Author: Alex Wagner

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball struggles at Rose Hill

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
Kebah Edoho ’13 goes for the kill. Despite inspiring individual performances, the Bison were winless on the weekend.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team had a tough weekend at the Rose Hill Classic at Fordham University, getting ousted by three talented teams for a winless performance.

The Bison traveled to New York on Sept. 7 to face off against Cornell and started out strong with a 2-0 lead in the match, before dropping the final three sets for a 3-2 loss. Several individuals still performed strongly, including Kat Tauscher ’13 with 18 assists and Morgan Mientus ’14 with 16 digs. First-years were also impressive for the Orange and Blue, with Meghan Wentzel ’16 trailing Tauscher in assists with 15, Claire Healy ’16 with 11 kills and Karen Campbell ’16 with eight blocks.

On Sept. 8, the Bison faced off against a tough Fordham squad, and were unable to get into a flow offensively as they lost in three straight sets to the host team. Mientus held up the defensive end for the Bison with 11 digs, but could not halt the assault from the Rams. On offense, Jessica Serrato ’14 and Kebah Edoho ’13 led the way for the Orange and Blue with seven and six kills, respectively, but were unable to match the offensive activity from their opponent.

The Bison came back looking for a win against Stony Brook and pushed their opponents to another five set match, eventually leading to a 3-2 loss. Wentzel and Tauscher led the way in assists with 19 and 18, respectively, giving the two of them 44 and 52 total for the tournament. Mientus also had 27 digs in the match, giving her 54 for the weekend, while Healy followed with 11 digs and nine kills. Healy ended the weekend tied for 23 kills with teammate Serrato.

“Overall, it was a disappointing weekend. We went to five games with two teams that we definitely could have beat in three. Also, Fordham played a very solid game against us, but we should have beat them as well,” Mientus said. “Thank God they will be at our tournament this weekend so we can redeem ourselves. I think the tough losses were a good learning experience and we just need to refocus and regroup in order to win our first home tournament this weekend!”

The Orange and Blue will face off in their first home event of the season as they host the Bucknell Invitational today and tomorrow. Tonight’s match at 7:30 p.m. will be a chance for redemption as the Bison will get the opportunity to play Fordham on their home court.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey pulls out two close victories

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
The field hockey team battles to defend their home turf.

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

The Bison field hockey team won their home opener against Lock Haven on Sunday as they defeated the Eagles 3-1. The Orange and the Blue then scored late to push past the Cornell Big Red 2-1 on Wednesday night, bringing their overall record to 3-1.

Against Lock Haven, the Bison got on top in the first half on a goal by forward Rachel Misko ’14, but the Lock Haven returned the favor on a penalty corner to make the score 1-1 going into the half. The Bison offense took control in the second half, and goals from midfielder Amie Pritchard ’15 and Kiersten Sydnor ’16 put the game away.

“I thought that the team played with a lot of control and composure all around the field, which allowed us to create many opportunities in the circle and to capitalize on our offensive penalty corners,” Emily Hitchings ’16 said.  “We were able to transfer the ball quickly and keep possession, helping us to maintain our lead and dominate the second half.”

“After a back and forth first half, the team came out with renewed vigor in the second 35 minutes,” assistant coach Jamie Montgomery said.  “Amie Pritchard knocked home the second goal with real force and the team’s confidence really skyrocketed.”

The penalty corners played a big part in the Bison’s success, with seven total in the game and five in the second half. The Bison also tallied a season high 11 shots on goal, while the defense held Lock Haven to only four shots.

Against Cornell, the Bison fell behind 1-0 but kept up their attack, and eventually went ahead late in the game behinds goals from Kelly Stefanowicz ’13 and Misko. The Orange and Blue offense finished with 26 shots and 19 penalty corners, compared to six shots and three corners for the Big Red.

The Bison will play a road game against Columbia on Saturday and then return home for a Sunday showing against Saint Francis.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Bison Athlete of the Week: Sandita McDermott ’13

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

Player Profile

Sandita McDermott ’13

Rhinebeck, N.Y.

