CLU Regals Volleyball News

Russell Named First Team All-America

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 23:00:00 PST

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Three members of the Cal Lutheran volleyball team were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America Team. Junior setter Jackie Russell was named a First Team selection, with teammates Kylie McLogan and Shannon Pearson earning honorable mention honors.

Release: 2011 AVCA All-America Team

Jackie Russell - First Team All-America
Russell was named the SCIAC Player of the Year, AVCA All-Region, and AVCA First Team All-America after leading her team to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. She was named to the Cal Lutheran Regional All-Tournament Team after the host Regals defeated Colorado College in the finals.

Russell is ranked second in the SCIAC averaging just over 10 assists per set, but was also a force to be reckoned with behind the line with 39 service aces. It marks her first appearance on the First Team after she was a Third Team All-American a year ago.

She is the third player in Cal Lutheran history to earn Division III First Team All-America honors. Russell is the program's record holder in assists with nearly 3,600 and she holds three of the top four single-season marks in CLU history.

Kylie McLogan - Honorable Mention All-America
The freshman outside hitter was named Cal Lutheran Regional Tournament Most Outstanding Player. McLogan went for 19 kills and hit .341 against Whitworth, 16 kills and hit .195 against Chapman, and hit .459 with 20 kills in the regional final against Colorado College. She posted two double-doubles in three tournament contests and 34 digs total over the weekend.

McLogan leads Cal Lutheran with 400 kills this season becoming the fourth player in program history to reach the milestone. She is tied for the team lead with 40 service aces and 11 solo blocks on the year.

Shannon Pearson - Honorable Mention All-America
The high-flying middle leads qualifying players with her .309 hitting percentage. Pearson is one of three Regals to start all 35 matches and one of two with over 300 kills on the season. In the regional final against Colorado College she hit .393 with 13 kills on only 28 attempts.

She is on pace to become just the sixth player in program history to hit at a .300 clip or higher for an entire season. Pearson, along with McLogan, Russell, Casy McWhirk and Rachel Smith each earned All-SCIAC Team recognition this season.

Cal Lutheran will face Wittenberg in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 18. The match will take place at 8 p.m. on the campus of Washington University-St. Louis.

Four Regals Earn All-Region Team Honors

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 20:00:00 PST

LEXINGTON, Ky. - Cal Lutheran placed four of its team members on the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-West Region team. Jackie Russell, Kylie McLogan, Shannon Pearson and Casy McWhirk round out the Regal honorees.

Official Release: D-III Regional Awards

Russell, McLogan and Pearson each earned first team honors. Of the 14 players from the West region selected to the first team, three came from Cal Lutheran and six out of the SCIAC including a pair from Chapman.

Russell and Colorado College setter Amy Schornack are the only two players from the West to have been named to the AVCA West Region First Team three times. She is the first player in Cal Lutheran history to be named three times to the All-Region squad.

CLU newcomers McLogan and Pearson each earned the honor in their first season with the Regals. McLogan leads the Regals in kills and Pearson in hitting percentage thus far in 2011.

McWhirk was tabbed an honorable mention selection for the second straight year. The senior ranks third in kills and digs, and second in assists on this year's squad.

Cal Lutheran will head to Nationals on the campus of Washington Univ.-St. Louis to face Wittenberg on Friday, Nov. 18, in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Five Regals Named to All-SCIAC Squad

Sat, 19 Nov 2011 16:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Five of the team's six regulars in the starting rotation were named to the All-SCIAC Volleyball Team. The group is highlighted by Cal Lutheran junior setter Jackie Russell who was named the SCIAC Player of the Year.

Official Release: All-SCIAC Team

CLU newcomers Kylie McLogan and Shannon Pearson were named to the All-SCIAC First Team. Senior Casy McWhirk and junior Rachel Smith were named all-conference second team selections.

Russell led all players averaging 10.65 assists per set in conference contests this season. She has led the SCIAC in this statistical category during each of her three seasons at Cal Lutheran. The third-year Regal was named SCIAC Freshman of the Year in 2009 and an All-SCIAC First Team selection in 2010.

McLogan led the SCIAC averaging 3.83 kills per set in conference contests. As a freshman she became just the fourth CLU player in program history to amass 400-plus kills in a single season.

Pearson was one of only two players in the conference to hit over .300 in conference contests. The junior middle ranked second on the team behind Logan with over 300 kills to cap off her first season with the Regals.

Rachel Smith and Casy McWhirk each earned their second All-SCIAC selection in 2011. Smith was a first team pick in 2009 as a freshman and backed that up with a second team honor as a junior. McWhirk earned a second team nod in back-to-back seasons and will finish her four-year career with a trip to nationals in mid-November.

Regals Fall to Wittenberg in NCAA Tournament Quarterfinals

Fri, 18 Nov 2011 21:00:00 PST

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Cal Lutheran's first trip back to the Elite Eight since 2006 was cut short by Wittenberg on Friday evening as the Regals fell to the Tigers 25-17, 25-15 and 25-12.

Box Score: WITT 3, CLU 0 - F

"I'm proud of our kids. We kept on fighting and never gave up," said CLU Head Coach Kellee Roesel. "Wittenberg played unbelievably...we ran into a buzz saw tonight."

