JTiePffdtL
Friday, September 14, 2001
Page 7
Volleyball looks to
stay strong In play
Courtesy Sports Info
In its second year of transi
tion to NCAA Division I com
petition, the Gardner-Webb
women’s volleyball program is
set to improve on last season's
14-match win total.
A solid core of veterans,
including a quartet of seniors
who have helped Gardner-
Webb to a combined total of 84
wins in three seasons, return to
lead the lady Bulldogs.
Head Coach Angell
Benson welcomes supremely
talented outside hitter Linette
Ramseur back to the lineup in
2001 following a redshirt sea
son.
“Having Linette back in
the lineup immediately adds
firepower for us,” said Benson.
“Her explosiveness around
the net is amazing and she's
been a clutch player for us in
the past. She plays her best in
big matches. She knows how to
win.”
Seniors Bethany Trouville
and Cheryl McDonald also will
be expected to raise their level
of play and provide leadership
for the Lady Bulldogs.
Trouville, a 5-foot-10 outside
hitter, finished fourth on the
team with 250 kills last season
and had a team-best 386 digs.
McDonald, a defensive special
ist, had 266 digs and 12 assists.
The return of Rebekah Coan
adds another element of athleti
cism for the Lady iBulldogs.
After spending the 2000 season
away from volleyball, Coen
hopes to duplicate her 140 kills
as a sophomore in 1998.
“Each has been involved in
our success in the past and are
aware of what it takes to win at
this level,” said Benson.
“Experience is always a plus,
and both players are seasoned
veterans. Rebekah is a great
athlete who will be playing a
new position in the middle. Her
return is a plus for our team.”
This season’s schedule is
the Lady Bulldogs’ toughest
ever, with matches against 10
solid NCAA Division I oppo
nents, including Central
Florida, Furman, Western
Carolina and Virginia Tech.
“Our schedule is going to
be tougher each year, but it is
necessary for our players to
experience top-flight competi
tion,” Benson said. “The ladies
had a good preseason. If they
continue to work this hard, they
should do well in the season.”
Richardson has second 100-yard game
Bulldogs lose to Bucs
Mike Shade
Pilot sports editor
The Gardner-Webb
University football team trav
eled to Johnson City,
Tennessee, on Saturday,
September 9 to give East
Tennessee State all they had.
And it was all the Buccaneers
could handle.
In the end, ETSU tri
umphed over the Bulldogs 30-
17, behind a strong defensive
effort and 3 second-half field
goals. Yet the ‘Dogs gave
them all the game they wanted.
The Buccaneers marched
77 yards for a touchdown on
the opening drive, concluding
with a nine-yard lob from
quarterback Matt Wilhjelm
that found Cecil Moore in the
comer of the end zone.
On the Bucs’ next posses
sion, Wilhjelm gave it right
back, with a high pitch on an
option play, resulting in an
ETSU turnover. Gardner-Webb
took over, and ended an 8-play
drive with a Jeremy Martin
touchdown pass to William
Andrews to even the score at
seven.
East Tennessee State
looked like they might pull
away in the second quarter,
pulling ahead 21-7 with 7:43
remaining in the first half.
But GWU would not fold.
Senior Justin Richardson’s bar
reling eight-yard touchdown
run pulled the Bulldogs to
within seven with a mere 29
seconds left in the half.
Early in the second half, a
Jenson Turner interception
gave GWU the ball deep in
Buccaneer territory, and set up
a Andrew Harmon 32-yard
field goal, making the score
21-17 ETSU.
That was as close as
Gardner-Webb would get.
Despite the defense not allow
ing a touchdown in the second
half, the Buccaneers’ Con
Chellis connected on field
goals of 34, 27 and 30 yards to
lead ETSU to victory.
The Gardner-Webb
defense was led by Jim
Maxwell with 12 hits, and
Adrian Clark with nine tackles.
Richardson rushed for 133
yards and a touchdown on 24
carries to lead Gardner-Webb.
Richardson and the Bulldogs
next travel to Louisiana for a
game with Northwestern State
(2-0) and will host Samford
September 22 at 6 p.m.
Highlights
RECORD: 1-1
GWU 45
UT Martin 20
Senior Tailback Justin
Richardson rushed for 170
yeards on 22 carries as
GWU crusied to an open
ing night victory. QB
Jeremy Martin went 16 for
25 for *197 yeards with two
touchdowns. Brandon
Gentry led the defense
with five hits.
ETSU 30
GWU 17
Justin Richardson now
averaging 151 yards per
game in 2001. Darin
Bradford helped the offen
sive effort with a pair of
catches for 74 yards.
Runners set goals
for Improvement
Margaret O’Driscoll
Pilot staff
Gardner-Webb cross coun
try is off to a good start with
high expectations from head
coach Bryan Fetzer.
With this being
the last year in transi
tion to Division I, he
hopes the team will
continue to build and
improve.
When asked for
his outlooks on the
coming season. Coach
Fetzer said, “We want
to be good now as well as next
year.”
This period will be a grow
ing year for the team but the
school can anticipate the hard
work to pay off. He is expect
ing leadership from his two
seniors Mike McCauley and
Melissa Houghton to strength
en the team.
Assistant coach Brian
Baker is a new addition to the
cross country team this year.
Coach Baker, from the
University of Arkansas, is
expected to bring the knowl-
egde and experience needed to
push the athletes
toward Division I
quality.
ECAC cham
pion Sylvia
Chelimo will be
given a much
deserved rest this
season after plac-
ing 10th in the
World University Games
5,000-meter run in China this
fall.
Coach Fetzer could not be
more proud of her accomplish
ments. All students are encour
aged to come out and watch
their fellow Bulldogs compete
in the next home meet on
October 5th.
“We want to be
good now as well
as next year.”
Coach Brian Fetzer
Highlights
Men’s Cross Country
RECORD: 1-0
The team swept the top three spots in
the danielchapterone relays making its
way to defeating Wofford College.
The team of Michaef McCauley and
Greg Maliterno finished first with the time
of 35:26.90. They were closely followed
by Bulldog teammates Adam Gaske and
Johnathon Dameron (35:44.00) and
Jesse Haygood and Chip Carter
(37:23.00).
The race was scored in a head-to-head
team format, and the men’s team came
out topping Wofford in the 10,000 meter
race.
Women’s Cross Country
RECORD: 1-1
The women’s team finished second
behind Clemson University in the
danielchapterone relays.
Clemson earned the top two spots in the
6,000 meter race while the GWU tandem
Petona McClymont and Kathryn Phillips
finished third, and fellow Bulldogs
Melissa Houghton and Amanda
Hofacker came in fourth.
Gardner-Webb went to 1-1 on the sea
son, losing to Clemson, but beating
Wofford.