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Saints volleyball captains sign with Knights
The Advocate
Sophomore volleyball co-captains Caitlyn McCall and BriAnne Culbertson signed letters of intent April 1 to attend Warner Pacific College located in Southeast Portland.
Athough McCall and Culbertson said they would miss their teammates, they are excited to start at their new college.
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“I had been talking with the coach (at Warner Pacific College) since September and October and I went to a couple practices and a few of their games,” said McCall. “I really like the program.”
Culbertson said, “It’s going to be an easy transition.” She said she has prior experience playing for Warner Pacific’s head volleyball coach Kim Pierce.
Pierce is a former player at Portland State University and was an assistant coach at Warner Pacific College for two years before becoming the head coach.
Culbertson said that when she heard that McCall was going to play for Warner Pacific, she contacted the coach by e-mail to see if they needed any defensive players. After Culbertson came to practice with the team, Pierce offered her the position.
McCall started her college volleyball career at Oregon State University, but after one year she came to play for the Saints.
In the year she played at OSU, McCall played very little and asked the coach to red-shirt her (sit out for the season) but he declined. This cost her a year of eligibility in volleyball when the team went 0-18 in the Pac-10.
“I didn’t have a good experience with the way they ran the program at OSU. It was just not a good fit,” said McCall.
McCall moved back home to Gresham and was offered a job to coach the seventh grade varsity volleyball team at H.B. Lee Middle School.
After a year of coaching, McCall returned to playing volleyball when she was accepted to play volleyball at MHCC.
“It’s definitely different coaching than playing,” said McCall. “It definitely benefited me as a player.”
Culbertson, who coaches volleyball to 16- and 17-year-olds, added, “Coaching gives you the opportunity to know what you can improve on the court. It refreshes your memory.”
The women ended their MHCC season in last place in the Southern Region with a 1-9 record.
McCall and Culbertson said they did not choose to go to Warner Pacific just for the volleyball program (Warner Pacific ended their 2008 season with a 7-14 record).
“I like the academics they offer all the way around,” said McCall.