Author: Alex Wagner

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Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

 

Courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsDwight Howard of the Lakers. His acquisition was expected to provide a boost, but things haven't gone as planned.
Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
Dwight Howard of the Lakers. His acquisition was expected to provide a boost, but things haven’t gone as planned.

Julian Dorey

Writer

“You play in dirt, you get dirty.”

Last year, there was Albert Pujols. Pujols was considered the best baseball player in the world when his services were up for bidding at the 2011 Winter Meetings (and while he had a quiet year this past season, he most definitely is still one of the best). There were plenty of other big name prizes up for grabs as well: Prince Fielder, C.J. Wilson and Hanley Ramirez to name a few.

This year? Not so much. The 2012 MLB free-agent class is much weaker. There are smaller names, and thus there will be smaller numbers next to the dollar totals on the contracts they will all eventually sign. However, there is one very interesting and big name out there: Josh Hamilton.

Yes, Hamilton, perhaps the biggest lightning rod in all of baseball. Just about every fan knows his story at this point. He was the number one overall pick in the 1999 MLB draft and shortly after spiraled out of control with drug and alcohol addictions. The addictions landed him on the unemployment line from 2004-2006, and only then did he get his life in order. After doing so, he worked his way into a major league lineup the hard way, and eventually landed with the Texas Rangers in 2008, where he finally showed his true ability and became a perennial all-star.

With his contract up and his power bat set to hit the market, Hamilton should be getting a seven-year deal worth $200 million plus, right? Wrong. While Hamilton has been a great story and an inspiration to many, his battle with alcohol and drugs is very real and will be an ongoing struggle until he takes his last breath. During his “story-book” tenure with the Rangers (that included two trips to the World Series), Hamilton had several relapses that brought negative attention to the team.

Last year specifically, after the team hired a traveling mentor/counselor to work with him and be his “sponsor” of sorts, Hamilton still relapsed, and after a monster start to his season, cooled off and hurt his team down the stretch.

Hamilton’s body has taken a beating (through no one’s fault but his own). Though he is only 31, you have to wonder if his body will hit a wall soon because of his past. Throughout much of the season, he sulked about not having a new contract from the Rangers, something that many members within the organization believe contributed to his decline in play during the season.

He is a great player, but he is also a burden. One mistake could literally kill him. It’s sad, but that is the harsh reality of being an addict.

Hamilton wants the big contract over many years, but I’m not sure he’s going to get it. The Rangers have already said they will not commit beyond three years.

To me, Hamilton is not worth the aggravation. He is a great player with a rare five-tool skill set, but his baggage may outweigh what his body will be willing to produce on the field in the next several years. Should the Rangers not retain him, one would have to assume it would be because another team is willing to commit big money beyond three years. To whatever teams are considering the idea, thinking they can swoop in and steal an MVP player, I’ll say this: be careful what you wish for.

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Basketball Men Sports

Men’s basketball off to 6-1 start

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

After falling by a final of 60-57 in a close game at Penn State, the men’s basketball team returned to their winning ways on Nov. 27 with a 62-49 home victory against Dartmouth. The victory marked the 100th win in Sojka Pavilion for the Bison, and gives them a 6-1 record for the year.

The Bison held a 0-9 record at Penn State’s Bryce Jordan Center going into the game, and at first it looked like the Bison would break their winless streak. The Bison charged out to a 10-2 lead, led by six points from guard Bryson Johnson ’13. Though the Orange and the Blue continued to hold the lead for the remainder of the first half, going into halftime with a 22-16 advantage, the Bison offense only managed to make 35.7 percent of their field goal attempts.

“We didn’t play well,” forward Brian Fitzpatrick ’13 said. “We were out of sync offensively and had too many turnovers in the first half. We should have been up by a lot more than six at halftime. In the second half, we still struggled to score, but Penn State started hitting shots. ”

Almost non-existent in the first half, the Penn State offense exploded in the second half to the tune of a 65.4 percent shooting percentage on field goals. Though the Bison were able to keep up at first, Penn State tied the game for the first time at 34-34 and eventually went ahead for good after breaking a 39-39 tie with a jumper. The Bison kept it close, thanks in part to a strong 14-point effort from guard Cameron Ayers ’14, who hit a three-pointer with eight seconds left to make the score 59-57. Penn State then only managed one of two free throws, but the three-point attempt from Ayers did not find the net as time expired.

