GONZAGA VOLLEYBALL 2006 2006 GONZAGA VOLLEYBALL Q UICK FACTS Head Coach............ Kip Yoshimura Alma Mater.. Long Beach State University Year Graduated................. 1990 Gonzaga Record........ 22-96 (4 Years) Career Record....... 273-168 (13 Years) Phone................. (509) 323-6376 Email.. yoshimura@athletics.gonzaga.edu Assistant Coach......... Kari St. Martin Alma Mater.. Central Washington University Year Graduated................. 2002 Years at Gonzaga............. 5th year Phone................. (509) 323-4041 Email.... stmartin@athletics.gonzaga.edu Assistant Coach...........Abby Cullen Alma Mater........... Gonzaga University Year Graduated................. 2003 Years at Gonzaga.......... First season Phone................. (509) 323-5837 Email..... cullen@athletics.gonzaga.edu 2005 Record................................... 10-21 2005 WCC Record......................... 2-12 (T7th) Letterwinners Returning/Lost (Starters)........ 10/5 (4/2) Years in NCAA/Last........................... 1/1990 Years in WIVA/Last............................ 1/1989 All-Time Record.......... 218-389 (Division I since 1986) Volleyball Fax.......................... (509) 323-5787 G ONZAGA U NIVERSITY Q UICK FACTS Location..................... Spokane, WA 99258-0066 Founded....................................... 1887 Enrollment.................................... 6,108 Nickname............................. Bulldogs / Zags School Colors.................... Navy Blue, White, Red Home Court...................... Martin Centre (2,000) Affiliation........................... NCAA Division I Conference...................... West Coast Conference President........................ Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J. Alma Mater/Year.............. Gonzaga University, 1974 Athletic Director........................... Mike Roth Alma Mater/Year............. Willamette University, 1980 Athletic Department Phone.............. (509) 323-4202 Ticket Office Phone..................... (509) 323-6000 Volleyball SID.............................. Liz Smith Volleyball SID Phone.................... (509) 323-5484 Volleyball SID Cell Phone............... (434) 390-3635 Volleyball SID Fax...................... (509) 323-5730 Volleyball SID Email......... smith@athletics.gonzaga.edu Volleyball Press Row Phone.............. (509) 323-4224 G ONZAGA V OLLEYBALL TEAM P HILOSOPHY Gonzaga University and its volleyball program pride itself in developing top student-athletes to their utmost potential both on the court and in the classroom. Student-athletes are expected to earn a top level education, gain lifetime experiences and friendships and, as an athlete, compete with a fierce intensity on the court that reflects well on Gonzaga University, its coaching staff and fellow Bulldog teammates. At Gonzaga one has the opportunity to become a top level NCAA Division I player as the program competes in one of the nation s top conferences. The Bulldogs coaching staff strives to identify and recruit highly motivated players who are dedicated student-athletes and can work within the Gonzaga team system in order to help the program become one that is immediately recognized as one of the nation s elite programs. TABLE O F C ONTENTS Section Page Gonzaga Quick Facts.............................. 1 Head Coach Kip Yoshimura........................ 2 Assistant Coaches................................ 3 2006 Outlook.................................... 4 2006 Roster..................................... 5 Gonzaga Veterans.............................. 6-15 Gonzaga Newcomers.......................... 15-17 2005 Results and Statistics........................ 18 2006 Opponents.............................. 19-21 All-Time Series................................. 22 Record Book................................. 23-24 Gonzaga All-Time Roster......................... 25 Gonzaga All-Stars............................... 26 Gonzaga Honor Roll............................. 27 Year-by-Year Results.......................... 28-29 West Coast Conference........................ 30-31 Gonzaga University Information................. 32-37 Gonzaga Athletic Staff......................... 38-43 Media Information............................... 44 2006 GONZAGA VOLLEYBALL 1
