"Making History" -- March 8, 2006

Statistics compiled by C. Jennings Breakey
The Western Front

The Western women’s basketball team finished its regular season Saturday with a 76-48 win at Northwest Nazarene.

The Vikings, 26-1 overall and 18-0 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, won the conference title and the NCAA Division II West Region No. 1 position. The team will host the regional tournament for the first time. This will be the Vikings eighth straight appearance in the regional tournament, which begins Friday in Carver Gym.

Player stats:

Samantha Hubbard
Position: Guard
Height: 5’6’’
Year: Senior

Key stats: Hubbard averaged 5.3 points per game and led the team with a total of 119 assists. She ranked second in the GNAC in assists, averaging 4.41 per game. Hubbard finished the season atop the GNAC in assist/turnover ratio at 2.38/1.

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Sam is an amazing defender. She wears their (opponent’s) point guard down every game.”

Kelly Dykstra
Position: Guard
Height: 5’10’’
Year: Senior

Key stats: Dykstra averaged 13.2 points per game this season and finished first in the GNAC in field goal percentage, hitting 55 percent from the field. She also contributed from the three-point range, shooting 38.7 percent from behind the arc.

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Kelly does it all — plays good defense, can score both outside and in, and is a great leader on the team.”

Courtney Clapp
Position: Center

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Height: 5’11’’
Year: Senior

Key stats: Clapp led the team in scoring with 13.8 points per game, sixth in the GNAC, and she pulled down 5.7 rebounds per game. She shot 53.3 from the field, third in GNAC, and was named to three all-tournament teams this season.

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Courtney scores inside and out, and is a player who really steps up.”

Tina Donahue
Position: Forward
Height: 6’0’’
Year: Senior

Key stats: Donahue averaged 13.6 points per game this season. Her 42.1 percent three-point shooting led the team, and was good enough for fourth in the GNAC. She also led the team in free-throw percentage with 79.5.

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Tina always guards the best offensive player on the other team, so I think she does it at both ends of the floor. She’s a very unselfish player.”

Mollie Stelmack
Position: Guard
Height: 5’11’’
Year: Junior

Key stats: Stelmack averaged 10.3 points per game and shot 38.4 percent from beyond the arc. Her free-throw percentage was 75.6.

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Mollie can really get our team pumped up. She’s a great shooter and does a good job of creating on the court. She is very encouraging and gets people excited.”

Liz McCarrell
Position: Forward
Height: 5’11’’
Year: Sophomore

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Liz can really change the pace of the game when she comes on the court. She’s a good driver and has been hitting some threes.”

Willow Cabe

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Position: Center
Height: 6’1’’
Year: Freshman

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Willow is an incredible athlete with a real promising future. She is starting to step up more now that she’s getting more comfortable with the program.”

Claire Pallansch
Position: Forward
Height: 6’1’’
Year: Freshman

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Claire comes into the post and really improved on her defense this year, and to me, isn’t playing like a freshman. She goes in and owns the boards.”

Elyse Hartman
Position: Guard
Height: 5’8’’
Year: Sophomore

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “Elyse is really starting to come on now. She’s got a good ability to score inside and out, and she’s a good passer.”

Stephanie Dressel
Position: Center
Height: 6’2’’
Year: Senior

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “She has had the most amazing attitude about her (torn anterior cruciate ligament). She has worked hard, our team loves her, she’s been so supportive, so selfless, and just a key part of our team.”

Krista Lersch
Position: Forward/Center
Height: 6’2’’
Year: Freshman

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “She comes to practice every day to work hard. She has been amazing on the end of the bench, encouraging her team.”

Krystal Robinson
Position: Forward
Height: 6’2’’
Year: Junior

Coach Dolfo’s quote: “She is the fire and spark of our team. She’s loud, gets people going, upbeat, and she gives people confidence.”

Chris Joseph Taylor / The Western Front

Western’s women’s basketball team circles around head coach Carmen Dolfo during practice Jan. 19 in Carver Gym.

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