International Relations & Economics

Season stats:

Five starts in five games

Two shutouts

17 saves

The women’s soccer team has seen a remarkable early season turnaround. After conceding five goals in two tough losses to open the season, the Bison defense, led by goalie Sandita McDermott ’13 has tightened up to allow only one goal in the past three games. Thanks to the strong defensive effort, the Bison won those last three games against quality opponents.

“Coming off of two losses is difficult, but having the turnaround has really given the defense and the team as a whole a boost of confidence that has allowed us to have success in the past three games,” McDermott said.

In Sunday’s 3-0 victory over St. Bonaventure, McDermott made six saves. This strong individual performance gave her a ninth career shutout, tying her for fourth on the Bison’s all-time list.

“As a goalkeeper, shutouts are the ultimate definition of success … and being able to hold a team for 90 minutes is really relieving and rewarding, and it is made possible through maintaining focus, but more importantly the hard work of the 10 girls in front of me,” McDermott said.

Categories
Sports

Loyola Greyhounds to join Patriot League next year

Eric Brod
Senior Writer

The Bison have received more competition in the Patriot League with the arrival of Loyola (Md.) into the league beginning at the start of the 2013-2014 academic year. With the additions of the Greyhounds and Boston University, the Patriot League will have 10 members beginning in August of next year.

The Greyhounds will be Patriot League participants in 17 sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s cross country, men’s and women’s soccer and men’s and women’s lacrosse. The Greyhounds will bring further prestige to Patriot League, as they had one of the most successful athletic years in school history. The most prominent story was their men’s lacrosse team capturing the NCAA championship. However, that was far from the only success story for the school. Along with the men, the women’s lacrosse team made it to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, the men’s basketball team made it the NCAA tournament and the men’s golf team earned a spot in the NCAA regional tournament.

The Patriot League, which formed as an all-sport conference in 1990, now has two new members set to join for the first time since American University joined the league in 2001.

In keeping with the Patriot League mission of excelling in both academics and athletics, the Greyhounds reported 100 percent graduation success rates for 11 of its 14 sports, according to the NCAA report released in October 2011.

The addition of Loyola shows that the Patriot League is moving towards new territory in relation to its status in the NCAA. This is certainly an exciting time for Patriot League athletics.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Julian Dorey
Writer

Major League Baseball’s National League-leading Washington Nationals have made it official: Stephen Strasburg, their ace pitcher, will be shut down following his Sept. 12 start.

What?

Has anyone ever heard of a contending team, let alone a team with the best record in the league, pulling the plug on their best player’s season right when the playoffs are set to begin?

This is madness.

Strasburg is a strikeout machine who has helped the young Nationals make a monumental climb in the standings after years of living in the cellar. Strasburg, the number one overall pick in the 2009 MLB draft, exploded onto the Major League scene during his rookie year in 2010, but tore elbow ligaments before finishing his initial campaign. As a result, he had to get the infamous Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for a year.

Before this season began, the Nationals were adamant about holding him to a count of around 160 innings pitched because of his medical issue. They maintained that his season would end once he reached that point.

Strasburg has reported no discomfort in his elbow this season. He has pitched very well, his innings pitched per start have been held below six and his team is in the thick of a heated pennant race.

Considering all of that, you would think that maybe the Nationals would stop playing the over-cautious, doctor-parent role and reevaluate the situation. Nope.

Manager Davey Johnson and General Manager Mike Rizzo have repeatedly insulted the intelligence of baseball’s fans by claiming that Strasburg needs to be shut down due to the best interests of the team’s future. Moreover, they believe if they don’t end his season when he reaches the limit, his elbow could give out.

Yeah, okay.

First of all, what does innings pitched have to do with anything? Last I checked, pitchers who throw five innings with 110 pitches labor more than those who throw the nine inning, 90-pitch gems.

Secondly, what does that say to the rest of the team? There is a club house of 40-some odd guys who have worked their tails off all year to put the Nationals in a position to possibly win a World Series. Apparently, Johnson and Rizzo have no problems whatsoever telling these guys that all of their work doesn’t matter because the team can’t afford to risk the future.