HEAD COACH KIP YOSHIMURA KIP YOSHIMURA Head Volleyball Coach Kip Yoshimura, an assistant volleyball coach at Gonzaga University in 1992, returned to the Bulldogs in 2002 as the fourth head coach in Gonzaga's NCAA Division I history. Yoshimura had been the head coach at Lewis-Clark State College in nearby Lewiston, Idaho, for the previous nine years, compiling a 251-72 record for a.777 winning percentage. The Warriors qualified for the NAIA National Tournament five times, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1996 and to the semifinals in 1998. The 1996 squad posted a school-best 35-4 record, with the 1998 club finishing 32-7. "We had some outstanding candidates, but we believe Kip is the best coach for Gonzaga," athletic director Mike Roth said. "He is familiar with Gonzaga, the region and the West Coast, but he is also connected nationally. He has been a NCAA Division I assistant, and he has had outstanding success at the national level for LCSC. We're excited about having Kip return to Gonzaga." Yoshimura accepted the new challenge with enthusiasm. "I'm excited to be back at Gonzaga. I've continued to follow the program since I left, and I look forward to helping Gonzaga return to the upper echelons of the West Coast Conference. The WCC is an excellent conference and I'm confident we can attract the type of student-athletes we want at Gonzaga to help us achieve the goal of returning Bulldogs volleyball to prominence." After joining the Frontier Conference for the 1999 season the Warriors captured two regular-season titles. LCSC won three Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference titles (1994, 1996, 1997) and the 1996 and 1999 NAIA/Pacific Northwest Region championships. The Warriors were also NAIA Region/District runners-up three times. The Warrior volleyball program was ranked nationally in the NAIA polls for nine straight seasons, maintaining a Top 10 NAIA WWW.GOZAGS.COM GONZAGA NCAA DIVISION I HEAD COACHES Coach Years Record (WCC) Kip Yoshimura 2002-05 22-96 (5-51) Eva Windlin-Jansen 1996-01 42-113 (21-105) Sean Madden 1987-96 139-162 (68-66) Sheri McNeal 1986 15-18 (N/A) ranking throughout the 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999 seasons. His players earned several All-America athletic and academic awards at LCSC. Yoshimura was named the 1999 Frontier Conference Coach of the Year, and in 2001 was named the Frontier Conference and NAIA Region I Coach of the Year in leading the Warriors to a 27-5 record. It was his sixth Region honor. A native of San Jose, Calif., he started his coaching career as a student assistant in 1983 for the women's team at West Valley College in Saratoga, Calif. During the 1988 and 1989 seasons he was an assistant for the Cal State-Long Beach women's program that compiled a 58-12 record and won the 1989 NCAA Division I National Championship. In 1991 he was the top assistant at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, and then spent the 1992 season at Gonzaga prior to joining the Warriors. During the spring of 1991, Yoshimura was selected as an assistant coach to train in Kobe, Japan, with former USA National Team head coach Arie Selinger and a select group of collegiate coaches and athletes. Yoshimura, a graduate of Cal State University, Long Beach (B.S., Mechanical Engineering), also enjoyed a successful playing career. As a starting setter for West Valley College men's team, he helped guide the program to a 31-5 record during the 1983 and 1984 seasons, gaining All-Northern California honors his sophomore year. At San Jose State University, Yoshimura spent two years as the starting setter for the SJSU Men's Intercollegiate Club team. 2 KIP YOSHIMURA S COLLEGIATE COACHING RECORD YEAR SCHOOL RECORD CONF. REC. CONF. FIN. OTHER 1993 Lewis-Clark State College 23-14 ----- ----- NAIA Regional 1994 Lewis-Clark State College 25-15 N/A 1st NAIA Nationals 1995 Lewis-Clark State College 28-7 N/A 2nd NAIA Regional 1996 Lewis-Clark State College 35-4 N/A 1st NAIA Nationals 1997 Lewis-Clark State