Monthly Archives: September 2010

September 23, 2010 · 11:32 pm

THE LEADING SCORER FOR ALL COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYS IN THE NAIA

SXU's Mike Maher Official Balladeer's Blog nickname: "M Squared"

 

Let’s get to the bottom of the latest sports scandal: a college football player with no arrest record leads the entire nation in scoring! Mike Maher, better known to my readers as “M Squared” in stories about the Saint Xavier Cougars leads all college scoring. The following courtesy of the SXU Sports Information Department: 

CHICAGO – If asked to guess where college football’s top scorer is playing this season, most fans and followers would likely choose a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) school or maybe even a NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program with a rich history of football success.  However, the real answer lies at a small NAIA institution nestled in the south suburbs of Chicago.  Saint Xavier University senior wide receiver Mike Maher (Plainfield, Ill./Providence Catholic) has posted 78 points over four games this season behind 13 touchdowns (10 receptions, three kick returns).  The next highest scorer is NCAA Division II University of Minnesota-Duluth’s senior running back Isaac Odim, who has tallied 60 points (10 TDs) over three games.  

In terms of scoring average, Maher ranks third (19.5 points per game) in all of college football (all divisions, including junior college) behind NCAA Division III Thomas More College’s (Ky.) freshman running back Domonique Hayden with 54 points over two games (27.0 points per game) and Odim (20.0 ppg).  Maher has had the start to his senior season that every college student-athlete dreams about.  He currently has 31 receptions for 508 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns (three off kick returns).  The 5-10, 185-pound speedster has also returned either a kickoff or a punt for a score in each of his last three games and, most importantly, his team is off to a 4-0 start and ranked No. 4 in the latest NAIA Top 25 Football Coaches’ Poll.  Maher’s 508 receiving yards this fall currently ranks him No. 2 among all college football institutions in total receiving yards behind only NCAA Division III Wittenberg University (Ohio) junior wideout Josh McKee.  McKee has 514 receiving yards in three games after Saturday’s big game that saw him finish with 318 yards and five touchdowns in a 37-7 win over Washington-St. Louis (Mo.). 

“Mike is an absolutely dominant player at our level,” said SXU football coach Mike Feminis.  “In my mind, he’s a Division I-type caliber athlete who, luckily for us, slipped through the cracks.  We give a “Play of the Day” award after each game and we might as well rename it the “Maher Play of the Day,” because he wins it just about every week.  Mike’s a human highlight reel, but what makes him so special is his incredible work ethic and desire to be successful.  The only negative about Mike is that he’s too hard on himself.  He hates to fail.  Every coach uses the phrase, ‘play every play like it’s your last.’  That’s Mike Maher in a nutshell.” 

 Maher will get the chance to add to his scoring total on Saturday, September 25, when the Cougars head to Quincy, Ill., to take on Quincy University (Ill.) in a Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) crossover match-up.  The game is scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff.

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September 22, 2010 · 10:31 pm

FIELD MARSHALL: AN INTERVIEW WITH STUDENT ATHLETE EILEEN O’REILLY

 Since many people remain out of the loop on Field Hockey I figured it was time to do an interview with one of the stars of the sport. So far this season few players have made a bigger impression than Eileen O’Reilly, official Balladeer’s Blog nickname “Lady O”. O’Reilly plays Forward for the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats of NCAA Division 3 so, yes, the headline for this piece is a lame play on field hockey and half of her school’s name. (Plus rumor has it O’Reilly is just crazy about Field Marshall Montgomery of World War II fame. I’m kidding!) Eileen O’Reilly and her teammates have led the Diplomats to their highest-ever ranking and have so far compiled a 5-1 record on the season. O’Reilly has been a standout player, often contributing more than one goal or assist per game,  but obviously feels more comfortable staying out of the limelight and adhering to the “team” concept, so in deference to her “It’s not about me” approach I’ll lay off the glowing review I had planned of her stats for this year. (Psst! You can look them up at the F&M athletics site! The link will be at the end of this interview. Don’t tell her I told you!) Anyway, we’ll dive right into the interview with O’Reilly, who proved to be a very articulate representative for the massively underappreciated sport of field hockey.

