Volleyball News

Richardson and Martin sign Letters of Intent
One Cougar exits the program while another joins

Sophomore NWAACC All-American outside hitter Taylor Richardson signs to attend NW Christian University in 2012 as NWU head coach Mike Gaffaney ensures the paperwork is in order.

January 31, 2012
By John William Howard, Sports Editor, Clackamas Print

	Incoming freshman Zoe Martin signs her LOI to attend CCC next season as head coach Kathie Woods looks on.

OREGON CITY -- Cougar volleyball had both a hello and a goodbye this week, as star sophomore Taylor Richardson signed with Northwest Christian University and newcomer Zoey Martin committed to play at Clackamas next fall.

 

Richardson led the NWAACC in total kills (290) her sophomore season and led by a wide margin in the Southern Region. Named a regional second team all-star in as a freshman, Richardson came back the following year and made the southern region’s first team, and was named a American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-American for her efforts.

“Everything has just fallen into place and that’s the greatest feeling,” said Richardson after her signing. “Around middle school I realized that I wanted to play as long as I possibly could, so it’s pretty cool to get something that you’ve been waiting for for 10 years.”

Martin hails from Santiam Christian High School, where she played both outside hitter and setter. Martin was a second team all-league player in her junior and senior seasons, and has played on two state championship teams.

“I’m just ready to train and play volleyball,” said Martin. “It’s my passion.”

Richardson named AVCA All-American

December 6, 2011

Taylor Richardson

LEXINGTON, Ky. - The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) announced its Two-Year College Women's Volleyball All-America Teams

Tuesday [view complete list].

 

Cougar sophomore Taylor Richardson was one of six NWAACC volleyball standouts named to the organization's All-American squad.  Richardson made the second team and is one of seven Cougars to have been bestowed the honor. The last Cougar named was Shikara White in 2008.

 

Until recently the AVCA format only allowed two NWAACC athletes each year (one first team, one second team), but increased the number to six (three first and three second teamers) in 2008.

 

"I am very proud of Taylor earning All-American," said head coach Kathie Woods. "She worked very hard this year in all aspects of her game and I felt she grew a lot as a player and as a person.  She was a great leader on the court and was our consistent "go-to" player the entire season.  Taylor had a great support system in her teammates and she also realizes that she would not receive this honor without them.  Teamwork is the nature of the game! Taylor will be successful in her next step as she is presently pursuing where she will be next year playing volleyball and finishing her academic goals."

 

 

Cougar NWAACC post season awards

November 21, 2011

OREGON CITY -- Several Cougars were named to the NWAACC post season awards last week. 

 

For cross country, harriers sophomore Teresa Lawson (St. Mary's HS, Oregon City, OR) and freshman Jorge Gil-Juarez (Phoenix HS, Phoenix, OR) made the XC NWAACC All-American squad. Lawson finished third in the women's event while Gil-Juarez took fourth in the men's. Two other CCC cross country athletes just missed the top seven who made the team; freshman Mark Medgin (Tigard HS, Tigard, OR)  took eighth in the men's race while freshman Grace Viuhkola (Hood River Valley, Hood River, OR) claimed eighth on the women's event.

 

In volleyball, sophomore outside hitters Taylor Richardson (Gresham HS, Gresham, OR ) and Haylee Schaab (Sisters HS, Sisters, OR ) were named to the Southern Region First Team All-Stars. Richardson was also a regional second team selection in 2010.

 

In soccer, sophomore midfielder Yasmina 'Yazzy' Coto (Beaverton HS, Beaverton, OR) was named to the South-East Region All-Stars, her second consecutive selection, and first year head coach Janine Szpara was selected region Coach of the Year. Coto finished her career at CCC as the 3rd all-time career leader in assists with 16, just two assists behind her sister, CCC assistant coach Miriam Coto who registered 18 in her Clackamas career.

 

Cougars place 5th at NWAACC Championship Tourney

November 21, 2011

Julia Toscano goes up for the kill during the Spokane match Friday as Courtney Pattock and Haylee Schaab look on.

CCC's season ended Saturday at Mt. Hood CC with a fifth place finish of the 16 teams that qualified for the playoff tourney.

 

Cougar head coach Kathie Woods was pleased with CCC's showing at the event "I was extremely proud of my team at NWAACC's. I knew that was the level this team could really play if they put their minds to it."

 

CCC made quick work in Friday's 9am opening match defeating Tacoma in three sets 25-22, 30-28, 25-22 [box]. The win earned them the rest of the day off to prepare for a 10am match against second-ranked Spokane on Saturday.

 

The Cougs didn't open well against Spokane and found themselves down two sets to zero - but they held their composure and went on to stun the crowd as they defeated the Sasquatch in the next three sets to take a 16-25,18-25 ,25-21,25-22,15-11 [box] victory.

 

I thought Spokane, Walla Walla and Mt. Hood were the top 3 teams," Woods added. "It was great to get that huge come-from-behind victory from a squad like Spokane."

 

Next up was top-ranked Mt. Hood but the Saints proved to be too much as the eventual 2011 champions gave CCC their first loss in four sets 17-25, 25-20, 10-25, 21-25 [box].

 

The double elimination tournament format still gave the Cougars a shot at making the title game through the 1-loss side of the bracket. CCC's season came to an end however, with a three set loss to fifth-ranked Linn-Benton in a best of three match 25-17, 25-23, 10-15 [box].

 

"We had it going again in our match with Mt. Hood but after taking the lead in the middle of the 4th set we suddenly hit a wall and simply lost to a team that wanted it more," said Woods "Winning that first set against Linn-Benton was a great start but when Linn Benton rallied back during the tie breaker game was just too much for our team at that point.  They had given their all for the year."

