Angwin, CA – Pioneer Athletics is very pleased to announce that two of our Pioneers women’s volleyball players, Heather and Tiffany Jacobson, were named members of this year’s California Pacific Conference Volleyball All Conference Team on November 11.

Tiffany Jacobson was named Freshman of the Year and placed on the All Conference First Team for her play in the 2009 season. In conference play Tiffany scored 25 kills, tallied 227 assists, scored 10 serving aces, popped up 37 defensive digs, and put up 6 solo blocks and 23 block assists. Overall, she played in 55 sets, scored 37 kills, 259 assists, 13 aces, popped up 59 defensive digs, and put up 8 solo blocks and 27 block assists. Tiffany also finished the season ranked fifth in the conference with 4.7 assists per set. She was also fifth in the conference with 0.6 blocks per set just behind her sister Heather.

Heather Jacobson was honored as a member of the Second Team All Conference. In conference play she competed in 43 sets and scored 111 kills, had 3 assists, completed 22 serving aces, popped up 51 defensive digs, and put up 12 solo blocks and 22 block assists. Overall, she played in 61 sets, scored 141 kills, tallied 8 assists, made 26 serving aces, popped up 60 defensive digs, and put up 16 solo blocks and 24 block assists. Heather finished the season ranked fifth in the conference in hitting percentage at 21%. She was third in the conference with 0.4 aces per set and fourth in the conference with 0.7 blocks per set.

Oakland, CA – The Pioneers’ hard work and determination paid off this year in a #5 slot to compete in the Quarterfinals for the Cal Pac Tournament, ultimately an opportunity to play in the National Championships. On November 11 they played against the number two team in the Cal Pac, the Hawks of Holy Names University, who they had just hosted on November 5 (losing 1-3). Not underestimating the Pioneers this time, and fuelled by the anger of a recent 2-3 loss to William Jessup University, the Hawks laid down the law, defeating the Pioneers 0-3 (25-11, 25-9, and 25-11).

The Pioneers scored 6 kills for evening: JoAnne Mauries scored 2, Jessica Simmons scored 1, Brita Widmer scored 1, Heather Jacobson scored 1, and Tiffany Jacobson also scored 1. T. Jacobson and Simmons each had 2 assists. Simmons and Amanda Richards each scored a serving ace. Richards popped up 12 defensive digs, T. Jacobson tallied 6, and Simmons had 4. To top it all off, Mauries and T. Jacobson each had a solo block.

Ashley Nickell led the Hawks with 14 kills, 3 serving aces, 5 digs, and 1 solo block. The Hawks collectively scored 41 kills, 34 assists, 11 aces, 48 digs, 2 solo blocks, and 2 block assists against the Pioneers. The Hawks will go on to play Simpson in the Semifinals on November 12, and then, if they win, go on to compete against Menlo College on November 14.

Oakland, CA – The Pioneers played their final game on the road this season against Mills College, securing their fourth win of the season. Although the first two games were close, the next two proved a decisive victory for the Pioneers, scoring 24-26, 31-29, 25-12, and 25-16.

The Pioneers were led by JoAnn Mauries with a smashing 15 kills, 3 solo blocks, and 2 block assists. Heather Jacobson scored 10 kills, had a sizzling 8 aces, put up 4 solo blocks, and had 2 block assists. Setter Tiffany Jacobson tallied 30 assists for the evening. Libero Amanda Richards popped up 22 digs, while teammate Jessica Simmons recorded 20.

Mills was led by Espinosa with 16 kills, 2 aces, and 12 digs. Teammate Allen scored 12 kills and had 3 serving aces, 15 digs, and 2 block assists. Setter Pore completed 26 assists. Jimenez kept the ball in play for Mills with 24 defensive digs.

With this final win, the Pioneers end their season with a 4-13 overall record, and 4-8 in the Cal Pac. Mills College finishes with 1-16 overall, and 0-12 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers will travel to Holy Names University on Wednesday for a first round match in the inaugural Cal Pac Women’s Volleyball Tournament. The Pioneers finish the regular season as the fifth seed while the Hawks secured the two seed.

Scotts Valley, CA – The Pioneers defeated the Bruins last night for the second time this season, but this time, they did it in three sets instead of five. Nonetheless, all three games were close ones; the final scores read 26-24, 25-23, and 25-22 in favor of the Pioneers.

