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48 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend November 13, 2004 Raiders make sixth straight title appearance ASHLAND — The 22nd-ranked Southern Oregon University volleyball team halted a dizzying string of upsets by sweeping Western Baptist College in the Cascade Conference Tournament semifinals at McNeal Pavilion Friday. The defending league champion and top-seeded Raiders (21-6) advanced to the tourney championship for the sixth consecutive year with a 30-23, 30-20, 30-19 triumph over the No. 5-seeded Warriors (14-11). Winners of 15 consecutive home matches, Southern Oregon must contend with suddenly red-hot Oregon Tech in the title match tonight at 7. The No. 6-seeded Owls (16-11) shocked both No. 3 Albertson and Northwest in straight games to advance to the school’s first-ever championship. Against Western Baptist, senior outside hitter Kristin Ferris shrugged off a sluggish start and helped SOU set up tonight’s date with Oregon Tech with a team-best 13 kills and a match-high 15 digs. Advertisement Southern Oregon, which trailed only once in the match — 1-0 in Game 2 — also received 10-kill efforts from sophomore hitters Rachael Baran and Jess Childress and a nine-kill, five-block performance by junior middle Nicholette Le Bel. The Warriors, who upset No. 4 draw Concordia 3-0 in an afternoon loser-out quarterfinal match, received 15 kills, 13 digs and four blocks from sophomore hitter Kim Turin, and 11 kills from former North Medford High star Kendra Mitchell. Leading 18-16 in Game 3, Southern Oregon, which hit a robust .298 and held WBC to a .120 offensive clip, erased any Warrior upset hopes with an 8-0 run. Western Baptist meets second-seeded Northwest (19-6) in today’s 4 p.m. third-place match that carries regional tournament qualification implications. Men’s Basketball NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR 58, SOUTHERN OREGON 56 — At Belmont, Calif., Southern Oregon didn’t open the season in a manner befitting a ranked team. The Raiders, rated 16th in the NAIA, lost 58-56 Friday when Notre Dame de Namur’s Jason Billie sank a running eight-footer at the buzzer. SOU, which had played well in an exhibition loss to Humboldt State three nights earlier, did not execute like a veteran team should, said coach Brian McDermott. "I’m not sure we can play much worse," he said. "They were just much more physical than we were at all positions. They kept going inside; throwing it inside, driving inside. I’ll bet they didn’t make a jump shot of more than 12 feet all night." The Argonauts did get a big one from Billie. After SOU’s Jeff Williams tipped in a miss at the other end to tie it 56-56 with 20 seconds remaining, Notre Dame answered. The Argonauts inbounded the ball from underneath their basket to Billie on the wing with four seconds left, and he banked in the winner. Southern Oregon had built a 12-point lead in the first half but saw it dwindle to only a 29-28 edge at halftime. The teams weren’t separated by more than a basket or two throughout the second half. "I didn’t think we competed, rebounding-wise," said McDermott. "They were getting more putbacks, they were more physical and they just executed better. They did what they wanted to do better than we did what we wanted to do." Fifteen of Southern Oregon’s 22 turnovers came in the post, and five of those were charging violations. The Raiders shot 51 percent for the contest (22 of 43), but the Argonauts (1-3) went 25-for-50 from the floor, outrebounded SOU 27-21 and received a game-high 18 points from Billie, a guard. Junior transfer center Jeff Williams starred for the Raiders with 15 points off the bench, while senior guard Brad Coen scored 11. Plagued by foul trouble, All-American forward Shea Washington of the Raiders was limited to 10 points and five rebounds before fouling out. SOU visits Holy Names tonight in Oakland. NO. 16 SOUTHERN OREGON (56) Coen 4-9 1-2 11, Washington 3-5 4-5 10, Elam 0-4 1-3 1, Nelson 2-5 0-0 4, Farley 2-4 0-0 2, Ward 0-0 0-0 0, Williams 7-10 1-1 15, McAllister 4-6 0-0 9, Gabel 0-0 0-0 0, Westgaard 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-43 7-12 56. NOTRE DAME DE NAMUR (58) McGregor 0-2 0-0 0, Marshall 1-2 0-0 2, Billie 7-11 4-4 18, Maldonado 1-5 0-0 2, Clock 0-2 0-0 0, Miyakusu 0-0 2-2 2, Ochoa 2-6 0-0 4, Chang 3-5 0-0 6, Menzel 0-1 0-0 0, Chun 3-6 2-2 8, Cook 0-0 0-0 0, Bossom 8-10 0-1 16. Totals 25-50 8-9 58. Halftime — Southern Oregon 29, Notre Dame 28. 3-point goals — Southern Oregon 5-11 (Coen 2-5, Farley 2-4, Williams 0-1, McAllister 1-1), Notre Dame 0-2 (Billie 0-1, Maldonado 0-1). Fouled out — Washington. Rebounds — Southern Oregon 21 (Washington 5), Notre Dame 27 (Chun 6). Assists — Southern Oregon 17 (Elam, Nelson, Farley 3), Notre Dame 13 (Billie 4). Total fouls — Southern Oregon 15, Notre Dame 16. A — 200. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? 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