Orlandinis both doing share for volleyball squads
GLENDALE — The following are updates on area athletes at the collegiate level.
Jenna Orlandini (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2009) Washington redshirt freshman libero/defensive specialist: Getting her first taste of NCAA Division I volleyball, the former Tologs standout has fared well, as have her Huskies.
The Huskies, ranked No. 8 in the country, are 2-0 with easy sweeps of Mercer and Eastern Washington on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Orlandini played in all six sets.
Against Eastern Washington on Saturday, she had four digs and against Mercer had a team-high nine to go with a pair of assists.
Washington returns to action on Friday in the Northwest Challenge against Portland State.
Samantha Orlandini (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2008) Cal State Northridge junior setter: Despite a tremendous outing from Orlandini in which she had 47 assists, five digs and four kills, the Matadors remained winless through three matches after a 22-25, 25-23, 21-25, 25-23, 19-17 loss to Northern Colorado on Saturday.
Orlandini played all five sets, but split time in the previous two matches, playing in just two of the team’s previous six sets.
Still, for the season thus far, she leads the team with 68 assists, an average of 9.71 per set and a .895 set percentage. She’s also tallied six kills and seven digs.
The Matadors look to garner their first win of the season this weekend when they head to the Sacramento State Invitational.
Tori Baldridge (Crescenta Valley High, 2009) Long Beach State freshman defender: The former high school All-American and All-Area Girls’ Soccer Player of the Year made her return to the soccer field on Aug. 20, recording a shot on goal in Long Beach State’s 2-0 loss to Brigham Young University, which was then ranked 14th in the country.
Baldridge received a scholarship to play at Kansas out of high school, but due to an injury leading into her freshman season and the program’s handling of the situation, Baldridge moved on to Long Beach.
Currently, the 49ers are on a three-match winning streak, having defeated Fresno State, 1-0, and following that up with 2-1 victories over top-25 ranked squads Washington State and Virginia Tech at the Aggieland Invitational Tournament, with Long Beach State moving into the No. 24 spot in the Soccer America rankings
Long Beach, currently 3-1, has a two-game homestand, hosting Utah State on Friday before a Sunday tilt with Sacramento State.
Baldridge has played in three of four games thus far.
Sinead Fleming (Flintridge Sacred Heart Academy, 2009) New Mexico University sophomore defender: Fleming and the Lobos are off to a torrid start, as the former All-Area and All-Mission League honoree has started in all four games this season during a 3-0-1 beginning for New Mexico.
During the team’s season opener, a 7-0 dismantling of Montana on Aug. 20, Fleming nabbed an assist, her first and only point of the season.
Fleming has been a starting cog in a stellar defense thus far, one that has allowed just one goal in four games. The only blemish was in a 1-1 double-overtime tie against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
New Mexico bounced back with a 1-0 overtime goal against Marquette on Sunday.
The Lobos are off until Friday, when they host rival New Mexico State.
Frances Boukidis (Crescenta Valley High, 2010) Northern Illinois freshman midfielder/forward: The reigning Pacific League Most Valuable Player has quickly worked her way into some major playing time with the Huskies.
Boukidis has played in all three of her team’s matches, as the Huskies are 2-1 and she got her first start in a 3-2 win over Northern Iowa on Sunday.
Boukidis is still looking for her first points of the season. NIU is back in action at Loyola on Sunday.