Eagle Squad Soars With Expectations Eastern Ranked No. 1 In Big Sky

If Pamela Parks has an extra spring in her step this fall, there’s good reason.

It’s been almost a decade since the coach has felt this good about an Eastern Washington University volleyball team. And, yes, people are taking notice - especially the opposing coaches in the Big Sky Conference.

“I think the next few years are going to be very good years, not just this one year,” said Parks, whose Eagles were voted No. 1 in the Big Sky Conference coaches’ preseason poll.

Eastern lost only senior starter, right-side hitter Tiffaney Schwinn, from last year’s team that finished 16-12 overall, 9-7 in the conference.

The five returning starters are seniors Lynn Robison and Lora Botha, juniors Kim Exner and Toni Schwinn, a setter, and sophomore Lacey Coover.

Sophomore Kim Maxwell, whom Parks describes as “a phenomenal setter,” is one of seven other sophomores returning.

“People all over the West Coast are just saying, ‘She’s great.”’, Parks said of Maxwell. “That’s fine, but Toni’s (Schwinn) good as well. So we have the best of both worlds, there’s no doubt about it.”

Parks said if Schwinn isn’t setting, “she’s got to be on the court because she’s solid in every way.”

Maxwell of Calgary and sophomore middle blocker Jessica Clish of British Columbia competed in this summer’s Canada Games, missing part of the Eagles’ preseason camp.

But the Eagles’ most celebrated player from north of the border, Kim Exner of Vernon, British Columbia, has been in Cheney since mid-August.

The 6-foot-1 middle blocker led the team with 492 kills last year, well ahead of Robison’s 298. Exner’s 4.73 kills per game (.237 percent) was second best in the conference and earned her first team All-Big Sky Conference honors.

“We’re all really excited about this season. Everybody’s done a lot of work over the summer,” said Exner, who continues to turn down the chance to play on Canada’s national team in favor of an education in the states.

Until Exner came along, the last time an Eagles player was named to the Big Sky’s first team was in 1989. With a team that featured three seniors and three freshmen, it also was the last time Eastern won the conference title.

“Our goal last year was to re-establish our reputation as a school and a program,” said Parks, who begins her 16th season in Cheney. “We really started to establish ourselves. People know about us now.”

Last year, Cal State Northridge was picked to finish eighth and won the conference. Eastern was picked seventh and took third. A late-season spurt, resulting in nine of 12 match wins, earned the Eagles a spot in the postseason, where they were upset by in the first round by Northern Arizona.

“It’s left a sour taste in all of our mouths, and I think that’s been a driving force throughout our whole spring and summer,” Parks said.

Spring season produced tournament wins over the Pac-10’s Washington, Arizona State, Oregon State and Oregon.The Eagles open their season Saturday at the Northern Illinois Invitational against the host team in the morning and Stephen F. Austin in the afternoon. The toughest team on their pre-conference schedule is expected to be Kansas State, which will play the Eagles at the Boise Invitational.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo

MEMO: These 4 sidebars appeared with the story:

1. BIG SKY VOLLEYBALL POLL Big Sky Conference preseason coaches poll (first-place votes in parentheses): 1. Eastern Washington (3) 57 2. Sacramento State (2) 52 3. Cal State Northridge (3) 51 4. Northern Arizona (1) 43 5. Montana State 40 6. Montana 36 7. Idaho State 0 8. Weber State 0 9. Portland State 0

2. EWU VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Northern Illinois Invitational, DeKalb, Ill. Aug. 30 vs. Northern Illinois 10 a.m. vs. Stephen F. Austin 2 p.m. Aug. 31 vs. Dayton 2 p.m.

UNLV Invitational, Las Vegas Sept. 5 vs. UC Irvine 11 a.m. vs. UNLV 3 p.m. Sept. 6 5th-6th place 3 p.m. 3rd-4th place 5 p.m. Championship 7 p.m.

Boise State Invitational, Boise Sept. 12 vs. Kansas State 6 p.m. Sept. 13 vs. Boise State 6 p.m.

Sept. 18 at Portland State 7 p.m. Sept. 20 at Idaho State 6 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Montana 7 p.m. Sept. 27 vs. Montana State 2 p.m. Oct. 2 at Northern Arizona 7 p.m. Oct. 4 at Cal State Northridge 7 p.m. Oct. 7 vs. Idaho 7 p.m. Oct. 9 vs. Sacramento State 7 p.m. Oct. 11 vs. Idaho State 7 p.m. Oct. 14 at Gonzaga 7 p.m. Oct. 23 vs. Weber State 5:30 p.m. Oct. 28 vs. Gonzaga 7 p.m. Oct. 30 at Montana 6:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at Montana State 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6 at Weber State 6 p.m. Nov. 8 at Sacramento State 7 p.m. Nov. 13 vs. Cal State Northridge 7 p.m. Nov. 15 vs. Northern Arizona 7 p.m. Nov. 21 vs Portland State 7 p.m.

3. EWU VOLLEYBALL ROSTER Name Pos. Ht. Yr. Hometown Lacey Coover OH 5-10 So. Kalama, Wash. Lynn Robison OH 5-9 Sr. Rainier, Ore. Kim Exner MB 6-1 Jr. Vernon, BC Lora Botha MB 6-0 Sr. Buckley, Wash. Toni Schwinn S/DS 5-9 Jr. Silver Lake, Wash. Tarah Pond DS 5-3 So. Vernonia, Ore. Jessica Clish MB 6-1 So. Ft. St. John, BC Kim Maxwell S 5-10 So. Calgary, Alberta Steph. Dahlstedt OH/MB 6-0 So. Mount Vernon, Wash. Corie Isaacson RS 5-11 So. Wenatchee, Wash. Whitney Lewis MB 6-1 So. Bend, Ore. Andrea Schell DS/RS 5-8 So. Spokane Leslie Derrig MB/RS 6-2 Jr. Bellevue, Wash. Angie Hall OH 5-11 Fr. Colfax, Wash. Jennifer Gabel MB 6-2 Fr. Lebanon, Ore. Lea Ruhl OH/DS 5-10 Fr. Spokane

4. EWU VOLLEYBALL GLANCE Coach: Pamela Parks (16th year) Record at Eastern: 221-236 1996 record: (16-12, 9-7 Big Sky third place) Players to watch: MB Kim Exner (6-1, Jr); OH Lynn Robison (5-9, Sr.); S/DS Toni Schwinn (5-9, Sr.). Key newcomers: OH Angie Hall (5-11 Fr.); MB Jennifer Gabel (6-2 Fr.) Spikes and digs: Toni Schwinn and Kim Maxwell are the only two setters to record more than 400 assists in the same season at Eastern. … Two years ago, the Eagles were 8-20, 3-11 in the Big Sky. Outlook: Eastern would love to win the conference title and host the Big Sky tournament Nov. 28-29. But look out for Sacramento State and Cal State Northridge.