Mount Hood

Dig a little deeper, Women’s Volleyball take home win to conclude their season

Hannah Greene  |  Sports Editor

Last week, Nov. 19 and 21, the Women’s Volleyball team played in their final games of the season. 

The Wolves started by playing against Concordia University — a team that beat them previously in season on Sept. 17.

Western’s only offense depended on their hitting, their percentage one of the best this season. During the first set, the Wolves gained a lead but fell shortly after, and the Cavaliers took the lead and carried it throughout the rest of that set.

Although the Wolves lost, there were multiple pivoting points throughout the match that gave the Cavaliers a run for their money.

The second set saw the Wolves hold the Cavaliers — until the Cavaliers broke out and scored 8 of the 10 points. Western had a hard time scoring due to Concordia’s strong defensive wall that continued to challenge the Wolves throughout the game.

Highlight player for the Wolves was Sianna DeCarli, a junior outside hitter, who had 11 kills — an attack by a player that is not returned by the receiving opponent, which leads directly to a point — the only Wolf that night to get more than four kills.

The second game was a sweet sendoff for the Wolves’ only senior player, Allyson Crisp.

Western took on Montana State University Billings on Nov. 21 for the Wolves’ senior game, and final game of their 2019 season.

Not only did this game end the Wolves’s season with a win, it sent their senior player, Crisp, to the Western Oregon record books.

The first set the Yellowjackets took the win, but not without the Wolves making a great comeback. The second set was a pepper of a match, with the Yellowjackets gaining and then falling to, to end with the Wolves ahead and their first set win.

The rest of the game saw the Wolves winning to have the Yellowjackets follow with a win — but in the end the Wolves dug dipper and pulled through to bring home their fifth win of the season.

An overall rough season for this Women’s Volleyball team that challenged and tested them every game — but a wonderful finish to leave the Wolves howling.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Senior send-off for Wolves football, brings home a sad loss

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Football came to an unfortunate end last Saturday, Nov. 16 when the Western Oregon University Wolves fell to the Eastern New Mexico University Greyhounds — a game for the seniors, but an outcome to leave them wishing for more.

Opportunities were endless, but completion wasn’t matching up. The Wolves’ defense continued to carry the team on their backs, which forced the Greyhounds to punt on multiple fourth downs. 

The Wolves’ offense couldn’t find a way to stay connected and maintain their possession or capitalize on scoring moments. The Wolves’ special teams had a difficult time making smart decisions during play, making the defense spend more time on the field.

Though the Wolves had a difficult time finishing, they created many great plays that kept the fans on their edge of their seats. No. 23, sophomore Omari Land, made two chunk runs to get the Wolves into a great position to score. The Wolves were in the redzone on fourth down and went for it, but quarterback, Ty Currie, of the senior class, got sacked for a turnover on downs.

Before the half ended, Western had the ball — it snapped back by Jacob Pruitt to Currie, who threw an ill-advised pass into triple coverage (three opposing players covering one teammate) which resulted in an interception by the Greyhounds.

The half ended with ENMU in the lead, 28-7.

The second half started with the Wolves getting a quick score and their defense held the Greyhounds to a three and out — three plays and a punt.

Western had the ball again with 11 yards to go on fourth down, but failed to convert and the possession went to ENWU. 

Eastern’s triple offense posed as a large threat for Western’s defense to stop.

The third quarter ended with a solid run by No. 3, junior Curtis Anderson.

During the fourth and final quarter, action and suspense filled every second. A one-yard run by number seven, senior Nico Jackson, made the score 35-20, with the Greyhounds still in the lead with 11:40 left.

Western’s defense continued to make harmful plays against the Greyhounds to keep them from scoring. Number 32, Nate Proctor of the senior class, sacked the Greyhound quarterback for a significant loss in yards and resulted in 4th down. ENMU wasn’t able to score.

The Wolves continued to push forward and not give up, but failed another conversion, giving the Greyhounds possession with seven minutes left in the game.

Western’s defense held up a barrier and didn’t allow for an attack from Eastern New Mexico. With the Wolves’ offense back on the pitch, a touchdown was on the horizon.

A dart was thrown by Currie in the endzone, which was caught by No. 11, sophomore Thomas Wright, to complete a touchdown. The Wolves were now within eight of the Greyhounds.

The Wolves attempted to take an onside kick with No. 96, Andrew Gross, a junior, slamming the ball into the side of a Greyhound players helmet — but the Greyhounds gained possession over Western. 

The game concluded with a 35-27 score, Greyhounds won. 

Western left the gridiron with their heads down and their season done. It was a great game from the first minute to the last, but not quite the send-out the seniors had hoped for.