Heather Jacobson and Casey Miller led the Pioneers in kills, each scored five. Tiffany Jacobson helped them out with 12 total assists, and Jessica Simmons had two. Karissa Jacobson and Amanda Richards did a good on the defensive side; Jacobson had 14 digs and Richards had 13. The Pioneers had 13 block assists for the night; JoAnn Mauries putting up four of them.

Kim Feigles led the Bruins with a whopping 15 kills and 4 aces. Setter Becky Heiner helped keep the offense alive totaling 28 assists. Lauren Koons also had two aces, and Meridith McGovert had one. On the defensive side, Koons also popped up seven digs, and Gabby Claar had eight. The Bruins had seven assisted blocks for the night.

As a result, the Pioneers season record now reads 3-11 overall and 3-6 in the conference. The Bruins are now 4-14 overall and 3-7 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers next play under the Covered Wagon on October 31 at 7:30pm where they will play host to Menlo College, the number one team in the Cal Pac.

Angwin, CA – Tonight, the Pioneers scored 26-28, 23-25, and 15-25 against Menlo College, the number one ranked team in the Cal Pac. It was a tough three games that were fought hard on both sides of the court. However, the Oaks prevailed, maintaining their perfect 10-0 record.

Heather Jacobson once again led the Pioneers with 10 kills, one ace, one solo block, and two block assists. JoAnn Mauries scored five kills, had one solo block, and put up two block assists.  Libero Amanda Richards scored two aces, and popped up nine defensive digs. Tiffany Jacobson tallied 18 assists, one ace, and three block assists. The Pioneers collectively scored 27 kills, six aces, and popped up 29 defensive digs. The Pioneers lost outside hitter Cassie Miller, for the match,  to a knee injury towards the end of the first set.

Menlo’s Deborah Bekowies pounded down 14 kills (out of her 19 total attempts), and put up one solo block. Sarah Poole scored eight kills, put up two solo blocks, and two block assists. Stephanie Williamson tallied 37 assists, two aces, popped up nine defensive digs, and put up one block assist. As a team Menlo scored 44 kills, 13 aces, and tallied 52 defensive digs.

Be sure to come cheer the Pioneers on in their last home game of the season this Thursday, November 5 at 7:00pm against Holy Names University.

Angwin, CA - The Pioneers battled hard but were soundly defeated by the Warriors of William Jessup University 0-3. The first set saw the Pioneers lose 14-25, but the second game had the fans on their feet for nearly ten rallies as both teams battled to win the set. It was the Warriors who once again proved victorious with a final score of 29-27. The third set was also close, but again the Warriors prevailed 25-22.

The Pioneers were led once again by Heather Jacobson who scored six kills, three solo blocks, and one block assist. Additionally, Brita Widmer proved a force to be reckoned with at the net, contributing five kills to the match. JoAnn Mauries also had a strong game at the net, tallying one solo block and three block assists. Casey Miller and Jessica Simmons each scored an ace for the Pioneers. Madeline Mauch stepped in for setter Tiffany Jacobson to total 11 assists and two block assists. Always there to keep the ball in play, libero Amanda Richards popped up 10 digs and Karissa Jacobson popped up eight digs of her own.

The Warriors were led by Jennifer McNamara and Geanna Foster who each scored 11 kills and two serving aces. Setter Patricia Plummer tallied 42 total assists for the match. Libero Corissa Jacomini totaled 12 digs. As a team, the victorious Warriors totaled 47 kills, 46 assists, 5 serving aces 51 defensive digs, one solo block, and 10 block assists.

The Pioneers season record now reads 2-11 overall, and 2-6 in the Cal Pac. The Warrior are now 10-7 overall, and 5-2 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers will next play on the road against Bethany University on October 29. Following that, they will host Menlo College on October 31 at 7:30pm.

Angwin, CA - In a match that resembled a teeter-totter, with numerous lead changes and neither team pulling away from each other, Simpson University ended up on top defeating the Pioneers 3-1. It was a great back and forth match as the scores of each game might indicate, 25-23, 21-25, 25-22, 25-23. The match was a battle for fourth place in the conference standings. Simpson now holds any tie-breaker against the Pioneers having won both meetings between the two teams this season.