 

With an overall record of 31-19, Clackamas topped the 30 win mark for the 11th time in the program's history. The 2008 Cougars were the last to do so with a 41-15 record.

 

CCC will get back to work on reloading for next year's team. Six sophomores will be moving on with up to six freshman potentially returning for next season's squad.

 

Brittney Bevens named Cougar Player of the Week

November 8, 2011

Brittney Bevens

OREGON CITY -- Freshman middle blocker Brittney Bevens (Oregon City HS) was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week ten.

 

"Brittney has been working really hard the last few weeks strengthening her role as a middle blocker," said head coach Kathy Woods .  "She has improved her timing on her hit and has been closing the block better too.  We are proud of Brittney and her accomplishments, as of late.  She is helping us be a better team."

 

 

 

 

 

Cougars improve to 29-15 with win over Multnomah University

November 3, 2011
Clackamas 3, Multnomah University 0 [box]

Portland, OR -- The Cougs got their final non-league tune-up against Multnomah University Wednesday evening prior to taking on Mt. Hood and Linn-Benton in their final two region matches on November 4th and 9th.

 

CCC rested starters Courtney Pattock, Haylee Schaab and Kristin Best, but were never in trouble as they cruised to a 25-12, 25-12, 25-6 win.

 

The Cougs enjoyed a team 47% attack efficiency led by Julia Toscano's 64%. Taylor Richardson led the hitters with 12 kills followed by Toscano and Brittney Bevens who both recorded 10 kills each. Setter Taylor Copeland dished 34 assists on a red-hot 58% efficiency. Toscano, Copeland and Maeghan Angel led the defense with 9 digs a piece. Richardson stumped the Lions with 5 service aces on 100% efficiency while Toscano added 3 more.

 

The non-league match allowed the Cougs to try out some different rotations, "It was a good match for the Cougs tonight," said head coach Kathie Woods. "We were able to play some freshmen and give them some good experience and see their growth - and rest Courtney and Kristen at the same time.  Shauna and Haylee are still out with injuries too.   I was very pleased with the result.  We are working hard at preparing for NWAACC's and being a better team. Cope is working hard on her jump sets and Glide [Jessica Strader] is going in with better timing.  I was very impressed with the connection Cope had with Brittney tonight, especially at the end of the match.  Taylor Richardson went on a terror with her jump serves.  Both Julia and Taylor were awesome at hitting as usual. I saw a lot of good things tonight and it was a great day to be a Cougar!"

 

CCC (6-2, 29-15) will hit the road on Friday to take on Mt. Hood (7-1, 27-3) in Gresham on November 4th at 7pm.  They will close out the season at home on November 9th against Linn-Benton at 6pm. CCC sophomores will be honored prior to the start of the regular season final.

 

Julia Toscano named Cougar Player of the Week

November 1, 2011

Julia Toscano

OREGON CITY -- Freshman outside hitter Julia Toscano (Parkrose HS) was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week nine.

 

In four matches over the weekend, Toscano had 38 kills on a 27% attack efficiency and led the team in aces with 4 and digs with 58

 

"Julia really stepped up this weekend and was consistent throughout," said coach Kathie Woods. "She was mentally focused and held her composure.  She had some fantastic digs and then came back with the kill.  She was awesome!."

 

 

Cougs go 2-2 at Halloween Classic

CCC dressed up in a Mario Bros theme for Saturday's opening game
October 31, 2011

Ninth-ranked CCC took part in the annual Dorian Harris Halloween Classic this weekend and opened strong on Friday's pool play with wins over Wenatchee Valley 25-21, 17-25, 25-15, 25-21 and Clark 25-19, 29-27, 27-25. Chemeketa won the top spot in Saturday's gold division bracket by virtue of a pool play tie-breaker that moved the Cougars into the #2 seeded spot followed by Mt. Hood who also finished 2-0 on the day.

 

"The wins are good and I was happy to be ranked second after Friday's play but we are not playing as well as we should be at this point of the season," expressed head Coach Kathie Woods.

 

The Cougars didn't fair as well on Saturday as their six match win streak came to an end with a three set loss to third-ranked Mt. Hood 22-25, 22-25, 10-25, then stumbled against co-ninth-ranked Shoreline in the one-loss side of the bracket 20-25, 25-22, 10-15 to end their tournament.

 

"Our recent lack of consistency finally caught up with us Saturday and the result was back to back losses against more competitive teams," added Woods. "I am hoping the Cougs learn from this and start playing with a little more desire and fire.  This team is capable of beating anyone in this league but we need to be bringing our 'A' game."

 

Outside hitter Taylor Richardson led the way on offense for the tournament with 58 kills followed by OH Julia Toscano's 38. Toscano led the team in aces with 4 and digs with 58 while Richardson added another 2 aces and 53 digs. Setter Courtney Pattock dished 99 assists and Taylor Copeland turned in 39 more. Middle blocker Kristin Best rejected a team high 11 blocks while MB Brittney Bevens and OH Natalie Baumgartner combined on 15 more.

 

"This weekend I was very impressed with the consistent play of Julia,"said Woods.  She really came on for us both offensively and defensively.  I was very proud of her and her efforts."

 

The Cougs (6-2, 28-15) will travel to Multnomah University to take on the Lions on Wednesday, November 2nd in Portland.  Game time is slated for a 7pm start.

 

Cougs clinch playoff berth!

