Big Bend looks to break into the NWAC tournament

MOSES LAKE - Big Bend volleyball is right on the cusp of ending a playoff drought that has lasted a decade.

Viking volleyball last made the NWAC tournament in 2004 when the team defeated Yakima Valley in the East Region playoffs before losing their first two matches at NWACs.

Last season, Big Bend finished in a three-way tie for the final playoff berth with Yakima Valley and Columbia Basin, but was shut out of the tournament due to losing the season series with the Yaks.

With a wealth of experience (seven returning players) and a new head coach (Steve Duncan from Central Washington University), the Vikings expect to exorcise their playoff demons in 2014.

Big Bend scrimmaged at Yakima Valley on Monday, which afforded Duncan a look at how his team stacks up with the East Region elite.

"It's going to be a tough region for sure," he said. "It's pretty consistent with that I've known with the eastern region, but you can't really count any team out this early in the season based on their skill level and what I've seen so far. I think that our team is really going to be able to compete though."

Recently, the NWAC East has been dominant with an eastern squad winning four out of the last five NWAC tournaments. The lone year an east team didn't win the tournament (2011) Walla Walla finished second.

Despite having to deal with the Blue Mountains and Spokanes of the world, Duncan and his team have set a goal of making the playoffs.

"With seven returning sophomores and having the season that they had last year they have only gotten better over the spring with what I was able to work with them and then adding in five freshmen this year on top of that is only adding depth to our program and so playoffs is a very real possibility for us," he said.

Duncan hopes to continue the rebuilding process started last year by coach Allison Baker. Big Bend announced the hiring of Duncan in May after Baker's resignation.

He previously coached at Eisenhower and West Valley high schools and Yakima Valley College.

Most recently, Duncan served as an assistant coach under Central Washington University head volleyball coach Mario Andaya.

Duncan was a member of Andaya's staff when the Wildcats qualified for the NCAA Division II volleyball tournament in 2012, the first team CWU reached that level in six years.

Learning from Andaya will help Duncan grow the Big Bend program to become a stalwart at NWACs for years to come.

"The biggest thing that I have definitely learned from Mario is how to manage a program successfully," Duncan said. "He's a great guy, he's an amazing coach and just the energy that he brings to the program and the expectations that he has set a tone for the girls, for the assistant coaches, for the entire team."

As a first year head coach, it definitely helped to inherit a Viking team that had seven returning sophomores and was in the playoff hunt a season ago.

With the addition of Duncan's recruits, he expects this year's team to make the leap into a formidable foe for the region's top-end teams.

"I don't think there was one sophomore on this team that I wouldn't have recruited myself and so I'm extremely happy about that," he said. "Plus these girls, they are talented. They are amazing volleyball players and I think with the added direction of myself plus my assistant coach we can take this team a long ways."

One sophomore in particular that Duncan is excited to have is outside hitter Shania Bateman.

Bateman was second on the team last year with 101 kills. She also averaged 1.91 kills per game and had a hit percentage of .172.

To close out her career at Big Bend, Bateman has set the goal of participating in the NWAC Sophomore All-Star Game in November.

"I expect her to be the center point of our offense," Duncan said. "She's a stud, she's an amazing volleyball player. I've been around the game a long time. She's one of the best outside hitters I've had the pleasure of coaching.

"The best thing about Shania is not only is she a great volleyball player, an amazing hitter, but she has the personality that adds to this team. She's somebody who's selfless, which is an extremely good quality to have on any team."

One player who isn't returning to the Vikings is setter McKall Miller. Miller totalled 386 assists last season and averaged 6.66 assists per game.

Right now, two players are vying for the starting setter position - freshmen Nichole Dally and McKenzi Lott.

Dally is out of Jerome High School in Jerome, Idaho and Lott is out of Skyline High School.

"Right now in practices they're going head-to-head," Duncan said. "They're both battling it out for the starting spot. I made sure to make it a point the very first day of practice that nobody has a starting position sealed and it would be a competition and whoever wins that starting spot doesn't guarantee that they're going to keep the starting spot. Especially with setters and running an entire offense, I feel like both of them have taken the role and both of them are running with it."

Brooke Sorensen, from Malad, Felicia Nelson, from Sugar-Salem, and Rachel Dinsmoor, from Pullman, round out Duncan's first recruiting class.

Big Bend begins its season Friday at the Highline Fall Classic Invitational.