Johnson led the team with 18 points in the loss, while forward Mike Muscala ’13 recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

“The Penn State game was tough because we started the game with too many turnovers and didn’t really get in a good flow offensively,” Johnson said. “We allowed them to stay in the game early and that allowed them to eventually take the lead on us and end up winning the game. It was a tough loss, but we will move forward and are already focused on Dartmouth.”

The Bison jumped out to another early lead against Dartmouth, delighting the home crowd with a 12-2 run to start the game. A rash of turnovers allowed Dartmouth to come back, and the Big Green managed to tie the score with six minutes remaining in the half. The two teams then exchanged leads over the next few minutes, with three free throws from Johnson giving the Bison a 25-24 advantage one second before halftime.

Though Dartmouth kept the score close, the Bison would not fall behind for the entire second half, and slowly began to break away. After Dartmouth managed to tie the score for the last time at 35-35, Muscala countered with a dunk, a three-pointer and four free throws to give the Bison a 44-35 lead. Dartmouth managed to crawl back to a 45-40 deficit, but a great steal by Ayers and back-to-back blocks from Muscala and forward Joe Willman ’13 kept the Big Green from getting any closer. Outstanding work on the foul line (8-8 in the last 1:20 and 29-34 overall) allowed the Bison to pull away for a double-digit victory.

Muscala and Ayers both had double-doubles, and Muscala also lead the team with 17 points. Willman and Johnson also had 13 and 10 points, respectively.

The Bison look to continue their seven-game winning streak against Ivy League teams as they travel to face Columbia tomorrow.

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Basketball Sports Women

Women’s basketball continues win streak

Ajan Caneda
Copy Editor

After stumbling to a 0-2 start, the women’s basketball team bounced back to win its first game of the season against Canisius 59-50, giving head coach Aaron Roussell his first win as Bison head coach. On Nov. 21, the Orange and Blue carried that momentum back home, where they defeated Niagara 77-69, behind Alyssa Dunn’s ’13 career-high 23 points.

The Bison outscored Niagara 36-20 in the first half. Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 showed her balanced attack once again, scoring 10 points and pulling down eight rebounds in the half. The Orange and Blue got contributions from many members of the team during a 15-4 run that pushed the lead to 12 with 6:38 left in the half. Shelby Romine ’14 dished one of her four assists to Dunn who scored a lay-up to build the lead to 20. The Bison shot 41.2 percent (14-34) from the field to carry a double-digit lead into halftime.

“Something that has been very evident in our last three games is our team’s work ethic. Every night that we go out on the court, we vow to outwork and outhustle our opponents,” Horbatuck said.

In the second half, Niagara fought back to eventually cut the lead down to four with 3:13 left in the game. This arose from a 25-9 run that saw the Purple Eagles nail five three-pointers. It would not be enough to hold down the Bison, as Romine and Dunn combined for 14 of the last 15 points for the Orange and Blue to seal the win.

Despite the late Niagara run, the Bison never trailed in the game. Their 77 points is the most they have scored since Feb. 2011. Dunn also had a career-high six assists to go along with her 23 points and went a perfect 3-3 from three-point range and 8-8 from the free throw line, while Horbatuck had a double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds.

“During the last three games, I think we really came out strongly as a team. Even when we went through rough spots, we persevered and turned things around quickly. Above all else, we never doubted that we could win,” Dunn said.

Following the win, the Bison bested Morgan State 72-64 in Baltimore, putting them over .500 for the first time since the 2008-2009 season.

The game got off to an early start when a Morgan State technical foul led to a free throw by Romine right before the opening seconds of the game. A pair of free throws by Horbatuck capped a 9-0 start for the Bison. The Orange and Blue led for most of the first half, but the Bears eventually regained a one-point lead at the break.

Even with a 4:03 field goal drought in the second half, Sheaira Jones ’16 scored a lay-up to take the lead that the Bison never relinquished to pick up a win against the Bears. Dunn, Romine and Felicia Mgbada ’13 each scored in double figures, while Audrey Dotson ’15 and Horbatuck each had nine points to go along with a combined 20 rebounds. The Bison out-rebounded the Bears 53-33.

“One of the little things includes rebounding, which I think my team has excelled at recently. Getting offensive boards turns into second chance opportunities and getting defensive boards turns into transition which is a huge part of our offensive game,” Horbatuck said.