College 28-8 N/A 1st NAIA Nationals 1998 Lewis-Clark State College 32-7 N/A 1st (West) NAIA Nationals 1999 Lewis-Clark State College 32-6 12-0 1st NAIA Nationals 2000 Lewis-Clark State College 21-6 9-3 T 2nd NAIA Regional 2001 Lewis-Clark State College 27-5 13-1 1st NAIA Regional 2002 Gonzaga University 4-24 2-12 T7th 2003 Gonzaga University 4-26 1-13 T7th 2004 Gonzaga University 4-25 0-14 8th 2005 Gonzaga University 10-21 2-12 T7th Career All Schools (13 years) 273-168 (.619) Inc. ----- 9 NAIA Tournaments Career Lewis-Clark State (9 years) 251-72 (.777) Inc. ----- 9 NAIA Tournaments Career Gonzaga (4 years) 22-96 (.186) 5-51 (.089)
GONZAGA VOLLEYBALL 2006 KARI ST. MARTIN Assistant Coach Kari St. Martin enters her fifth season as an assistant coach on Kip Yoshimura s coaching staff after working the 2001 season as a student-assistant coach at Central Washington University. St. Martin spent one season as an assistant coach at Central Washington after a successful playing career for the Wildcats. During the 2001 season CWU finished second in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and was ranked No. 7 in the Pacific Region. As a player at Central Washington, St. Martin was the Wildcats starting setter for the 1999 and 2000 seasons. She was named to the All-GNAC first team in 2000 after earning second team honors in 1999. St. Martin finished her playing career as the school record holder in assists per game (11.65) and aces per game. Prior to attending CWU, St. Martin played one season at Yakima Community College earning first-team All- Northwest Athletic Association of Community College honors in 1996. She was also named a second team junior college All-American at YVCC. A 2002 graduate of Central Washington, St. Martin is the club director for Spokane Storm Volleyball Club, which has gone to nationals the past three years. ABBY CULLEN Assistant Coach Abby Cullen returns to her alma mater and enters her first season as an assistant coach with Gonzaga University in 2006. She previously was an assistant coach for one season at Central Washington University. Cullen, a four-year starter for the Bulldogs from 2000-03, ranks in the top 10 in the Zags career record book for block assists (3rd, 341), block solos (3rd, 87), total blocks (3rd, 428), total kills (4th, 1,140), attack attempts (7th, 2,917) and games played (8th, 400). She also holds the single-match record for total blocks in a game with 15 and assisted blocks with 13; both recorded against Portland in 2002. While an assistant with Central Washington, Cullen helped guide the Wildcats to the 2005 Great Northwest Athletic Conference championship and to the second round of the NCAA Division II regionals. Central Washington closed out the season with a 23-5 overall record, including a 16-2 finish in conference. A 2003 graduate from Gonzaga with a bachelor of science degree in sociology, Cullen has also been a coach for the Gonzaga volleyball summer camp for the past five years. VOLLEYBALL COACHING STAFF 3
2006 VOLLEYBALL OUTLOOK Many coaches would be apprehensive going into the 2006 season without any seniors on its roster, but not fifth-year Gonzaga University head coach Kip Yoshimura. Our team is veteran heavy even though we are senior-less this season, said Yoshimura. Our sophomores and juniors combine for more than 60 percent of the squad. The five juniors, who each made a significant impact for us last year, are all back and definitely bring leadership and experience into this season. The five juniors who will be looked upon to play a vital role for Gonzaga volleyball this season are outside hitter Becky Jones, middle blocker Briawna Mueller, setters Heather Dunn and Megan Thompson, and libero Alecia Douglas. Jones earned West Coast Conference honorable mention accolades in 2005 and led the Bulldogs with 4.10 kills and 2.92 digs per game. Her 471 total kills in 2005 was sixth best for a single-season at Gonzaga. Mueller dominated above the net, racking up 131 total blocks (1.14 per game), including 98 block assists and 31 solo blocks. She also contributed 245 kills. Both Becky and Briawna are coming off extremely productive sophomore