October 27, 2011
Clackamas 3, Chemeketa 1 [stats]
OREGON CITY -- Ninth-ranked CCC celebrated Sponsor Night by clinching its sixth straight playoff berth with a win over Chemeketa 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 25-17. Most of the Cougars' 31 volleyball sponsors were on hand for the match.

 

Sophomore OH Natalie Baumgartner turned a solid performance to help lead the Cougs to victory Wednesday night.

Head coach Kathie Woods was happy with the large turnout for the match, "It is always a good night when you win on Sponsor Night!  We had a good turnout of Cougar Volleyball Sponsors at the match tonight and we honored them at the break.  We are so thankful to have such great support from our sponsors."

 

Taylor Richardson led the Cougs on offense with 18 kills on a 33% kill efficiency while Natalie Baumgartner added another 8 kills on a 29% efficiency. Setter Courtney Pattock had 25 assists on a 28% efficiency and Taylor Copeland dished 12 more on a 29% efficiency. Richardson was also the cornerstone of the defense with 22 digs and a team high 2.40 serve-receive on 15 passes while Maeghan Angel registered another 17 digs. CCC also had 14 blocks on the night led by Brittney Bevens 5.

 

"It would have been nice to walk away with three straight set victories but we are still battling with inconsistencies that have plagued us for about two weeks now," commented Woods. "I felt Natalie did a good job tonight but I was especially impressed with the consistent play of Taylor Richardson. She was 'money' tonight.  She led the team in kills, digs and serve-receive average for the match and I think that is really impressive."

 

CCC (6-2, 26-13) still trails third-ranked Mt. Hood (7-1, 22-3) and second-ranked Linn-Benton (6-1, 29-6) in the region standings with only two region matches remaining. Umpqua is in a distant fourth place with a region record of 2-5. The top four teams in each region advance to the championship tournament on November 17th-20th at Mt. Hood CC.

 

CCC will take a break from region action to participate in the annual Dorian Harris Halloween Classic at Mt. Hood CC in Gresham on Oct 28 & 29.  The Cougs open with pool play against Wenatchee Valley at 2pm Friday and will take on Clark at 6pm.  Saturday matches will be bracket play. The ten participating teams, coaches and officials will open Saturday's play in halloween uniforms.  Action Saturday begins at 9am [schedule].

 

Maeghan Angel named Cougar Player of the Week

October 24, 2011

Maeghan Angel

OREGON CITY -- Freshman libero Maeghan Angel (McMinnville HS) was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week eight.

 

In sixteen sets last week, Angel had 35 digs, 6 aces on a 94% serve average and a 2.13 serve-receive on 54 passes.

 

"Maeghan has really worked hard this last week to regain her position of starting libero," said head coach Kathie Woods. "She stepped up and pushed herself into the player we believe she is.  She passed well this weekend and was aggressive on her digs.  She also had great serves which brought us back in the match against Umpqua.  I am happy with her improvement this week."

 

Cougs add two more to the win column

October 24, 2011

Box scores: SW Oregon | Umpqua
CCC headed to Southern Oregon over the weekend and picked up a pair of victories over SW Oregon and Umpqua to improve their region record to 5-2 and 25-13 overall.

 

The Cougars took down SW Oregon on Friday evening with a three set win over the Lakers 25-17, 25-22, 25-23 then had a battle on their hands in Roseburg against Umpqua on Saturday afternoon. CCC prevailed but not before the Riverhawks battled back from being down 2-0 to take the match to a fifth set in a 25-18, 27-25, 18-25, 22-25,15-13 Clackamas win.

 

Sophomore outside hitter Taylor RIchardson was blistering hot against the Lakers Friday with 15 kills on a 43.8% kill efficiency then led the team again on Saturday with 22 kills. Freshman OH Julia Toscano had 8 kills against SW Oregon and added another 11 against Umpqua along with sophomore OH Haylee Schaab who also recorded 11 kills and 5 blocks in the UCC match. Sophomore middle blocker Kristin Best turned in a solid performance in the UCC contest with 9 kills on a 44% kill efficiency and 5 blocks.

 

Setters Courtney Pattock and Taylor Copeland each averaged nearly 40% on their sets for the weekend.  Sophomore Pattock had 50 assists while freshman Copeland recorded 38.

 

Toscano led the defense in the SWOCC match with 12 digs while five Cougars registered double digit digs in the UCC game led by freshman libero Maeghan Angel's 26.

 

Although CCC took the two matches coach Woods was not elated about the team's performance, "We struggled this weekend in focus and consistency.  We were fortunate to come out of the weekend victorious and especially on Saturday against Umpqua.  Umpqua came out with a vengeance and proved they really wanted to win.  I am happy we got the wins but we must really buckle down for the rest of this second half of league if we want to be more successful."

 

At 5-2, ninth-ranked CCC continues to hold third place in the Southern Region standings behind third-ranked Mt Hood (7-1) and second-ranked Linn-Benton (6-1) and well ahead of Umpqua (2-5) who holds fourth place.

 

The Cougars will be in action at home against Chemeketa (1-5, 8-14) for Sponsor Night on Wednesday, October 26th. Opening serve is scheduled for

a 7pm start [schedule].

Taylor Richardson selected Southern Region Defensive Player of the Week

October 20, 2011

Taylor Richardson

Cougar sophomore outside hitter Taylor Richardson (Gresham Union HS) has been named Southern Region Defensive Player of the Week by the NWAACC.

 

In 16 sets last week, Richardson had 79 digs (4.94 digs per set), 4 aces on a 94% serve average on 81 serves, and a 2.25 serve-receive on 144 passes.  Offensively, she registered 72 kills on a 31% kill efficiency.

