2011
Feather River Bulletin Article
FRC Volleyball advances past Napa Valley
Shannon Morrow
Sports Editor
After winning conference with an undefeated record and securing a home playoff game in the Northern California regional brackets, the Feather River College women’s volleyball team earned an exciting win against Napa Valley College Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Playing in front of hundreds of supporters in the FRC gymnasium, the Golden Eagles pulled off a tense five-game victory, much to the delight of the home crowd.
Feather River, ranked sixth with a 21-7 record, had its hands full with 11th-ranked Napa Valley, which entered the match at 19-3 overall.
It took all five games for FRC to eliminate Napa. The final scores were 25-18, 19-25, 24-26, 25-22 and 15-6.
The Golden Eagles came out strong in game one and took a 5-1 lead, but then Napa woke up and ran the next six points to go ahead 7-5.
FRC tied the game 8-8, and then the teams traded points up to a 17-17 tie.
The Golden Eagles then went on an 8-1 run to take game one 25-18.
In game two, FRC and Napa were tied at five, until Napa ran eight straight points to 5-13, and then continued building to a 7-17 lead.
Determined not to roll over, Feather River then outscored Napa 12-6 to get within four points at 19-23, but Napa scored the last two points to take game two.
With the match tied 1-1, the intensity ramped up in game three. Both teams fought hard for every point, resulting in a close game with many lead changes.
Near the end, FRC fought back from a 14-18 deficit to tie the game 19-19 and then take a 22-21 lead. However, Napa clutched up and won in extra points, 24-26, taking a 2-1 lead.
Stunned after losing two straight games, FRC quickly fell behind 1-6 in game four, but then suddenly recovered and went on a 8-1 run to take a 9-7 lead, prompting Napa to take a timeout.
The Golden Eagles continued to pull ahead up to 20-14, until Napa ran five straight and then tied the game at 22-22.
Facing a must-win situation, Feather River took care of business by winning three straight points to take game four 25-22, and force a game five.
It was all FRC in the final game, as the Golden Eagles jumped out to a 9-1 lead and sealed the deal at 15-6 to take the match.
FRC coach Sarah Ritchie said she was mad at her team for playing poorly, but acknowledged that her players delivered when it mattered most.
With the victory, Feather River advanced to the second round of the playoffs against third-seeded American River College in Sacramento Saturday, Nov. 26.
Again, the match went the full five games, but this time FRC was eliminated. The defeat was particularly tough because Feather River won the first two games, but then lost the next three.
“It was a heartbreaker,” said Ritchie. “We were up the first two games and just couldn’t seal the deal.”
After taking the first two games 25-22 and 25-20, Feather River lost the next three 17-25, 18-25 and 8-15.
“The girls played well and I’m extremely proud of them,” said Ritchie.
Freshman Callie Aberle led the Golden Eagles with 14 kills. Sophomore Jovana Sisovic claimed 12 kills and five blocks. Freshman Lindsey Ball earned eight aces and 14 digs. Freshman Marilyn Agae delivered 42 assists and 10 digs.
Feather River completed its season with a conference record of 10-0 and an overall record of 22-8.
2010
College teams prepare for fall sports season
There are also promising new additions to the team this year. Chicago State University transfer Kim Naut will head up the freshmen class for the Golden Eagles. Marissa Smerek, the Nevada 2A offensive player of the year, will also join FRC's 2010 squad. International student, Jovana Sisovic, from Belgrade, Serbia, will add height to the front row. Quincy local Natalie Ray and Spring Creek, Nev., graduate Julia Lynch are also expected to add to the arsenal for the Golden Eagles.
http://www.plumasnews.com/index.php/sports
The following article(s) were obtained from The Chico Enterprise Record
Butte volleyball can't hold off Feather River
By WALTER FORD-Special to the E-R
Posted: 10/09/2010 04:59:02 AM PDT
BUTTE VALLEY — The Butte College volleyball team's run at a third straight Golden Valley League title hit a snag Friday night as the Roadrunners fell to Feather River in four games, 25-22, 26-24, 19-25, 25-23.
In the conference opener for both teams, the Golden Eagles, a team the Roadrunners defeated earlier this season in a five-game battle at the Delta Tournament, brought an aggressive style of play that Butte couldn't handle.
"They served our lights out and we couldn't pass balls," Butte coach Chuck Johnson said.
Coaching against his former Butte assistant coach and player, Sarah Ritchie, Johnson had no answers for the Golden Eagles attack.
In the first game, Feather River held a slight edge throughout, taking its largest lead at 21-14, but the Roadrunners battled back to within one point at 23-22. The Golden Eagles slammed the door shut on any rally, though, with a side-out and an ace to take the game.
Butte took the upper hand in the second game, leading almost the entire time and taking a 24-20 lead. Facing game point, Feather River never gave in, reeling off six straight points with strong kills and fantastic digs to steal the second game 26-24.
A stunned Roadrunner team took the floor for the third game determined to get back in the match. The game was again tightly contested between the two teams as they traded points until Butte pulled away, taking the game 25-19. The game saw a series of impressive blocks by Butte's Karly Manwill and Lindsay Van Tol.
The Golden Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 start in the fourth and final game. The lead was short-lived, though, as the Roadrunners charged back in front by as many as three. The game was eventually knotted at 15 apiece. The two teams traded points from there until the score was 22-22.
Feather River grabbed the advantage on some Roadrunner errors and with the score 24-23 in the Golden Eagles' favor, Bryanna Chavez finished off Butte with a kill to take the match.
After the match, Ritchie said she credits Johnson with teaching her everything she knows about volleyball and that this is a big step toward winning her first GVC championship.
"Butte to me is one of the toughest teams in the state," she said. "When you beat someone like that it sets you up really well in conference."
Golden Eagle Kim Naut led all players with 16 kills and Katy Batchelder notched 41 digs for Feather River.
For the Roadrunners, Elyse Anderson led the team in digs with 22 and Tessa Bekendam tallied 34 assists on the night. Leading Butte in kills was Manwill with 12.
A lack of intensity by the Roadrunner players was a big problem, Van Tol said.
"We came into this lackadaisical but we'll come back stronger next game," she said.
With the early loss to Feather River, a sense of urgency is setting in for the Butte players.
"Now we have to go 9-1 for sure," Van Tol said. "We have to focus on going back to Feather River and beating them there."
For now, the Roadrunners will have to wait until Wednesday to try for their first conference win of the season when they head to Weed to take on the College of the Siskiyous. Butte faces Feather River again Oct. 27.
http://www.chicoer.com/ci_16295632?IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com