Balladeer’s Blog:  To put you at your ease about being singled out for attention, right off the bat what complimentary remarks would you like to make about your teammates? 

Eileen O’Reilly: All of the recognition our team has received this season, both national rankings and individual achievements, reflects a collective effort to be a great team. Many teams have one or two standout players that they constantly look to as the playmaker.  At any given moment of a game we have 11 playmakers on the field.  Many of our goals start from a great defensive stop below our fifty-yard line, then shift to flawless passing in the midfield, and end with strong finish on the forward line. I really believe our team has been so successful so far because of this team dynamic.  We have a unique group of girls that want to win and have fun.  We constantly encourage each other to work hard and improve.  I know I can rely on my teammates on and off the field. We’re very supportive of each other whether its field hockey related or not.  

BB: How would you complete this sentence: This year I’m having the kind of season I am because I _______. 

EO: I face tough competition every day at practice. My teammates constantly push me to work hard, which really helps elevate my game.  It’s a huge advantage to face a high level of competition six days a week in practice and in games. This motivates me to play my best in games when it really counts.  Also, Coach Mariano is a major part of why I am able to keep improving this season. She’s a coach that’s very supportive, but at the same time challenges me to try new moves and outsmart the opposing defense.  

BB: What does a typical practice for a field hockey team consist of?

EO: I don’t think there’s ever a typical field hockey practice- it really depends on the team and the coach. For F&M field hockey we start out with a warm up jog and dynamic stretching.  After we run through a few shooting drills to warm up the goalkeepers. The drills throughout practice reflect the things we need to work on for our upcoming opponents. We practice a lot of defensive marking in the circle and scenarios where the offense outnumbers the defense. At the end of practice we always scrimmage and practice penalty strokes.  

BB: What advantages would you say field hockey has over soccer and lacrosse?

EO: Field Hockey is a game that essentially has no constraining limits on the field.  In soccer the players are held back by the off-sides rule. Similarly, in lacrosse the restraining lines prevent players from moving fluidly throughout the field.  In field hockey players have the freedom to go anywhere on the field at any time.  Without off-sides and restraining lines field hockey is a sport that allows for constant creativity.  The best plays come from the out of the ordinary cuts behind the defense or an entire team working together to clear the ball out of the defensive circle. These moments just aren’t possible in soccer and lacrosse.  

BB: To switch to a more individual look at you, what are you majoring in?

EO: Spanish and American Studies.

BB: What is the one thing you would like people who aren’t familiar with you to know about you?

EO: Last spring I studied abroad in Valencia, Spain.  As a Spanish major this was an awesome opportunity to improve my language abilities and truly immerse myself in a different culture.  I lived with a host family, studied with professors from the University of Valencia, and even got to play some field hockey. 

BB: Outside of sports, what is your greatest passion?

EO: My greatest passion outside of sports is candy, I have an intense sweet tooth!

BB: My blog keeps it on the light side. If you could tolerate a few oddball questions I’d like to throw a few at you. First off, what is the most laughably bad movie you’ve ever seen?

EO: Its hard to pick one…most recently I watched Hot Tub Time Machine. Parts of the movie were funny, but the whole idea was just bizarre.

BB: What is your favorite book?

EO:  My all time favorite is Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. I’m currently hooked on Stieg Larsson’s trilogy series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, etc).    

BB: If you were a singer what would you title your debut CD?

EO:  The Alpha Shewolves.  My teammates and I are very fond of Shakira’s song SheWolf.  

BB: You express yourself very well. In closing, if you could suggest 1 thing to the NCAA and the NAIA to raise the profile of field hockey what would it be?