Heather Jacobson led the Pioneers with 12 kills and added four aces. JoAnn Mauries turned in a solid performance as well with 10 kills to go along with two solo blocks and three block assists. Freshmen setter Tiffany Jacobson had a game high 33 assists on the night, along with three aces, and two blocks. While freshmen libero Amanda Richards turned in a game high 24 digs on the evening.

Simpson was led by Kelly Brown who finished with 13 kills. Assist leaders for the Red Hawks were Jenny Hopkins and Nicole Eileen who pitched in 19 and 16 assists respectively. The story of the evening was the Red Hawks defense. With the Pioneers making only nine hitting errors on the evening, it was the Red Hawks defense that allowed them the opportunity to win the match, popping up 91 digs as a team. It was Jenna Chandler leading the way with 20 digs, followed by Brown with 19, Eileen with 18, and Kristina Gibson with 16.

The Pioneers fall to 2-5, 2-10 on the season and in sixth place in the conference standings. Simpson University improves to 3-4, 3-12 and in a tie with Bethany for the fourth position in the conference standings. The Pioneers will be looking to get into the fifth spot, in order to qualify for the conference tournament. The Pioneers hit the court again on Thursday evening, when they play host to William Jessup University, at 7pm.

Angwin, CA - The Pioneers defeated Mills College this evening after a decisive 3 games, scoring 25-20, 25-14, and 25-22.

Heather Jacobson once again led the Pioneers in kills, scoring a total of eight. JoAnn Mauries and Casey Miller were close behind, each with six. Miller also scored three aces, Jessica Simmons tallied two, and the Jacobson sisters each finished with one. Setter Tiffany Jacobson finished with 22 assists while putting up two solo blocks and two block assists; H. Jacobson also had two block assists. Libero Amanda Richards had 10 digs. Karissa Jacobson and Jessica Simmons added eight digs apiece.

Mills College's Karen Espinosa had 11 kills for the match. Kirstyne Lange and Jennifer Pore each scored one ace. Noni Thomas put up the team's only two solo blocks and had one block assist, as did teammate Alissa Chasteen. Libero Isidora Jimenez tallied 18 defensive digs, and Chasteen finished with 15.

The Pioneers season record now stands at 2-9 overall, and 2-4 in the Cal Pac, while Mills College now reads 0-10 overall, and 0-6 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers next play at home on Tuesday at 5:00pm when they play host to Simpson University in a Cal Pac match.

Atherton, CA -  The Pioneers lost three consecutive games yesterday, 10-25, 12-25, and 11-25, to Menlo College, who is currently undefeated in the conference.

The Pioneers struggled to get going offensively in the match, totaling only nine total kills for the night. Heather Jacobson scored three, JoAnn Mauries with two, and Brita Widmer, Casey Miller, Cari Cordis, and Tiffany Jacobson each adding one.  The team tallied 14 defensive digs, six of them came from Jessica Simmons (who left the match with an injured ankle) and four from T. Jacobson.

Menlo scored 43 kills, 12 serving aces, 43 digs, 4 solo blocks, and 2 block assists. Katie Pendley and Deborah Bekowies each had a game high eight kills. Mia Ortiz led all players with five aces, while Brittany Sudduth popped up 11 digs.

The Pioneers fall to 1-9 overall, and 1-4 in the Cal Pac. Menlo improves to 8-9 on the season, and 4-0 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers next play at home on October 15 at 7:00pm, when they play host to Mills College.

Oakland, CA - After the elation that followed the Pioneers first victory in three years, the Pioneers went up against the third ranked team in the Cal Pac last Saturday night, losing in three consecutive games 14-25, 22-25, and 10-25.

Heather Jacobson scored eight kills for the night, 13 digs, and one ace.  Freshman Brita Widmer tallied five kills, seven digs, and one solo block. Setter Tiffany Jacobson had 17 assists and one solo block.

The Hawks were led by Ariel Carmichael and Ashley Nickell each scoring 10 kills, with Rebecca Chase capitalizing on 8 of her 12 attempts.  Nickell also scored five aces and K Coleman tallied, a game high, 14 digs.

The Pioneers season record now reads 1-8 overall, and 1-3 in the conference. Holy Names is now 6-11 overall, and 4-1 in the conference, with the lone loss coming to the conference leading Oaks of Menlo College. The Pioneers will have a quick turnaround heading to Atherton to face the Oaks tomorrow evening (Sunday).