seasons, explained Yoshimura. I believe both of these players are key to Bulldog volleyball having an extremely successful year. Dunn, who began her Gonzaga career as a back row defensive player, solidified herself into the starting rotation a season ago as the mainstay setter. Dunn played in all 115 games as a sophomore, finishing the season with 1,183 assists (7th all-time at Gonzaga). Her 10.29 assists per game ranked seventh in the WCC. Douglas also played in all 115 games for the Bulldogs last season, mainly as a defensive specialist. She finished with 250 digs and 29 service aces. Thompson, who is very versatile, will see time at a variety of positions this season. Heather had a strong season in 2005 as our full-time setter, said Yoshimura. After a year of learning the ropes, she jumped in and exceeded my expectations. Heather again will be looked upon to bring stability to our team. After spending the past two seasons as a defensive specialist and with the graduation of libero Jessica Herrera, Douglas will move to the libero position full-time this season. She is a hard-nose athlete who you love to have on the court, Yoshimura said. While Megan Thompson is listed as a setter/outside hitter on our roster, she will likely earn playing time as a defensive specialist this season., said Yoshimura. Her presence on the court and her leadership skills will add greatly to this season s success. In addition to the five juniors, the Bulldogs return four sophomores who all gained invaluable experience as freshmen a season ago, along with one sophomore who is making her debut after playing two seasons with the Gonzaga women s basketball squad. The sophomore class consisted of six total players, but outside hitter Michelle Boevers suffered a season-ending injury this past summer. Michelle had a stellar freshman season and we were looking forward to her having a break-out year, stated Yoshimura. Unfortunately, she suffered a knee injury late in the summer. We do, though, look forward to having her this spring and next season. Sophomores who are adding depth to the front row are middle blockers Paige Dillingham and Elaina Renius and outside hitter Tianna Tuatagaloa. Dillingham, who saw action in 53 games, closed out the 2005 season with 38 kills and 25 blocks (6 solo blocks, 19 block assists), while Tuatagaloa played in 36 games, collecting 52 kills and 10 blocks. Renius hits the volleyball court for the first time after joining the squad in the spring of 2006 after deciding not to pursue her basketball career with the Zags. Our depth in the front line this season is tremendous, explained Yoshimura. Paige and Tianna proved themselves as freshmen and will be counted on this season. We are excited about Elaina. She had a strong showing when she joined our team last spring and will be a good addition for us. Rounding out the sophomore class is outside hitter Erika Beutler 4 and defensive specialist Frances Garcia. Beutler, who played in the back court a season ago, will add depth to an already strong squad. Garcia split time with Thompson as a defensive specialist a season ago, and will continue in that roll again this season. Yoshimura has brought in a strong recruiting class for the thirdstraight year to bolster the squad. Outside hitters Emily Johnson, Layne Brosky and Michelle Koike, defensive specialists Christy Linde and Chelsea Linehan, along with middle blocker Caitlin Cozad look to solidify an already talented team. I am excited about the newcomers this year, stated Yoshimura. Each one has the ability to fight for time on the court this season. These six freshman will strengthen our team tremendously. Linde, who earned four varsity letters at Sunnyside High School, led her team in kills, aces and digs as a senior, while Linehan was named CWAC All-League and finished her season at Kiona-Benton High School with 413 kills, a.368 hitting percentage, 355 digs and 66 blocks. Both will make the transition to the defensive specialist position for the Zags. Cozad was named first-team All-Intermountain Conference her senior year after averaging double-figures in kills and blocks at Hermiston High