Wittenberg was playing its first match after knocking off then undefeated and nation's top-ranked squad Calvin in the regional final less than a week ago. On Friday the Tigers advanced to the Final Four after hitting .451 as a team committing just two errors while the Regals hit .168 with 17 errors.

Cal Lutheran's outside hitters Casy McWhirk, Rachel Smith and Kylie McLogan received a majority of the sets and combined to put down 22 kills. Wittenberg's tough serving did not allow for the Regals to find their middles Shannon Pearson and Lesley Smith at the same frequency as they had throughout the season.

"Wittenberg served us very aggressively. Any time it felt like we were about to get some momentum we would miss a serve. Wittenberg played out of their minds and we couldn't get into any sort of rhythm," said Roesel.

CLU middle Lesley Smith found some success puting down six kills on just 10 attempts while Pearson put down five kills on 12 swings. CLU's primary middles were fed the ball only 22 of the team's 101 swings. "We just couldn't get anything going offensively or defensively," commented Roesel. "Our strength has been serving and passing and we didn't show that tonight."

Wittenberg was led by Kimmie Dyer who led all players with 10 kills on just 18 attacks and completed her double-double with 10 digs.

It was the final match in the collegiate careers for Cal Lutheran seniors Jacki Richards and Casy McWhirk. For them tonight's performance does not take away the accomplishments this team has achieved.

"Tonight doesn't change the fact that we are regional champions," said McWhirk. "I'm going to look back on my senior year and always remember what we did. This team will always be able to hold on to this amazing season and the bond that we have."

The returning group is highlighted by two-time All-America selection Jackie Russell who led all players with 25 assists on the night. It was a motivational evening for the soon-to-be senior.

"This experience was a blessing. Our accomplishments this season have definitely raised the standard for this program," said Russell. "We're going to work hard for next year to come out and win a national championship."

Cal Lutheran finishes the season 29-7 while Wittenberg advances to play Eastern at 6 p.m. CST. Christopher Newport will play Carthage in the first semifinal on Saturday, Nov. 19.

NCAA Championship Volleyball Tournament Information

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 10:00:00 PST

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Cal Lutheran will begin its quest for the program's first National Championship on Friday, Nov. 18, at 8 p.m. CST against Wittenberg. The three-day NCAA Tournament is hosted at Washington University-St. Louis with the national championship match taking place on Sunday, Nov. 20, 5 p.m. CST.

Tournament Website: DIII Championships

This marks the third time Cal Lutheran has appeared in the Elite Eight and the second under current Head Coach Kellee Roesel. In her inaugural season with the Regals she took them to nationals. Roesel is searching for her first win at the national championships after Cal Lutheran lost to Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2006.

It is unchartered territory for all the players as each are making their first appearance at the national level. Seniors Casy McWhirk and Jacki Richards will get their shot after reaching the regional final in two of the past three seasons.

Live stats, video and other match information will be provided at the official tournament website. Scroll down on the main page to view the entire tournament schedule and venue information.

Russell Setting the Tone for CLU Success

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 09:00:00 PST

As far as recruiting visits go, Jackie Russell considered hers a complete and utter disaster. Meeting with Cal Lutheran head volleyball coach Kellee Roesel on campus for the first time, Russell was feeling stressed.

She was trying to choose a college and confused about where she should go.

The Newbury Park High graduate was worried about whether her parents could even afford sending her to CLU.

As Roesel began asking Russell questions, she finally lost control.

Her eyes reddened and tears began streaming down her face.

"It was horrible," Russell recalled. "I am sure she was like, 'This kid is crazy. What am I doing recruiting her?' "

But Roesel actually thought just the opposite.

The sight of Russell's emotional outburst only reinforced Roesel's belief in why she was pursuing her.

Roesel saw several qualities she desired in a setter: conscientiousness, loyalty and thoughtfulness.

"I obviously wasn't thrilled to see her bawling, but if anything it made me want her even more," Roesel said. "She was so concerned about her family's well-being and I could really tell she cared about her parents and they really loved her. That means a lot to me when I recruit kids."

Since stepping on the court for CLU, Russell has been the picture of calm and steadiness.

The junior has guided the Regals into the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division III tournament. CLU plays Wittenberg (Ohio) on Friday night at Washington University in St. Louis.

One of the top setters in Division III, the 5-foot-6 Russell is averaging 10.09 assists and 2.23 digs per set this season. Her value to CLU has not gone unnoticed.

Last weekend, Russell was named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

On Tuesday, she was selected as a Division III first-team All-American. Russell is only the third player in CLU history to earn the honor.

"She means everything to our team. Jackie is the perfect example of a kid who leads by example," Roesel said. "We have to kick her out of the gym and kick her out of the fitness center and weight room. She always wants more. She is never satisfied. It's a coach's dream to have a kid like that on your team."

Although Russell still has one full season remaining in her college career, she has already obliterated every assist record at CLU.

She is the all-time leader in career assists with nearly 3,600 - 892 more than the next highest player - and holds three of the top four single-season assist marks in CLU history.

"I honestly never even thought about records. Once I got a ball signed by my whole team my freshman season when I reached 1,000 assists, I thought it was cool to get my name in the books," Russell said. "I think that is when I knew I could do this and get up there. But I never counted my assists or anything."

A starter since her freshman season, Russell knows how fortunate she's been to earn so much playing time to accumulate the assists.

