Oigman Keeps It All In Perspective From Israel To WSU, Her World Includes More Than Volleyball

In the week leading up to Saturday, Nov. 4, Washington State volleyball co-captain Keren Oigman, like the rest of her Cougars teammates, was focused on one thing. Beat the Stanford Cardinal at Palo Alto, Calif., in the race for the Pac-10 title.

Game day arrived, but so did the news from Oigman’s homeland of Israel. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin had been assassinated. Oigman quickly lost sight of Stanford.

More heartbreaking about Rabin’s death to Oigman was the fact that a fellow Israeli was the perpetrator of the crime.

Oigman, like all female residents of Israel, served her mandatory service in the Israeli Army before she came to WSU. To her, the death of the political and military hero hit that much closer to home.

“It was just really a big shock because he was a great person,” Oigman said. “It was even more stunning that one of us would do it. It was very hard to see it.”

Against Stanford, the starting middle-hitter played her worst game of the year as the Cardinal pounded WSU in straight sets.

“I think that was the first time all year that Cindy (Fredrick, the coach) had to sub to get me off the court.”

Oigman and WSU recovered from that weekend and the Cougars went on to earn an NCAA Tournament bid. WSU faces Oral Roberts on Sunday at 2 p.m. at Bohler Gym.

Oigman’s play this season has been vital to the No. 12-ranked Cougars (22-6). Along with teammate Sarah Silvernail, Oigman was an All-Pac-10 first-team selection.

The 22-year-old sophomore is from Bat Yam, a suburb of Tel Aviv. A campus visit to WSU, or any other American college, for that matter, just couldn’t be done. All recruiting efforts were conducted by phone. And as it turns out, Oigman actually recruited WSU.

She sent letters to all the top-20 U.S. teams in the fall of 1993. Of all the coaches she talked to, Fredrick impressed her the most.

“Other coaches were very formal. Cindy was much more thoughtful about the personal aspects of coming to school here and playing volleyball. I really liked that. In talking to her, I just knew that if I ever needed any help, she would be there.”

Fredrick’s husband, Mashallah Farokhmanesh, is also the Cougars’ assistant coach. He was born in Burojerd, Iran.

“My husband is a foreigner,” Fredrick said. “I know what he has gone through since he’s been in this country. I was able to relate some of his experiences to her.”

With age and international experience already behind her, Oigman wasn’t a typical freshman. She started in her first year for WSU and led the team with 352 digs and 34 service aces. This season she raised her hitting percentage to .320 from .197 last year.

“I just wanted to be a better player and more of a leader than last year and contribute that to the team,” she said.

With four true freshmen, one redshirt freshman, five sophomores, a redshirt sophomore, two juniors, a redshirt junior and not one senior, this year’s team would appear to need Oigman’s leadership.

“In a way it’s a surprise,” Oigman said. “It is a young team, but it’s not like we’re first-year players. I think we have a lot of confidence. We’re also playing with more responsibility this year.”

In seven seasons under Fredrick, this is Washington State’s fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament. WSU won the National Invitational Championship in 1992.

The 1995 team is clearly one of the best - the best, perhaps - that Fredrick has ever presented.

“I think we can do a really good job in this tournament,” Oigman said. “If we’re capable of playing the way we can, I think we’re going to do just fine.”

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