 

Richardson's performance during the Pierce Crossover Tournament earned her a spot on the All-Tournament team Saturday.

 

This selection marks the second time Richardson has been named as the region's defensive player of the week. She also earned the honor on September 7th. She was also selected region player of the week twice in 2010, once as an offensive selection and the other for defense.

 

"Taylor has been working hard on being consistent and it is working out for her," said head coach Kathie Woods. "Both her offense and defense have really stepped up and she is a leader and a 'go to' player on the court for us.  Much of our recent success has been because of Taylor.  She has a real solid game and I am proud of how hard she is working."

 

 

Cougars too much for Multnomah University

October 20, 2011

Brittney Bevens

Freshman middle blocker Brittney Bevens was on fire with 11 kills (zero errors) on a 71.4% kill efficiency and had 2 blocks to help lead CCC to a three set defeat of Multnomah University 25-13, 25-7, 25-4 Wednesday evening in Oregon City.

 

Woods was extremely pleased with Bevens performance, "Brittney really is working hard at becoming a impact middle for us and is now getting much attention from the setters.  She is only going to get better." 

 

Bevens along with sophomore middle blocker Kristin Best and sophomore outside hitter Haylee Schaab each had kill efficiencies over 70%.  Schaab collected 8 kills on a blistering 88.9% efficiency while Best recorded 6 on a 75% efficiency. Sophomore outside Taylor Richardson chipped in another 10 kills while freshman outside Julia Toscano turned in 9 more.

 

Sophomore setter Courtney Pattock registered 23 assists on a 66% efficiency with freshman Taylor Copeland adding 13 more on a 36% average.

 

Richardson led the Coug defense with 9 digs while freshman Jessica Staigle started the contest as the libero and recorded another 7 digs. CCC got a great team passing effort throughout the contest recording an average serve-receive of 2.46 on 24 passes.

 

It was a good night for some non league action as we continue to get better as a team, said Woods. "I was very pleased with the our execution of the plays tonight.  What I was most pleased with was the way we improved with each set.  We were focusing hard at a new lineup with new plays."

 

The Cougars played in pink uniforms during the contest to help increase awareness of breast cancer. Gate receipts and donations were donated to the American Cancer Society.

 

CCC (23-13) returns to region play on the road against SW Oregon (6pm) on Friday and Umpqua (1pm) on Saturday [schedule].

 

 

Taylor Copeland named Cougar Player of the Week

October 18, 2011

Taylor Copeland

OREGON CITY -- Freshman setter Taylor Copeland (Lake Oswego HS, Lake Oswego, OR) was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week seven.

 

Copeland had a great tournament performance over the weekend. In thirteen sets she had 71 assists (in a two setter rotation) on a solid 42% assist efficiency and chipped in on defense with 10 digs.  Additionally, she turned in a top notch performance against Linfield College JV last Wednesday with 10 assists on a 48% assist efficiency.

 

Copeland was named to the Pierce Crossover All-Tournament Team on Saturday.

 

Head coach Kathie Woods has been excited about Copeland's recent progress, "Cope really stepped up her play in the last couple of weeks.  She has been working hard and has been accepting of any role where she can help the team.  I am very pleased with her progress and now her setting is spot on!"

 

CCC takes third place at Pierce Crossover

October 17, 2011

CCC won three of their five matches at the Pierce Crossover this past weekend against what was arguably the toughest field of teams of the four NWAACC crossovers.

 

The Cougars won their pool play on Friday with wins over Everett and third-ranked Blue Mountain. After defeating Everett in two sets (25-19, 25 22) they unexpectedly slipped against host Piece 30-28, 24-26, 12-15 in the second match.  The squad regrouped for a huge match against Blue Mountain and stunned the highly ranked Timberwolves in two straight 25-21, 25-20.

 

Saturday's play moved to best three of five sets and CCC came out prepared with a three set win over Edmonds 25-13, 25-21, 25-10 to move them into a semi-final match against the fifth-ranked Walla Walla Warriors.

 

Clackamas never got into a groove against the Warriors and were eliminated from the tournament in three sets 17-25, 18-25, 23-25.

 

The Warriors eventually won the tournament over runner-up Blue Mountain. Top-ranked Linn-Benton also placed third with their loss to Blue Mountain in the semis.

 

"I wished we would have played better against Walla Walla, said head coach Kathie Woods. "We had a poor performance passing and running the offense. 

 

In thirteen sets over the weekend, Richardson led the offense with 54 kills on a 26% kill efficiency. Julia Toscano (38) and Haylee Schaab (29) combined on another 67 kills.  Middle blocker Kristen Best also turned in double digits with 20 kills on a 35% kill efficiency and had a team high 15 blocks.

 

Setters Courtney Pattock (77) and Taylor Copeland (71) combined on 148 assists - Copeland had a stellar 42% assist efficiency while Pattock followed with 31%.  Richardson was also smoking hot on defense with 67 digs followed by Toscano' s 38.

 

Richardson and Copeland's performances earned them a spot on the all-tournament team.

 

Woods was happy with the all-tournament selections, "I felt Taylor Richardson and Taylor Copeland had a fantastic tournament.  Cope really stepped up in the setting role and had fantastic stats.  She really connected well with the hitters and brought much enthusiasm and life to the court.

 

Ninth-ranked CCC is now 22-13 on the season [standings].

 

The team returns home to play Multnomah University on Wednesday at 7pm then returns to region play on the road against SW Oregon (6pm) on Friday and Umpqua (1pm) on Saturday [schedule].