"I am really lucky because I think about the setters on my team now who push me every practice and they are really good and don't get to play as much," she said. "It stinks because they chose to play at Cal Lu while I was still here and don't get to accomplish what I have gotten to accomplish. My timing and everything was perfect."

The same can be said for Russell on the court.

Russell spends hours and hours practicing with CLU's hitters to find out exactly how each player likes to be set.

She even meets with new recruits in the offseason to begin establishing a connection, something that is apparent this season with newcomers Shannon Pearson and Kylie McLogan

"They give me a lot of good feedback on whether they want the set tighter or higher," Russell said. "Their input is really invaluable and it really helps once we begin playing games. I want to make sure I give them the best set possible every time."

CLU junior outside hitter Rachel Smith has been playing with Russell since they were in the seventh grade. They both attended Newbury Park before rejoining forces at CLU.

"Jackie can pretty much get to any ball no matter where it is and put it in a spot that is hittable. That is the best part about her," Smith said. "She definitely works the hardest out of everyone. Between classes she will ask me to go to the gym to hit. We do as much as we can in 30 minutes and then go back to class. I love playing with her."

Russell has been a setter since she first started playing volleyball and loves the challenge of perfecting her craft.

"I like being involved in every play of the game and I like the strategy involved," she said. "I love trying to gain more knowledge of when to set what ball and trying to find a way to throw the other team off. It's so much fun."

Roesel believes the recognition Russell is receiving this season is just due for all those matches where her contributions were often taken for granted.

"Everybody notices the big kill, but rarely do you hear anyone in the stands say, 'Nice set,'" Roesel said. "She is deserving of everything that comes her way, but she is so humble she just shrugs it off and thinks she has to do better."But that's not surprising to Roesel. She saw the unselfish nature three years ago in her office when Russell burst into tears.

Only now, the character trait is resulting in a more pleasurable emotional reaction.

"I get just as excited seeing a teammate kill the ball as if I were to kill the ball myself," Russell said. "That is what makes me really happy because I wouldn't have any of these assists without them."

McLogan Named Conference Athlete of the Week

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran volleyball team member Kylie McLogan was named the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Female of the Week on Wednesday, Nov. 16.

Official Release: McLogan Named SCIAC AOW

McLogan was named the Most Outstanding Player at the Cal Lutheran Regional after CLU won its NCAA Regional Tournament on Sunday, Nov. 13.

Over the first three NCAA Tournament matches she accounted for 55 kills while facing No. 23 Whitworth, Chapman, and No. 12 Colorado College. In the regional final against the Tigers, McLogan produced 20 kills in 37 swings and recorded a double-double with 11 digs.

McLogan became the fourth player in program history with 400 kills in a single season following Sunday's victory. She is also tied for the team lead this season with 40 aces. No. 17 Cal Lutheran will face No. 5 Wittenberg in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 18.

Volleyball Wins Regionals, Heading to Nationals

Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran will be heading to the NCAA National Championship Tournament following a 3-1 victory over Colorado College in the regional final on Sunday afternoon.

Box Score: CLU 3, CC 1 - F

After three straight seasons of near-misses Cal Lutheran returns to the Elite Eight for the third time in program history and second under Head Coach Kellee Roesel.

The Regals trailed 16-7 in the first set with the Tigers collecting three aces in the process. Once Cal Lutheran got its serve receive on track it allowed for the offense to fully operate and mount a sizeable comeback.

Colorado College held on to win the first set 28-26 but Cal Lutheran had made its mark and continued to run its offense successfully over the remainder of the match.

The CLU offense felt little resistance against the Tigers defense hit .327 overall as a unit. This effort was highlighted by .419 team hitting percentage during a 25-13 second set victory.

Defensively the Regals collected 13.5 team blocks with nine coming over the final two sets. Jackie Russell and Shannon Pearson combined for the final stuff returning Cal Lutheran to the National Championship Tournament for the first time since 2006.

Kylie McLogan led all players with 20 kills and completed her double-double with 11 digs. She was named the Cal Lutheran Regional Tournament Most Outstanding Player.

Setter Jackie Russell dished out 49 assists in the win over Colorado College and was also named to the All-Tournament Team.

CC's Sarah Schmoker led her team with 18 kills and three aces in the loss. Tigers setter Amy Schornack contributed 36 assists against Cal Lutheran and was named to the All-Tournament Team

Occidental's Logan Boyer-Hayse and Madyson Cassidy, Whitworth's Kaimi Rocha, and Southwestern's Rachel Thibodeau round out the All-Tournament Team selections.

Cal Lutheran (29-6) will face Wittenberg in the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, Nov. 18, at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo.

Sweep of Chapman Sends Regals to Regional Final

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 23:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran took down an upset-minded Chapman squad 25-21, 26-24, and 25-22 on Saturday night inside Gilbert Arena. CLU will face Colorado College in the NCAA Tournament Cal Lutheran Regional final on Sunday, Nov. 13, at Noon.

Box Score: CLU 3, CU 0 - F
Box Score: CC 3, OXY 2 - F

The Regals defense carried them through the first two sets holding the Panthers to team hitting percentages of .056 and .105, respectively. The offense finished the job with Cal Lutheran hitting .359 behind 18 kills in the third and final frame.