School, while Johnson averaged 24.0 kills and 18.0 digs per match and was named All-Alpha League as a senior at Los Angeles Baptist High School. Brosky averaged 7.4 kills per match with a.460 attack percentage during her senior year and help Stockdale High School earn a No. 4 seed in the California Central Section Division I Tournament and Koike earned honorable mention All-West Catholic League as a senior at Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep. Rounding out the GU squad is freshman setter Kelsey Bashaw who will redshirt this season. With the Bulldogs strong returning players along with their talented newcomers, Gonzaga should continue to build on the success of last season and be a strong factor in the West Coast Conference in 2006. We had many successes last season, included in that is our win over Washington State, which ended a 15-year losing streak to the Cougars, and a win of WCC opponent and 25th-ranked St. Mary s, which marked the first win over a ranked opponent since the 1993 season, said Yoshimura. I believe this season we will continue to build a strong program and be a force within our conference. On the schedule this season are Gonzaga rivals Idaho, Eastern Washington and Washington State. The Bulldogs will open the season with four-straight tournaments, including the Gonzaga Volleyball Invitational that will feature Portland State, Connecticut and Gardner- Webb. Other tournaments are the Jackrabbit Kickoff Tournament hosted by South Dakota State, the Washington Tournament, which is hosted by the Huskies, the defending national champions, and the Boise State Tournament. Also on the schedule this season is 14 West Coast Conference matches, including Pepperdine, San Diego and Santa Clara, all 2005 NCAA Division I Tournament participants. We have an exciting schedule slated for this season, explained Yoshimura. We are hosting our first tournament in a couple of years. It will be great to play for a tournament championship in front of our home crowd. On the sidelines assisting Yoshimura this season is fifth-year assistant coach Kari St. Martin and first-year assistant Abby Cullen. I have a tremendous coaching staff, stated Yoshimura. Kari is an excellent coach a tremendous amount of knowledge and continuity to our program, while Abby returns to coach her alma mater after an outstanding playing career.
2006 GONZAGA V OLLEYBALL R OSTER (NUMERICAL) NO. NAME POS. HT. YR. EXP. HOMETOWN/PREVIOUS/CLUB TEAM 1 Heather Dunn S 5-10 JR 2V Sonoma, CA/Justin-Siena/Empire Juniors 2 Becky Jones OH 5-11 JR 2V Woodland, CA/Davis Senior/Gold Cal Juniors 3 Caitlin Cozad MB 6-0 FR HS Hermiston, OR/Hermiston/Columbia Juniors 4 Paige Dillingham OH/MB 5-11 SO 1V Bakersfield, CA/Stockdale/Kern River 5 Alecia Douglas LIB 5-10 JR 2V Cave Creek, AZ/Saint Mary s/arizona Juniors 7 Michelle Boevers # OH 6-0 SO 1V Edmond, OK/Edmond Santa Fe/Oklahoma Elite 8 Erika Beutler OH 5-9 SO 1V Hayward, CA/Bishop O Dowd/Golden Bear 9 Megan Thompson * OH/S 5-8 JR 2V Sequim, WA/Sequim/Sudden Impact 10 Christy Linde DS 5-7 FR HS Sunnyside, WA/Sunnyside/Velocity 11 Tianna Tuatagaloa * OH 6-0 SO 1V San Rafael, CA/San Rafael/Empire Juniors 12 Briawna Mueller MB 6-0 JR 2V Hermiston, OR/Hermiston/Columbia Juniors 13 Layne Brosky OH 6-0 FR HS Bakersfield, CA/Stockdale/Cal-West 14 Emily Johnson OH 5-10 FR HS Chatsworth, CA/Los Angeles Baptist/Santa Monica Beach 15 Michelle Koike OH/MB 5-11 FR HS San Francisco, CA/Sacred Heart Cathedral/S.F. Juniors 16 Frances Garcia DS 5-4 SO 1V Sun Valley, CA/Notre Dame/Santa Monica Beach 17 Chelsea Linehan DS 5-7 FR HS Benton City, WA/Kiona-Benton/Columbia Juniors 18 Elaina Renius * MB 6-4 SO RS Grants Pass, OR/North Valley 20 Kelsey Bashaw # S 5-11 FR HS Salem, OR/Blanchet Catholic/Salem * Indicates Redshirt Year Used # Indicates Player will Redshirt 2006 Season 2006 VOLLEYBALL OUTLOOK/2006 VOLLEYBALL ROSTER Head Coach: Assistant Coaches: Athletic Trainer: Kip Yoshimura (Long Beach State University, 1990-5th year) Kari St. Martin (Central Washington University, 2002-5th year) Abby Cullen (Gonzaga University, 2003-1st year) Leanne Stockton (Eastern Washington University, 1987-8th year) 5