EO: Field Hockey is a tough sport to market because it lacks a partner sport ( such as softball- baseball) and in the United States it has not developed as a co-ed game.  I think the NCAA and the NAIA can raise the profile of field hockey by promoting the international prominence of the sport.  Worldwide, field hockey is an extremely popular sport for women and men.  Similar to soccer, field hockey has a World Cup every four years.  Field hockey is the highlight of the Summer Olympic games for many European nations.  I think that by exposing the international popularity of the game the NCAA and the NAIA can attract more attention to field hockey in the US and gain fans.  

With such eloquent and self-assured young women as Eileen O’Reilly participating in this sport Balladeer’s Blog feels it would be a natural for television audiences.  Here’s hoping the unfortunately low profile on the sport gets raised in the near future. 

To read Eileen O’Reilly telling me how she really feels about her official Balladeer’s Blog nickname click here:   http://www.godiplomats.com/landing/index

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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September 20, 2010 · 8:31 pm

NUGGETS

 “Hurlin'” Hewitt Tomlin, QB for the Johns Hopkins Blue Jays, has been named the Centennial Conference Offensive Player Of The Week following his performance in Saturday’s win over the Gettysburg Bullets, 29-21. He was 22 of 31 for 326 yards with 3 touchdowns. He set 2 more school records for consecutive 200-plus yards and 300-plus yards passing games at 16 and 4, respectively. If you prefer a different nickname for him, how about Hewitt “Threw It” Tomlin? Okay, forget it.  

The Saint Ambrose Queen Bees (their name for their women’s teams) crushed the Iowa Wesleyan Tigers 6-nil. If you follow soccer you know that 6 goals is more than some teams score over the course of 6 games! 3 of the Queen Bees’ goals came from Ashley Dexter, 1 each from Courtney Seffrood and Alex Hemmen and Nikki Boland’s penalty kick in the 83rd minute added the 6th goal in this rout. Goalie Lauren Gunawen picked up the win.  

 The Franklin and Marshall Diplomats volleyball team improved to 7-4 on the season after winning  matches against the Marymount Saints and the Catholic Cardinals. The win against the Saints came on scores of 25-17, 25-14, 21-25 and 25-16. Against Catholic the Diplomats won in straight sets 25-14, 25-17 and 25-18. Up next for the ladies will be the Lancaster Bible College Chargers and the Penn State–Harrisburg Lady Lions. 

 The NAIA’s seemingly perpetually top-ranked Sioux Falls Cougars football team moved to 3-0 in style this past Saturday, devastating the Doane Tigers by a score of 66-13. The USF nation-leading winning streak has now been extended to 32 games. Senior quarterback Jon “Jonnie East” Eastman was 10 of 14 for 292 yards and 5 touchdowns. Running back Chevon “Fire” Walker rushed for 103 yds and 1 touchdown. The Cougars’ quest to threepeat as National Champions will continue this Saturday as they go on the road against the 23rd-ranked Hastings Broncos.  

 Moving to women’s college tennis, the Alverno Inferno avenged last year’s loss to Wisconsin Lutheran by defeating the Warriors 5-4 this past weekend. The 2 teams split 3-3 in singles action but the Inferno had taken a 2-1 advantage in doubles play earlier. Alverno’s Gabby Allen tipped the win to her team by winning her singles match 6-2, 3-6 and 6-4.

 Wingate University Bulldogs running back “Knockout” Nelson Woods has been named the South Atlantic Conference Offensive Player Of The Week. Nelson rushed for 123 yds and 2 touchdowns in Saturday’s upset victory over the 14th-ranked UNC-Pembroke Braves 28-23. Woods is just 15 yards shy of the 3,000 mark for his career. His greatest individual game came against the Mars Hill Lions in 2008 when he had 205 yds and 3 touchdowns.

 The Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish volleyball team remains perfect, improving their record to 10-0 after a win over the Southeastern Fire. Freshman setter “K-O” Katie Lindstrom stepped up in the absence of Jessica Way, who was out with a back injury. “Jumping” Janeen McCormick led the way offensively with 10 kills, followed by Christina “The Crusher” Alessi with 9 and Mariela Quesada, “The Q” herself, with 8. The defense was led by Allie “The Lethal Libero” Warren who had 19 digs, while Lexie “Grizzly” Grizzle came off the bench for a career-high 11 digs. Up next for the Sailfish will be the Florida Tech Panthers and the Lynn Fighting Knights. 