An efficient evening from senior Casy McWhirk aided the effort. She finished with nine kills on only 17 attacks to go along with a match-high 16 digs. Fellow senior Jacki Richards collected 13 digs on the night bringing her single-season total to the second most in program history at 430.

Chapman faced Cal Lutheran after coming off a four set victory over Southwestern (TX) the night prior. The Panthers held the Pirates to only a .111 hitting percentage highlighted by seven total team blocks.

On Saturday the defensive minded Chapman squad recorded six blocks but Cal Lutheran used multiple offensive sources led by 16 kills from Kylie McLogan. She leads all players at the Cal Lutheran Regional with 35 kills through two matches.

Rachel Smith added 12 kills of her own and moved into eighth on CLU's all-time list with 820 for her career.

Ashleigh Gideon and Kate Ferrin led Chapman with 12 and 11 kills, respectively. While this duo combined for 23 kills and a .269 hitting percentage, the rest of their teammates totaled 12 kills and hit .000 for the match.

Cal Lutheran found out which Tigers squad would be their potential opponent in the final after Colorado College defeated Occidental in five sets. A back-and-forth battle similar to CLU's first round match went the distance to open Saturday's action.

Laura Goldsmith led CC with 17 kills and 23 digs in the victory. Teammate Devin Wilkinson smashed 15 kills on just 25 attempts and hit .520 against Occidental.

In the fifth and deciding set Colorado College minimized mistakes committing only one attack error while Occidental had four errant swings.

OXY's Logan Boyer-Hayse reeled off 16 kills and 20 digs to complete her double-double. Libero Madyson Cassidy provided a match-high 26 digs in the loss.

The winner of Sunday's match will earn one of eight spots at the National Championship Tournament hosted by Washington-St. Louis University. That event will begin on Friday, Nov. 18, with four quarterfinal contests.

Regals Survive and Advance to Second Round of NCAA Tournament

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 00:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran won the final two sets in a 3-2 victory over Whitworth in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. CLU will host Chapman on Saturday, Nov. 12, at 6 p.m. in one of two regional semifinal matches.

Box Score: CLU 3, WU 2 - F
Website: Cal Lutheran Regional

A packed Gilbert Arena witnessed a back-and-forth battle between a pair of regular season conference champion squads. Cal Lutheran cast the deciding blow taking the final set 15-8 connecting for 11 kills and a .647 team hitting percentage to keep its season alive.

After falling behind 2-1 and facing elimination Cal Lutheran led throughout a majority of the final two sets winning both by comfortable margins. During the CLU comeback the home side hit .353 with 22 kills while the Pirates hit just .103 with 17 kills.

The Regals received double-digit kill performances from Kylie McLogan (19), Rachel Smith (13) and Shannon Pearson (10). This trio supplied 42 of the team's 56 kills on the night.

Setter Jackie Russell dished out a match-high 50 assists in the win. She notched her third 50-plus assist effort in Friday's victory.

Whitworth had its own trio supplying a majority of its offensive attack with Amanda Grumbach pacing the squad with 17 kills and 21 digs. Teammate Kaimi Rocha contributed 16 kills and 19 digs, and Ka'ipo Rocha put down 11 kills.

For the fifth straight NCAA post-season appearance Cal Lutheran has won its first round contest. The Regals will need to get through Chapman on Saturday night to extend their season.

The No. 7 seed Chapman upset No. 2 Southwestern (TX) in four sets in the match prior to Cal Lutheran's victory. The Panthers provided the only upset of the day as Colorado College defeated Hardin-Simmons in four sets and Occidental knocked off Pacific Lutheran in five. No. 1 Colorado College and No. 4 Occidental will open Saturday's action at 3:30 p.m.

Cal Lutheran defeated Chapman in Thousand Oaks in a four-set decision back on Sept. 17. The Regals will hope to repeat that performance tomorrow night in the regional semifinal.

Cal Lutheran Regional Tournament Preview

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 01:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The Gilbert Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of Cal Lutheran University will host one of eight NCAA Regional Tournaments starting on Friday, Nov. 11.

Website: Cal Lutheran Regional

Single-day tickets are $7 for adults, $5 for students and senior citizens, and $3 for children under 12 years of age. All-session tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for students and senior citizens, and $6 for children under 12.

All matches throughout the weekend will be streamed live on the Cal Lutheran athletics website. They can be viewed online for free by clicking here.

Action will begin at 12:30 p.m. as No. 4 Occidental takes on No. 5 Pacific Lutheran in the tournament opener. Matches will take place on 2 hour, 30 minute intervals and start no earlier than the originally scheduled time.

Saturday's semifinal matches are set to begin at 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday's title match has been moved to a Noon start. Matches are listed in the local time zone and are subject to change.

This year's region features the top seven West regionally ranked programs as of the November 3 poll. Southwestern (TX) is ranked second in the South region and completes the bracket to create an eight team regional.

The top two teams out of the SCIAC, SCAC and NWC, along with soon to be full-fledged SCIAC member Chapman, and American Southwest Conference team Hardin-Simmons comprise the field. Only one of these teams will head to St. Louis, Mo. for the National Championship Tournament set to begin on Friday, Nov. 18.

