The money paid by students goes back into the program to help pay for court and field maintenance, as well as to pay student workers.

“The largest portion of the Intramural budget goes to pay for Intramural student-employees,” said Main. “The intramural program requires about 30 student-employees to ensure that all competitions are officiated by referees and/or monitored by Intramural supervisors.”

What isn’t covered by the intramural fee is provided to the program by the Incidental Fee Committee.

Those interested in finding out more about IM programs or club sports, can do so by heading to wou.edu/campusrec or by looking up @wou_imsports and @wouclubsports on Instagram.

Students who are more interested in watching the sports than playing them, can view the schedules for both Intramural and club sports at IMLeagues.com/wou.

 

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Wolves surrender win to Azusa

Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor

On Sept. 30, the Wolves travelled to Glendora, California and surrendered yet another win to Azusa Pacific University. The final score was 48-17 in favor of Azusa. This is their first time heading against Azusa this season, but their third consecutive loss against the team.

The Wolves’ only lead during the game was 7-3 in the first quarter. Wolves’ junior tight end Caleb Tingstad scored the first touchdown of the game, completing a 72-yard, five-play run. By the end of the first, junior kicker Jacob Hill had put three points on the board for APU with a 38-yard field goal.

Azusa gained control of the second quarter, scoring two touchdowns. The Wolves were determined to stay close behind their competitors, and gained a 49-yard field goal from junior kicker Adrian Saldana. The second quarter closed out at 10-17.

The game tied 17-17 early on in the third quarter when senior quarterback Phillip Fenumiai scored Western’s second and last touchdown of the day. The tie was broken by APU junior running back Kurt Scoby before the end of the third.

The score at the top of the fourth read 17-24, and continued to weigh in favor of Azusa Pacific. The remainder of the game was rounded out with three more touchdowns and one field goal on behalf of APU.

This loss places Western Oregon at the bottom of the GNAC leaderboard, just above Simon Fraser University. The Wolves will be heading to Burnaby, B.C. on Oct. 7 to face Simon Fraser; kickoff is slated for 1 p.m.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Wolves hungry for win

Stephanie Blair | Editor-in-Chief

On Sept. 26 and 30, Wolves’ soccer played their last two home games before heading out on the road for three weeks.

Concordia, Western’s opponent on Sept. 26, came into the game with a 355-minute shut out. They left with that record extended by 90 minutes.

Though sophomore goalkeeper Caitlin Kastelic made five saves throughout the game, she was unable to stop three of Concordia’s shots over the course of the 90-minute game. The Wolves fell against Concordia, 0-3.

The Wolves started out strong on Sept. 30 in their match against Seattle Pacific; junior forward Amber Whitmore scored the first point of the game in minute 22, with an assist from first-year midfielder Alexie Morris. They held a 1-0 lead going into the second half.

It looked as though the Wolves would taste victory and end their 20-day drought, until the Falcons’ Kasey Reeve scored in the 83rd minute of the game. After seven more minutes of back and forth with no goals made, the game launched into overtime. However, there was no resolution in the additional 10-minutes of game play provided, forcing the game into double-overtime.

After 102 minutes of play, the game was decided by a goal for Seattle Pacific, making the final score of 1-2 in favor of the Falcons.

Post-match on Sept. 30, the Wolves have a conference record of 0-4-1.

The Wolves return to Western’s soccer field on Oct. 21 to face Saint Martin’s University.

 

Contact the author at journaleditor@wou.edu

Volleyball moves north

Zoë Strickland | Managing Editor

Wolves volleyball garnered a dual loss while on the road.

On Sept. 28, the Wolves headed to Burnaby, B.C. to face-off against Simon Fraser University. The game was a series of close scores and inevitable misses. Junior Alisha Bettinson scored the first kill of the game, putting the Wolves on the board. The first set was close, but had the Wolves leading by a marginal 25-22.

The Wolves lost momentum as the sets progressed, surrendering the win to Simon Fraser. The remaining three sets totaled 22-25, 17-25 and 16-25, respectively.

Bettinson was the star attacker of the game against Simon Fraser, racking up 19 kills.

On Sept. 30, the Wolves continued their tour to Bellingham, Washington to face off against No. 10-ranked Western Washington University. The game ended in a 0-3 loss for the Wolves.

From the beginning of the first set, Washington held the lead against the Wolves. This culminated in a 25-11 lead for Washington at the end of the first. The two remaining sets saw similar fates, with the Wolves coming in short at 17-25 and 14-25.

Against Washington, the team saw a season-low hitting percentage of 0.032.

