36-0. That’s the final record of Linn-Benton’s volleyball team, who finished their undefeated season with a 3-1 victory over the North Idaho Cardinals in the NWAC Championship game on November 19.
The Beaks went on a strong run in the NWAC Elite Eight over the weekend, defeating Skagit Valley 3-0 on Friday and Highline 3-2 on Saturday before their win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Besides their championship victory, the Roadrunners volleyball team amassed several individual accolades last week as well. On November 15, the NWAC All-Region awards were announced for the sport. Five LBCC athletes were honored as well as volleyball head coach Jayme Frazier. Grace Boeder was named the NWAC South’s most valuable player while Maddy Hellem and Brooklyn Willard both made the NWAC South first team. Kinsey Brelage and Meah Carley were named to the second team and third team, respectively, while Frazier was named the Coach of the Year.
But the awards didn’t stop there. The LBCC squad received tournament-specific honors as well. Boeder won Tournament MVP while Hellem and Grace Luttrell were named first-team all-tournament. Brelage was named to the second team.
The Beaks entered the 2023 season with massive expectations. At the end of the 2022 season, LBCC was riding a 19-game winning streak and their second consecutive NWAC Championship, ending that season with a 34-1 record.
But coach Jayme Frazier and the Roadrunners managed to outdo their incredible 2022 in 2023, finishing with a perfect 36-0 record. Now, their multi-season winning streak stands at 55, with three straight NWAC Championship titles. It was an unforgettable season to say the least.
First week of basketball in the books
In addition to LBCC volleyball’s success last week, the school’s two basketball teams added to their win columns as well. On the opening day of the season, both the men’s and women’s teams recorded victories. The men defeated Linfield JV 88-82 while the women defeated Pierce College 62-52.
Both teams took to the court the next day, November 18. The women won once again, defeating Centralia 53-43. However, the men were unable to beat Lower Columbia, the third-ranked team in the NWAC. The Beaks fell to the Red Devils 75-49.
The results of the weekend left the women’s team with a 2-0 record. Freshman forward Natalia McBride currently leads the team with 24 points over that span, while freshman guard BettyAnn Wilson has recorded a team-best 16 rebounds.
As for the men, they sit at 1-1. Sophomore forward TJ Zimmermann leads the squad in both points and rebounds over those two games, with 52 and 27, respectively, including a monster 41-point performance against Linfield. Freshman guard Michael Lundy is second on the team with 25 points over that span.
Both teams won’t play again until after the week of Thanksgiving. On Tuesday, November 28, the women will take on a University of Oregon club team at 5:30 p.m. while the men will take on Corban JV at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be at the LBCC Activities Center on the Albany Campus.
Overall, LBCC teams played in a total of seven games over the last week, going a combined 6-1 over that span, including an NWAC title and 10 individual honors. That’s a great week for LBCC athletics.
