UKIAH – The Mendocino College Women’s Volleyball team notched a key win on the road in Oakland on Friday October 5, beating Laney College three games to one.
“Our young ladies showed a lot of maturity tonight. They played through some rough spots and kept a good energy on the court,” noted Mendocino Head Coach Ori Polkinghorne.
Mendocino came out shaky in game one, losing 19-30, as Laney’s Jaydelynn Kaleinani-Sauva showed her strength at the net and the service line.
“She was a one-woman wrecking-crew,” Polkinghorne said.
After making some adjustments, the Eagles were able to overpower Laney in the next three games 30-19, 30-25, and 30-22.
Sophomore Jamie Brown (Potter Valley) was a force at the net for Mendocino with 10 kills and five key blocks, several of which were against Kaleinani-Sauva. Sophomore setter Jenny Stark (Clearlake) paced the Mendocino attack by distributing 32 assists and serving up four key aces.
For the second time in a week, the Eagles were saved by spectacular serving. Against Laney, Mendocino was able to put down 26 aces. Leading the way was freshman outside hitter Jenn Cox (Upper Lake), who had 9 aces and kept pressure on the Laney defense all night.
Freshman Angela Newell (Fort Bragg) made a notable contribution on defense for the Eagles. Newell stepped in at the Libero position for the injured Sarah Luetke (Yreka) and delivered 11 digs and an overall solid performance.
“Angela always steps up for us, no matter what she is asked to do, she is talented and versatile,” Polkinghorne said.
Mendocino is now 3-1 in Bay Valley Conference play and 6-7 overall. The Eagles travel to Napa Valley College on Wednesday and play at home versus Yuba College Friday night. Match time is set for 6:30 pm.
For information concerning Mendocino College Athletics, visit www.mendocino.edu.
UKIAH – The Mendocino College Women’s Volleyball team scored a decisive three-set victory over visiting College of Alameda Wednesday on Oct. 3.
The 30-20, 30-20, 30-14 win against the Comets improved the Eagles’ record in the Bay Valley Conference to 2-1 and 5-7 overall.
“We weren’t as efficient on offense as we should have been, but this was definitely a good win for us. Our strong defense and great serving powered us tonight – Shana had an impressive night,” said Mendocino Head Coach Ori Polkinghorne said.
Shana Hiatt, a 5’9” freshman from Clear Lake High, dominated Alameda from the service line racking up ten aces on the night. Hiatt served 12 straight points in game two alone to break the game and the match wide open for the Eagles.
Mendocino got a strong performance at the net from Freshman Passion Allen LeNard (Lower Lake), who recorded eight kills along with four digs and four aces.
Defensive standouts for the Eagles were Sophomre Sarah Luetke (Yreka) who dug up 18 balls and Freshman Marcie Brendlen (Anderson Valley) who added ten digs.
For information concerning Mendocino College Athletics, visit www.mendocino.edu.
UKIAH – Mendocino College's Women's Soccer Team brought home a victory on Friday.
The team beat Contra Costa 4-1, according to a college report.
Sophomore Tabitha Olson of Potter Valley scored two goals; also coming in with two goals was Freshman Shanelle Vondfeldt, another Potter Valley resident.
Olson and Vondfeldt were standouts with assists, Olson with two and Vondfeldt with one.
Changing weather is the name of the game here. We’ve had cold and warm, wet and dry, and Thursday – wind. The lake temperature is in the upper 60s. Daytime highs have been anywhere between the 60s and 80s. Nighttime lows have been between 35 (burr!) and 50 degrees. What it all amounts to is an overall more difficult bite. Here are the nuts and bolts of what’s going on.
Bassin’ is hit or miss. Some folks are really struggling while others are doing just fine. (Typical of the fishing during transitional fall weather.) Artificials require a lot of work to put some nice fish in the boat. Minnows are working far better. We’re still fishing ledges and drop offs, but we’re also hearing about rocks and rocky points. Then there’s shore anglers like Frank Kimble who nailed a 9-pound, 10-ounce bass at Redbud Park this week on a nightcrawler. Now not everyone is catching fish from shore like this, but Frank’s big bass gives us reason to keep trying!
Crappie are still on hiatus. We’re not hearing about any concentrations of crappie being found. Their time will come … and I’m hoping that our weather will just get downright ugly early on and bring us a crappie bite early this year. But for now, we wait … for cooler, wetter weather and the return of our famous slabs. Bluegill aren’t being found in huge concentrations but some are being caught under docks around the south end of the lake. One location that stands out is the docks around Richmond Park in the back of Konocti Bay.
We’ve seen a nice upswing in the catfishing over the last week or two. A few nice cats have come in for pictures. Here are some great examples of what’s happening. Shaun Merritt bagged a 13-pound, 12-ounce cat – caught in the Clearlake Oaks area. John Chavez nailed a 10-pound, 5-ounce cat in the Clearlake area. And another angler came in with an entry at 18 pounds, 13 ounces. Good to see some big fish coming in. Nightcrawlers, mackerel and livers are the top baits.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
UKIAH – The Mendocino College Volleyball team (4-7) defeated visiting Contra Costa College Friday September 28, 26-30, 30-16, 30-24 and 30-25.
The victory was Mendocino’s (1-1) first Bay Valley Conference win.
After a sluggish first game, the Eagle’s took charge of the match with an offensive assault that featured stellar performances from Freshman Passion Allen LeNard (Lower Lake) and Sophomore Jamie Brown (Potter Valley).
Allen LeNard had 10 kills, five aces, four digs, and two solo blocks.
“Passion was on fire tonight, she dominated everywhere she played. This is an example of what a special player she can be,” Mendocino Head Coach Ori Polkinghorne said about LeNard’s performance.
Brown pounded out 19 kills. Freshman Shana Hiatt (Clearlake) kept the pressure on the Comets with seven aces and three blocks. “Our timing and speed at the net was much better and we had great results,” Polkinghorne said.
Coach Polkinghorne credited strong defensive play by Freshman Marcie Brendlen (Anderson Valley), Freshman Angela Newell (Fort Bragg), and Sophomore Sarah Luetke (Yreka) which all had 10 digs apiece.
The Eagle’s will host the College of Alameda on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.