 

Cougars move to 19-11 with win over Linfield

October 12, 2011

Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Richardson was all over the court Tuesday night against Linfield College JV leading CCC in kills, kill efficiency, aces, digs and serve-receive.

OREGO11N CITY -- The ninth-ranked Cougars improved its overall record to 19-11 with a win over Linfield JV Tuesday evening in Oregon City. 

 

Last week CCC suffered a three set loss to 4-yr program Northwest Christian University 15-25, 18-25, 24-26 [box] on Wednesday then narrowly loss a regional heartbreaker to 4th-ranked Mt. Hood on Friday 25-22, 21-25, 13-25, 27-25, 12-15 [box].

 

Coach Woods was happy with the team's performance against a quality squad like Mt. Hood, "Friday's match brought back the fierce rivalry of Mt. Hood and Clackamas Volleyball. I was pleased with our effort tonight.  We haven't been playing especially well the past few matches and it was good to see the focus back on the Cougars' faces. It was great to see a packed gym. There were very long rallies and some exciting volleyball from start to finish."

 

Taylor Richardson, Haylee Schaab and Julia Toscano each had double-digit kills led by Richardson's 19. Courtney Pattock got 37 assists on a 32% assist average while Taylor Copeland added another 10.  Libero Maeghan Angel led the defense with 27 digs and had a 2.48 serve-receive on 31 passes. Richardson, Toscano, Pattock and Jessica Staigle each had double-digit digs for the match. Staigle and Richardson both had terrific passing games as each had serve-receives over the 2.50 mark.

 

CCC bounced back from Friday's tough loss with a convincing three set win over Linfield College JV 25-15, 25-14, 25-20 [box].

 

"Tonight we were able to work on a few changes in our lineup to help make us deeper as we are heading into our second half of the season," said Woods "I felt Britt did an excellent job in the middle and Cope is working at knowing her hitters better.  It was a good non-region game for us.  Haylee and Taylor were steady on their hitting and both had stellar nights offensively.  Taylor had a great all around game leading the team in digs and kills."

 

Richardson led the offense with 18 kills on a blistering 67% kill efficiency and Schaab added 11 more on an equally impressive 58% kill efficiency. Pattock and Copeland combined on 36 assists & each turned in solid 48% assist averages. Richardson also led the way on serves with 3 aces and on defense with 12 digs & a 2.38 serve-receive.

 

At the halfway point of region play, the Cougars (3-2, 19-11) remain in third place in the Southern Region standings behind top-ranked Linn-Benton (5-0, 23-4) and Mt. Hood (4-1, 14-3). The top four teams will move on to the NWAACC Championship tourney on November 17-20 at Mt. Hood CC in Gresham, OR.

 

CCC will next hit the road for the Pierce Crossover Tournament in Lakewood, WA.  The Cougars will take on Everett (2-21) at 2:30pm, Pierce (6-12) at 7pm, and third-ranked Blue Mountain (18-5) at 8:30pm in Friday's pool play.  The tourney concludes on Saturday with bracket play for the crossover championship [schedule].

 

Jessica Staigle named Cougar Player of the Week

October 11, 2011

Jessica Staigle

OREGON CITY -- Freshman outside hitter/defensive specialist Jessica Staigle (Estacada HS, Sandy, OR) was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week six.

 

In seven sets last week, Staigle had 24 digs and a averaged a 2.24 serve-receive on 25 passes including a stellar 2.60 serve-receive on 10 passes during the Mt Hood contest.

 

"Jessica really helped us out last week by stepping in and playing some libero when Maeghan hit a rough patch in her game.  Jess has great ball control, is talking louder and basically helping to make us a better team."

 

 

Jessica Strader named Cougar Player of the Week

October 4, 2011

Jessica Strader

OREGON CITY -- Freshman middle blocker Jessica Strader (Glide HS, Glide, OR) was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week five.

 

During the Chemeketa match, Strader came off the bench to collect a service ace on a 93% serving efficiency, 5 digs and a block.

 

Head coach Kathie Woods was excited about Strader's role in the Chemeketa victory, "I was especially pleased with the play of Jessica Strader.  She showed poise and confidence in a stressful situation and I was very proud of her maturity on the court."

 

Roadrunners cool red hot CCC

September 29, 2011

ALBANY, OR -- CCC rode into Albany on a 12-1 run over the last two weeks but ran into the league's top-ranked volleyball squad Linn-Benton and left town realizing they still have some work to do.

 

The Roadrunners took down the Cougars in three straight sets 18-25, 17-25, 21-25. A poor offensive effort marked by 21 attacking errors gave the squad a 3% kill efficiency. Sophomores Taylor Richardson and Haylee Schaab, the team's leaders on offense, only managed a combine 14 kills and produced 9 errors.  The Cougar passing game also suffered as team serve-receive leader Maeghan Angel only had a 1.68 average, only slightly better than the team's match average of 1.53.

 

Head coach Kathie Woods was disappointed with the performance, "Tonight we seemed to have left our mental game at home.  We had too many mistakes and a lack of effort on defense. Linn-Benton is a great team that really plays aggressively and moves their feet very well.  They really brought it to us tonight and we never gained our composure. They deserve their number one ranking. We can play with this team if we bring our 'A' game which didn't happen tonight."

 

The loss moves Clackamas (2-1, 17-9) to third place in the Southern Region Standings behind Mt Hood (3-0, 13-1) and Linn-Benton (2-0, 20-4).

 

CCC will take to the road on Friday, September 30th for a 7pm match against Chemeketa (0-2, 5-8) in Salem.