 The Cumberland University Bulldogs (no, not the Winged Bulldogs, just the Bulldogs) mauled the Kentucky Christian Knights on the gridiron Saturday by a score of 35-6. Christian “Burnin’ Love” Burnett was 20 of 28 for 184 yards and 1 touchdown. The Bulldogs couldn’t get out of their own way at times in a game marked by uncharacteristic misfires, but their defense kept the Knights from capitalizing much on CU mistakes until the offense righted itself for the authoritative win.

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September 20, 2010 · 2:23 am

TODAY’S COOL-NAMED SPORTS TEAM – WEBSTER UNIVERSITY

WEBSTER UNIVERSITY GORLOKS

Location: St Louis, MO

Division: NCAA Division 3

Conference Affiliation: St Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

Major sports: basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball

Site: http://www.websterathletics.com/

Comment: Like the Banana Slugs, the Gorloks have gotten so much exposure for their unique nickname I didn’t include them in my original D3 20 Coolest list. Here they are at last, and if you haven’t heard, the Gorlok is a mythical creature invented in a contest at Webster U. It has the paws of a speeding cheetah, the horns of a fierce buffalo and the face of a dependable St Bernard. I would have thought the Webster mascot would have the height of Emmanuel Lewis, the stocky shoulders of Alex Karras and the wall-eyes of Susan Clark, but I’m kind of weird.

For more of NCAA Division 3′s Coolest-Named Teams click here: https://glitternight.com/d3-20-coolest/   

 For the NAIA edition of The 20 Coolest College Sports Teams You May Never Have Heard Of click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/06/21/the-20-coolest-named-college-sports-teams-you-may-have-never-heard-of-naia-edition/ 

For The 20 Coolest College Sports Logos click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/20/the-20-coolest-college-sports-logos/

For The 20 Coolest Football Helmets In NCAA Division 3 click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/08/23/the-20-coolest-football-helmets-in-ncaa-division-3/  

For the 20 Coolest-Named Sports Teams In NCAA Division 2 click here: https://glitternight.com/d2-20-coolest/

Balladeer’s Blog is not affiliated with or operated by the NAIA or the NCAA or any of their member institutions. 

© Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog, 2010. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Edward Wozniak and Balladeer’s Blog with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

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September 19, 2010 · 2:38 pm

NOTEWORTHY RESULTS FROM SEPT 18TH’S GAMES

Top 25 Upsets – Let’s take this division by division. Our New Kids On The Block are the D2 teams so starting with them the 12th-ranked Tuskegee Golden Tigers got spanked by the unranked Albany (GA) State Golden Rams 34-6. *** The #22 Delta State Statesmen  continued to be dream-wreckers for the 17th-ranked Valdosta State Blazers, who lost at home to the Statesmen in a 27-23 instant classic.***In addition to Tuskegee, other ranked teams in D2 losing to unranked opponents were the 15th-ranked UNC-Pembroke Braves, who fell on the road to the Wingate Bulldogs 28-23 and the #19 Winona State Warriors who lost at the St Cloud Huskies 31-26. *************In the NAIA the biggest upset among the ranked teams came when the #16 Cumberlands Patriots got beaten by the unranked and previously winless Georgetown (KY) Tigers by a score of 58-40! The only other Top 25 upset in NAIA was a milder one – the 7th-ranked Ottawa (KS) Braves fell to the 9th-ranked McPherson Bulldogs 56-24.*********In D3 the only upset among the ranked teams was the 15th-ranked Cal Lutheran Kingsmen’s road loss to the unranked Pacific Lutheran Lutes 35-21. 

