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Sports Tennis Women

Women’s tennis strong at Mount St. Mary’s

 

Elizabeth Morgan | The Bucknellian
The team poses together at the Invitational. Together, they put on an impressive performance that saw numerous Bison finish in top spots.

Alex Wagner

Sports Editor

Maria Cioffi ’16 continued her successful campaign last weekend, coming out on top of the singles and doubles brackets while competing with the women’s tennis team at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational in Emmitsburg, Md.

To get to the finals of the Flight A singles bracket, Cioffi fought hard to defeat Loyola’s Megan Hahn 6-2, 3-6, 10-6 on a super tiebreak in the semifinals. In the final game, she defeated Elena Vidrascu ’14, who is also her doubles partner, 6-3, 6-2.

In the doubles field, Cioffi and Vidrascu won against Megan Hahn and Olivia Ott of Loyola in the semifinals. In the finals, they defeated their teammates Lydia Colvin ’15 and Alyssa McAndrew ’15 in the final, 8-6.

The weekend’s action marked the second time in two tournaments that Cioffi has reached the finals in both singles and doubles play, marking a great start to her collegiate career. Vidrascu also added on the accolades to her career for the Orange and Blue, improving her career doubles record to 31-32, which ranks her 22nd in all-time for the Bison, a standing she also has for career combined wins.

“As for the team, I think everyone did excellent this weekend and it was a huge improvement from our home tournament last weekend. Everyone played smartly from what I could see, and there are definitely some things to be worked on but it’s only going to get better and better from here,” Vidrascu said.

In addition to placing the two teams of Cioffi/Vidrascu and Colvin/McAndrew, the Bison also placed a third team in the finals when Ellie Fraser ’16 and Kristen Bishof ’15 reached the Flight B doubles bracket finals. Unfortunately, they were unable to win against Carly Landini and Liz Rossi of Mount St. Mary’s in that match.

The Bison will be back in action when they host the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 21-23.

Categories
Men Sports Tennis

Men’s tennis gets early experience

Cooper Mead

Writer

The men’s tennis team split up last weekend to compete in the Princeton Invitational and the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational.

At the Princeton Invitational, Josh Katten ’13 and Evan Zimmer ’13 both won their singles matches, while Katten also teamed up with Kelly Morque ’13 to win their first-round doubles match and defeat Princeton’s Mohamed El Tonbari and Michael Lin, 8-4. Despite Katten’s first round singles win over Andrew Berman of UPenn (4-6, 6-4, 6-2), he had a tough second round match-up and lost to St. John’s MJ Every after dropping the opening frame 6-1. Zimmer’s first match went well as he beat Cornell’s Alex Sidney 6-3, 6-2, but he was defeated by Yale’s Kyle Dawson 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.

As the tournament progressed, the Orange and Blue struggled as Nick Bybel ’16 lost his match to Arvis Berzins of Fairleigh Dickinson 6-3, 6-0, which ended the Bison’s contention in the singles bracket. Similarly, Morque and Katten brought the team’s competition to a close at the Princeton Invitational when they lost in an 8-5 contest against Wake Forest’s Sam Bloom and Brendan Henry.

In Emmitsburg, Md. the Bison were only able to send two players through to the second round. Octavio Canibe ’15 won 7-5, 3-6, 10-7 over Duk Young Park of Morgan State and Jonathan DeFrancesch ’15 defeated Jordan Kuchta of Loyola (Md.) 6-4, 6-3 in the first round. In the semi-final round, Canibe was a 6-2, 3-6, 10-4 winner over Adam Salam of Mount St. Mary’s and DeFrancesch defeated Morgan State’s Jannick Tash 5-7, 6-3, 10-4 in their Flight B semifinal.

In the doubles arena, partners Canibe and Rosen won 9-8 against Mike Salomon and Salam of Mount St. Mary’s. The Bison duo lost their next round match to Duk Young Park and Tash of Morgan State, 8-4.

On Sunday, Canibe lost to Matt Blake from Mount St. Mary’s in the finals by a score of 7-5, 6-2 to place second in the Flight A title bout. Also competing in the finals was DeFrancesch, who defeated Evan Ward 6-4, 6-4, and won the Flight B singles title, tallying a career best with three consecutive wins this weekend. Aidan Lynch ’14 also defeated Bobby Gorczakowski of Loyola 7-5, 6-4 in the backdraw.