Stop it.

You know who waits around for the future? People who don’t have anything. When a businessman has a chance to get promoted, he doesn’t turn it down because he thinks the opportunity will come again when he’s more prepared. Instead, he pounces on it and makes everything he can of the chance.

This travesty isn’t just an insult to Strasburg’s teammates. It’s an insult to the team’s fans who finance the entire operation by showing up to games. It’s an insult to other teams in the league due to the Nationals’ sheer disregard for the unwritten rules of competition and it’s an insult to the game itself for all of the previous reasons combined.

Hey Mike and Davey: man up. Stop making yourselves believe the lies you’re spewing out every day. Everyone and their mother knows neither of you are doctors.

Protect the integrity of the game that has been shattered far too many times in the last decade. Let him play.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer falls in double overtime

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

Coming off a strong opening weekend against a pair of Atlantic-10 opponents, the men’s soccer team suffered a 2-1 double OT loss to Florida Gulf Coast this past weekend in Fort Myers, Fla. Hampered by an early red card to star defender Mayowa Alli ’14, the outmanned Orange and Blue squad kept patient most of the game and were rewarded when Joe Meyer ’14 scored his first career goal in the 84th minute to send the game to overtime. Then, with less than five minutes left in the second overtime period, Florida Gulf Coast handed the Bison their first loss of the season with a goal from William Morse.

“Going into the match against FGCU, we knew that it was going to be a very tough game, and being forced to play with 10 men against their 11 did not make things any easier for us,” Meyer said. “However, I thought we responded very well to the situation by working hard, communicating and staying compact.”

Due to the controversial red card call, the Bison were forced to quickly alter their game plan and become much more defensive-minded. Even without Alli as an anchor, the Orange and Blue defense stepped up and withstood a barrage of offensive surges from the Eagles squad. Goalie Mike Lansing ’16 finished the contest with six saves as the Eagles recorded a 28-2 shot advantage.

Early in the second half, the Eagles finally broke the scoreless tie with a goal and looked to cruise to victory. Yet, with just minutes remaining on the clock, Meyer received a ball across the box from left back Jermaine Jarrett ’13 and put it away in the back of the net. Meyer’s goal came off of the Bison’s first shot of the contest.

“I took a quick touch and slotted the ball inside the near post from about 12 yards out to tie the game at 1-1,” Meyer said. “I rushed over to our bench and the whole team went crazy.”

The Orange and Blue then received a chance to steal the game a few minutes later when Brendan Burgdorf ’13 tracked down a punt from Lansing and forced the Eagles’ goalie to make a diving save. FGCU ratcheted up the offensive pressure in overtime and eventually put the game away late in the second OT period.

“Even though a loss is never a good thing, I think our team learned we can make big adjustments in games and even play a man down and still compete with very good teams,” Burgdorf said.

With three games now under their belt, the team will travel to Philadelphia to take on La Salle on tonight at 7 p.m. and then head to Loretto, Pa. on Sunday to take on St. Francis.

“Coach Nash told us that every team is faced with adversity, but it’s the way that the team responds that makes the difference between a great team and just a good team,” Meyer said. “That being said, I know that we will respond strongly next weekend against La Salle and St. Francis by earning six points.”

Categories
Men Sports Water Polo

Men’s water polo goes 2-0 at Navy Labor Day Open to begin season

 

The Bucknellian Archives
The Bison look to find an opening in their opponents defense.

Scott Padula
Staff Writer

The men’s water polo team kicked off their 2012 campaign by going 2-0 this past weekend when they traveled to Annapolis, Md. to compete in the Navy Labor Day Open. The Orange and Blue started the tournament on the right foot, defeating Notre Dame (Ohio) 24-9. The Bison kept their momentum alive in their second game of the weekend by beating Iona 14-12. Under second-year coach John McBride, the Orange and Blue are now 9-2 in the month of September.