Crop-Man Forever – St Xavier Cougars’ outstanding quarterback, Anthony “Crop-Man” Kropp was 19 of 21 for 263 yards and 6 touchdowns as SXU trounced the Olivet Nazarene Tigers 56-17. Kropp’s teammate, “M Squared” himself, wide receiver Mike Maher, had 230 all-purpose yards and 3 touchdowns, 1 off a punt return. The defense proved just as super-powered as Kropp and Maher, recording 11 tackles for loss, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions and a fumble. To read Crop-Man: Origins (with a teaser about M Squared)  click here: https://glitternight.com/2010/07/22/saint-xavier-cougars-quarterback-anthony-kropp-joins-new-superhero-team/  

The Lambuth Eagles Rule The World Again! – Last Saturday the NAIA’s Lambuth Eagles defeated Division 1AA’s Georgia State Panthers (I’m such a rebel for continuing to say 1A and 1AA) and yesterday they upset Division 2’s 13th-ranked West Alabama Tigers in a 14-13 nail-biter. Rumor has it Lambuth is targeting 1A’s Michigan Wolverines next! (I’m kidding!)  

Comeback Cougars – The St Francis (IN) Cougars, ranked 11th in the NAIA poll (and 1 of 14 teams called Cougars in the Top 25) trailed the St Ambrose Fighting Bees 20-9 going into the 4th quarter, but then scored 22 unanswered points to emerge with a 31-20 win.

How Long Has This Been Going On? – This week’s award for the Marathon Game goes to the D3 matchup between the LaGrange Panthers and the Maryville (TN) Scots. The Scots won 20-17 in 3 Overtimes.

Point Of Pride – Division 3’s UW – Stevens Point Pointers upset Division 2’s Missouri S&T Miners by a score of 29-10. The Pointers were led by Mike Griffin, who rushed for 138 yards and by stellar play on the defensive side of the ball.

We Went To A Football Game And A Baseball Game Broke Out – This week’s game that fits this category was the 7-3 game between the Midland Lutheran Warriors who won out over the Concordia (NE) Bulldogs in a textbook example of a defensive struggle. 

 We Went To A Football Game And A Basketball Game Broke Out – The 20th-ranked William Penn Statesmen beat out the Quincy Hawks 67-58. Statesmen fullback Shawn Davis ran for 166 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game.

Team To Keep A Closer Eye On – The #17 Benedictine Ravens defeated the Central Methodist Eagles 38-14. The Ravens are 3-0 under the leadership of senior QB Ryan Kelly and you can look for them to move up in the rankings.  

“Our Division Can Beat Up Your Division” Dept – Let’s take a look at how this week’s games between NAIA and NCAA Division 3 teams went.  Winners on the NAIA side were: the 19th-ranked Azusa Pacific Cougars, who defeated the Whittier Poets 46-21; the Southern Virginia Knights beat the Ferrum Panthers in their own house 20-17 and the Malone Pioneers, who crushed the Anna Maria Amcats 69-0.  D3’s winners were: the Willamette Bearcats, who defeated the Southern Oregon Raiders 42-24; the top-ranked Whitewater Warhawks beat the Campbellsville Tigers 37-7; the Emory and Henry Wasps over the UVA-Wise Highland Cavaliers 20-10 and the Huntingdon Hawks  who manhandled the Faulkner Eagles 42-10.

Under The Radar Instant Classics – If you’re as into college football as I am, these are some games you may want to catch in archived video or audio form. You can check the scores in my Saturday Scoreboard but to avoid spoiling the outcomes for people who will be checking them out I’m leaving out the scores in this section: the Millersville Marauders hosting the Gannon Golden Knights; the JC Smith Golden Bulls hosting the Brevard Tornadoes; the Upper Iowa Peacocks taking on the MSU-Moorhead Dragons; the Lincoln Blue Tigers hosting the Panhandle State Aggies; the South Dakota Mines Hardrockers at the VCS Vikings; the Jamestown Jimmies hosting the Black Hills State Yellowjackets; the Newport News Apprentice School Builders hosting the Greensboro Pride; and the Christopher Newport Captains at the Frostburg State Bobcats.