“Overall, it was a successful weekend for everyone. There was solid competition at both tournaments and we got a lot of matches in, which is very important at this point in the season. We hope to have a productive week of practice and be at our best for the St. Joes tournament,” Morque said.

After the Bison’s strong performance at the Mount St. Mary’s Invitational, they will prepare for the St. Joseph’s Invitational in Philadelphia on Sept. 21-23.

 

Categories
Sports Volleyball Women

Volleyball solid in Bucknell Invitational

 

Courtesy of Athletic Communications
Kebah Edoho ’13 spikes the ball. She played a critical role in the Bison’s success at the Bucknell Invitational.

Katherine Harris

Writer

The women’s volleyball team finished its last weekend of non-conference play strong  last weekend, going 2-1 during the Bucknell Invitational on Sept. 14 and 15.

“Since it was my first home game, I was really nervous and excited to see a lot of people show up to support us,” said Karen Campbell ’16. “The energy from our supporters in the gym was great and it made me really enjoy playing on the home court in front of a big audience.”

The Bison started the tournament against a tough Fordham team, losing 3-0 again in a repeat of the two squads’ meeting the weekend before. Individual performances for the Orange and Blue were stronger in the second match-up between the teams, as Hannah Young ’14 racked up five blocks while Campbell and Kebah Edoho ’13 had three each. On offense, Meghan Wentzel ’16 totaled 17 assists and Jessica Serrato ’14 added 10 kills to the performance.

On Saturday, the Orange and Blue came back with a vengeance, burying a Providence squad while earning their first three-set victory of the year. Multiple players stepped up in the win, including Serrato with eight kills and Edoho with six. Morgan Mientus ’14 contributed 11 digs, while Kat Tauscher ’13 recorded her first career double-double with 19 assists and 10 digs. The first home win of the season was also a high point for the Bison as head coach Cindy Opalski recorded her 400th career win.

“I think we are really going to surprise some people in the Patriot League and pull out some big wins this year.  We finally are finishing matches when we are up two games to zero, and not letting the other team get back into the game,” Mientus said.

Continuing their domination for the day, the Bison finished the tournament with a 3-0 win over Quinnipiac. Mientus finished with 11 digs, while Serrato and Campbell both had performances that solidified their spots on the All-Tournament Team. Serrato finished with 11 kills on the day, totaling 29 kills and 21 digs on the weekend. Campbell ended up with five kills and four blocks, and 15 kills and 10 blocks for the entire tournament.

“Overall, I think the weekend offered an excellent ending note to our pre-conference play. We have all individually made critical changes and improvements in the last six weeks, and as a team we are growing stronger each week,” Serrato said. “We also recognize that we, along with the other Patriot League teams, are now 0-0 all over again, and we have serious competition ahead of us.”

The Bison will now prepare for the opening weekend of Patriot League play as they travel to Lafayette to face off against the Leopards tonight.

Categories
Opinion

Theme revitalized Fall Fest concert

Justin Marinelli
Writer

Fall Fest tends to be a decent, if not terribly exciting event. This year, the event was given a creative twist with a country theme, complete with live country music performances, which were a lovely break from the usual hip-hop acts.

I am in favor of giving Fall Fest a theme every year. It seemed that half the fun this year was dressing up in country-style clothing (or whatever you could pass off as “country”). Luckily, my cluelessness as to what dressing country actually means seems to be shared by everyone else on campus, so I was able to get away with just wrapping a bandanna around my normal clothing.

Not everyone was slacking in their outfit like I did. Many people showed up in cowboy boots and hats, flannel was everywhere and certain people had American flag shirts. It was the most in depth I’ve ever seen people get into the idea of Fall Fest, as people mostly showed up just for free food in previous years.

Having a theme allowed certain activities that wouldn’t have made sense otherwise, like taking a “Wild West” themed picture or having some hay bales to sit on during the concert. Could there have been really fun things to do that didn’t require a theme? Of course. But having a theme made the events there more fun.

Besides, think of the possibilities for Fall Fests in the future. One of the more popular events this year was the “Fabulous ’50s Night.” Imagine a Fall Fest with a ’50s theme, in which Frank Sinatra music plays while we mingle around in period get-up.

In theory, you could make the argument that if you pick a theme people don’t like, no one would show up. I would be willing to bet that not too many people on this campus actually like country, and yet Fall Fest this year was still a success. If an incredibly popular theme was chosen, I would predict a fantastic turnout.