Congrats to the seniors — Braelan Evans, Tyler Reid, Nico Jackson, Ty Currie, Joey Roos, Derek Parnell, Nate Proctor, Aaron Turner, Joseph Gonzales, Anthony Kennison, Court Hammond and Tyrell Cummings— for an overall great 7-4 season.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Hannah Greene

Somebody call 9-1-1, Men’s Basketball is on fire with third win in a row

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Win, win, win — Western’s Men’s Basketball team is on fire, having won their first three games. 

From Nov. 15 to Nov. 16, the team held a four-game tournament consisting of the Concordia Cavaliers, the Hawaii Hilo Vulcans, the Warner Pacific Knights and the Western Oregon Wolves.

On Friday, Nov. 15, the Wolves took on the Knights during their second exhibition game of the season. The Wolves opened the game to a quick lead after the Knights took the first points. Western continued to score and got a seven point lead — never falling behind the rest of the game. 

Multiple three-pointers were made, a crucial tactic for the game. The first half concluded with the Wolves ahead, 40-25, a 15 point lead.

Western held their momentum throughout the rest of the game to bring home their first tournament win over Warner Pacific University, 85-68.

Western saw their second game, and the first regular season game, against the University of Hawaii Hilo, a team that made the Wolves earn every point. 

The play was a consistent battle back and forth — Vulcans ahead, Wolves ahead — keeping the players, coaches, fans and spectators eager and unsure of who was going to take the “dub.”

The first half ended with a tie, 31-31.

No. 25 of the Wolves, Darius Lubom, got the scoring started during the second half but turned it over to the Vulcans after a shooting foul. The Vulcans took advantage of this and converted the three point play. 

The play stepped up and the Vulcans took the lead after more three-pointers were made, 44-42.

Western wasn’t done; No. 2, Jaylyn Richardson, made for an acrobatic layup to narrow UHH’s lead by three.

Towards the end of the game, multiple timeouts were called, the energy intensified and the Wolves and Vulcans tried everything to finish the game ahead. With three minutes left in the game, No. 15 of the Wolves, Zach Baugher, broke the tie with a finished three-pointer.

Vulcans were in possession of the ball when Wolves guard, Lubom, stole the ball. The scoring continued to be both sided.

With 35 seconds left on the clock, No. 34 of the Wolves, John Morrill-Keeler, made a huge block to benefit the Wolves.

Only seconds remained on the clock as the Wolves attempted to run out the time — and the Wolves took home their third win in a row, 74-69. It was a tough battle, winning by only five points, but a win nonetheless.

The Men’s Basketball next home game is Dec. 14 at 3 p.m. against Corban University for their third and final exhibition match.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Hannah Greene

Salt and pepper battle leads to Wolves’ Volleyball loss

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Women’s Volleyball hosted the Northwest Nazarene Nighthawks and Central Washington Wildcats on Nov. 14 and 16.

In the first match of the weekend, the Wolves were put to the test by the Nighthawks. During the first set, the Wolves stayed behind, but kept fighting back, only being a few points behind. 

The second set was not the same; the Wolves allowed for a quick lead by the Nighthawks until Wolves’ defensive specialist, Sarah Crowell, stepped up to dish out some well placed serves — catching the Nighthawks off guard — and racked up some points consecutively.

There were many well-executed plays made by the Wolves throughout the match including one by middle blocker, Makenzie York, who barely tipped the ball over the net to score for the Wolves.

This wasn’t enough — the end of that set had the Nighthawks up 25-19.

The Wolves started the final set, determining the tempo by scoring first, but this didn’t last long. The Nighthawks quickly returned, but the Wolves remained enthused.

NNU took the lead again with multiple unanswered points from the Wolves due to the strong defense the Nighthawks continued to put up. Western kept the pressure high, with many hard balls over, but none were powerful enough to beat the Nighthawk’s blocks.

The Wolves began to gain some momentum, but with not enough time left in the game to recover and catch up. The final set came to a close and the Nighthawks took home the win 3-0.

Western Oregon returned on Saturday with a hunger and desire to beat the Wildcats and bring home a win. 

The games started and the Wolves were blazing, winning the first two sets and dictated the energy and play of the game. During the third set, the Wildcats woke up and brought the energy higher, challenging the Wolves. The battle was back and forth with a lot of great plays by the Wildcats and not enough by the Wolves to match them. 

The game went into a fifth match, which hadn’t occured between these two teams since 2016.

Unfortunately, the fifth and final match was not in the paws of the Wolves, leaving the “dub” in the fangs of the Wildcats. 

