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by Alaina Arp
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Women's Volleyball Season
Tough but Good
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The MBC women play offense on their home court as
Hanna Duke sets for Kim Drechsel. --Multnomah Athletic Department, photo
The Multnomah Bible College volleyball team faced many adversities this fall, playing scholarship teams and winning only one game.
Jessica Ubel, the team's head coach since 2004, attributed the team's challenging season to lack of experience, skill and height.
According to Coach Ubel, in this past season eight out of 13 women on the team were playing their first season at MBC. The large number of inexperienced players added to the team's challenges.
Another contributing factor was that the MBC team was usually pitted against scholarship teams and teams from higher divisions, which made winning all the more difficult, Coach Ubel said. If the MBC team had played more teams from its division, it would have done better.
The MBC team also had to play part of the season without its head coach. Coach Ubel was on maternity leave Sept. 24 through Oct. 15, and assistant Alyssa Mueller stepped up as head coach. Coach Ubel said Coach Mueller did a phenomenal job, but the team had to adjust to different coaching styles.
The volleyball team's first game of the season was a scrimmage with Warner Pacific, which MBC lost. Jerren Jafarbay, who plays middle position, said the game against Warner Pacific set the tone for the season. "It showed me how tough the season was going to be, but we could play up to their level if we tried," she said.
The match against Umpqua Community College in October was influential in the team's season, Coach Ubel said. MBC beat Umpqua 30-15 in the first game, but the team's performance deteriorated, and MBC lost the match. Coach Ubel said MBC could have won the match had the team had more endurance.
In Nebraska, MBC played against its toughest opponent, Grace University, the second-place champions of the National Christian College Athletic Association, division two. MBC won the third game out of four against Grace University. Coach Ubel said she thought that the MBC team winning a game against the NCCAA second place champions was a big deal.
Although MBC lost the match, Jafarbay said that performance-wise, the game was a triumph. "We played as a team," Jafarbay said, "the best we'd ever played."
MBC earned its only win of the season in a game against Nebraska Technology School. Jafarbay attributes this success to a strong offense.
Next season, Jafarbay said she would like to see the team continue to improve its offense. Coach Ubel said the team needs work on accurate passing. Both Coach Ubel and Jafarbay said they need more tall players on the team.
Jafarbay said that although the season was tough, it was good. She said the team had a strong defense, strong serving and receiving, and good setters. "I've never played on a team with so many amazing women before," she said.
Coach Ubel agreed, saying a great group of women had come together on the team. She said the captains, Kim Dreschel and Hanna Duke, were the backbone of the team.
The MBC women's volleyball team included Hanna Duke, Kimberly Dreschel, Jerren Jafarbay, Kelly Harder, Kara Jackson, Sally Duke, Brook Williamson, Laura Connick, Chrissy Aanuk, Sally Dubos, Joy Huff, Carolyn Barger and Liz Clemens.
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