California Pacific Conference Sports Information

Pacific Union College junior Heather Jacobson was selected as the California Pacific Conference Volleyball Player of the Week for the dates of September 28^th through October 5^th, 2009.

The Clarksville, Maryland native had 14 kills and 14 digs (and five blocks) in a 1-0 week for the Pioneers. The Pioneers beat Bethany University 3-2 on Saturday in Angwin. The win for the Pioneers was the first in volleyball competition since September 23^rd, 2006.

 Pacific Union College continues their 2009 California Pacific Conference schedule Saturday as they take on Holy Names University in Oakland.

Angwin, CA - The Pioneers defeated Bethany University after a nail-biting five games last night. In game one, the Pioneers were defeated 18-25; game two they won 25-15; games three and four each had a score of 23-25, Bethany won game three, and the Pioneers won game four. Game five was also extremely close, but the Pioneers came out victorious with a score of 15-13.

For the Pioneers, Heather Jacobson scored the match high in kills pounding down a hefty 14. Jacobson, the 6-1 junior, also tallied 14 digs, five blocks (3 solo blocks), and three aces. It was also a big night sophomore Casey Miller who put down 10 kills, popped up 18 digs, and added two aces. JoAnn Mauries had a sensational night with 12 kills, 10 digs, and two aces. Another key player to the Pioneers' success was Tiffany Jacobson who delivered 28 set assists, eight digs, and five block assists. Libero Amanda Richards also played a big role in the Pioneers defense, popping up the match high of 27 total digs.

The Pioneers controlled the net on defense with a total of 25 blocks (21 block assists and four solo blocks). Freshmen Brita Widmer led the team with a total of six block assists. The one area that looked as though it might do the Pioneers in was their struggle at the service line. The team finished with eight aces, but it was their 21 service errors that they found a way to overcome.

For the Bruins, Kim Feigles and Brittany Francis dominated their side of the court: each had 9 kills and 22 digs a piece. Setter Paige Olivo was also on top of her game with 28 set assists and 11 defensive digs. Ashley Coila had 3 solo blocks and 1 block assist. Bethany finished with a match high 97 total digs, but could not overcome their 31 attack errors.

The Pioneers, and new coach David Rai (who took over on Tuesday), are in the win column with a record of 1-7, and 1-2 in the Cal Pac Conference. The Bruins are now 2-10 overall, and 1-3 in the Cal Pac. The Pioneers will face two of the top team in the Cal Pac Conference next weekend when they travel to Holy Names University on Saturday night, with a quick turn-around on Sunday at Menlo College.

Angwin, CA - David Rai was named the Pioneers women's volleyball coach this past Tuesday, September 30. Rai is no stranger to the women's volleyball program, having served as an assistant coach in the late 1990's to 2003. "We are very fortunate to have a coach step in with the experience, skills, and character that will be positive for our student-athletes. ", said athletic director Robert Castillo. "David will bring a new and fresh approach that will help this young team develop, both on and off the court." added Castillo. There will be a more in depth profile on Coach David Rai coming later this week.

Redding, CA - The women's volleyball team made their annual trek to Redding, CA, to face off against Simpson University in their Cal Pac Conference opener last night. Both teams were in search of their first victory of the season, but only the home team would emerge with the victory on this night. The Red Hawks defeated the Pioneers 3-1 (25-10, 25-18, 15-25, 25-17).

The Red Hawks were led by Nicole Eileen and Kelly Brown who each finished with 10 kills on the night, with Kristina Gibson adding nine kills of her own to go along with 13 digs. Brown also added 10 digs, with Eileen pitching in 17 assists and nine digs, and Megan Heine finishing the match with 13 digs of her own. Jenny Hopkins also added 14 assists for the Red Hawks.

Junior Heather Jacobson led the Pioneers with 13 kills and four digs, while freshmen Tiffany Jacobson pitched in 21 assists to go along with seven kills and six digs. Pacific Union's Casey Miller and Amanda Richards led the team with eight digs each.

With the victory the Red Hawks record now stands at 1-8 overall, 1-0 in Cal Pac play, the Pioneers fall to 0-6 overall and 0-1 in the Cal Pac. Pacific Union will travel to Rocklin, CA, tomorrow night to face the Warriors of William Jessup University (5-5) in a Cal Pac match. The Pioneers will host Bethany University next Saturday night, October 3, in their home opener.

