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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, March 23, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend October 10, 2004 Southern Oregon�s Nicholette Le Bel (14) celebrates with teammates Kristin Ferris, left, and Rachael Baran. Mail Tribune / Andrew Mariman Le Bel, Raiders keep dominating at home By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune ASHLAND — By her own admission, Nicholette Le Bel didn’t exactly light the collegiate volleyball world on fire during her initial season at Southern Oregon University. "I was horrible," said the SOU junior and 2002 Crater High graduate. "I don’t know how else to explain it." But something clicked toward the tail end of last season, and the 10th-ranked Raiders are reaping the benefits. Le Bel, a 6-foot middle blocker, upped her team-best block total to 72 following Cascade Conference-leading SOU’s 30-20, 30-24, 30-13 sweep of Warner Pacific on Saturday at McNeal Pavilion. The 20-year-old is also second in kills with 196 behind team-leader Kristin Ferris’ 233. Advertisement "(Le Bel) really started to come on last year in regionals," said 14th-year SOU coach Paul Elliott. "Nicholette has turned into an all-star. She’s become quite a force." Le Bel’s impressive stat line last weekend in matches against Northwest University and Evergreen State College earned her a first-ever Cascade Conference and NAIA Region I player-of-the-week honor. She totaled 17 kills with only one error, along with a school match record-tying seven blocks against Northwest and five more stuff blocks against Evergreen. Elliott knew he’d be getting a tremendous athlete coming out of high school, and he claims he’s not surprised by Le Bel’s progress. "To tell you the truth, nothing she does surprises me anymore," said the coach. But it hasn’t always been this easy for Le Bel. She chose SOU over Seattle University following a standout career at Crater, where she earned honorable mention all-state as a senior. "The first year I came (to SOU) I struggled," admits the business accounting major. "To me, it’s not even measurable (how far I’ve come)." Le Bel, who also played basketball last season for the Raiders, claims strong coaching and her teammates have propped her up to the high level she plays at now. But the individual numbers don’t lie. Heading into Saturday’s match, Le Bel has posted a .338 attack percentage (No. 2 among conference players), 3.04 kills per game and 1.13 blocks per outing. "I knew it was only a matter of time before she took off," adds Elliott. It was only a matter of time, too, before Le Bel and her teammates found their groove against Warner Pacific on Saturday. Despite a slow start in Games 1 and 3, SOU cranked it up a notch late to secure its 10th straight home victory and fourth overall. Ferris, a senior outside hitter, slammed down 16 kills to go with 13 digs, while junior setter Jamie McCreary assisted 45 of the Raiders’ 55 kills. Sophomore outside hitter Jess Childress, a product of Lakeview High School, managed 11 kills and fellow sophomore outside Rachael Baran added nine. Warner Pacific took leads of 12-8 in Game 1 and 7-6 in the final game before SOU fought back. SOU (15-4, 10-1 Cascade Conference) turned in a sub-par .080 attack percentage in the opener, but managed 40 kills over the final two games. "I think we finally found the flow (in Game 3)," said Elliott. "We’ve been struggling at the start the last couple of matches for some reason. "I feel like we’ve slipped back a little." The Raiders closed out the match with an eight-point run that took them to a commanding 25-11 advantage. Le Bel had a service hand in the run and Childress sparked the attack with four kills. Junior defensive specialist Haley Phillips served SOU back in the first game with a 9-0 surge and finished with three aces and 10 digs. Former Crater High standout Erin Kinney and Orejeona LaFever each had seven kills to lead Warner Pacific. Southern Oregon finishes a five-match homestand Friday against rival Oregon Tech. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s