The Bison continued their early season dominance with a fourth straight win over Mount St. Mary’s. Dunn and Romine each finished with 11 points, while Jones had a near double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Bison led by 10 at halftime, a lead that would be cut down to two in the second half, but Dunn and Katherine Harris ’15 made two key three-pointers down the stretch that lifted the Bison to the 55-43 win.

The Bison look to extend their win streak, as they face Buffalo tomorrow at 7 p.m. in Davis Gym, followed by a match-up at Penn on Dec. 3.

Categories
Beyond the Bison Sports

Beyond the Bison: Sports News Across the Nation

Julian Dorey
Writer

It’s time.

After what will be 14 seasons of both good and bad times, the Philadelphia Eagles must part ways with Andy Reid.

Another season is preparing to come and go without much hope for a mere playoff birth.  The team has tuned him out, making the same amateur mistakes week-in and week-out. Turnovers, penalties, lack of fundamentals, poor blitz-pickups, etc. The laundry list of repeated issues has been growing for the past several years.

Calling for Reid to pack his things and walk out the door isn’t meant to paint him as a bad football coach. In fact, he’s a good one, and if he can find a way to put a ring on his finger one day, he’d be a great one.

No, calling for Reid’s job is simply a task in applying a simple “law” of human fallibility: he’s been coaching in one place for too long.

Reid is an Eagles institution. His West Coast offense, his ability to develop quarterbacks and his many winning seasons will eventually be recognized by Philadelphia faithful with respect and gratitude one day. But right now, every fan’s primary wish is to start over with a new Eagles hierarchy next season.

For years, Philadelphia has been fed the idea that their team is “this close” or “on the verge” of winning the big one. Talented Pro-Bowlers like Donovan McNabb, Brian Dawkins, Jeremiah Trotter, Hugh Douglas, Troy Vincent, Brian Westbrook, Terrell Owens, Asante Samuel, Trent Cole, Michael Vick, DeSean Jackson and LeSean McCoy have played at the highest of levels for Reid at Veterans Stadium, and later Lincoln Financial Field. But the team trophy case lacks the most important one of all.

How can an owner who at least claims to be so hungry for a championship prove to the rest of his organization that he means it? He can start by moving out the winningest coach in franchise history. You know why? Because wins don’t mean much in the long run when you can’t win the big one.

Let’s face facts here. I mentioned earlier that Reid’s teams have seemingly tuned him out at times over the past few seasons. The results would reflect that. Since the 2008-2009 season, the team has appeared in just two playoff games over three seasons (not including this year’s seemingly hopeless 3-6 squad) and lost both of them. Since a Super Bowl appearance in 2004 that followed a streak of four straight NFC Championship game appearances and five straight trips to the playoffs, Reid’s teams have returned to the postseason just four times over seven plus seasons, and they’ve won a grand total of three postseason games. If you put those stats up next to other NFL coaches’ stats over the past seven years, you would find them to be middle-of-the-pack at best.

For all of Reid’s great qualities, his same issues have persisted. He is a poor clock manager, he fails to make in-game adjustments and his play-calling is about as hopelessly unbalanced as it gets.

With another season ready to come and go without so much as a winning record, it’s time for owner Jeffrey Lurie to come to his senses and start anew with a coach that will wake the players on the Eagles’ roster up.

If you ask me, Reid doesn’t have the ability to do that anymore.

Categories
Sports

Athlete of the Week: Mike Nicholson ’14

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

 

Player Profile

 

Mike Nicholson ’14

Chappaqua, N.Y.

Sociology and Economics

 

Season statistics:

First in 200 IM vs. UMBC, UConn/Fordham and AU/Navy

First in 400 IM vs. UMBC

First in 200 fly vs. UConn/Fordham, AU/Navy

First in 200 back, 1,000 free and 100 breast vs. Lafayette

First in 200 breast vs. AU/Navy

Mike Nicholson ’14 continued his dominant season in the pool with his impressive performance in the home meet against Lafayette. He earned first place in the 1,000 free (9:48.42), 100 breast (58.22) and 200 back (1:56.05) events against the Leopards. His times in the 100 breast and the 200 back, two races that he doesn’t normally swim, are personal bests. He also won the 1,000 free by over 22 seconds.