 

Maeghan Angel selected Southern Region Defensive Player of the Week

September 28, 2011

Maeghan Angel

Cougar freshman libero Maeghan Angel (McMinnville HS) has been named Southern Region Defensive Player of the Week by the NWAACC.

 

In 10 sets, Angel had 32 digs on a 3.2 digs per set average, 3 service aces on a 93% serve efficiency and a 2.11 serve-receive average on 45 passes.

 

"Maeghan stepped her defense up last week and also our leader on serve receive," said head coach Kathie Woods. "She was very instrumental in our success last week."

 

Angel is the third Cougar to be honored by the league's Southern Region this season. Taylor Richardson was named defensive POW in week 1 and Haylee Schaab was named offensive POW last week.

 

Haylee Schaab selected Cougar Player of the Week

September 27, 2011

Haylee Schaab

OREGON CITY -- Sophomore outside hitter Haylee Schaab was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week four.

 

In 10 sets last week Schaab had 21 kills on a 35% kill efficiency and 2 blocked shots.

 

Head coach Kathie Woods on Haylee's performance, "I am very pleased with Haylee and her stepping up in the last 2 weeks.  She is becoming more consistent in her hitting and her emotions on the court.  She is working hard on moving her feet and her contributions are helping us to be a much stronger team.  Great job Hay!"

 

 

Cougars carve out three more notches
in the win column

September 25, 2011

Sophomore outside hitter Haylee Schaab ripped 15 kill on a 50% kill efficiency against Umpqua Friday night.

OREGON CITY -- CCC collected three more wins over the week, including a pair of region wins to improve their record to 2-0 in region & 17-8 overall. On Wednesday the Cougars took down Linfield College JV in three sets 25-6, 25-12, 25-18 [box] and then registered their first regional win over a much improved Umpqua squad in four sets 25-14, 25-16, 20-25, 25-18 [box]. 

 

Coach Woods was pleased with the regional opener, "Tonight's game against Umpqua started out really aggressive.  We played good and held off some threats when they started to get in rhythm. I thought Shauna had a great game in her role.  Haylee had a great offensive night and Britt stepped in and did a very good job in the front row."

Clackamas then tallied the third straight win on Saturday with a three set defeat of Southwestern Oregon 25-18, 25-13, 25-18 [box].

 

"I felt this team came out from the start with a mission," added Woods on the SW Oregon match. "We stayed consistent from the first point and I am very pleased with our progress at this point of the season."

 

For the three matches, sophomore outside hitters Taylor Richardson and Haylee Schaab led the offense with a combined 59 kills. Schaab had a stellar night against Umpqua with a blistering 50% kill efficiency for 15 kills. Sophomore setter Courtney Pattock turned in a very consistent performance in the three match stretch with 85 assists on a 38% percentage assist average. Richardson also turned in a team high 43 digs followed by freshman libero Maeghan Angel's 35 and freshman OH Julia Toscano's 30. Sophomore middle blockers Kristin Best and Shauna Salopek combined on 17 of the squad's 28 blocks.

 

Woods has seen some real progress with the team as a whole, but noted a few that have really stepped up their game, "Shauna and Haylee have improved tremendously over the last few weeks and Maeghan is really showing her leadership skills on the defense end. 

 

Mt. Hood currently leads the South with a 3-0 record followed by CCC at 2-0 and Linn-Benton at 1-0 [standings].

 

The Cougars will hit the road for pair of matches against top-ranked Linn-Benton on Wednesday, September 28th at 6pm in Albany and Chemeketa on Friday, September 30th at 7pm in Salem [schedule].

 

Kristin Best selected Cougar Player of the Week

September 24, 2011

Kristin Best

OREGON CITY -- Sophomore middle blocker Kristin Best was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week three.

 

In 18 sets this past week, Best had 27 kills on a 24% kill efficiency and 16 blocked shots.

 

Coach Woods on Kristin's selection, "Kristin has been working very hard on her quick attack approach and she is finding success with it in the stat column.  We are needing more options on offense and Kristin is helping this team to be stronger in that area.  She is a very dedicated athlete!"

 

 

 

Three Cougars earn NWAACC Player of the Week honors

September 24, 2011

Taylor Richardson

Haylee Schaab

Teresa Lawson

Cougar sophomore volleyball players Taylor Richardson and Haylee Schaab along with cross country freshman runner Teresa Lawson have been named Player of the Week by the NWAACC.

 

Richardson was selected Southern Region Defensive Player of the Week on September 7th. In seventeen sets on the week, Richardson had a team high 68 kills to go with her 44 digs and a 2.14 serve-receive average. She was also named Cougar Player of the Week.

 

"She helped lead the team on offense and played solid defense as well," said head coach Kathie Woods. "Her overall game was very balanced and instrumental to our success."

 

Schaab was named Southern Region Offensive Player of the Week on September 21st.

 

 In 29 sets over the week, Schaab had 71 kills on a 29% kill efficiency, 15 blocks and 13 digs.

 

"Haylee has really stepped up her game over the last few weeks and is being aggressive on the court," commented Woods. "She has brought more intensity and focus to the team which was reflected in the win-loss column this week."

 

Lawson was named the NWAACC Cross Country Female Athlete of the Week on September 23rd.

 

She turned in a mark of 23:21 at the Sundodger Invitational's women's 6K in Seattle.

 

Associate head coach Jerret Mantalas was pleased with her performance, "Great early season mark for Teresa. She ran a very good time for her first collegiate cross country race ever."

 

 

Cougars improve to 14-8; Take second place in Clackamas Crossover Tournament

Cougars take second place at the CCC Crossover Tourney Sunday.

