Newspapers / The Guilfordian (Greensboro, N.C.) / Nov. 15, 1996, edition 1 / Page 9
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Volleyball wraps up successful season AMY BROACH staff writer The Lady Quakers finished up the 1996 volleyball season last Saturday with a loss to Washington and Lee in the ODAC Tourna ment, yet the tradition still continues. After a 3-game romp over Emory and Henry in the quarterfinals Friday night, the Lady Quakers had to face the top-ranked Washington and Lee to make it to the ODAC finals, but it was not meant to be. "I think we were a little bit nervous at the beginning (of the game versus Washington and Lee), but we eventually laid back... and played extremely well," said assistant coach Craig Lenniger. "We played our hearts out, but we lost a few close calls... it's very tough to end the season that way." Coach Chuck McCracken, out of town on a conference trip, was unavailable for comment. Players also noted the semifinal loss as tough to swallow. Senior blocker Angela Lett said, "it was disappointing not to be able to go to the finals." Sophomore Monica Jaszczak notes, "we played really well (in the tourna ment), it just happened to be we played the Men's soccer ends disappointing year OWEN FINBERG staff writer Last Saturday, the men's soccer team lost a hard-fought 3-1 decision to ODAC foe Roanoke College. This was the last confer ence game of a disappointing and lackluster season for the Quakers. In a season that was marked by injuries, players quitting, and one-goal losses, the team is optimistic that with a little help and hard work, next year's squad will be much improved. Injuries to several players hurt the Quakers this year. "Throughout a three and a half month season it is hard to stay healthy without getting more than a day off at a time," noted all-ODAC performer Dax Baker. Baker himself struggled with tendonitis in both knees. Many of the other Quakers had nagging in juries. Unfortunately, with a small team, sprained ankles and strained muscles must be played through. The small number of players was also a large problem. The team saw its numbers dwindle from a preseason roster of 20 down to only 12 of the original team by season's end. Those twelve players fought hard but fell one goal short on eight out of twelve losses. November 15,1996 number one team in the conference, and they're going to be tough to beat." However, the Quakers, who ended their season 12-9, who continued the win ning tradition of the Guilford vol leyball team, hav ing their ninth winning season in ten years, have much to be proud of. The Quakers boasted many shining moments this season. Laura Nelson, an outside hitter, was named to the ODAC All- Toumament team, Lett was ranked sixth in the nation in blocking while Jaszczak was ranked 16th in blocks. ' But as everyone knows, individual sta tistics alone cannot produce a winning sea "The core of guys we had was talented but we were two or three quality players short of a strong unit," senior co-captain Steve Diamond said. "It was disappointing to work so hard in the off-season and then not have the supporting players we needed." 4 \ J A jj Struggles on the field were not the only problems for men's soccer. Coach Thome said, "We are going to miss Diamond and Denis [Byrne] but we're working hard to bring in talented fresh men." Despite the needed newcomers Guilford returns ten varsity letter-winners, including likely two-time All-ODAC se lection Baker. A tough season, such as the 96 campaign, is hard to forget. Hopefully, that memory will push the Quakers to a much improved year in 1997. sports ■KIH I Is H . I The hits kept on coming for the Lady Quakers this season. Those new players hopefully will be coming, thanks to new head coach Mike Thorne. Thorne has been involved in Greensboro area soccer for years. He has coached both high school and club soccer be fore accepting the Guilford job. This experience will be helpful in bringing in valu able talent. As son for a team. Lenniger notes the tenacity of the ladies. "This is probably the best team we have had at Guilford...it was a pleasure to work with a group of ladies that were in fective at team play. We didn't have to rely on key players; it was a team effort, which ftJSAt Sports news from the week that was Smoltz. Hentgen snag Cv Youngs As expected, John Smoltz captured the NL Cy Young Award. In a mild up set, the Blue Jays' Pat Hentgen beat out Andy Pettitte in the AL voting. No drop-off for Bulls Chicago opened the NBA season right where they left off, racing out to an 8-0 start. Meanwhile, the Charles Barkley-led Houston Rockets head the pack of Western Conference contenders. Are vou ready for some foot ball? Frank, Al, and Dan will be in Dallas Monday night as the Cowboys host the Packers in the best NFL matchup of the weekend. Dallas is an early 4-point fa vorite. Mavor rips 49ers' Grbac San Francisco mayor Bill Young trashed the performance of '9ers quar terback Elvis Grbac against Dallas, call ing him an "embarrasment to humanity." Grbac and his wife have been struggling with the spinal bifida contracted by their 9-month-old son. The Guilfordian was very effective." Spectacular games also highlighted this winning season. Both players and coach agree on one impressive evening. The Quakers defeated Centre College this sea son, which was ranked fifth in the south and in the national top twenty-five. "It was the best game that I have ever seen in my volleyball career. It was so hard to try to coach, because I just wanted to sit back and watch. It was that kind of game," said Lenniger. Jaszczak notes the game against Centre as "the best game I've seen the team play the whole year." Next year should also hold many sensa tional nights for the Lady Quakers. Lenniger states, "we will miss our seniors greatly, but with four returning juniors and underclassmen who can step in and play where we fleed them most, along with a good recruiting class, the winning tradition will continue." And in every Quaker's mind, the ability for the Guilford women's volleyball team to continue their winning tradition should be unquestionable. every match until the end and who all got along." Nelson agrees. "This team was a lot more solid than last year's. We were all around good and got along really good to gether." Lett also notes the success of the team as a whole. "We gelled as a team, and were a lot more ef- Cardinal women top Ap voting Stanford headed the pre-season AP basketball poll released this week, fol lowed by Alabama and Georgia. Cin cinnati is ranked #1 in the men's poll. Broncos continue to roll Surprising Denver has the NFL's best record with a sparkling 9-1. This week they take their show on the road, travelling to New England to take on the surging Patriots. Walton endorses SAT prep class Syracuse freshman phenom Winfred Walton will sit out the year following discrepancies in his SAT scores, which took a 300-point jump after his first attempt. The NCAA is investigating. Surprising Panthers lead NHT. The rat business is booming in Florida, as the Panthers boast a 10-2-4 record. Colorado remains hot in the Western Conference, spotting a 12-4-3 mark. 9
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