The Wolves now have a 4-21 record with only one win at home. Women’s Volleyball have two more games, their last of the season, on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. and Thursday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. — come and support your Wolves’ Volleyball for their final matches of the season.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Mikayla Bruley

Women’s basketball bounce back from home opener, brings home first win of the season

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

Women’s basketball started their season with a tough loss, but prepared for their next home game against California State University, East Bay on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m.

One year ago exactly, the Wolves matched up to the Wildcats, bringing home a loss.

This year, Western Oregon came back ready to win with a lot of depth within their team.

Testing the waters throughout the first quarter, a back-and-forth battle ensued with no scoring. But minutes later, the Wolves bagged their first points and jumped themselves ahead.

Western Oregon continued to push the ball forward, and took every opportunity, earning them a lead against East Bay.

East Bay started to come back and score, but not enough to catch up.

For the majority of the first half, the Wolves finished most of their chances —  East Bay, on the other hand, missed multiple opportunities, which caused many fouls against Western, and gave them even more points.

The Wolves’ guards, including sophomore Tresai McCarver, sophomore Rachel Rogers, junior Olivia Denton and junior Keyonna Jones, showed great ball skills and movement to stay open and finish plays.

Continuous subbing from both teams gave fresh legs to the court, keeping the speed of play fast and intense.

The first half concluded 37-21, the Wolves ahead by 16 points.

Coming into the second half, the Wolves brought more finesse and more points, staying up and not letting their guard down. Points continued to stay in their favor, leading to their first win and first win at home.

The game concluded with Wolves winning 65-49, keeping their 16-point lead from the first half. McCarver and Jones finished with 17 points each, making up almost half the score.

The Wolves’ next home game is Friday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. versus Texas A&M International University.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Max Carmona

Wolves chomped down on the Bearcats in their last home game

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

The night left the morning grass tickled with water, making for a slick game, the skies filled with gray — it was a perfect day for some soccer. The Western Oregon Women’s soccer team hosted Central Washington on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 11 a.m. for their final home game before leaving for GNAC Championships.

The first half consisted of a tough battle, both opponents doing whatever they could to keep the ball out of their half. Three minutes before the half concluded — Alyssa Tomasini, a junior forward, scored her second goal — a goal that defeated all odds, driving it in from a corner kick, Wolves ahead 2-1. 

Leading by only one, the Wolves’ defense began to play frantic and only kicked the ball forward creating multiple 50/50 chances, rather than playing the ball from side to side to maintain possession. The Wolves’ offense stayed knit and kept up the pressure to make for more shots on goal, testing the Wildcats goalkeeper.

The second half started with Western and Central giving the crowd more of a kickball game with the ball switching from end to end, no passes to feet or connection among either team. Many opportunities were generated, but no finishes. 

At 28 minutes, Central made consecutive substitutions to give their team fresh legs against the worn Wolves; this had no impact.

A few minutes later, the Wolves switched the ball to Isabelle Creighton, a senior forward, who then beat the Wildcats’ defenders to cross the ball into Kennedy Clay, a junior forward, who headed the ball into the back of the net — Wolves ahead 3-1. 

Central kept up their attack even though Western had all the momentum. Many chances were built up from the Wildcats’ defense, but their offense couldn’t find a finish. The Wolves’ defense held strong and stopped numerous attacks, creating a harder wall for the Wildcats to break through.

The countdown began: five, four, three, two, one — Western Oregon Wolves finished their final conference game with a 3-1 win in the bag.

The Wolves leave for Seattle to finish off their season in the GNAC Championship tournament on Nov. 14 to play Seattle Pacific University — a team they played twice during conference. The Wolves are returning to the tournament after a six year gap.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

Photos by Hannah Greene

Knapp out of sight, cruisin’ into the NCAA Cross Country Championships

Hannah Greene | Sports Editor

On Saturday, Nov. 9, Western Oregon University held the NCAA Division II West Regional at Ash Creek — both the men and the women competed for the Wolves racing to get top positions overall.

The final results of the race were not as expected with Grace Knapp, a senior in her last cross country season, taking the sixth overall spot out of 187 other racers — only eight seconds away from placing second. The men on the other hand didn’t have a single finisher in the top 10, and their first racer, Andy Muha, a transfer junior, came in 45th place overall — just four seconds away from finishing in the top 40.

The women’s team placed 17th overall while the men placed 13th overall, out of 27 teams.

Knapp has officially qualified for the NCAA Cross Country Championships on Nov. 23. 

This was the final race for both the cross country teams, but the training doesn’t end there; with indoor track season on the horizon, the cross country team will hang up their running shoes and flex their spikes.

 

Contact the author at hgreene18@wou.edu

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