No Complaints on Travel Plans by Azusa Pacific

For the Azusa Pacific women’s volleyball team, it was simply a case of questionable timing.

Had the Cougars reached the National Assn. of Intercollegiate Athletics tournament in either of the last two seasons, they would have played in Hawaii.

Instead, they made it this year and will go to Ft. Hays State in Hays, Kan., for the 20-team 1991 NAIA national tournament, starting Thursday.

Hays, about 175 miles northwest of Wichita, may not be as enchanting or picturesque as Hawaii, but Azusa Pacific Coach Lori Kildal isn’t complaining.

“We were hoping we could get (to Hawaii) last year, but we just didn’t have the horses,” she said. “But we don’t care where it’s at. Just to be there is a big honor.”

It will be the first trip to the NAIA tournament for the Cougars since they won the national title in 1980--the year the NAIA first held a tournament in the sport.

The Cougars (30-7) are seeded sixth. They will open pool play Thursday against Seton Hill (29-13) of Greensburg, Pa.

Other teams in Azusa’s pool are third-seeded Montevallo of Alabama (41-5); Northern Montana (37-4) and Presbyterian of South Carolina. The top two teams in each of four pools advance to Friday’s quarterfinals. The semifinals and final are scheduled Saturday.

Brigham Young Hawaii (23-1), which defeated Azusa Pacific twice in a season-opening tournament, is the top-seeded team. The Cougars have also faced two other schools in the tournament, Ft. Hays and Fresno Pacific, and Kildal thinks her team has as good a chance as any team in the tournament.

“We lost to BYU, but we hung in there with them,” she said. “I don’t see us as not being able to compete with the best.”

For Kildal, the appearance in the tournament demonstrates the steady progress the Cougars have made in her five years as coach. Two years ago, Azusa reached the District 3 quarterfinals, and last year the team reached the semifinals.

After defeating Fresno Pacific for the district title, the Cougars advanced to the NAIA tournament with a four-game victory over Mesa State of Colorado in bi-district play Nov. 23.

Kildal says she had a good feeling about the team’s chances as early as last spring.

“Last spring was when I knew they had that kind of capability,” she said. “You talk about it and look at what kind of players you’ve got and feel like you have a good chance. But you don’t really know until you start playing.”

It doesn’t hurt to have a player with the ability of senior middle hitter Lenee Hill, who transferred from the University of Florida and was recently named District 3 player of the year.

“We definitely were looking for a strong leader on the court, and she has really helped with her skill and her level of play,” Kildal said.

The Cougars have also maintained a strong supporting cast with outside hitters Stacy Goldsberry and Stephanie Benitez and setter Sheri Duffy.

Kildal believes playing in Kansas instead of Hawaii will help the team maintain its focus. “It’s always important that we come to play and not just for sightseeing,” she said. “It’s not a vacation. We’re going there to compete for the championship.”

Since the arrival of Coach David Rubio five years ago, the Cal State Bakersfield women’s volleyball team has grown accustomed to reaching the NCAA Division II playoffs.

After missing the playoffs in his first season, Rubio’s teams have earned postseason berths the last four years. The Roadrunners lost in regional play in 1988, won the national title in 1989 and finished third last season.

Bakersfield will bid for its second title when it competes in the Division II tournament Saturday through Monday at West Texas State University in Canyon, Tex.

The Roadrunners (26-9) begin the eight-team tournament ranked No. 4. Bakersfield, which defeated California Collegiate Athletic Assn. rival Cal Poly Pomona in the regional final last Saturday, will meet seventh-ranked North Dakota State (33-4) in its tournament opener.

Rubio gives much of the credit for his success to Coach Walt Ker at Cal State Northridge, the school at which he got his start as a college coach.

“My background is from that area and when (Northridge was) in Division II, they used to make the final four nearly every year,” Rubio said. “So I’m used to it, and I owe a lot of my success to Walt Ker. I’ve been very fortunate because of my association with Northridge and Walt. I’ve seen what got him there and what it took to keep them there.”

Rubio, who has a 120-64 record at Bakersfield, said he starts each season with the same lofty ambitions that Ker had when Northridge was in Division II.

“The goal each year is certainly to put yourself in a position to get to (the national tournament) every year,” Rubio said. “I take a look at the team after every season and evaluate them to try and keep them at the same level every year.”

The coach thinks the Roadrunners have every bit as much ability as Bakersfield’s recent teams, although it does not figure to be an easy road to the title.

Bakersfield will open against a North Dakota State squad that defeated the Roadrunners in the semifinals last season. North Dakota State has finished in the top three in Division II five years in a row.

The winner will probably earn a semifinal matchup against top-ranked Portland State, a perennial power in Division II.

Bakersfield has been led by senior setter Tami Jurgensen, who was named CCAA player of the year. Rubio was chosen conference coach of the year. Other standouts for the Roadrunners include middle blocker Katie Deisinger and middle blocker and outside hitter Rachel Morton.

College Division Notes

Cal Poly Pomona women’s basketball Coach Darlene May reached a milestone with her 450th victory, a 59-57 decision over Western Washington, last week. May, who has a 451-104 record in her 18th season with the Broncos, is fourth in victories among active NCAA coaches and the top three coaches are in Division I. Pomona is in Division II. . . . Quarterback Willie Reyna of La Verne, who led the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in passing yardage, has been named the conference offensive player of the year. Linebacker Brett Wixom, who helped spark Redlands to its second consecutive conference title, was chosen defensive player of the year.

Middle hitter Lenee Hill, who helped Azusa Pacific to the NAIA District 3 volleyball title and its first berth in the NAIA national tournament since 1980, has been selected District 3 player of the year and Azusa Pacific’s Lori Kildal was honored as coach of the year. . . . The Cal Poly San Luis Obispo women’s cross-country team won an unprecedented 10th NCAA Division II title in a row as Kristina Hand finished second and Melanie Hiatt was third. The Mustangs have won every title since the division was formed for women’s cross-country in 1982.