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Loggers looking to roll in 2008

Coaches’ polls pick girls soccer and volleyball to finish first

By Rick Walter

Tacoma Weekly
rwalter@tacomaweekly.com
Published on: August 14, 2008

The words “first place” and “University of Puget Sound” might appear frequently together in sentences on the sports pages in Tacoma this fall.

In women’s soccer, the Loggers return both the 2007 Northwest Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, and are a heavy favorite to win their seventh straight NWC title in 2008, according to the preseason coaches poll.

The Loggers will be led on offense by the strong leg of junior Janece Levien (Beaverton, Ore.), who set a new school record for goals in a season with 25 in 2007, as the Loggers reached the Sectional Final of the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament before falling to eventual national champion Wheaton (Ill.).

The Loggers will also be returning goalkeeper Kallie Wolfer (Salt Lake City, Utah/Skyline), who was tops in the NWC last season in goals against average, allowing just 0.496 goals per game.  Other All-NWC selections coming back in 2008 will be senior Fiona Gornick (Portland, Ore./Grant), sophomore Ryne Olsen (Durango, Colo.) and sophomore Kayla Boortz (Greenwood Village, Colo./Regis Jesuit).

The Loggers, who have won six NWC championships in a row, are a strong favorite to win their seventh straight crown, which would tie the school with Willamette University (1993-1999) for most consecutive women’s soccer championships in league history.

The Loggers open up the 2008 season at home on Aug. 30 when they take on the Chapman Panthers.

 

VOLLEYBALL

After making a run through the 2007 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship tournament, the volleyball team is a slight favorite to win the 2008 Northwest Conference title.

“Last year, we exceeded our goals, and this year we want to build on that and compete for a national championship. I think we are a legitimate top-10 team (nationally).” said coach Mark Massey.

Massey says that a lot of the firepower from last year’s team came from younger players who are returning as juniors. And he is very upbeat about players coming in with the freshman class this year.

“We have some freshman coming here who passed up Division I scholarships. They will become the top players in the country in the next year or two,” he said.

The team finished last season with a record of 20-9 and a trip to the NCAA DIII quarterfinals. All-NWC juniors Kalli Kamphaus (Manson, Wash.) and Lindsey Denman (Kenmore, Wash./Inglemoor) will be returning. UPS, which was ranked ninth nationally in the final AVCA national poll, received five of nine first-place votes for a total of 80 points.

The Loggers open up the 2008 season on Aug. 30 against UC Santa Cruz at the Boxer Kickoff in Forest Grove, Ore.

FOOTBALL

Linfield led the NWC coaches poll for the eighth straight season, despite having not won the NWC title the past two seasons.

The Loggers, who have been picked to finish fifth, will be led by junior quarterback Kavin Williams (Ocean Shores, Wash./North Beach), who returns to the field after missing most of 2007 with an injured shoulder. Williams will have a number of offensive weapons to choose from as senior running back Silas Paul (Portland, Ore./Lincoln) and senior wide receiver Darrell Stewart (Long Beach, Calif./Loyola) are poised for big seasons.

The Loggers should also be strong on defense, led by senior defensive lineman Alverno Middleton (Lakewood, Wash./Clover Park) and safety Demitri Huffman (Edmonds, Wash./Meadowdale).  2007 preseason All-American Isaac Blum (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Torrey Pines) will be dangerous returning kicks for the Loggers.

Linfield received six of seven first place votes to take the top spot with 54 points.  Whitworth was picked second with 40 points, followed by Pacific Lutheran (35), Willamette (29), Menlo (15) and Lewis & Clark (8).

The Loggers open up the 2008 campaign on Sep. 13 at Pomona-Pitzer.  The home opener will come a week later against Claremont-M-S.

MEN’S SOCCER

After losing five starters who earned either first or second-team All-NWC last season, the men’s soccer team has been picked to finish third.

The Loggers will not be without weapons in 2008. They will be led on the back row by senior Taylor Hyde (Sandy, Utah/Waterford) and junior Cole Peterson (Great Falls, Mont./C.M. Russell).  On the offensive half of the field, junior Alex Lehecka (Burlington, Wash./Burlington-Edison) and sophomore Kyle Benson (Edmonds, Wash./Kamiak) should frustrate opposing defenses after combining for 11 goals and six assists in 2007.

PLU will be aiming to claim its first conference title since 1992. But the Lutes will have to go on without 2007 NWC Offensive Player of the Year Michael Ferguson and 2007 NWC Defensive Player of the Year Brian Lubeck, who have both graduated. Sophomore keeper Daniel Mangum and junior defender Derek MacLean, both returning second-team All-NWC honorees, will lead a strong defense.

The Loggers open up the season on Aug. 29 when they travel down to California to take on Chapman University.  The home debut will come on Sep. 5 when they host Central (Iowa).

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