September 20, 2011

CCC went 5-1 over the weekend to improve their season mark to 14-8.  The Cougars defeated Everett at home on Friday evening with a four set win over the Trojans 23-25, 25-10, 25-12, 25-16 [box].

 

Freshman Julia Toscano & sophomores Haylee Schaab and Taylor Richardson each had double digit kills combining for 38. Schaab and Toscano both had kill efficiencies over 40% with Schaab leading the way with a 44%. Sophomore setter Courtney Pattock had 43 assists on a blistering 53% efficiency. Richardson led the way on defense with 12 digs and four blocks with sophomore MB Shauna Salopek adding another five blocks. Team average serve-receive was a solid 2.19 led by freshman libero Maeghan Angel's 2.33 on 18 passes

 

Serving was the achilles heel for the team as they had 11 service errors in the match. "Our serving was poor in this match, said head coach Kathie Woods. "And better serving was our focus.  Shauna played very well in her role tonight and I was very proud of her!"

 

CCC hosted an eight team tournament on Saturday and Sunday and came away one game short of winning the tournament championship.

 

The Cougars swept the open day matches with wins over Shoreline 25-23, 25-14, 15-25, 25-23; Green River 25-19, 25-11, 25-20 and Big Bend 25-15, 22-25, 25-19, 25-19.

 

On Sunday they defeated Southern Region Rival Chemeketa the three straight sets 25-16, 25-14, 25-11 to earn a berth into the title match against Spokane.

 

Eighth-ranked CCC gave top-ranked Spokane a run for their money in a five set loss in Spokane last week, but poor play in the middle of the defense allow the Sasquatch to use tips over the CCC blockers to score dozens of kills in a four set loss 16-26, 14-25, 25-23, 23-25.

 

"Spokane came out tough and threw a few curve balls our way in their offense," said Woods "We had a tough time figuring it out defensively but started to take control in the 3rd set.  We played tough in the 3rd and 4th sets but our mistakes were too costly."

 

For the tournament, Richardson led the CCC offense with 63 kills and 12 service aces while Schaab and freshman Brittney Bevens combined on another 70 kills.  Pattock dished 163 assists on a 34% efficiency. Angel and Richardson each had over 60 digs while Kristin Best had team high 15 blocks.

 

Richardson, Schaab and Best were selected to the All-Tournament Team.

 

Coach Woods was upbeat on the team's progress thus far, "I feel this team is improving every day and we have grown from day one and I am extremely proud of how hard they are working."

 

CCC will next take on Linfield College JV in a non-league match on Wednesday, September 21st at 6pm in McMinnville before returning home for the region opener against Umpqua on Friday September 23rd at 6pm. CCC will also host SW Oregon in region play on Saturday, September 24th at 1pm [schedule].

 

A 9-7 Cougar squad heads into an action packed weekend line-up at home

September 15, 2011

Courtney Pattock sets a ball with Kristin Best preparing to deliver a kill in Tuesday's home win over Clark.

The eighth-ranked Cougars faced a very challenging schedule last weekend which featured matches against top-ranked Spokane, second-ranked Blue Mountain and NJCAA powerhouse North Idaho.

 

CCC took Spokane to five sets on Thursday night before narrowly losing the final set 12-15. The Cougs lost the opening two sets 24-26, 16-25, but showed resilience when they bested the Sasquatch in the next two 25-19, 25-21 [game stats].

 

Julia Toscano and Taylor Richardson spearheaded the CCC attack with a combined 40 kills while setter Courtney Pattock registered 51 assists. Maeghan Angel led a quartet of Cougars with double digit digs with 16.

 

Head coach Kathie Woods was pleased with the team's performance against Spokane, "We almost pulled off a win over a very good squad on the road and we played tough."

 

The Cougars however didn't fare as well the next day as they dropped the tournament opener against Blue Mountain in four, 12-25, 20-25, 25-23, 22-25, then after a 24-26 opening set loss to North Idaho went on the lose the next two sets 11-25, 16-25. Next up was Big Bend, a match that the Cougar staff expected to win. CCC took care of business in the first set 25-19, but fell in the next three 21-25, 24-26, 20-25 to close the day 0-3 in the tourney.

 

"We played very flat and displayed a lack of focus and energy," said Woods on the day. "We need to work on being consistent."

 

The Cougs were again firing on all cylinders in Saturday's matches as they swept Treasure Valley in three 25-14, 25-16, 25-14 then shut out Big Bend in three 25-15, 25-16, 25-21 in a rematch of the previous day's four set loss to the Vikings to win the tourney's bronze division.

 

"We simply need to be ready to play emotionally and intellectually when we step on the court each and every time, commented Woods. "We certainly have the talent to play with the best."

 

On Tuesday evening, the Cougs avenged a September 6th four set loss to Clark College with 25-9, 25-21, 25-17 [stats] win in Vancouver.  The following day the team headed to Longview, WA. to play Lower Columbia in a rematch of CCC's four set win over the Red Devils on August 30th.

 

CCC dropped the first set 15-25 but bounced back with a 26-24 nail-biting set before winning the next two 25-21 and 25-18 [stats].

 

"Tonight we really had to fight to get this win," said Woods. Our squad under estimated our opponent but had the skills and determination to bounce back. We still need to work on bringing a consistent performance night in and night out."

 

CCC will host Everett (1-10) on Friday at 7pm before hosting the Clackamas Crossover Tourney which begins Saturday at 1pm. The Cougars (9-7) will open the tournament against Shoreline (4-2) at 1pm then take on Green River (4-5) at 5pm in pool play. On Sunday, CCC will play Big Bend at 9am to close out pool play then move to bracket play in the afternoon [tourney schedule].