“I think that my success against Lafayette came from the attitude our team took into the meet. We came off two straight split decisions in double dual meets, so we were very excited to be able to focus on a single opposing team,” Nicholson said. “We knew that we had a good chance to come out on top given our past performances against them, but we also knew that they were a formidable opponent. We wanted to hit them hard right out of the gate and not let down.”

Nicholson and the Bison certainly did not let down, winning 14 of 16 events overall. In addition, six of those wins had Bison occupy all three top spots.

“Winning our first home meet means a lot for the rest of our season. We obviously have more meets at home than anywhere else, so swimming well here at Bucknell is very important,” Nicholson said. “It’s especially important this year, as both the Bucknell Invitational this week and Patriot League Championships in February are both being held at Bucknell, as well as our highly contested dual meet against Army. We definitely have a ‘this is our house’ type mentality, and we want to defend our home turf throughout the rest of the season.”

Nicholson and the rest of the Orange and Blue squad will be back in action this weekend in the Bucknell Invitational.

Categories
Basketball Sports Women

Women fall in close contests

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

In its season opener against Xavier on Nov. 10, the women’s basketball team gave the Musketeers all they could handle, but second half shooting woes led to the Bison’s 71-62 defeat in Cincinnati, Ohio. Guard Shelby Romine ’14 led the Orange and Blue with 21 points and four assists. Head coach Aaron Roussell made his regular season debut for the Bison.

“Although we didn’t win the game against Xavier, I think our team realized how much potential we have to do really well this season. We competed and challenged a strong team and I’m really proud of how we fought back when it seemed as if they might pull away,” forward Audrey Dotson ’15 said.

The Bison kept the game close in the first half, as a three-pointer by Romine gave the Orange and Blue a 12-11 lead. Xavier regained the advantage but couldn’t put the lead into double digits. In the half, the Orange and Blue shot 43.3 percent from the field on 13-30 shooting, while the Musketeers were close behind with a 39.3 shot percentage on 11-28 shooting. The Bison finished the half with an 11-0 advantage in second chance points. Despite the offensive efficiency, Xavier was 11-11 from the free throw line and carried a 37-33 lead into the half.

“I was able to provide some offensive spark because our posts did a great job of rebounding. This allowed for a number of second chance opportunities and open jump shots,” Romine said.

After their strong offensive showing in the first half, the Bison struggled to duplicate the effort in the second, as they shot 29.0 percent from the field on 9-31 shooting. Xavier took their first double digit lead of the game at the 10:48 mark of the second half, where the Musketeers led 56-45. Romine answered back with consecutive jump shots to trim the lead to six. Unfortunately, that was as close as they would get, as Xavier claimed the victory 71-62.

“Our shots were rushed in the second half because they started pressuring us heavier on defense,” Romine said. “Overall, there were a lot of positives to take away from our first game.”

Along with Romine’s 21 points, Sheaira Jones ’16 was also in double figures, scoring 10 points in her collegiate debut. Alyssa Dunn ’13 had seven points and four assists, while Dotson, Felicia Mgbada ’13 and Rachel Voss ’13 each scored six points. Forwards Dotson and Lindsay Horbatuck ’13 held strong in the paint grabbing 12 rebounds and 11 rebounds, respectively.

“I was very nervous about my first collegiate game. I knew that it would be very different from high school,” Jones said. “I think our team played great and I am excited about our future.”

On Nov. 14, the Bison fell 62-54 in their hard fought home opener against St. Francis (Pa.). Romine led again in scoring with 12 points. Dunn tallied 11 points, and Horbatuck pulled down 15 rebounds. The Orange and Blue carried a 23-20 into halftime, but St. Francis’ 36 points in the paint and 24 points off turnovers guided them to the win.

“Lindsay [Horbatuck] is one of the hardest workers I know and playing with her has taught me a lot. I’m really looking forward to playing with her more this year and giving our team a strong presence in the post,” Dotson said.

The Bison’s next contest is against Canisius, which will take place tomorrow afternoon in Buffalo N.Y.

Categories
Football Men Sports

Football falls at Georgetown

Madelyn Zachara | The Bucknellian
The Bison defense prepares themselves before the snap. Although the defense only allowed ten points, the lack of offense doomed the Bison.

