Coaches pick WSU women ninth in Pac-10

The Washington State University women’s basketball team was picked to finish ninth in the Pacific-10 Conference in 2008-09, according to a preseason poll voted on by the league’s head coaches.

The Cougars received 20 points, ahead of 10th-place Arizona, who received 16 points. Stanford ranked first in the poll, receiving six first-place votes and 78 total points. California was the only other team to receive first-place votes (four), finishing second in the poll with 76 points. Arizona State was third followed by USC, UCLA, Oregon, Washington and Oregon State.

The Cougars host their first exhibition of the season Sunday against Showtime Basketball at 6 p.m. at Friel Court. They open the regular season at Texas Tech on Nov. 16.

College volleyball

Eastern Washington University junior outside hitter Hayley Hills was named the Big Sky Conference Volleyball Player of the Week after leading the Eagles to three successive home wins, two in league play. Most notable of her three performances was a 30-kill output in a win over Idaho State on Thursday. That is the most kills by an NCAA Division I player this year in a four-set match and is the highest kill total by a Big Sky player in a contest of any length in 2008. For the week’s three matches, she averaged 5.73 kills per set and hit .310 (63-18-145), while also averaging 2.55 digs per set, second on the team in that category behind libero Mandy Daniels. The Eagles will be at Montana on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Men’s soccer

Whitworth freshman forward Eddy Prugh was selected Northwest Conference offensive player of the week. Prugh scored the Pirates’ only goal in a tie with Pacific Lutheran, and scored the match-winner in a win over Puget Sound that kept Whitworth in first place in the NWC standings.

Women’s golf

Community Colleges of Spokane won the Columbia Basin Invitational at Horn Rapids Golf Course in Richland with a team score of 521, 13 strokes better than second-place North Idaho. CCS began the day 8 strokes back.

Katie Sorenson of CCS had the top individual score, shooting a 167 over two rounds at the par-72 course.