Cougars’ Fate More Uncertain Than They’d Like

Panic time for the Washington State volleyball team? Hardly.

But slight heart palpitations are being felt around Pullman as the NCAA Tournament selection committee gets closer to the Nov. 30 announcement date.

The Cougars carry a 22-6 overall, 10-6 Pac-10 Conference record into the final regularseason weekend at Bohler Gym. Even if they beat lower-division Oregon State (14-15, 5-11) Thursday and lowest-division Oregon (9-19, 1-15) Friday, it probably won’t be enough to move them up from fifth place in the final standings. WSU opened conference play with wins at both Oregon schools.

Last year, WSU finished second in the Pac-10. Two years ago it tied for second with UCLA.

Perhaps more glaring to the selection committee will be WSU’s district rankings. The Cougars, a NCAA Tournament finaleight team one year ago, are rated sixth in the competitive District 8 behind Stanford, USC, Arizona, Washington and San Diego. Their six losses were to Stanford (twice) Washington (twice), Arizona and USC.

However, the committee has been generous to the prestigious Pac-10. The past two years, five teams were invited to the tournament. Three years ago, seven teams were picked. However, in ‘91 and ‘92, only four teams qualified. To help matters, this year the field has been expanded from 48 to 56.

Friday will mark the last regular-season match for WSU seniors Stephanie Papke, Keren Oigman, Shannon Wyckoff and Elis Arias. The big question is, will it be their last match played in Pullman, or forever for that matter?

Vandals to play Cal Poly SLO

Idaho (16-13) will face Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (17-10) Friday in the first round of the Big West Conference tournament at Long Beach State University. In conference play, the Vandals lost to the Mustangs 3-1.

The winner of the match will face the winner of the Long Beach vs. New Mexico State match. The Long Beach 49ers (25-1) are ranked No. 1 in the country.

Gonzaga gets into Final Four swing

Gonzaga University and the NCAA will play host to the Final Four Youth Education Through Sports () on Dec. 20 in conjunction with the NCAA Volleyball Championship.

The clinic will be conducted on the Gonzaga University campus for boys and girls ages 10-18. The clinic will run from 8-11 a.m. Admission is free.

To register, call GU at 328-4220 (ext. 6376).

Spikes and digs

Western Washington hitters Jaimee Hardenbrook (Ferris) and Sarah Hiss (Lewis and Clark) were named to the All-Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference second team. Hardenbrook, a junior, and Hiss, a freshman, tied for second in team kills (2.5 per game) and Hiss led in digs (356). The former Greater Spokane League players helped lead the Vikings to their fifth straight 20-win season. … Colby College’s Jackie Bates (Gonzaga Prep) has been named state of Maine player of the year and New England College Athletic Conference Tournament MVP. Bates, a senior, holds the school’s passing, serving percentage and digs (more than 1,000) records. She helped Colby to a 16-13 record.

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