Wolves volleyball is currently ranked last in GNAC. The team has a chance to redeem themselves at home on Oct. 7, where they will face the Montana State Billings. The Wolves beat the Billings 3-1 in their 2016 game.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu

Tracking the Wolves

Stephanie Blair | Editor-in-Chief

Soccer

The women’s soccer team holds a record of 0-2-1 in the conference, after a tied game on their home turf against Montana State Billings with a score of 1-1. Results of the Sept. 26 match against Concordia were not available as of press time.

Wolves soccer will return to Western Oregon’s soccer field on Sept. 30 to face Seattle Pacific.

 

Cross Country

The men’s cross country team has taken every spot on the podium over the course of their first three meets for the season — first, then third, then second. The team is being led primarily by senior, national record holder in the distance medley relay and last year’s GNAC Male Athlete of the Year David Ribich.

The women’s team has had more trouble finding their footing this season, having taken fourth, ninth and then fifth as a team in their first three meets.

The next time students can catch the Wolves cross country teams competing in Monmouth will be on Nov. 4 for the NCAA Division II West regional meet — the last meet before nationals, hosted in Indiana this year. However, the next meet is only a short drive away, in Salem at Bush Park for the Charles Bowles Invite.

 

Football 

Western’s football team has had two near-victories in conference thus far, losing their first game by a single touchdown and their most recent game by a single point in overtime. See our coverage by Zoe Strickland. Overall, the team’s current record is 1-3.

Students will have their next chance to support the Wolves at home on Oct. 14, when they’ll be facing the Wildcats from Central Washington University.

 

Volleyball

Wolves Volleyball team, led this year by new coach Tommy Gott, is very young this year, with only six upperclassmen on the roster. They currently hold a record of 1-3 in conference play, with a 5-6 record overall. They fell to Central Washington University on Sept. 23 after falling short of points in all three sets: 17-25, 21-25, 22-25.

Senior outside hitter Alisha Bettinson led the team in game stats for the Spet. 23 game, with 16 kills on 42 swings. Junior and outside hitter Mariella Vandenkooy followed in second position for game stats, with 6 kills.

Western fans will be able to cheer for the Wolves at home next when the team faces Montana State Billings on Oct. 7 in the New PE building.

 

GNAC Student Athletes of the Week

Each week, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference recognizes athletes who have excelled in their sport. Over the first four weeks of selection, seven Wolves have received this award.

 

Aug. 28 – Defensive Volleyball Player: Mackenzie Bowen, junior

Sept. 4 – Women’s Soccer Player: Alyssa Tomasini, first-year

  Defensive Football Player: Bo Highburger, junior

Sept. 11 – Defensive Football Player: Curtis Anderson, redshirt first-year

    Special Teams Football Player: Adrian Saldana, junior

Sept. 18 – Defensive Football Player: Tyler Johnson, senior

    Men’s Cross Country Runner: David Ribich, senior

Wolves see overtime loss

Zoe Strickland | Managing Editor

The Wolves spent Oct. 23 in a deadlock against the No. 22-ranked Humboldt State University Lumberjacks — eventually succumbing to a 48-49 loss in overtime. This was the first home game of the season for Western.

Ultimately, the Wolves would get 517 offensive yards for the day. The players to watch included senior Paul Revis, who accumulated a whopping 176-yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore Torreahno Sweet, whose 111-yards gained the Wolves three touchdowns throughout the course of the game.

HSU obtained the majority of their points by taking advantage of long plays and holes in Western’s defensive line. Western’s path to points involved more plays and ultimately more time in possession of the ball.

Fans saw a continuous back-and-forth between the two teams, with the Lumberjacks leading 7-14 after the first quarter. The second quarter saw three touchdowns at the hands of senior Kenny Portara, Revis and Sweet, raising the score to 28-14 at the half.

Though the third quarter began to even out the score, the Wolves held the lead with 35-28. What began to look promising in the third quarter ultimately came to a halt in the fourth.

A 42-42 tie at the end of the fourth led the game into overtime. The overtime caused both teams to kick it into gear; the Lumberjack’s Ja’Quan Gardner and Wolves’ Sweet both scored touchdowns at the top. Lumberjack Jose Morales completed the kick, bringing HSU to a combined 49 points.

The roughest moment of the day came when Wolves junior Adrian Saldana missed the kick that would’ve once again tied the game 49-49. Instead, the Wolves surrendered the win to the Lumberjacks. This was the third consecutive home loss for the Wolves against HSU. They face the team again on the road in October.

The loss results in the Wolves falling 1-3 overall. On Sep. 30 the Wolves head to Glendora, CA to head off against Azusa Pacific. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.

Contact the author at journalmanaging@wou.edu.

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