Alex Wagner
Sports Editor

Despite a good defensive showing and a couple of late chances to tie the game, the Bison football team fell to Georgetown 10-3 in Washington, D.C. The Bison now have an overall record of 2-8 (0-5 in the Patriot League) with one game left in the season. The Orange and Blue, coming off of a close win against Fordham, were unable to get very much going on offense throughout the game. They were held to a season-low 168 yards of total offense and were 0-11 on third down attempts, while Georgetown had 356 total yards and went 6-16 on third downs.

Even though they managed just 48 yards of offense in the first half, the Bison went into halftime only down 10 points after Georgetown kicked a 20-yard field goal and threw a 28-yard touchdown pass.

With about 12 minutes left in the game, things looked like they were starting to go the Bison’s way. The tide began to turn when safety Matthew Steinbeck ’15 intercepted a Georgetown pass and returned it 39 yards, his sixth pick of the year. The ensuing drive saw quarterback Brandon Wesley ’14 complete a touchdown pass to wide receiver Josh Brake ’15. Unfortunately, the play was called back on a holding penalty, and the Orange and Blue had to settle for three points after a 38-yard field goal from Sean Cobelli ’14.

The Bison defense stood strong on the next drive, forcing Georgetown to punt with about four minutes left to play. As the Bison drove near midfield, they were faced with a crucial fourth-down situation. Although Wesley connected on a pass to Brake for the first down, Brake was ruled out of bounds and the Orange and Blue turned the ball over. From there, Georgetown only needed one first down to seal the game.

Wesley ended the game completing 8 of 13 pass attempts for 56 yards, while running back Tyler Smith ’13 finished with 37 yards on 14 carries. Smith also had 39 yards in the air after he completed a halfback option pass to Brake that put the Bison on the 10-yard line. Brake led all Bison receivers with three catches for 64 yards.

Linebacker Evan Byers ’15 had another great performance for the Orange and Blue defense, racking up a career high-tying 12 tackles. Patrick Joyce ’13, Samuel Oyekoya ’13 and Tracey Smith ’14 also contributed to the defensive effort by registering one sack each.

The Bison will look to close their 2012 campaign on a high note tomorrow when they take on Bryant at Christy Mathewson-Memorial Stadium at 1 p.m.

Categories
Men Sports Swimming & Diving

M. swimming wins home meet

 

The Bucknellian Archives
Marshall Lambert ’14 swims the breastroke. With his help, the bison dominated Lafayette as they won 14 of 16 events.

Scott Padula

Staff Writer

In the first home meet of the year, the Orange and Blue men’s swimming and diving team defeated Lafayette 186-112. The Bison dominated the meet throughout, winning 14 of a total 16 events. Further demonstrating their dominance, the Orange and Blue swept the Leopards, maintaining all three top spots in six different events. With the win, the Bison are now 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the Patriot League on the season.

“It did not take much for the team to be ready; all week we were itching to race. By the time it was the start of the meet, it was full force by the Bison. I think this speaks a lot to the coaching staff and the work we have put in so far. We are determined and we do not plan on changing our attitude moving forward,” Billy Krause ’13 said.

Leading the charge was Mike Nicholson ’14 who captured three individual victories on the day. Nicholson first won the 1,000 freestyle by 22.46 seconds before taking the 100 breast and 200 backstroke. In the latter two events, Nicholson set personal bests with times of 58.22 and 1:56.05, respectively. In 12 individual races on the season, Nicholson now has 10 victories and two second place finishes.

Joining Nicholson with multiple victories on the day were teammates Christian Treat ’13 and Matt Hadley ’14. Treat defeated his competition in the 200 freestyle and 200 IM, while Hadley swam to victory in the 100 backstroke and 500 freestyle. Other Bison winners included Krause, Bryce Suchomel ’13, Trevor Reitz ’14, Chris Ortiz ’16 and Tyler Wenzel ’16.

“The Lafayette meet was a great indicator of our energy level and enthusiasm for this upcoming season. Our men have displayed a level of confidence that was invigorated by the large support of the Bison fans this past Saturday. This is what we need to build off of and is especially important when we are going into a stretch of the year that will be particularly tough,” Treat said.

The Orange and Blue will swim in the Kinney Natatorium again this weekend when they host the Bucknell Invitational Nov. 16-18.

Categories
Sports Swimming & Diving Women

W. swimming beats Lafayette

 

Chloe Chou | The Bucknellian
A Bison swimmer dives into the water. The women dominated Lafayette, winning 14 or the 16 events overall.