The Bison had a strong showing to begin the season. The Orange and Blue scored early and often against Notre Dame (Ohio), finding the back of the net 14 times in the first two quarters. More impressively, 23 of the 24 Bison goals in the game were assisted. Jack Else ’14 led the Bison scoring barrage with five goals, setting a new career-high. Joining him with multi-goal performances were teammates Brian Barron ’13, Stefan Aleksic ’16, Julian Colina ’14, Mike Kimble ’14 and Alex Nowlin ’14. In total, 14 different Bison recorded a point in the decisive victory, while the team as a whole, registered 17 steals.

In the team’s second game of the tournament, the Orange and Blue won against Iona. The Bison and Gaels traded goals throughout the first half, resulting in a 5-5 draw going into the intermission. In the second half, the Orange and Blue came out strong, scoring seven times in the third quarter, and never looked back. Barron and Nowlin led the Bison in points, registering five a piece, while Aleksic, Colina and Uros Markovic ’14 also contributed with multi-goal games. Additionally, senior co-captain Matt Napleton ’13 was strong in goal, making seven saves in 32 minutes of action.

The Bison will continue their busy schedule as they head to Princeton this weekend for the Princeton Invitational. The Orange and Blue will face St. Francis (N.Y.), the University of California, Brown and Fordham over the course of three days.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer continues win streak

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Dwornik ’14 scored a goal in the 40th minute to help the Bison topple St. Bonadventure.

Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor

Despite a 20-8 shot advantage for St. Bonaventure, the Bison women’s soccer team made their eight opportunities count and pulled off a 3-0 victory against the Bonnies on Sept. 2. This game marks the Orange and Blue’s third straight victory, bouncing back from an 0-2 start to the season.

In the 40th minute of the game, Liz Dwornik ’14 capitalized on her first shot opportunity, nailing a goal with an assist from both Cassie Denger ’15 and Kayla Yee ’13. Stiff defense allowed the Bison to keep their lead going into the half, despite a 10 shot showing from St. Bonaventure.

“The difference in the game was that we scored first. After we scored the first goal, we really just calmed down and took control of the game,” Dwornik said. “It was great to get our first win on the road and continue our winning streak.”

Courtney Nelson ’15 scored her third goal in four games after a cross from Chelsey Garkowski ’14 found its target in front of the net. The Bonnies would not go away though, as they reeled off 10 more shots in the second half, but nothing would get past the Orange and Blue. Goalie Sandita McDermott ’13, who moved up to fourth on the Bison’s all-time shutout list, had six saves that stopped any offensive rhythm for St. Bonaventure. Dwornik ended all hopes of a comeback, scoring her second goal of the game in the 75th minute.

“I think my performance is not only contingent upon my presence on the field but it is equally accredited to the girls in front of me,” McDermott said. “Our back line of Bridget Gilmartin ’14, Lauren Dandie ’16, Hannah Bonotto ’15 and Corinne Collins ’13 has really become a unit that works extremely well together which only makes my job easier.”

Two nights earlier, the Bison defeated Buffalo 1-0 at home. Neither team gained an advantage early, but the Bison were determined to score first. The Orange and Blue had a 16-5 shot advantage on the Bulls, which included 11 in the second half. After a scoreless first half, Denger launched a corner kick that found Nelson, who nailed the decisive goal.

“We are all playing with excitement and love of the game right now and it is certainly helping us on the field,” Denger said. “The feeling of winning is addicting for our team and we want more and more of it!”

The Bison look to continue the momentum at their home game against UMBC tonight at 7 p.m.

“This season is such a contrast from last season. We’ve been finishing in the games, and as we continue to win, our confidence keeps growing,” Nelson said. “Also, by continuing to train hard and competitively during practice, we can only make each other better, and we will come out prepared for any team we have to face.”

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball has strong showing at invitational

Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s volleyball team improved their record this weekend with a strong 2-1 showing at the Duquesne/Robert Morris Invitational with Jessica Serrato ’14 and Karen Campbell ’16 both having performances that placed them on the All-Tournament Team.