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September 17, 2010 · 8:43 pm

FRIDAY NIGHT’S COLLEGE FOOTBALL GAMES (SCORES UPDATED)

There are just 3 games tonight in the divisions I cover. All 3 are Division 3 and all 3 kick off at 7PM Eastern Time.

New Jersey Lions 23 @ FDU-FLORHAM DEVILS 24 (OT)

FRANKLIN & MARSHALL DIPLOMATS 35 @ Dickinson Red Devils 26

WORCESTER STATE LANCERS 32 @ Nichols Bison 29

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September 17, 2010 · 8:06 pm

NEW PAGE UP – VIETNAMESE MYTHOLOGY

My latest page is up and the underappreciated mythological pantheon I’m covering this time is the Vietnamese pantheon. The gods and goddesses featured in their myths are so fascinating I cannot believe the stories about them are not better known. Click on the page at the top or just click here: https://glitternight.com/vietnamese-myth-new/

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September 17, 2010 · 3:07 pm

QUICK TAKES: FRIDAY STYLE

“Getcher Popcorn Ready” Dept – In the NAIA 6 of the 23 remaining undefeated football teams square off against each other this Saturday (Week 4 for NAIA football) – the # 2 Lindenwood Lions host the #8 Missouri Valley Vikings, the 7th-ranked Ottawa (KS) Braves travel to the 9-th ranked  McPherson Bulldogs and the #11 Saint Francis (IN) Cougars host the #17 St Ambrose Fighting Bees. Like the cliche says, “Someone’s 0 will go!”

Volleyball Warriors: Taken By Force – The Lewis-Clark State Warriors volleyball team, ranked 11th in the latest NAIA poll, breezed past the Montana Tech Orediggers in a sweep by scores of 25-20, 25-17 and 25-9. The Warriors are now 12-1 and a perfect 3-0 in Frontier Conference play. The majority of the team’s kills came from 3 players: “Killin'” Kelli Tikker had 11 and hit .458; “The District Attorney” herself, Deddiy Alaimaleata had 10 kills and hit .400 and Nicole “The Gray Seal” Graybeal had 8 kills and a .467 mark. The next game for the Warriors is tomorrow against the Montana Western Bulldogs. To benefit the YWCA, anyone who brings 2 items of canned food gets in free.

Triumph Of The Tritons – UC-San Diego, cool team name, The Tritons, has been ranked the number 1 Division 2 institution in the country in the NCSA’s Collegiate Power Rankings. Not only that, but they were ranked # 23 overall, in a system that evaluates a college or university‘s student-athlete graduation rates, academic strength and athletic prowess. If you’re wondering they placed 6th in my list of NCAA Division 2’s 20 Coolest-Named College Sports Teams.

The Legend Of Brassy Braden Continues – Sioux Falls Cougars football kicker Braden Wieking (official Balladeer’s Blog nickname: Brassy Braden) was named the NAIA’s National Special Teams Player Of The Week. In the Cougars’ win last Saturday over the Midland Lutheran Warriors The Brassy One had 3 field goals, all from 40 yards or more, plus 4 extra points. Wieking holds the national record for consecutive PAT’s at 109 and also handled kickoffs and punts in Saturday’s game. The Fred Mitchell Award people have no doubt taken note. 

Don’t Mess With The Q – Mariela “The Q” Quesada, of the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish volleyball team, was named the National Christian College Athletic Association Player Of The Week. The Q turned in an outstanding performance at the Cedarville University Invitational Tournament and was even named Tournament MVP with 51 kills, 16 digs, 6 blocks and 6 service aces. Mariela is a native of San Jose, Costa Rica.   