Cooper Mead

Writer

The women’s swimming and diving team posted a winning performance against Lafayette on Nov. 10 at Kinney Natatorium. Nine different Bison won at least one event, and the team won 14 of 16 events, propelling them to a 194.5-103.5 victory against the Leopards. The Bison moved to 2-3 overall and 2-1 versus Patriot League foes.

Ashley Henderson ’16 won both the 100 breast and the 200 backstroke, Lauren Perry ’15 won the 100 freestyle and the 100 fly and Katie Hetherington ’15 won both the one-meter diving and the three-meter diving. Their performances were crucial to the Bison’s success against Lafayette. Henderson was followed by teammate Emily Norton ’15 in the 100 breast, and her 2:07.76 seconds time in the 200 backstroke bested teammate Kristen Purdy ’14 by 2.58 seconds.

“We had a fun meet this weekend, and it was great to finally be able to compete at our own pool. I’m really looking forward to see what we can do this weekend at our invitational,” Perry said.

On the diving front, the Bison claimed the top five spots in the two diving competitions. Hetherington (a school record holder) was trailed by Tori Molchany ’15 in second and Tara Boyle ’15 in third off of the one-meter board. Boyle and Molchany finished second and third off of the three-meter board, respectively.

Other notable performances included first place for Melissa Besman ’14 in the 1,000 freestyle, Stephanie Koziol ’15 in the 200 freestyle, Purdy in the 100 fly, Norton in the 200 breast and Kelly Pontecorvo ’14 in the 500 freestyle. In addition, the Bison claimed both relays as Purdy, Jennifer Brennan ’14, Morgan Oxley ’13 and Kaitlyn Utkewicz ’14 won the 200 medley relay. Additionally, Perry, Utkewicz, Emily Wright ’14 and Elizabeth Porcellio ’13 won the 400 free relay.

“Our team had a lot of fun this past weekend. It was our first home meet and many of us got to swim events we don’t normally swim,” Purdy said. “It’s amazing how much we have improved since the beginning of the season, and this past weekend we really got to see the versatility our team has. Our team has a lot of energy and potential this year. I’m looking forward to the meet this weekend and excited to see what the rest of the season holds.”

Coming off a win against Lafayette, the Bison will hope to post another strong showing as they host the Bucknell Invitational from Nov. 16-18.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball drops two

 

Conor Pierson | The Bucknellian
Claire Healy ’16 serves the ball. The Bison dropped their last two games.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team played strong but fell short of victory in its last matches of the season against Navy and American.

“I think as a whole we came out flat both nights, and sadly there was no energy or will to win. It was a disappointing end to the season, but it just was not our year,” Morgan Mientus ’14 said. “My individual performance was a letdown, and it was clear that both Navy and American planned to shut me down. I wish we could have won both games since it was our last weekend, but both teams were certainly more hungry for the wins and definitely deserved them.”

The Bison traveled to Annapolis, Md. on Nov. 9 to take on a Navy team fighting for a place in the postseason. The Orange and Blue lost the first set, but quickly battled back to go up 2-1 on the day. The comeback effort was not enough against Navy’s powerful offense, which fought back to eventually win 3-2.

Kat Tauscher ’13 finished with an impressive 28 assists and was backed up by Meghan Wentzel ’16 who recorded 20. Mientus and Kristen Titley ’14 both posted double-doubles, as Mientus had 14 kills and 11 digs, while Titley had 10 kills and 10 digs on the day. Leylin Marroquin ’14 also chipped in with 25 digs on defense, and Karen Campbell ’16 added two blocks.

“I was really happy with how we played Friday, we came out kind of slow but we really picked it up and gave Navy a tough match,” Titley said.

The Orange and Blue then traveled to American the next day for their last game of the season. It turned out to be a tough match, ending in a 3-0 loss for the Bison. Tauscher and Kebah Edoho ’13 both performed strongly in their last match for the Orange and Blue. Tauscher recorded a double-double with her 12 assists and 10 digs, while Edoho contributed five kills and three blocks. Campbell and Hannah Young ’14 also backed up Edoho with three blocks each, and Marroquin continued her strong weekend with 10 digs for the Bison.

“Saturday we started out slow again, but in the third set we really rallied and I was proud of the team for getting it together to give the seniors a good ending to their four years,” Titley said. “For me personally, I just really wanted to go out and give it my all and leave everything I had on the court since it was our last weekend of the season.”