#4 Occidental vs. #5 Pacific Lutheran (12:30 p.m.)
Occidental won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post-Season Tournament securing an automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers have wins over Chapman (Sept. 10), Southwestern (Sept. 17), and Cal Lutheran (Oct. 21, Nov. 5). Pacific Lutheran took runner-up in the NWC but defeated Whitworth in all three of its meetings this season. Whitworth is the only team PLU has faced out of the CLU Regional field this year.

#1 Colorado College vs. #8 Hardin-Simmons (3 p.m.)
Colorado College earned the automatic bid to represent the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) after winning the league's conference tournament. The No. 2 seed Southwestern was the only team to deal the Tigers a regular season conference loss. Hardin-Simmons won four straight in the ASC Post-Season Tournament to earn its spot into this field.

#2 Southwestern (TX) vs. #7 Chapman (5:30 p.m.)
Southwestern won 20 straight matches and the regular season SCAC title in undefeated fashion. The Pirates then dropped their conference tournament opener to Trinity (TX) and Colorado College earned the automatic berth and top seed for the CLU Regional. Chapman has played in five matches this season against teams from this field. The Panthers went 2-1 in three meetings with Occidental, and fell in their matches against Cal Lutheran and Colorado College.

#3 Cal Lutheran vs. #6 Whitworth (8 p.m.)
Cal Lutheran won the regular season SCIAC title but fell in the SCIAC Tournament final to Occidental. The Regals are 16-3 at home this season with its losses suffered to Southwestern (Sept. 10), Emory (Sept. 17) and Occidental (Nov. 5). Despite winning the NWC conference title the Pirates are seeded one spot below Pacific Lutheran. Whitworth lost three times to the Lutes including the team's only two conference losses on the season. WU also faced Colorado College (Sept. 9) falling in three sets.

CLU to Host Women's Soccer, Volleyball NCAA Regional Tournaments

Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - On Monday morning it was announced that Cal Lutheran University will be a regional site for the Division III NCAA Tournament in both volleyball and women's soccer during the upcoming weekend.

Tournament Website: Volleyball Regional
Tournament Website: Women's Soccer Regional

Volleyball (Nov. 11-13)
The three-day volleyball tournament regional will begin on Friday, Nov. 11, with four first round matches. Contests will take place on 2 hour, 30 minute intervals with host Cal Lutheran facing Whitworth at 8 p.m.

Saturday's second round matches are scheduled for 3:30 p.m. and 6 p.m. start times. Sunday afternoon's regional championship is set to begin at 4 p.m. Start times for all matches are subject to change.

Women's Soccer (Nov. 12-13)
Cal Lutheran will host three games on back-to-back days starting Saturday, Nov. 12. The Regals will face UC Santa Cruz in their opening round match at 7:30 p.m. Concordia-Moorhead will face Puget Sound in the other Saturday contest set to begin at 5 p.m.

Sunday's final is currently scheduled for a 5 p.m. PST start. The tournament schedule is subject to change.

More information about each event will be provided later this week. Please visit the respective schedule pages for both volleyball and women's soccer for details.

Playing the Waiting Game for NCAA Tournament Bracket Announcements

Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - The NCAA Tournament brackets will be announced for Division III volleyball at 8:30 a.m. PST and Division III women's soccer at 11 a.m. PST on the morning of Monday, Nov. 7.

Selection Show: Watch Live

Volleyball (8:30 a.m. PST)
Cal Lutheran volleyball will wait and see if it earns an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The Regals won the regular season conference title for the second straight year and have been ranked nationally throughout the entire 2011 campaign.

Occidental earned the SCIAC's automatic qualifying spot into this year's NCAA playoffs. The Tigers held on for a five-set win over the Regals in the conference post-season tournament final this past Saturday. Cal Lutheran has made appearances in the past three NCAA Tournaments and five out of the last six overall. The Regals have won at least one match in their past four trips including an Elite Eight appearance in 2006.

For more D-III volleyball championship information, click here.

Women's Soccer (11 a.m. PST)
It is not a question of if, but rather whom, where and when the Cal Lutheran women's soccer team will begin its quest for an NCAA National Championship. The Regals won their second straight conference title and have been ranked as high as the top-10 in multiple national polls.

Cal Lutheran earned the SCIAC's automatic qualifying spot into the NCAA Tournament after outlasting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the SCIAC Post-Season Tournament final this past Saturday night. A double overtime draw forced penalty kicks in which the Regals outlasted the Athenas by a 5-3 margin.

Cal Lutheran will make its 11th appearance in program history and its second in as many years. CLU women's soccer is looking to pick up its first NCAA Tournament victory this millennium after dropping its first match in 2010, 2007 and 2000.

For more D-III women's soccer championship information, click here.

Cal Lutheran Comeback Falls Short in SCIAC Finals

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 20:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - No. 15 Cal Lutheran nearly completed its come-from-behind effort Saturday night, erasing a 2-0 Occidental lead to force a fifth set in the SCIAC Post-Season Final. Unfortunately for the Regals, the Tigers hit .471 in that decisive set to defeat Cal Lutheran 3-2.

Box Score: OXY 3, CLU 2 - F

The loss ended CLU's six-match win streak, set scores were 21-25, 22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 8-15.

"I think the first two sets were as bad as we have ever played," said Cal Lutheran head coach Kellee Roesel. "I kept telling my team that even though we were playing as poorly as we ever have, we were still in the match."