Courtney Pattock selected Cougar Player of the Week

September 15, 2011

Courtney Pattock

OREGON CITY -- Sophomore setter Courtney Pattock was selected by the coaching staff as the Cougar Player of the Week for week two.

 

Pattock had 51 assists and 10 digs in a close five set loss to top-ranked Spokane last Friday in Spokane.

 

She also recorded 152 assists on a 34% assist efficiency, 4 service aces and 26 digs in five matches at the Spokane Tournament over the weekend.

 

"Courtney played very good and stayed consistent throughout the week," said head coach Kathie Woods. "She improved her defense and is currently working to improve her hitter coverage.  Courtney makes good decisions in her setting and I feel she has improved over last season."

 

Taylor Richardson selected Cougar Player of the Week

September 7, 2011

Taylor Richardson

OREGON CITY -- 2011 week one Cougar Player of the Week goes to leader and co-team captain, Taylor Richardson (Gresham HS). 

 

In 17 sets over a six matches, Richardson led the offense with 68 kills on a 23% kill efficiency, recorded 44 digs (third on team), had a 2.14 serve-receive efficiency on 80 attempts (second most attempts), and had 8 blocks (5 solo).

 

One of Richardson's best performances came in the Chemeketa Tourney where she helped lead the Cougars to a victory over Yakima Valley in the consolation championship. Richardson had a team high 17 kills on a 39% kill eff. and added 16 digs on defense.

 

"Taylor stepped it up, especially on Saturday, said coach Kathie Woods. "She helped lead the team on offense and played solid defense as well.  Her overall game was very balanced. She was very instrumental in helping the team keep the energy it needed for this first tournament.  If Taylor keeps this up she is sure to have a powerful effect on this team."

 

Cougars build record to 5-3 after heavy week of non-league play

September 7, 2011

Clackamas took to the road following the season opening win over Lower Columbia.  A five game tournament at Chemeketa CC in Salem over the weekend found the Cougars with two opening day losses against Southern Region rival Linn-Benton (18-25, 12-25) and defending NWAACC Champions Blue Mountain (16-25, 23-25) in best of three pool play.

 

CCC bounced back on the second day to defeat Yakima Valley (27-25, 26-24) to wrap up pool play.  The Cougs then went on to win the Silver Bracket with best of five wins over Umpqua (25-15, 25-22, 25-16) and Yakima Valley (25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-21).

 

Sophomore outside hitter Taylor Richardson sparked the offense in the consolation championship win over Yakima with 17 Kills (39% efficiency) followed by an error free performance by sophomore middle blocker Kristin Best with 13 kills on a 52% kill efficiency. Co-setters sophomore Courtney Pattock and freshman Taylor Copeland dished a combined 51 assists on a 35% assist efficiency. Freshman Maeghan Angel led the defense with 25 digs while freshman Julia Toscano and Pattock served up 3 service aces each on a 100% serve percentage. Best led all blockers with 3 individual stuffs.

 

Head coach Kathie Woods had much to say on the tournament, "The first tournament of the 2011 season went well after we got started.  Day two was very successful and the girls were ready to play after a very slow start on Friday.  It was a night and day difference between the two days.  Day two showed faster feet and more aggressive play, especially with our hitters.  The passing was much improved and contributed to our offense."

 

The Cougs hosted cross town Clark College on Tuesday night and came out swinging in the opening set with a 25-23 win, but then fell flat the rest of the way in a match that CCC coaching staff felt should have been another notch in the win column. Clark went on to win the next three sets 25-23, 25-23, 25-21.

 

A frustrated Woods commented, "We came out lackluster against Clark and we paid the price in defeat. I was really surprised with our lack of effort and intensity in this match, especially after have two full days off to prepare and energize for the week. This team has the skills necessary to be contenders in this league but we first must iron out the mental aspect of competition."

 

The Cougs, perhaps a little frustrated with their own effort the night before, performed strong on Wednesday at CCC with a opening set pouncing of Pierce College 25-9.  The Raiders regrouped in the second set but lost 25-18 before tallying their only set victory in the third with a narrow 27-25 win.  CCC closed it out with a convincing 25-12 win in the fourth set.

 

Richardson again led the way on offense with 18 kills on a 38% kill efficiency and added 11 digs.  Sophomore Haylee Schaab added another 17 kills on a 35% efficiency.  Pattock took the sole reigns as the setter in the match and recorded 49 assists on a 42% efficiency while turning in 13 digs. Angel led the defense with 16 digs and a 2.25 serve-receive on 24 attempts while Toscano confused the Raider defense with 7 service aces.

 

Woods was obviously more pleased with how the team regrouped from the night before, "The team had a choice on how they wanted to respond to yesterday's lackluster performance and I was very proud of them today.  Sophomores Haylee and Taylor really stepped up in their hitting roles, as well as Courtney in her setting.  All three had a great game.  I was also very pleased with Maeghan in her passing and leadership in defense.  Julia had 7 service aces as Pierce had a terrible time reading her float serve.  Everyone contributed and I was very happy.  We needed that direction as we head into a very tough tournament this weekend in Spokane."

 

The Cougars will have their hands full the rest of the week with a Thursday match at Spokane with perennial powerhouse Spokane (9-0) followed by the Spokane Tourney on Friday and Saturday. CCC opens the tournament with pool play on Friday vs. Blue Mountain (6-1, defending champs) at 1pm, North Idaho at 3pm and Big Bend (0-4) at 7pm. Saturday's games are bracket play based on outcomes of Friday's results [schedule].