September T2, 1996
The Blue Banner
Page 7
Volleyball learn an impressive
second at tournament
Brad Davis
Staff V/riter
The UNCA volleyball team fin
ished in second place last weekend at
the Furman Invitational, behind top
20 team Georgia Tech.
“I was really excited with how we
played,” said Julie Torbett, UNCA’s
volleyball coach. “We went in know
ing we were going to face a top 20
team. My intentions were to go in
there and score three or four points
on them and nobody get hurt.”
UNCA finished with an overall
record of 3-3 with wins over WCU,
College of Charleston, and Furman,
the host team.
“We were looking at not even let
ting the starting lineup play against
them,” said Torbett, “and the girls
proved me wrong and went out there
and played tough.”
The Lady Bulldogs lost to Georgia
Tech twice in the tournament, in
cluding the championship game.
“We met up with the College of
Charleston, who we blew out in the
first game 15-1, and we had a pretty
good match against them,” said
Torbett. “Then we played Jackson
ville State, and they ended up beat
ing us in four games. However, we
could have beat them as well.”
The Bulldogs finished in a second-
place tie in their pool.
“They had to break a three-way tie
for second place in our pool, since all
the other teams only had one win,”
said Torbett, “and we ended up with
the most points scored.”
UNCA advanced to the
quarterfinals of the tournament and
played WCU on Saturday.
“We did not play very well at all
against Western,” said Torbett, un
happy with her team’s effort, “even
though we said we can’t take them
lightly. Every time we step on the
floor, we’ve got to be playing our
best, because a team that shouldn’t
beat us is going to upset us,” said
Torbett.
The Bulldogs played the host team,
Furman, in the semifinal match.
“The good thing from it (the game
against WCU) was that we got into a
groove against Furman, and beat
them 3-0,” said Torbett.
UNCA played Georgia Tech in the
final of the tournament. It was the
second time they played them in as
many days.
“We didn’t play Georgia Tech as
well in the finals as we did the first
time,” said Torbett.
The Bulldogs had two players make
the all-tournament team, Kimberly
Osborne and Lorelee Smith.
“Kim was basically unstoppable.
She’s getting the most swings on the
ball. She’s our go-to person. She’s
playing the best volleyball I’ve ever
seen her play,” said Torbett.
The Furman Invitational is the sec
ond tournament in which Osborne
has been named to the all-tourna-
ment team. This week, she was named
the Big South conference player of
the week.
“She’s been a leader on the court,
which has not been Kim’s playing
style. It hasn’t been one of her duties.
A nd she’s just going after it her
senior year, and I’m glad to see it,”
said Torbett.
SUMMER ADVENTURES IN ARIZONA
Mark Plemmons
Staff Writer
Rodney Levy, who heads this year’s
list of UNCA defensive returnees,
has been playing summer soccer with
the Tucson Amigos ever since his
family’s move to Arizona three years
ago. This year, UNCA’s key forward,
Mark Acquista, joined him.
“It’s good to have that kind of expo
sure,” Levy said. “Me and Mark both,
we want to play pro eventually, so to
play in that level, semi-pro, that’s the
highest we could possibly do right
now.”
‘Semi-pro,’ not recognized as a
league of its own, simply means that
the players don’t get paid, because
that would affect their NCAA eligi
bility.
“We can’t accept money because
we’re still in college and we wouldn’t
be able to play amateur again, but we
accepted an apartment, because
you’re allowed to take that and trav
eling expenses,” said Levy.
And the trips were frequent. The
Amigos played at least one game ev
ery weekend, although they usually
played two.
“We didn’t have a weekend off the
whole summer,” sighed Levy. “We
wanted to do some traveling this sum
mer. We wanted to go up and see the
Grand Canyon and stuff but we re
ally just didn’t have any time to do it.
We were just so strapped for time.
We never really knew what was com
ing next.”
Nodding his head in agreement,
Acquista leaned forward, smiling.