Falling behind 2-0 due to its seven attack errors in the first set, and Occidental's 19-kill effort in the second, Cal Lutheran rebounded from its slow start with a more aggressive style of play in the third and fourth sets to tie the match at two apiece.

Recording seven of their 9.5 blocks, and forcing the Tigers to commit 17 of their 29 attack errors throughout that two-set timespan, the Regals were able to extend the match by another set in front of an energetic crowd at Gilbert Arena.

Cal Lutheran's comeback effort ultimately fell short, as Occidental ended its evening by recording nine kills against only one attack error to win the fifth set by a 15-8 margin.

"We did a lot of good things throughout that fourth set, and had all the momentum heading into that fifth set," stated Roesel. "They ended the match hitting .471, and we hit only .095. Hopefully we will earn an NCAA bid, the right to host, and see if our team can step up to the challenge."

Cal Lutheran middle blocker Shannon Pearson led all Regals with 17 kills, with right side Casy McWhirk ending her evening with a season-high 26 digs.

Three Regals finished Saturday's final with 20 or more digs; in addition to McWhirk, libero Jacki Richards and outside hitter Rachel Smith finished with 24 and 21 digs apiece.

Combined, the trio was responsible for more than two-thirds of CLU's 93 digs.

No. 15 Cal Lutheran (26-6) will discover its NCAA playoff fate on Monday, Nov. 7, when the 62-team field for this year's Division III women's volleyball tournament is unveiled at 8 a.m. PT on NCAA.com.

Cal Lutheran to Play for League Titles in Women's Soccer, Volleyball

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 17:00:00 PST

Championship Saturday is coming to Cal Lutheran University. The women's soccer and volleyball teams secured their spots to play for SCIAC Tournament titles with home victories on Thursday night.

Volleyball will face Occidental in the finals inside Gilbert Arena at 6 p.m. Women's soccer will host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 7 p.m. at William Rolland Stadium.

Both matches can be viewed live online by clicking here.

Freshman Taylor Will scored two goals to lead the women's soccer team to a 3-1 semifinal victory over Redlands at William Rolland Stadium.

The women's volleyball team utilized a balanced offensive effort to earn a chance to defend its title with a 25-15, 25-10, 25-23 semifinal victory over Whittier in Gilbert Arena.

It sets up a championship doubleheader at CLU on Saturday night with the volleyball team hosting Occidental in Gilbert Arena at 6 and the soccer team hosting Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at William Rolland Stadium at 7.

"I am stoked man. I couldn't be happier to see soccer make it through," CLU volleyball coach Kellee Roesel said. "I made it a quick postgame speech because there were 15 minutes still left in the soccer game once we finished. I told our girls, 'Good job. Practice tomorrow. Get over there and watch soccer.' "

The soccer victory was a bit of revenge considering Redlands knocked CLU out of the SCIAC and NCAA tournaments last season on CLU's home field.

Will scored the first goal of the game for CLU (20-1) in the 19th minute and notched the game-winner from about 35 yards out in the 54th minute.

Junior Mayra Virgen, a Hueneme High graduate, added an insurance goal in the second half as the Regals extended their winning streak to 17 straight games.

"We really played great. I thought it was one of our better games of the year, from start to finish," CLU soccer coach Frank Marino said. "We have talked about trying to play a full 90 minutes in a game as we get closer to the end of the season and I think we did that tonight against a really quality Redlands team."

Kylie McLogan, Shannon Pearson (Thousand Oaks) and Rachel Smith (Newbury Park) had eight kills apiece to lead the CLU volleyball team.

Setter Jackie Russell (Newbury Park) tallied 29 assists and Jacki Richards (Buena) had 11 digs for the Regals (26-5).

"I thought our blocking was fantastic and our serving was amazing," Roesel said. "Offensively, it was one of our best matches of the year. It's just one step at a time for us right now and I feel like we got better tonight, which is really important for us."

Regals Advance to SCIAC Finals with Sixth Straight Sweep

Thu, 03 Nov 2011 23:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - An eight kill, three block effort by Regals outside hitter Kylie McLogan helped No. 15 Cal Lutheran earn a spot in Saturday's SCIAC Post-Season Tournament Final with its 25-15, 25-10, 25-23 win Thursday night against Whittier.

Box Score: CLU 3, WC 0 - F

In addition to McLogan, middle blocker Shannon Pearson and outside hitter Rachel Smith also finished with a team-high eight kills each.

With their 3-0 victory over Whittier, the team's second in the last week after defeating the Poets by an identical score on Oct. 28, the Regals have now earned three-set sweeps against their last six opponents.

Recording three of her eight kills in the opening set, McLogan helped turn Whittier's three-point lead into a one-point CLU advantage.

A combination of Whittier attack errors and back-to-back service aces by CLU setter Jackie Russell helped the Regals build their lead to a 22-15 margin, forcing Whittier head coach Ali Oliver to call a timeout in an effort to help her team regroup.

Once both teams returned to the court, Cal Lutheran soon took a 1-0 lead as the Regals forced Whittier to commit consecutive attack errors to bring a quick end to the set.

Hitting .080 in the first set, Whittier finished with an even lower percentage in the following set, as the Poets were able to record only seven kills against six attack errors to finish with a .037 mark.