Giving Fall Fest a theme takes the event out of the realm of “just another thing” to an actual, exciting event. It increases the possibilities to do interesting things with it, and would probably increase turnout. At the very least, it would make it more fun.

Categories
Men Soccer Sports

Men’s soccer wins two blowout contests

 

Madelyn Zachara | The Bucknellian
The Orange and Blue attempt to capitalize on a throw in. They found many ways to score over the weekend, compiling eleven goals.

Chris McCree

Sports Editor

Coming off its first two victories of the season, the men’s soccer team exploded for 11 goals last weekend in a pair of wins against Adelphi and Albany on its home turf. The Orange and Blue dominated both games from start to finish, outshooting their opponents 18-7 and 18-9, respectively.

“This weekend was a critical step for our team,” Patrick Figgie ’16 said. “After battling out five difficult games to start off our season, coming back home and being able to play our own game is a great sign of moving forward. We were able to control the tempo of both games more so than in the previous five, which allowed us to keep possession and have more attacking chances.”

On Friday night, the Orange and Blue recorded the highest goal total in 20 years with seven goals, shutting out an Adelphi squad that beat the team 1-0 last season. Conor Keeley ’15 led the Bison with two goals, while five others recorded single goals.

Brendan Burgdorf ’13 got the Bison started with a goal in the sixth minute of play, followed by a headed goal from Jonathan Grad ’15 right before the half. Joe Meyer ’14 scored his second goal of the season early in the second half, while Figgie, Keeley and Mark Leibensperger ’15 all scored their first collegiate goals in the later parts of the contest.

“Coming into the weekend we were riding a two game win streak, so it was important to be able to keep that momentum going–especially at home–in front of a great crowd,” Brian Ward ’15 said. “Last year, we did not get the result we wanted in our home opener, or when we went to Adelphi, so to get the win this year feels even better.”

Following the big win, the Bison continued their strong play against Albany, taking down the Great Danes, 4-0. Defender Mayowa Alli ’14 scored two goals in the first half, while Ward and Burgdorf each added one of their own in the second.

On the defensive side, the Bison were strong once again, allowing just nine shots in 90 minutes of play. Mike Lansing ’16 recorded his second straight shutout of the year, only having to make two saves throughout the match.

“The overall team effort that we gave this weekend was amazing,” Ward said. “Twenty-two different guys played, eight different guys scored, two different goalies got complete game shutouts and no matter what combination of players we had on the field, our level of play never dropped.”

Due to their large goal differential, the Orange and Blue took the Class of ’98 Invitational crown, while Penn State took second.

Playing their best soccer of the young season, the Bison look poised to compete for a Patriot League title. The Bison will travel to Lehigh tomorrow for a nighttime showdown against their rivals.

“After this weekend, we are definitely looking forward to playing Lehigh in our first Patriot League game,” Meyer said. “I think it is important to realize that while we had a great weekend, we still need to come ready to play and ready to work hard. We are confident right now and need to focus on getting ready for Saturday’s match.”

Categories
Soccer Sports Women

Women’s soccer goes 1-1 in California

 

Edward Louie | The Bucknellian
Courtney Nelson ’15 strikes the ball. The Bison gained valuable experiences in their two game trip; to the west coast.

Ajan Caneda

Copy Editor

The women’s soccer team went 1-1 this past weekend to earn second place in the St. Mary’s Tournament in Moraga, Calif. It has been 13 years since the Orange and Blue have traveled to the West Coast and they started out with a 3-1 victory against CSU Bakersfield on Sept. 14. Two nights later, the Bison had trouble finding the net, as they fell 2-0 to Saint Mary’s (Calif.). Chelsey Garkowski ’14, Kayla Yee ’13 and Corinne Collins ’13 earned spots on the All-Tournament Team.

Traveling to the West Coast had no negative effects on the Orange and Blue, as Yee dished an assist to Garkowski leading to the first goal of the match in the fifth minute. CSU Bakersfield outshot the Bison 7-4 in the first half, but were unable to score on Sandita McDermott ’13 who had six saves in the game.

“It was great to play in the scenery we did on Friday,” forward Cassie Denger ’15 said. “The temperature was great and the sun was shining; it was a beautiful day to play.”

The Roadrunners continued their aggressive play, reeling off another 15 shots in the second half, but the Bison made their opportunities count. Liz Dwornik ’14 delivered a cross pass that led to a shot by Denger, which gave the Orange and Blue a 2-0 lead. Five minutes later, Jenna Tryon ’13 launched a long pass to Garkowski, leading to her second goal of the game and a team-leading four shots. The Roadrunners scored in the 80th minute to prevent the shutout.

