Saints take NWAACC

Nicole Donner

The women of the Mt. Hood Saints volleyball team were named the NWAACC Volleyball champions after defeating Clackamas Community College 30-26, 30-23, 27-30 and 30-21.

The team never lost a match throughout the three-day tournament and met up with their rivals in the finals, Clackamas. MHCC originally faced off with Clackamas in the semi-rounds and defeated them 30-28, 30-21 and 30-27. Clackamas bounced back in game 29 with their defeat of Walla Walla by 30-22 and 30-21 to face MHCC once again in the championship game.

Players recognized by the NWAACC website were Beth Perkins with 18 kills and 27 digs in the final match. Offense was led by Jean Rho with 37 assists and Chy Crichton who had 24 assists. Team captain Jamie Richards was also recognized for her 21 kills and was named the tournament’s most valuable player. Crichton, Rashelle Davenport and Kimberly Carter were also named to the All-Tournament team. Another honor the team received was for Lena Chan who was named Coach of the Year by NWAACC.

“Each girl that has come through Mt. Hood Volleyball has impacted my life in some way,” said Chan. “I have learned bits and pieces from each and have tried to compile them to make me a better coach. The girls on the team have become part of our family and I will miss them deeply.”

After five years of coaching at MHCC, this is Chan’s second NWAACC championship. Chan also lead her team to first place in 2002 and to second place in 2005.

“It feels good to set a goal as a group,” said Chan. “[We] work together even when it gets tough.”

Chan also attributes much of the team’s success to Chelsie Freeman, the team’s assistant coach. Freeman is a former team member and has assisted Portland State’s team but continues to help out at MHCC. She has participated in three volleyball NWAACC championships in the past and has assisted the team through this winning season.

“Chelsie exudes greatness and sets a great example for the members of our team,” said Chan.

The highlight of the NWAACC championship was Chan’s connection with the members of the team. She said after the championship, she was presented with a sign from the team that said “I believed in me because you believed in me.” She said watching her team grow and develop their skills on and off the court over the season has been one of her biggest accomplishments. Another is defeating many powerful teams in the league, not letting the factor of height get in the way.

“This was very important to me because as a coach, it is my job to give information about volleyball, but I feel it is more important to help girls see that they are capable of so much if they put their mind to it. We were one of the shortest teams in the conference and won the NWAACC championship in a ‘tall person’s’ sport.”

The last game for the team’s sophomores is the All-Star Match Dec. 2 at Chemeketa Community College in Salem. The first matches of the day will begin at noon with Eastern region against Southern region and Northern region against Western region. The matches are made to showcase the different teams in NWAACC.