September 24, 2008

Sports
Update
Chris Hatcher
Sports Editor chatcher06@ehc.edu

Volleyball 11-2 (2-1) with win over Guilford Regional

Chase Chambers
Sports Writer cchambers08@ehc.edu

The Emory & Henry volleyball team improved their record to 11-2 overall, and 2-1 in the ODAC with a win over Sweet Briar on Sept. 23. The team got back in the win column on Sept. 17 against Guilford in their second ODAC match of the season. The team started out strong, winning their first match by the score of 25-18. The team won the next match 25-12. Although they lost the third match by a score of 20-25 the team quickly turned it around, dominating the next match 25-13. Commenting on the loss of momentum in the third match, Coach Cassie Pochyla said, "We took advantage of the first two games. We were feeling pretty good, and just took them too lightly." Rachel Fertitta had 19 kills on the night, followed by Nikki Rogich and Samantha Shepard who each had 10 kills. Reagan Clarke had 37 assists, and Twyla Sessor had 24 digs to lead the Wasps. Coach Pochyla has also been pleased with the performance of the freshmen. "I see them improving every single day. They've all been motivated to keep working hard in practice every day and show me that we're going be set for not just this year but even in the future." The lady Wasps are set to play three straight ODAC matches, facing off against RandolphMacon, Virginia Wesleyan and then Washington and Lee. The Wasps dont play another home match until Oct. 17 when they return to the King Center to play Mary Baldwin. Gametime is set for 7 p.m.

Chase Chambers

Top: Julianna Garren sets the ball for her teammates; Below: Rachel Fertitta attempts to spike the ball across the net.

Tennessee: The Florida Gators were not kind to the Volunteers this weekend. The Gators amassed only 243 total yards to the Volunteers 258, however, the Gators did not turn the ball over. Tennessee on the other hand fumbled twice and quarterback Jonathan Crompton threw an interception. Also compounding the Vols problems, Florida nearly equalled their total offensive output on special teams, racking up big gainers both on kick returns and punt returns, including one returned for a touchdown. When the dust cleared the Gators were the victors 30-6. The Vols will attempt to recover this Saturday at Auburn. Kick off is slated for 3:30 p.m. Coverage is on CBS. Virginia Tech: Once again the Hokies squeaked out a win against an ACC foe in North Carolina. Though the Tarheels had a commanding 17-3 lead in the third quarter at home last week, the Hokies staged a comeback, scoring 17 unanswered points, including senior kicker Dustin Keys winning field goal. The Hokies once again struggled mightily on offense. Quarterback Tyrod Taylor threw two interceptions and the offense only accounted for 268 yards of total offense to UNCs 307. Tech will travel the furthest west they have for a regular season game since 1991 this week when they visit Nebraska in Lincoln. Gametime is 8 p.m. and coverage is on ABC.

Mens soccer trying to rebound from tough loss

Sydney Hai
Sports Writer xhai08@ehc.edu

Get em outta the game:

How referees are putting more than the scoreline in Jeopardy
Gavin Wright
Editor-in-Chief gwright05@ehc..edu

It was a truly dramatic week for the Emory & Henry men's soccer team. The team is not soon to forget the hat-trick performance from P.J. Henson against Ferrum on Sept. 17. However, now the Wasps have to cope with a 7-0 loss to the Hampden-Sydney Tigers. In the game against Ferrum, the Panthers started off with a goal in only 11 minutes into the match. The Wasps caught up soon thereafter on a P.J. Henson goal with the assist provided by Elliott Anderson. Anderson played a phenomenal game, totaling 11 shots and leaving defenders in the dust. Henson put the Wasps up 21 just three minutes later with yet another amazing goal. At the end of the first half, Henson completed his hat-trick and locked up the win for the Wasps. The game ended in triumph for the home team, as the scoreboard read 3-1 in Emory's favor. Ferrum had 20 shots compared to Emory & Henry's 22. Henson now leads the team in with 10 goals, followed by Henry Byers who has 3 goals, and Chris O'Connor who has totaled 2 goals. Daniel Mills played the whole game and made 10 fantastic saves. Unfortunately for the Wasps, their luck ran out against Hampden-Sydney on Sept. 20.

Despite a strong showing from the Wasps in the early stages of the game, the team was unable to translate that to the scoreboard. The Tigers pressed the Wasps for almost the whole 90 minutes, allowing only six shots. Jason Butler and Matt Hampton helped Bryan Wharton net the first goal 32 minutes into the game. Bryan Hughes managed scored the second goal with an assist from Jason Powell six minutes later. The Wasps almost made it to half down 2-0, however an own goal right before halftime made the score 3-0. Unfortunately for the Wasps, the halftime break didn't seem to help. JoJo Howard scored via an assist from teammate Jason Powell. Three more goals were scored by Will Robertson, who was assisted by Jason Butler, Andrew Berg and David Burley. Emory & Henry Men's Soccer Head Coach Travis Fravel substituted the worn-out Daniel Mills, who made 9 saves, with Aaron McGalliard in the last 11 minutes, but the outcome was already decided. The Wasps' record now stands 4-3-1 on the season. The team will face the meat of their ODAC schedule over the next few weeks, including away games at Lynchburg and Roanoke and home stands against Washington & Lee and Randolph. The team will play Lynchburg next on Sept. 27 on the road. Match time is set for 4 p.m.

Nobodys perfect. Nor can we expect them to be, especially with regard to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) referees who are most likely blowing their whistle or raising their flag to pad their wallets with a bit of weekend spending money. However, at each of the past three soccer games Ive been to, the refereeing has come dangerously close to affecting more than just the outcome. There have been numerous dangerous tackles, torn jerseys and even a few punches thrown in the last couple weeks that have either gone uncalled or unnoticed. On a surface (artificial turf) already rumored to cause more ligament and tendon injuries than grass, do we really need refs who aren't watching the games? Theres something different about the officiating this season. Having spent three years on the E&H mens soccer team, I know how frustrating it is to have to deal with a poor referee, because more often than not the result of the game is tainted by missed calls and questionable decisions. However, I never felt like the man in the middle could have been the one to blame for a career-ending injury. The most egregious example of poor officiating came this past weekend at the mens soccer game against Hampden-Sydney. With less than 15 minutes left in

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the game and the result already virtually decided, a midfielder for the Tigers tackled leading scorer P.J. Henson from behind. The referee, no more than 10 yards away, was staring at his shoelaces. Despite appeals from fans, players and Head Coach Travis Fravel, no foul was called. When Fravel called the referee out and said You have no clue what just happened, all the official could do was nod his head in shameful acknowledgement. Its bad enough that there doesn't seem to be a thing any supporter of E&H athletics can

say to persuade the referees to pay attention; but when the coach for the opposition is up in arms about a decision made that affects our team , thats when you know its time to rethink putting the cards in the referees pocket and the whistle in their hand for another game. Its time for those people who have a say in the matter to speak up and work toward getting better officials in the ODAC, before one of our student athletes is seriously injured. Give the officials a red card for a change, and get em outta the game.