Rebounding machine

Amber Ramlo and Dennis Rodman have two things in common.

There last names both begin with Rs, and both can rebound like crazy.

That’s probably all anybody would like to have in common with the crazy-haired former NBA All-Star, but the senior from Jamestown on the Jimmie women’s basketball team is rebounding like him right now.

Granted it’s early, really early, but the 6-foot post for Jamestown College leads all NAIA Division II rebounding with 33 boards in two games, or 16.5 per tilt.

After Saturday’s win over the University of Winnipeg, coach Greg Ulland said in response to Ramlo’s dominance on the glass.

“She’s a monster. No, she’s a beast. That’s a better word,” he said.

Either one does the trick. Ramlo had 19 rebounds in the win over Brandon on Friday.

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Both JC basketball teams have big tests this weekend.

The 11th-ranked Jimmie women play three-time defending national champion Northwestern on Saturday. The two teams split last season, but the Red Raiders handily beat the Jimmies in the Sweet 16 at nationals. The Jimmies play Dordt first on Friday.

“We’ll find out where we’re at,” Ulland said.

Northwestern is ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll behind only Concordia, Neb.

The Jimmie men play two of the top seven teams in the preseason poll. Dordt (Friday) was No. 3, including three first-place votes, and then No. 7 Northwestern on Saturday.

The Jimmies haven’t played since sweeping Brandon Oct. 12 and 13 at the Civic Center, although they took on some recent alums Oct. 20, and won. It wasn’t a collection of 40-somethings, either. Among the returnees were Travis Burley and Byron Jones, both key members of last season’s national tournament team.

Mark Hoge, the Jimmies’ leading scorer, is 18th in scoring average in the NAIA at 18.5 per game.

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The Jimmie volleyball team is the No. 2 seed for next week’s Association of Independent Institution’s Tournament in Mayville Nov. 9-10.

The tournament features two groups of three. Pool A is No. 1 Cal State San Marcos, ranked 16th nationally, La Sierra, Calif., and Mayville State. Pool B is the Jimmies (23-6), Ashford, Iowa and Valley City State.

The Jimmies play Valley City at 3 p.m. and Ashford at 7 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9. The top two teams in each pool meet in semifinal matches Saturday, Nov. 10. The championship will also be played Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

The same tournament was held in Arizona last season. This year, the two California teams get to fly to North Dakota. The two teams that advance to the title match advance to nationals.

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The Jimmie soccer teams are headed for California for A.I.I. tournaments.

The 14-4 Jimmie men are seeded second and will play No. 3 seed University of Houston-Victoria Nov. 9. Ashford, ranked 18th nationally, is the top seed. They play CSU-San Marcos.

The 8-8-2 Jimmie women are seeded third and open against No. 2 Ashford, also on Nov. 9. CSU-San Marcos is the top seed. Houston-Victoria is No. 4.

Both championship games are Saturday, Nov. 10. Only the tournament-winning teams advance to nationals.

Sun sports editor Dave Selvig can be reached at (701) 952-8460 or by e-mail at dselvig@jamestownsun.com

Tags: sports, jimmies, basketball