San Francisco- The Pioneers women's volleyball team travelled to San Francisco, Tuesday night to face off against San Francisco Academy of Art University (NCAA DII) in a non-conference match. The Knights swept the Pioneers in three straight games, 25-16, 25-21, 25-13. The Pioneers had the momentum and the lead in the second game, only to have the momentum stripped away by a ten minute delay, due to a scorekeeping error. The young Pioneers squad was unable to regain the momentum, thus losing the game and the match.

The Knights were led by six-foot three-inch outside hitter Dan Yang and Amy Bush who each finished the match with game highs of 12 kills, Yang also led all players with 13 digs. Setter Melissa Cheng pitched in 31 assists and five digs, with Jelena Jakovljevic adding 10 digs for the Knights.

Pacific Union was led in kills by junior outside hitter Heather Jacobson with nine kills, four aces, and four total blocks. Freshmen setter Tiffany Jacobson had a solid outing, finishing the match with 11 assists, four kilss, and six digs.

The Knights push their season record to 10-2, while the Pioneers fall to 0-5 on the young season. The Pioneers open conference play next Thursday, September 24, when they travel to Redding to face Simpson University. Pacific Union will host Bethany University in their home opener on Saturday night, October 3.

The Pioneers women's volleyball team dropped their first three matches of the season at the Cougar Classic, hosted by Azusa Pacific University. The Pioneers lost all three matches in three straight games.

The Pioneers had the tough task of opening their season against Concordia University of Irvine, currently ranked 2^nd in the nation. Concordia defeated the Pioneers 25-8, 25-4, 25-8. Beyond the stiff competition of playing a nationally ranked opponent out of the gate, the Pioneers struggled with nerves, as many of the Pioneers players experienced their first taste of collegiate volleyball.

Their second match, had them facing San Diego Christian College. San Diego Christian used 38 kills and a 35% hitting percentage to defeat the Pioneers in three straight games, 25-12, 25-12, 25-9. San Diego Christian also tallied 17 aces against only one for the Pioneers. Pacific Union was led by junior middle hitter Heather Jacobson with four kills and one solo block.

The day was capped off with their third match of the day versus Mayville State University, out of North Dakota. It was by far the most competitive match of the day for the Pioneers, with Mayville State taking the match in three games, 25-14, 25-15, 25-22. Pacific Union racked up their highest total of kills (24) of the three matches, led by Heather Jacobson with seven kills, sophomore JoAnn Mauries who added six kills, and sophomore Casey Miller who finished with five kills. Freshmen Karissa Jacobson led the team in with eight digs, while senior Cari Cordis added seven digs.

The Pioneers women's volleyball team returns to Angwin and the practice floor, for a couple of weeks, before their next match at UC Santa Cruz on September 9. The Pioneers first home match of the season will be Saturday, October 3 versus Bethany University in Cal Pac Conference match.

The Pacific Union College women's volleyball team opens the 2009 campaign this Friday at the Cougar Classic, hosted by Azusa Pacific University. The Pioneers have will open the day, playing Concordia University (currently ranked #2 in the nation), in the first of three matches in the day. The Pioneers will follow up with San Diego Christian College and conclude the day with a match against Mayville State University. The Pioneers will head home and have a couple weeks on the practice floor before hitting the court versus UC Santa Cruz on September 9.

The Pioneers are wasting no time, having reported back to campus only a week before their first match, yet over a month before classes begin on September 21. The Pioneers will play San Francisco Academy of Art on September 15 in their final pre-season match-up, before commencing conference play on September 24 at Simpson University.

The Pioneers and Coach Eli Cuenca look to improve on a tough season last year. The sophomore coach has brought in a number of new faces that look to turn things around and compete in the Cal Pac Conference on a nightly basis. The team includes seven new and talented freshmen to go along with three returning players from last year's squad. Please check back next week for a profile on all seven of the new freshmen volleyball players, led by 6'4 setter Tiffany Jacobson, sister to Krystal and Stephanie (both alums of PUC and the women's volleyball program), and current middle hitter Heather Jacobson.

This team is young and will have to fight through some growing pains. But don't tell them they can't compete with the rest. This team is a confident and determined group that is anxious to get the season started.