Committing only two attack errors of its own throughout the second set, two Cal Lutheran runs helped the Regals take a commanding 2-0 lead over the Poets.

Winning six straight points to turn a 6-6 tie into a 12-6 lead, Cal Lutheran ended the set in a similar manner as the final seven points were all earned by the Regals during Russell's serve.

Unlike the first two sets when Cal Lutheran was able to build an early and sizable lead, the Regals had to wait until the latter moments of the third set before pulling away from the Poets.

Recording the last of her three solo blocks to give CLU its first match point opportunity leading 24-22, McLogan's final kill of the night helped the Regals officially earn their spot in this weekend's SCIAC final, and extend the team's win streak against Whittier to 17 matches.

In the other semifinal match, No. 2 Occidental defeated No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-0 to claim its spot in the SCIAC finals.

As the tournament's top-seeded team, No. 15 Cal Lutheran (26-5) will now have an opportunity to successfully defend its SCIAC Tournament championship against Occidental (20-8) in Saturday's 6 p.m. final at Gilbert Arena.

With each team defeating the other at home by matching 3-1, the winner of Saturday's rubber match between Cal Lutheran and Occidental will earn an automatic bid to this year's NCAA tournament.

Volleyball Hosts SCIAC Tournament Semifinal Matches

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 20:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Gilbert Arena will host both of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) Post-Season Tournament semifinal matches on Thursday.

Watch Live: CLU Sports Live
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Cal Lutheran will face Whittier in the second of two semifinal matches at 7:30 p.m. Occidental and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps will open Thursday's action at 5 p.m.

Children under the age of 12, current students, faculty and staff receive free admission. All others will be charged $5 to attend the tournament.

No. 1 Cal Lutheran v. No. 4 Whittier (7:30 p.m.)
Cal Lutheran won its second straight regular season title and with it the top seed and hosting privileges for the SCIAC Post-Season Tournament. The Regals finished the regular season 13-1 in conference play including a pair of victories over Whittier.

A road sweep over La Verne on the final weekend of the regular season secured for Whittier a fourth place SCIAC finish and a berth into the tournament. Whittier finished the regular season 13-18, 8-6 SCIAC highlighted by a road win over Occidental back on Oct. 22.

In the team's initial meeting Whittier battled Cal Lutheran to the maximum forcing a fifth and deciding set. The Regals escaped with a road win preserving its unbeaten conference mark at the time.

Despite sweeping the Poets inside Gilbert Arena within a week of Thursday's rematch, the Regals held on for 25-23 and 26-24 wins over the final two sets, respectively.

Cal Lutheran has won the previous 16 meetings with Whittier posting an unbeaten record against the Poets since the 2004 season.

No. 2 Occidental vs. No. 3 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5 p.m.)
These two squads met earlier this week with Occidental earning a 3-1 road win over Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. The victory placed the Tigers in second for the regular season standings and as the host team for Saturday's match should they and the Poets win in the semis.

Occidental ended the regular season 19-8, 11-3 SCIAC with its highlight win coming against Cal Lutheran back on Oct. 21. Following a home loss to Whittier the following night the Tigers won three straight to close out the season and earn the second seed.

Claremont-Mudd-Scripps finished 19-9, 10-4 SCIAC including a win over Occidental and a season sweep of Whittier. The Athenas had won nine straight overall and five SCIAC contests before suffering a four-set loss to Occidental on Nov. 1.

The road team was victorious in each of the two regular season contests between these squads. Last year Occidental was handed a semifinal exit courtesy of La Verne. In 2010 CMS was the odd team out of a three-way tie for the final two tournament spots.

The winners of Thursday's matches will meet on Saturday, Nov. 5, at 6 p.m. The highest remaining seed following the semifinal results will host the finals.

Regals End Regular Season with 3-0 Sweep Over Sagehens

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 23:00:00 PST

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Led by outside hitters Kylie McLogan and her team-high 15 kills, and Rachel Smith with her 12, No. 15 Cal Lutheran ended its regular season with a 25-12, 25-21, 25-22 victory Tuesday night at Pomona-Pitzer.

Box Score: CLU 3, PP 0 - F

Combined with their home victory over Pomona-Pitzer on Oct. 1, Tuesday's win helped the Regals secure their seventh regular-season sweep over the Sagehens in the last nine years.

Leading all players with 35 assists, setter Jackie Russell finished with a higher total than the entire Pomona-Pitzer team combined (28). Led by McLogan and Smith, eight of the nine Regals who competed for head coach Kellee Roesel helped Russell's cause by recording at least one kill.

Forcing Pomona-Pitzer to commit six attack errors, earn only four kills, and finish with a negative attack percentage, Cal Lutheran took the first set by a comfortable 25-12 margin. In comparison, CLU committed only three attack errors, earned 15 kills, and recorded a .375 attack percentage.

Also assisting CLU's cause in the first set was the effort of McLogan; recording seven kills on 12 swings, the freshman committed zero errors in the Regals' 25-12 set victory.

Responsible for seven of CLU's 17 kills in the second set, Smith helped turn an early 12-5 CLU lead into another set victory as the Regals scored five of the final eight points to take a 2-0 lead into the break.

Once the teams returned to the court, Cal Lutheran continued to assert itself on offense as the Regals were able to negate a three-point Pomona-Pitzer lead on separate occasions to tie the match at 16-16.