Twenty-four players saw action in this game, and goalie Jessie Ashworth ’16 made her collegiate debut with two saves in 12 minutes of action.

“It was great to get a win on the West Coast,” Denger said. “By using all 24 players it really helped us keep the level of play high in the heat. We always had fresh legs on the field and it gave us a great advantage in the second half. Winning feels great no matter what coast you’re on.”

Although McDermott had a season-high 10 saves against Saint Mary’s, the Bison offense couldn’t get going, losing 2-0 to the host team. This is only the second time this season that the Orange and Blue were held scoreless.

The Gaels were able to jump out to an early lead with a goal in the 16th minute. Both teams battled for position to score, but it stayed 1-0 at halftime.

The Bison were determined to even the score with five more shot attempts in the second half. It would be to no avail, as the Gaels stopped their offensive flow. Saint Mary’s scored their second goal in the 88th minute to put the game away.

The Orange and Blue have their final game before Patriot League play tonight at 7 p.m. at home against Canisius.

“Going into conference play, we have the highest expectations. We have seen it all in the pre-conference season and hope to carry those experiences forward to help us have success in the Patriot League,” McDermott said.

Categories
Arts & Life Rees' Pieces

Rees’ Pieces: Pets and their Owners

Ben Rees
Writer

Animals are not people. They do have rights, and no animal should be treated poorly; however, these rights are animal rights, not people rights. If I cannot pee on 6th Street without getting a ticket, animals should not be able to sit at the table. I know there is no rule that says dogs must abide by an established canine code of conduct, and luckily, most people who own pets are wholly reasonable and keep their dog’s food in the dog bowl instead of in bone china (go figure). This being said, some strange people interact with their animals in a very creepy and inappropriate manner.

I wasn’t joking earlier; I know people whose dogs sit at the dinner table with them. Because dogs physically can’t sit at the table, and under my chair is ever so lonely, they go above and beyond their call of duty as owners and actually sit their dogs on the table. This isn’t right. I don’t care how many times cleaner a dog’s mouth is than a human’s, if I bathed by licking myself, I don’t think I would be allowed anywhere near the house, much less on the dinner table. When I asked this eccentric couple why their beloved Jeremy sat on the table (note the creepy human name), they told me it was too cold for him on the floor. Now, I’m no evolutionary biologist, nor a veterinarian, but I can bet that the reason animals have fur is because it keeps them warm, especially when they sit on the floor.

In addition, as much as I enjoy providing a pooch with a good ear rub, I just plain don’t like when animals follow me around. When I walk out of my bedroom at eight in the morning, I don’t want there to be a furry bridge troll at my doorway who won’t let me through until I throw a ball down the hall.

Pets are not children, nor will they ever be a suitable indicator for whether a couple is capable of having an baby. They are not the same thing, and just because you can walk a dog every day doesn’t mean you can push a stroller full of Furbees while you breast-feed.

The moral of this column is as follows: people who treat their animals like people are exceedingly creepy. Having a conversation with your dog doesn’t stimulate its intellectual capacities, especially when it’s scooting around on the living room rug. The only thing worse than talking to your dog is talking to your cat. At least your dog is staring at you while you talk; cats are essentially Slinkies with fur. Talking to your cat is only a half step up from talking to yourself, and we all know where you end up after years of doing that.

Categories
Arts & Life Columns Sleeping Around

Sleeping Around: The DOs and DON’Ts of PDA

Dixie Rose
Columnist

There are two types of couples on this campus: those who are genuinely happy and love spending time together and those who want everyone to think they are happy and love spending time together. Unfortunately, the latter of these feels the need to express their emotions at inappropriate times and places. Seriously, it seems like any time and place works, regardless of the circumstances. I’ve taken it upon myself to compile some guidelines about on-campus displays of affection. While this seems like a guide, it’s more like a public service announcement.

Do: Kiss in public

I’m all for PDA. The couples that walk around holding hands and giving each other little goodbye kisses before class are adorable.

Don’t: Be too aggressive about it.

There’s a difference between a quick kiss and going at it in the middle of the Rooke Science Center’s atrium. I’m sorry, but 9 a.m. is too early to see people shoving their tongues down each other’s throats.

Do: Sit near each other in class

I enjoy sitting by my boyfriend in class for the same reasons I like sitting by my friends; he’s good entertainment when class gets dull and he doesn’t judge me when I ask stupid questions.