Diplomats Immune To Green Terror – Yes, it’s an incredibly lame play on the expression “diplomatic immunity” to headline this bit on the Franklin and Marshall Diplomats women’s field hockey team. The Diplomats won 4-0 over Centennial Conference rivals the McDaniel Green Terror. F&M goalkeeper Sarah Dileo picked up her 4th win of the season. “Blastin'” Becky Willert scored the 1st 2 goals of the game by the 24th minute. Valerie “Sweet” Sauers made it 3-0 and the final goal of the game came from “Lady O” herself, Eileen O’Reilly, who also assisted on the 2 Willert goals. O’Reilly (who got the final goal off a pass from Diana Aulisa) has been having a stellar season so far and will be the subject of an upcoming interview here at Balladeer’s Blog.

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September 17, 2010 · 2:44 am

D2 FOOTBALL TOP 25

The reaction to my list of The 20 Coolest-Named College Sports Teams for NCAA Division 2 has been through the roof! I’ll be covering teams in that division as well. To satisfy people who wanted to know more of the teams and to whet their appetite for this football weekend here’s the latest D2 Top 25 list, with visual aids. As always helmets courtesy of The Helmet Project at: http://www.nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/

1. GRAND VALLEY STATE LAKERS (2-0)

2. MINNESOTA-DULUTH BULLDOGS (2-0)

3. NORTH ALABAMA LIONS (2-0)

4. ABILENE CHRISTIAN WILDCATS (2-0)

5. TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE JAVELINAS (2-0)

6. CALIFORNIA (PA) VULCANS (2-0)

7. NORTHWEST MISSOURI BEARCATS (0-1)

8. MISSOURI WESTERN GRIFFINS (2-0)

9. WEST TEXAS A&M BUFFALOES (1-1)

 

10. MIDWESTERN STATE MUSTANGS (2-0)

11. WASHBURN ICHABODS (1-1)

12. TUSKEGEE GOLDEN TIGERS (2-0)

13. WEST ALABAMA TIGERS (2-0)

14. CENTRAL WASHINGTON WILDCATS (1-2)

15. UNC-PEMBROKE BRAVES  (2-0)

16. HILLSDALE CHARGERS (1-1)

17. VALDOSTA STATE BLAZERS (2-0)

18. WEST LIBERTY HILLTOPPERS (1-1)

19. WINONA STATE WARRIORS (2-0)

20. TUSCULUM PIONEERS (3-0)

21. NEBRASKA-KEARNEY ‘LOPERS (1-1)

22. DELTA STATE STATESMEN (1-1)

23. EAST STROUDSBURG WARRIORS (1-1)

24. MINNESOTA STATE MAVERICKS (2-0)

25. WAYNE STATE (NE) WILDCATS (2-0)

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September 16, 2010 · 6:57 pm

OPENING VOLLEY: SEPTEMBER 16TH

The Indiana University Southeast Grenadiers volleyball team has won their last 3 games in a row, and hope to be in position to turn this season around. They are now 4-7 after recently defeating the Kentucky Wesleyan Cougars 3-1 and the Midway College Eagles in straight sets 3-0. The ladies will now begin conference play at the St Louis College Of Pharmacy Eutectics and the Berea Mountaineers this Saturday. Their next home stand will be Sept 24th against the Rose Hulman Fightin’ Engineers.

                                                     Amanda Allen, a junior middle-blocker for the Concordia (Chicago) Cougars volleyball team was named the Northern Athletics Conference Student Athlete Of The Week for volleyball. She led the Cougars with  team-highs of .368 kill percentage, 5 solo blocks and 12 block assists. Amanda had double-digit kills in 3 matches last week with 11 (and a .588 attack percentage) against the North Park Vikings. 

The UMass-Dartmouth Corsairs had their 2nd 3-game sweep against the Salem State Vikings this past Tuesday by scores of 25-10,25-19 and 25-18. The Ladies’ Head Coach Steve DeRossi had this to say: “We dug well and we served well, although we weren’t as dominant as we were last weekend. Everybody got into the match (Jimmy Durante: Volleyball Coach) and we worked a couple of things with different combinations that could help us down the road.” The ladies are now 8-0 and resume play tonight at home against the Pine Manor Gators.

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