Breaking that tie by winning six straight points, Cal Lutheran earned its second three-set sweep over the Sagehens this season once Pomona-Pitzer committed its 16th attack error of the match.

By ending the season as conference champions, Cal Lutheran (25-5, 13-1 SCIAC) earned the No. 1 seed in this year's SCIAC Post-Season Tournament, and the right to host both semifinal matches this Thursday, Nov. 3.

Competing in a 7:30 p.m. match against the Whittier Poets (13-18, 8-6 SCIAC), a team CLU also swept during the regular season, the Regals will take the floor at Gilbert Arena following Thursday's 5 p.m. semifinal contest between Occidental and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.

Volleyball, Women's Soccer Ready for SCIAC Post-Season

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 12:00:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran women's volleyball coach Kellee Roesel never misses a chance to deliver a good rousing pep talk. When she saw the women's soccer team watching film the other day, Roesel popped in and tried to "rile them up a little bit.

"I told them we are all supporting them and to keep it going," Roesel said. "Our kids all get pumped for each other and root for each other. Everybody wants everybody to win."

Both programs have been doing a lot of that in the last two seasons.

They have each clinched their second straight outright Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and the top seeds in the SCIAC Tournaments.

The soccer team (19-1, 12-0) finished undefeated in conference play this season and has bettered the program single-season record for victories it set last season.

The No. 11 Regals will host their SCIAC Tournament semifinal on Thursday night at 7 at William Rolland Stadium against Redlands, which beat Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC Tournament and NCAA tournament last season.

"I think it's key we are hosting again and that we went undefeated in SCIAC. I think that should give us some confidence going in," CLU women's soccer coach Frank Marino said. "The teams have played us better the last couple of games and we have found ways to win, which I think is going to be crucial during the postseason."

The volleyball team (24-5, 12-1) plays its final regular-season match on Tuesday night at Pomona-Pitzer.

The No. 15 Regals will host both SCIAC Tournament semifinal matches on Thursday night at Gilbert Arena. CLU plays Whittier at 7:30 following the match between Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and Occidental.

"The kids we lost from last year were huge, but our seniors and returners just put this team on their back and didn't have any lapses," Roesel said. "Our goals were the same, and I am really proud they have been able to keep up the tradition. I had a feeling we were going to be pretty good, but this group deserves all the credit for making it happen."

Marino and Roesel have developed a strong camaraderie over the years, and a bit of a friendly rivalry.

"We are both similar in that we are both very competitive and really want to push our women's teams to be as strong as they can be and push our teams to be better," Marino said. "We talk about who can clinch titles first and win more games, but it's all because we want each other to do well. I think there is a good vibe between the programs and Kellee and I not only want to have success within the SCIAC, but on a more national scale."

In that regard, both programs want to spare any stress by capturing the SCIAC Tournament titles this weekend and earning the conference's automatic bids to the NCAA tournament.

"It's the only way we can guarantee we are going to see the postseason," Roesel said. "I feel like these kids have another gear and I am hoping to see it in the next few weeks."

There is no doubt the soccer team is hoping to be along for the ride as well.

Back-to-Back SCIAC Champs

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:30:00 PST

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Cal Lutheran volleyball earned its second straight outright conference title following a three-set sweep of Whittier on Friday night inside Gilbert Arena.

Box Score: CLU 3, WC 0 - F

The Regals were already assured of at least a piece of the SCIAC title leading by two wins in the conference standings with only two regular season matches remaining. Seniors Casy McWhirk, Jacki Richards, and company wanted to keep the trophy in Thousand Oaks and make a statement after the Poets nearly upset the Regals in their previous meeting.

Cal Lutheran's opening statement was a 7-0 run to begin the match. The Regals cruised to a 25-10 first set win behind 13 kills and a .480 team hitting percentage. Kyle McLogan smashed six of her match-high 17 kills in the frame while teammate Shannon Pearson was a perfect 3-for-3.

Those two finished with 27 of the team's 45 kills but the Poets hung tough over the final two sets. Both the second and third frames were tied at 23-23 but clutch efforts by Cal Lutheran earned 25-23 and 26-24 set wins, respectively.

A Poet service error and a two-person block from McWhirk and Lesley Smith ended the second set in favor of the Regals. Whittier led 24-23 in the third when Pearson emphatically tied the game with one of her three third set kills. McWhirk served out the final two points en route to a win and sole possession of the SCIAC title.

Whittier's Lauren Whiteman led the visiting side with 13 kills on only 18 attacks and a match-high .722 hitting percentage. Teammate Lindsay Kish switched to the libero position in the final set collecting nine of her match-high 15 digs in the loss.

Cal Lutheran's defense racked up 7.5 team blocks on the night with junior Lesley Smith leading the way. She finished the night with a solo block, three block assists and an efficient five kills on eight attacks.

The two seniors played pivotal roles in the win with Richards' 13 digs leading the team. McWhirk finished with 11 digs and six kills on the night.

Cal Lutheran (24-5, 12-1 SCIAC) will play its final regular season contest on the road Tuesday, Nov. 1, at Pomona-Pitzer. The Regals have secured the top seed for the SCIAC Post-Season Tournament and will host both semifinal matches on Thursday, Nov. 3.