Don’t: Act like it is date night

Being in a physics lecture is different than being at a movie. I don’t want to watch people snuggled up together in a classroom, and neither does anyone else. Can you imagine being a professor and watching two college kids canoodling in the front row? Ew.

Do: Dance together at parties

It’s better to be grinded on by someone you actually like than a random first-year.

Don’t: Be that couple

We’ve all seen this: you’re at a register, trying to find an acceptable excuse to walk away from the kid grinding on you and you start scanning the room. All of a sudden, you see what looks like an awkward monster with too many arms and not enough hands. And then you realize it’s two people up against a wall who need a hand check.

Do: Have a healthy sex life

This means something different to everyone. My roommate’s boyfriend, for example, was complaining about a recent cut back from twice a day to once a day. But admit it–whether you go through a pack of condoms a week or are saving yourself for marriage, being physical is a big part of a successful and healthy relationship.

Don’t: Forget to close the blinds

Just because you want to experience it doesn’t mean the rest of the world wants to see it.

Categories
News

University uses stickers to comply with voter law

Elizabeth Bacharach
Senior Writer

As of April 2012, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania instituted a new voter ID law requiring voters to present a valid photo ID with an expiration date every time they vote. As University IDs do not have an expiration date on them, this was potentially problematic for students without a Pennsylvania license, passport or any other form of photo identification. The University, therefore, took action.

Starting Monday, Sept. 17, the Campus Activities & Programs (CAP) Center and the Switchboard began distributing free expiration stickers to affix to University IDs, an option under the new law. The CAP center will be giving out the stickers Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. and the Switchboard, Monday through Friday between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.

“Everything the University is doing in response to the state’s new voter ID law is about making sure students who wish to exercise their right to vote this November are able to do so,” Andy Hirsch, director of media communications, said. “[That is why we] continue to publicize both the impact the new law will have and the steps the University is taking to make sure student IDs will be accepted as valid forms of photo ID.”

New stories are constantly updated and posted to the University homepage and social media channels, and campus-wide announcements have been sent out. A website has also been created focusing on voter registration that can help students understand the new law and voting this November: http://www.bucknell.edu/x79070.xml. 

Categories
News

Green party forms on campus

Allison Busacca
Contributing Writer

Upon his arrival at the University, David Rapp-Kirshner ’15 couldn’t help getting involved.  He is currently trying to form a Green Party club, which is in its beginning stages and is probing for interest and support on campus.

His interest in this club comes from his desire to “give a voice” to the Green Party. During this 2012 presidential election, it has become clear to him that progressives, whose political views he identifies with, are underrepresented. He feels he has to settle because his political views aren’t fully represented by either of the two major political parties.

The key to the Green Party agenda is that they are “the only political party that is truly progressive on all aspects of its platform: marriage equality, universal single-payer healthcare, ecological sustainability, cannabis legalization, national debt reduction, international peace and disarmament, civil rights and human rights,” Rapp-Kirshner said.

He believes the policies of the Green Party are “the way to the brightest future for America.”

His goals for the club on campus are to raise awareness of the Green Party and its ideals by facilitating discussions and debates on topical issues where they would express their progressive viewpoints. Students from other political parties would be encouraged to come and express theirs as well. He believes a diversity of views and beliefs is important, and is something America’s current system does not allow for. He hopes the club will not only raise awareness for the Green Party on campus, but also bring scrutiny to America’s two-party system.

We already have a Democrats Club and Conservatives Club on campus. Kamran Khan ’14,  president of College Democrats (College Dems) said their main goal for this semester is “to get as many students registered to vote on campus as possible.”

They have taken several initiatives, including successfully working with the University to place stickers on University IDs so students can vote in Pennsylvania. Khan is planning a watch party for the two main debates with a follow-up discussion for students and faculty. He also hopes to schedule a debate with the Conservatives Club.

Richie Pisano ’15 of the Conservatives Club (BUCC) describes their weekly club meetings as “lively” and “encompassing of a range of political ideologies, all based in freedom and liberty.” The club has its own publication, “The Counterweight,” and it brings speakers to campus. The BUCC will be hosting Dinesh D’Souza, who will speak on multiculturalism and “The Roots of Obama’s Rage” on Oct. 1 at 7:30 p.m. in Trout Auditorium.

Rapp-Kirshner is open to any input and is hopeful that the Green Party can have the same legitimacy on campus as College Dems and the BUCC.