College roundup: Former Pitman star helping Oregon
It doesn’t matter that former Pitman High School star Lindsey Vander Weide is only a sophomore for the Oregon Ducks volleyball team.
She’s already one of the leaders on a team featuring promising freshmen.
“The freshmen are amazing this season,” Vander Weide said. “I definitely think they should be higher than the No. 2-ranked class. They’re coming in and doing more than their job.”
Vander Weide, who logged a solid season as a freshman, has continued her momentum. Last week, the 6-foot-3 outside hitter was named the Pacific-12 Conference Offensive Player of the Week after noteworthy performances against Utah and Colorado. It was her first such honor at Oregon.
One improvement this season is a jump-serve.
“She’s not spinning it. She’s jump-serving,” coach Jim Moore said. “She’s also leading us in aces so that’s good.”
The Ducks (14-6, 7-4 Pac-12), ranked 20th, were beaten in five sets by Arizona on Friday night despite Vander Weide’s 13 kills.
Earlier this season, Vander Weide totaled 25 kills in a win over Cal.
Warriors sweep Gators – Cal State Stanislaus (10-12, 7-7 California Collegiate Athletic Association), sitting in fourth place in the CCAA North standings, knows the top four qualify for the league tournament. With four matches left, the Warriors helped their cause with a quick three-set win, 25-18, 25-20, 25-17, over San Francisco State (1-20, 0-13) on Saturday night at Fitzpatrick Arena.
Blair Ehrlich anchored Stanislaus’ front row with 16 kills and Taylor Massengale had 12 kills. They combined for only three hitting errors. Daryan Heathcott had eight kills.
Soccer
Stanislaus qualifies for tournament – The Stanislaus women (12-6, 6-6 CCAA), lifted by Gabriela Vargas’ goal in the 88th minute, edged San Francisco State 1-0 in the regular-season finale and qualified for the CCAA Tournament. The Warriors, seeded fifth, travel to Cal Poly Pomona on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
“When you think of where we were and where we are now, I just couldn’t be more proud of the women on this team,” coach Gabriel Bolton said. “We certainly didn’t mean to start the CCAA season 1-5, but this is our story and we are happy that (the season is) not over.”
Warrior men end season – Stanislaus (3-11-4, 1-10-1 CCAA) ended its season with a 2-0 loss at San Francisco State. The Warriors took 18 shots, one fewer than the Gators. Goalkeeper Tomas Zajfert had five saves.
Women’s golf
MJC still in second place – Modesto Junior College still sits in second place behind Sierra going into the 10th and final Big 8 Conference tournament Tuesday at Ripon’s Spring Creek Country Club. The Pirates are led by Janita Vongphoumy, who’s averaging 77 strokes per 18-hole round.
Vongphoumy shot a 71 during Thursday’s Big 8 event at Wildhawk in Sacramento.
Wrestling
Kathem remains unbeaten – MJC 184-pounder Noor Kathem pinned his opponent in the first round and improved to 17-0 as the Pirates returned home with a 39-14 Coast Conference win over Skyline. Also earning wins via pin were Juan Aguilar (141), Frank Sabala (197) and heavyweight Tristan Smith. Mark Canapi earned an 11-9 decision at 149.
Modesto meets perennial power Fresno on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at MJC Gym.
This story was originally published October 30, 2016 at 12:30 AM with the headline "College roundup: Former Pitman star helping Oregon."