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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Guide Weather Subscribe Contact Us November 30, 2004 Raiders worrying about themselves at nationals By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings The Southern Oregon University volleyball team opens the NAIA National Championships against two of the top-seven ranked teams in the nation - National American (Calif.) and Lee (Tenn.). But Raider head coach Paul Elliott says that for now, the Raiders just need to worry about themselves. Southern Oregon University junior Kristen Lilly goes down low for a dig during the Region I tournament in Ashland. The Raiders open the NAIA National Championships on Wednesday in San Diego, Calif. Andrew Mariman | Ashland Daily Tidings "That's a difficult question," said Elliott, when asked what his expectations were. "You don't know how everyone's going to be so our expectation is to play at our level and that we don't come down from how we normally play because we're trying to be these giant killers. We will play with anyone when we do that." SOU (26-6) is the No. 15 seed in the 20-team tournament, which will be held Wednesday through Saturday at Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, Calif. The 21st-ranked Raiders have already proven that they can compete with the NAIA powerhouses. Back on Aug. 27, SOU opened its season with a straight-game upset victory over then-No. 2-ranked Biola. Later, the Raiders trounced 13th-ranked Carroll College in the Region I tournament semifinals. SOU will need all its guns blazing in order to pick up the two wins necessary to even have a shot at advancing past pool play and into the national quarterfinals. It's something the Raiders, who are making their fourth straight trip to nationals, have never done. "We have played well enough to sneak in and it just hasn't happened for us yet," Elliott said. SOU opens the tournament at 11:15 a.m. Wednesday against National American (20-4) before wrapping up its first day in Pool B against Lee (43-0), the nations lone undefeated team, at 7:30 p.m. The Raiders' final two matches are Thursday against Indiana Southeast (29-5) and No. 8-ranked Concordia (27-3). The Raiders may be shorthanded at nationals. Starting setter Jamie McCreary, who leads the team with 971 assists, has been nursing a bad back all season and it seized up on her again before practice last Tuesday. McCreary will probably test the back Wednesday, but if she can't go Elliott will substitute in backup setter Melissa Beard. "We want Jamie in there, but Melissa's a great setter," Elliott said. Beard set the first eight matches of the season for SOU and is second on the team with 482 assists. SOU is led by senior outside hitter Kristin Ferris and junior middle Nicholette Le Bel. Ferris, the Region I Player of the Year, has already become the first Raider ever to compile over 400 kills and digs in a season. Le Bel, also a first-team all-Region I selection, has a team-high 142 blocks and is second on the team with 346 kills. The Raiders will probably need all their guns blazing in order to advance past pool play. National American is led by junior All-American outside hitter Luciana Camargo and junior regional all-star middle Angela Gregorio. Camargo had 25 kills against the Raiders in a pool play victory during the 2003 national tournament. SOU and Lee have never played, although the Raiders watched Lee win a tournament in Portland back in early September. "They were impressive, but they're no Fresno Pacific impressive," Elliott said, referring to the top-ranked team in the nation. Lee is led by senior hitter Bojana Vulin, a regional MVP, and Brazilian middle Bruna Langner. Concordia's (Calif.) top player is another Brazilian, hitter Raquel Ferreira, who leads the team with a school-record 465 kills to go with 356 digs. Tournament results will be posted at www.naia.org. - Tidings Sports Editor Joe Zavala can be reached at 482-3456. DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Slippers Isotoner Slippers Dsw Shoes Ceramic Piggy Banks Fanny Mae Eloans Calenders 2005 Calender 2005 Accelerate Weight Loss Programs Citibank Student Loans Acs Loan Matchmaking & Dating Scripts Adventure Travel Conference Calls - $50/Month Security Systems student loan consolidation helzberg diamonds Click Here Site Search: .:Advertisements:. RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams