Category: Women

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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
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 Sports Women

Cross country women second at Lang Invitational

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
The Bison women’s cross country team races from the starting line at the Bison Open.

Cooper Mead
Writer

The women’s cross country team started off their season strong on home turf on Aug. 31 at the Bison Open as Maddie Dulac ’15 led the team with an 18:26 finish in the three-mile run. Dulac finished fourth overall, trailing 40 seconds behind the overall winner, Bloomsburg’s Victoria Davis.

Justine Schnell ’15 finished on the heels of her teammate with a time of 18:27, Paige Lommerin ’16 finished with a time of 18:46, Zoe Gaston ’15 finished with a time of 18:51 and Nora Adams ’16 finished in 18:56 which allowed the Bison to tally five top 10 runners.

“The Bison Open was an opportunity for some people to prove themselves. We held out our top 13 to save them for Colgate, but we did have a few runners really rise and they are putting themselves in position for some travel spots later in the year,” head coach Kevin Donner said.

On Saturday, the Bison continued their successful weekend of competition as they traveled to Colgate for the Harry Lang Invitational, finishing second overall. The Bison women were led by Caroline Tolli ’13, who finished eighth overall in the women’s 4,200-meter course with a time of 16:21.

The rest of the Bison runners weren’t far behind, with Katie Jessee ’15 placing ninth with a time of 16:28, Alison Billas ’16 placing 12th, Montana DiPietrantonio ’15 placing 14th, Deanna Godby ’16 and Beth Braunegg ’14 tying for 16th and Leah Goeke ’13 finishing in 20th.

The Bison placed second with 60 points by narrowly shifting Navy, who gathered 67 points, but lost to a Syracuse squad who tallied 24 points. Despite Navy having two runners placed above Tolli, seven of the Bison women finished in the top 20 which secured second place for the Orange and Blue.

“The women ran a very conservative race early and really came on strong at the end. The ladies at the Harry Lang Invitational ran very patient and handled the tough cross country course very well,” Donner said. “I was not concerned with the final result. I just wanted to see us execute our own race plan and to get to know the Patriot League Championship course better. Finishing second out of 10 was nice, but not our overall objective. It was a nice start and the ladies are excited about the next two months.”

The Bison will travel to Northville, Mich. to compete in the Running Fit-Detroit Titan Invitational on Saturday.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey trains hard for early season tests

 

The Bucknellian Archives
Cassie Goggin ’15 played in the match against Princeton last fall.

Sami Shein
Writer

The women of the Bison field hockey team trained hard all summer in preparation for two tough tests to begin their 2012 campaign, including one against UConn, who are recent NCAA Tournament semifinalists.

“This [was] a big game for us, but we have definitely put the time in,” said captain Tayler Siegrist ’13. 

Although they did not come out on top against UConn, falling to the Huskies 3-0, their hard work over the summer paid off just a day later as they rallied to defeat Fairfield 2-1.

“The team follows a summer workout packet and does their best to train no matter if they are on campus, at home or abroad,” assistant coach Jamie Montgomery said.

Kelsey Mucelli ’15 stayed on campus all summer and trained with strength and conditioning coordinator Jerry Shreck and later teamed up with Rachel Misko ’14, Erica Perrine ’14 , and Vickie Resh ’14 to play in the USA Field Hockey program on the New Jersey High Performance Squad.

Rigorous team training started on Aug. 9 with three practices a day at Graham Field. The morning practice consisted of many drills to sharpen their skills such as dribbling, passing and shooting. The nighttime practice was dedicated to game-like situations such as scrimmages and working on plays. The mid-day practice was a combination of the two. Additionally, running was interspersed throughout all the practices to keep the girls in top shape and to make sure they beat opponents to every ground ball.

Not only did the girls run and condition to be in top shape, but they fueled their bodies in other ways to feel strong and energized.

“We always tried to feed our bodies with the right food,” Siegrist said.

There was no unified diet, but each player looked out for themselves to provide their body with proper nutrients. The team recognizes that there is definitely an increase in competition this year, but it has only motivated them to train harder, stay focused and take care of their bodies. The Bison dedicated themselves to an environment of zealous training, teamwork and camaraderie, which is sure to pay off this upcoming season.

Categories
Rowing Sports Women

Bison rowing dominates spring & summer

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Men’s rowing teams propelling themselves along a 2000-meter race against Drexel at Shamokin Dam last April.

Thomas Walter
Staff writer

Both the men’s and women’s rowing programs finished the spring season and entered the summer with a very successful couple of months.

For the seventh consecutive year, the Orange and Blue’s women rowers won the Patriot League Championship. Head coach Stephen Kish noted that a key to winning was the team’s training regimen.

“The championship is always exciting. It’s always a challenge and a question to see where we stand. We’ve established a history of success now, but our training is about more than pushing ourselves to be better than our fellow competitors. We train to be better than ourselves, day in and day out,” Kish said.

In many ways, winning the team championship at the Dad Vail Regatta was even more impressive than their Patriot League success.

“Dad Vail is one of the biggest regattas in the country and we won total girls team points. It was very exciting for us as a team to win total points,” Allyson Rivard ’14 said.

The men’s rowing team also had strong finishes at both the Eastern College Athletics Conference (ECAC) Championship and the American Collegiate Rowing Association (ACRA) Club National Championship Regatta. At the ECAC Championship, the Varsity Eight finished sixth overall while the second Varsity Eight placed second for the silver in their event. Next, the men’s crew team headed to ACRA Club National Championship Regatta on May 26. They won silver in the Varsity Eight final, while setting a new 8+ record time for the Bison. Head coach Al Monte was pleased that the team’s hard work showed when it mattered most.

“We set out to have our fastest race possible and leave it all out on the race course–to realize our potential when it mattered the most, and I believe we accomplished that goal,” Monte said.

Connor Corwen ’14 also notes that this year has the potential to be another great season.

“I am very excited to see how this year pans out. It looks very promising as we have had many freshman walk on to the team that might be able to contribute right away. After last season, I know there will be no boundaries to our rate of success,” Corwen said.

The men’s and women’s squads look to build off their recent accomplishments and continue their success this coming season.

Categories
Field Hockey Sports Women

Field hockey beats Fairfield in overtime

Andrew Arnao
Senior Writer

After travelling to Connecticut last weekend for their first games of the season, the field hockey team rebounded from a shutout loss to the Connecticut Huskies and triumphed over the Fairfield Stags on an overtime goal by forward Kiersten Sydnor ’16. After the series, Sydnor was recognized as the Patriot League Rookie of the Week, and goalie Erica Perrine ’14 received Patriot League Goalkeeper of the Week honors.

“This is the first time in a few years we have split our opening weekend. This weekend provided a great starting point for us moving into a bunch of home games this month,” head coach Jeremy Cook said.

The Bison (1-1) managed little offensively in Saturday’s 3-0 loss against nationally sixth ranked Connecticut, but the defense put in a strong effort to keep the Orange and Blue close. Perrine allowed only three goals, blocking 10 of Connecticut’s 23 shot attempts.

“Playing against the number six team in the country was definitely a challenge, but it was a good season-opener because it allowed us to showcase our talent and it exposed our weaknesses,” Perrine said. “We played our first game stronger than we ever have the past two years I have been here, and even though we lost, we learned a lot and were proud of ourselves.”

“The entire backfield (Amie Pritchard ’15, Liz Wills ’15, Tayler Siegrist ’13 and Perrine) did a tremendous job defending the Huskies and only allowing three goals,” Siegrist said.

After falling behind 1-0 early on Sunday against Fairfield, Siegrist tied the score on a penalty shot right before halftime. After a scoreless second half, the game went into overtime, an area the Bison have thrived in. Since 2010, the Orange and the Blue had won seven of their last eight overtime games, and improved that stretch as Sydnor scored the winning goal to give the Bison a 2-1 victory.

“Going into overtime, which is [our] specialty, we knew we had to make something happen.  Starting off with possession, we were able to get the ball into their circle within the first minute. Rachel Misko ’14 took a shot off the far post and I was able to tip it in,” Sydnor said.

“Our defense again was the story, as we absorbed a ton of attack and were able to frustrate them throughout the game. [Fairfield had a] much slower playing surface, which gave them a big home-field advantage. I am very proud of the team for overcoming the playing surface and very different style of play for the win,” Cook said.

The Bison will return for their home opener on Sept. 2, when they will host Lock Haven at 12 p.m.

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball starts off with victory

 

The Bucknellian Archives
The Bison take a breather during their stretch of four games in two days.

Katherine Harris
Writer

The women’s volleyball team started off their season strong this weekend, beating both La Salle and Manhattan on Saturday afternoon before falling short against Niagara and Loyola on Sunday.

“Our hard work during the summer and preseason has definitely paid off. Everyone stepped up and gave it their all throughout the whole weekend. I was very impressed by our freshmen; they got on the court, maintained positive attitudes, and made significant contributions,” said Kebah Edoho ‘13.

The Bison began their season with an impressive 3-1 win against the home team in the La Salle Invitational. Many athletes stood out in the game, including Morgan Mientus ‘14 with a career best 16 digs, Kat Tauscher ’13 with 17 assists, and Edoho with five blocks, more than the entire La Salle team combined. Also impressive were the contributions made by rookie members of the team, as Meghan Wentzel ’16 racked up 17 assists, along with four blocks from Karen Campbell ’16 and ten kills from Claire Healy ’16.

Success continued for the Orange and Blue as they faced Manhattan, coming out with another 3-1 victory. Edoho once again anchored the team’s defense with 6 blocks, and Mientus crushed her career record once again with 25 digs. Tauscher and Wentzel also both stepped up, with the senior pulling in 26 assists and the freshman finishing with 18 assists and 10 digs.

“This weekend was a pretty big surprise in the past two years that I’ve been on Bucknell’s team we have never started off so strong. I see really good things in our future. I think we got all of our first tournament jitters out and will only go up from here,” said Mientus.

After a strong opening day, the Bison faltered in their first match on Sunday, losing to Niagara in three straight sets. Individually, many of the Bison still had strong performances, with Tauscher and Wentzel pulling in 14 and 13 sets, respectively. Mientus also continued to post high stats, with 24 digs in the match, and Edoho had 12 kills and a .478 attack percentage.

Finally, the Orange and Blue lost a tough last match to a strong Loyola squad who went 4-0 on the weekend. Jessica Serrato ’14 stepped up on offense with 10 kills, along with Tauscher and Wentzel holding solid in the assists column, but the effort just wasn’t enough as the Bison fell to the strong attack of their undefeated opponent in three sets.

“We have been working so hard since August 7th so it’s nice to finally have the hard work and commitment pays off. Although we went 2-2 this past weekend, we faced some tough competition. We all left the weekend with a ‘good taste’ in our mouths because of the future potential we saw play out on the court,” Healy said.

The team will now prepare for their upcomingmatch this weekend at the Robert Morris/Duquesne Invitational on Friday and Saturday.

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer scores first victory of the season

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
Denger ’15 going in for a shot in the game against Robert Morris last Sunday.

Ajan Caneda
Writer

On Aug. 19, the women’s soccer team defeated Robert Morris at home 3-1 to pick up their first win of the season. The Orange and Blue were on the attack in the second half, outshooting the Colonials 17-9 in the period.

Thanks to an assist from Taryn Boucher ’13 and Corinne Collins ’13, forward Chelsea Garkowski ’14 nailed the first goal at the 25:57 mark to give the Bison the early lead. Robert Morris answered back with a goal of their own in the 33rd minute to even the score.

In the second half, the Bison capitalized on their shot attempts. Kayla Yee ’13 delivered a pass to Cassie Denger ’15, as she scored the tie-breaking goal in the 51st minute. The Colonials were unable to stop the barrage of shots from the Orange and Blue, as Danielle Piccirilli ’16 would score another goal off an assist by Denger to seal the win.

“This win at home will give us the momentum we need to keep pushing towards our team goals this season,” Denger said. “We really came together today to make this win happen.”

The first big test of the regular season came last Friday as the Orange and Blue traveled to Piscataway, N.J. to face 23rd ranked Rutgers. The Bison gave the Scarlet Knights everything they could handle, but Rutgers came away with a 2-1 win.

Intimidation did not faze the Orange and Blue, as they got off to a quick start behind a goal from Courtney Nelson ’15, the first of her career, with an assist by Evelyn Nicinski ’15.

“We gave them a battle that they definitely were not expecting,” Nelson said. “I think the first half we just really surprised them, and they weren’t ready for us.”

Rutgers locked the Bison down defensively, preventing them from attempting a shot in the second half. The Scarlet Knights scored back-to-back goals off of nine shot attempts in the 53rd and 60th minutes to secure the win.

“Despite the result, I am so proud of my team. The 2nd half they were more prepared for us I think. They changed some of the girls on their back line, and they made sure to be more organized and not let us get behind them,” Nelson said. “Rutgers is ranked 23rd nationally, and competing against them really showed us that we can play quality teams and make it a battle. We know that we can score, and we know how to stay together as a team. This season is definitely going to be exciting.”

The Bison’s next game will be against Buffalo at home today at 7 PM.

Categories
Men Softball Sports

Athlete of the Week: Laura Sandford ’13

Chris McCree
Sports Editor

Player Profile:

Laura Sandford

Junior

Second base

Hometown: New Egypt, N.J.

Major: Political Science and History

 

Season Statistics:

Avg: .226

GP: 40

Hits: 19

Runs: 3

RBIs: 7

 

Behind the strong offensive performance by Bison second baseman Laura Sandford ’13, the softball team was to earn its first Patriot League series win this weekend over Holy Cross. During the four-game series, Sandford was able to hit an impressive .533, recording eight hits along with two RBIs. After dropping the first game of the series to the Crusaders, the Orange and Blue were able to snap their 13-game losing streak behind a walk-off RBI by Sandford in the ninth. Sanford went two-for-five in the game and drove in two of the team’s four runs. For the first time in her career, Sandford was able to record three multi-hit games in a row, and her current four-game hitting streak ties a career best mark she set a year ago.

In the midst of a tough season thus far, Sandford’s hot streak could not have come at a better time for the Orange and Blue. Currently sitting at 3-13 in the Patriot League with one series remaining, the Bison will look to rally through the end of the year and try and make a postseason push, but their success will be largely dependent on their ability to put runs on the board. During their 16 league games this season, the Orange and Blue have managed to score three runs or more in just five games.

This weekend, Sandford and the Bison will travel to Lafayette for their final regular season series.