The Orange and Blue started off their tournament play on Aug. 31 as they matched up with Robert Morris, coming out with a 3-1 win. Serrato recorded 17 kills, while Kebah Edoho ’13 and Claire Healy ’16 each ended with eight. Morgan Mientus ’14 kept up her solid play this season with 21 digs, while Campbell and Edoho had 10 and six blocks, respectively.

“The first night we played, we were on fire. Everything was clicking. Our energy and focus was in the right direction. We were playing like the confident volleyball team that I know we can be. We were able to feed off the opposing crowd’s momentum and use it to our advantage,” Healy said.

Though struggling early, the Bison continued to have success on Sept. 1 as they played Loyola (Md.), coming back from a loss in the first set to win the match 3-1. Kellye Zobrist ’14 dominated the third set with a career-high five aces and bolstered the team’s offense on several other occasions with her well-placed serves. Meghan Wentzel ’16 racked up 33 assists, Campbell recorded nine kills and Healy received her first college double-double with 13 kills and 10 digs. Upperclassmen play rounded out the win for the Bison as Serrato had 12 kills and Edoho recorded nine.

To wrap up the weekend, the Orange and Blue suffered a tough loss to Duquesne. Key players still performed strongly in the loss, with Serrato registering a double-double with 17 digs and 13 kills. Healy and Campbell both followed her lead, racking up seven kills each. Mientus also shone defensively, recording 15 digs in the match to round out her tournament.

“Every week our team is improving, and that was evident in our play this weekend. While we would have preferred to leave 3-0, we were pleased with our performance and our match against Duquesne certainly revealed areas in which we can improve,” Serrato said. “I was honored to be named to the All-Tournament Team, but I know I have a lot more room for improvement as we move forward. As a team, we need to remember to start strong in every match and maintain positive energy on the court, no matter who the opponent.”

The Bison will continue their tournament circuit for two more weeks before beginning Patriot League play, traveling to the Rose Hill Classic at Fordham University this weekend. 

Categories
Cross Country Men Sports

Cross country men finish 1-2-3 at Bison Open

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Williams ’15 excelled at the Bison Open last Friday, beating the nearest runner by 15 seconds.

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

The men’s cross country team got their season off to a very strong start, as they finished one-two-three at the Bison Open and fifth overall at the Harry Lang invitational.

On Aug. 31, Glen Williams ’15 ran to his first career win in the Bison Open, finishing the three-mile course in 15:09, 15 seconds ahead of the nearest competitor. That nearest competitor was his teammate, Robert Yamnicky ’13, who finished in 15:24. Brian Charland ’13 was not far behind, finishing in 15:28 and completing the sweep of the top three positions for the Orange and Blue.

“Although it was very hot out, most of the team put up great times. We held 13 of our runners out of the race and we still easily dominated the competition, which really shows the depth we have this year,” Williams said.

Just a day later, much of the team travelled to Colgate for the Harry Lang Invitational, where the men’s team earned a respectable fifth place finish. John Dugan ’15 was the top finisher for the Bison, finishing the 6,400-meters in 20:41 and in 15th place. He was followed by D.J. Krystek ’13, who finished in 18th place with a time of 20:46.

“We had a pretty intense week of training leading up to the races, and to come out with a solid performance is exciting … Colgate is a challenging course and I think we gained an advantage by experiencing the course in a race setting and seeing some of the teams we will race at leagues,” Krystek .

The rest of the scoring five for the Bison consisted of Andrew Kuchta ’16 in 32nd place (21:18), Charles Seigneur ’13 in 34th (21:20) and Tyler Erhard ’14 in 40th (21:27).

“Being the first meet of the year and coming off a very hard training week, I wasn’t as concerned about the final results as I will be later in the year. I was more concerned about  getting to know the Patriot League Championship course and giving a solid effort, even with tired legs … If we can get our number three-four-five runners to close the gap on Dugan and Krystek, then we will be a very good team,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

The Bison will run again this Saturday in the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational in Northville, Mich.