Frustrated Cougs Fall To Cal

Washington State failed on 13 attempts at game point during Saturday’s Pacific-10 Conference volleyball open- ing game at Berkeley, Calif.

The second and third games weren’t as frustrating, but they added up to another Cougars defeat.

Senior outside hitter Alicia Perry totaled 18 kills and 14 digs, and California overcame a 14-9 first-game deficit to topple WSU 16-14, 15-7, 15-7.

The Cougars (10-6, 1-6) have lost six of eight matches during the last four weeks. Cal improved to 8-6, 4-4.

Cal freshman Gabrielle Abernathy had three of her 16 kills to fuel the first-game rally. Perry added an ace and a game-ending kill.

Abernathy had five kills and the Cougars had a negative hitting percentage in the middle game. The Bears tore to a 10-3 lead in the final game and fought off a 4-0 WSU run by answering with a 5-0 run.

Angie Hall totaled 18 kills and 17 digs, and had two kills to cap a first-game rally in Eastern Washington’s 18-16, 15-7, 15-6 Big Sky Conference win over Montana at Missoula.

Robyn Sonju-Felder added 15 kills and a .375 hitting percentage to help the Eagles (7-8, 4-4) snap a three-match losing streak.

The Grizzlies (12-7, 4-2) led the first game 9-4, with seven service points by Kodi Taylor, but EWU scored five consecutive points to fuel a comeback. Erin Adams, who had nine kills and 19 digs, became the sixth Grizzlies player to record more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career.

Senior Adrian Frediani finished with 17 kills and nine digs as San Diego (7-8, 2-2) swept visiting Gonzaga 3-0 in the West Coast Conference.

The Toreros recorded a .237 hitting percentage and had 11 blocks and five aces. Heather Osberg had 12 kills and 10 digs for the Bulldogs (4-13, 0-4), who lost their eighth consecutive match.

Kristen Turner led five players in double figures with 20 kills, and Gretchen Smith added 33 digs to lead Whitworth (10-7, 5-3 Northwest Conference) to a 3-1 win over George Fox at Newberg, Ore.

Lindsay Wagstaff added six blocks, 13 digs and 11 kills for the Pirates. Amy Forbes led the Bruins (5-9, 3-5) with 21 kills.

Whitworth jumped to leads of 10-4 in the second game, 12-6 in third and 13-6 in the fourth. The Bruins won the third game 15-12 by scoring the final nine points.

Carly O’Halloran had 32 assists and 6 digs, and hit a match-best .571 to lead Cal Poly San Luis Obispo (9-5, 3-2) to a 3-0 sweep of visiting Idaho in the Big West Conference.

The Mustangs had 10 aces to Idaho’s two. Jenny and Heather Kniss had 12 kills apiece for the Vandals (11-4, 2-2).

Idaho will play its only two home matches of October next week.

Men’s soccer

Doug Lupton recorded his sixth shutout of the season and Whitworth (6-3-2, 2-2-2) broke a four-match winless streak by defeating defending Northwest Conference champion Puget Sound 2-0 at Whitworth.

Paul Johnson scored on a header at 63:30 against last year’s first-team, all-conference goalkeeper, Ryan Wittstruck. Herbert Barbosa added a late goal into the upper-left corner of the net.

The Loggers, 20-2 last season, dropped to 6-4-1, 3-2-1.

Trevor Tharp and Kellen Ward scored two goals apiece during a seven-goal outburst in the second half, leading Community Colleges of Spokane (8-3-3, 6-1-1) to a 7-1 win over Peninsula at Port Angeles, Wash.

Tharp scored on a pair of penalty kicks. Ward’s goals were deflected off his head.

The Pirates are 0-6 in the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges.

Women’s soccer

Whitworth’s scoreless streak grew to 3-1/2 matches with a 3-0 loss to visiting Puget Sound (7-1-1, 5-1) in a Northwest Conference match.

Julie Louis and Anne Giesa of the Loggers scored early goals to put the Pirates (3-5-2, 1-4-1) in a hole. Although she allowed all three goals, Pirates goalkeeper Stacey Roberts made a season-high 13 saves.

Cross country

Jenny Rodgers of CCS placed 16th in the women’s race and Todd Fayant of CCS finished 24th in the men’s race at the 26th annual Willamette Invitational at Salem’s Bush’s Pasture Park.

Rodgers ran the 5,000 meters in 18 minutes, 43.24 seconds. Fayant completed the 8,000 in 25:06.65.

The CCS men finished eighth of 10 teams in the small college/club division. The CCS women finished 10th.

Junior hockey

Jason Croudy, George Judge and Ross Simmor each turned in two-goal efforts to lead Beaver Valley to an 8-2 victory over the visiting Spokane Braves in KIJHL play.

Bennett Bursick and Chase Decker found the net for Spokane.

Andre Niec and R.B. Robbins each scored twice and goalie Danny King tallied 50 saves as the Liberty Lake Lumberjacks rolled to a 7-5 victory over the Puget Sound Kings in NPJHL action at Ice World.

Robbins added three assists for the Lumberjacks.