“We’d have a game in L.A. on Fri
day at 7 o’clock, so we’d have to get
up at 5 o’clock in the morning, drive
an hour and a half to Phoenix, get on
a plane and fly into L.A., then drive
another three or four hours, play a
game, spend the night, and then hop
in the car, drive an
other three or four
hours somewhere Sat
urday night, play a
game, then wake up
the next morning
about four, drive back
to the airport, and fly
to Phoenix and then
drive from Phoenix
back to Tucson,” said
Acquista, laughing at
the memory.
And nothing burns
these guys out. Noth
ing. No hectic sched
ule or lack of sleep
can dampen their en
thusiasm for the
game. You can see
their faces light up j ust
thinking about it, and
their shared emotion
is so powerful that you
want to drop what
ever you’re doing and
run out onto the field
with them.
“When we were playing a game,
we’d be playing for a thousand people,
and after the game little kids would
come over and we’d be signing auto
graphs, sometimes fifty or more after
a game. It really makes you feel good
about yourself,” Levy grins. “You won
a game and you have a little fan club.
It makes you appreciate playing a lot
more.”
It’s not hard to see how their excite
ment rubs off on the fans. These guys
live and breathe soccer, and there’s
no way they could ever give it up.
“I think it’s an outlet. It’s the only
thing I can do any day of the week,
any time of day. I can go to the field
and play ball and not think about
anything else,” said Acquista.
Levy agreed, picking up Acquista’s
train of thought immediately.
Mark Acquista (left) and Rodney Levy.
Photo by Del DeLorm
“It’s like a funnel when you go out
on the field. You can take everything
and put it into the game,” Levy said.
“All the anger, anxiety, or whatever I
have, I can take it and just funnel it
through soccer and leave everything
out on the field. That’s what makes
me feel good, when I get done play
ing and know that I’ve put out the
maximum effort.”
“We played with so many talented
players that it’s such a boost for our
S;ame to be able to step up to that
evel and play,” said Levy.
“Yeah, we did some work,” Acquista
laughed. “We trained a lot, but that
was like the whole business of us
going out there this summer. To get
the experience, train with all these
veteran players, and then come back
and tear up here our senior year.”
Chapel Hill soccer receives probation
(CPS)-The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill men’s soc
cer team was placed on athletic pro
bation after a freshman was hospi
talized following a drinking binge.
Gregory Danielson, 18, spent a
night ina UNC hospital after drink
ing too much alcohol Sept. 2 at a
men’s soccer initiation, said UNC
athletic director John Swofford.
The Tarheels also will miss a week
end tournament at the University of
Nebraska-Las Vegas.
“By my direction, and with the full
support of Coach (Elmar) Bolowich,
that trip will not be made, and we
will offer to forfeit the scheduled
games,” Swofford said in a state
ment.
Swofford said he canceled the trip
to emphasize the seriousness of the
drinking incident.
“I am concerned that the leader
ship of the team took no action to
discontinue the underage drinking
and the alcohol abuse that took
place,” he said.
Chancellor Michael Hooker said
the team’s behavior, as reported,
“is unaccepted and will not be tol
erated at Carolina.”
The university renewed its efforts
to crack down on drinking last
spring, when a fraternity house fire
following a party killed five stu
dents. The new policy prevents
fraternities and other student
groups from using their funds to
purchase alcohol, and limits the
presence of alcohol on campus.
But the party attended by
Danielson was held in an off-cam-
pus location.
Swofford said any future inci-
. dents involving alcohol could cause
players to be suspended or games
to be forfeited. The team is also
ordered to perform community
service, he said.
UNCA senior Mark Robinson saves a goal in a
game against Montreat College last Monday. The
men's soccer team will play Georgia Southern at
home this Sunday at p.m.
Photo by Del DeLorm
UNCA Volleyball Schedule
Home Games
Saturday Sept. 28 2 p.m. Liberty
Sunday Sept. 29 2 p.m. Radford
Sunday Oct. 20 2 p.m. Coastal Carolina
Wednesday Oct. 23 Davidson
Saturday Oct. 26 Charleston Southern
Tuesday Oct. 29 East Tennessee
Wednesday Nov. 6 Winthrop
Thursday Nov. 7 UNC Greensboro
Saturday Nov. 10 UMBC
Tuesday Nov. 12 Tennessee
Nov. 14-16 Big South Conference
Tournament in Baltimore, Maryland
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