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INDIANA SRN SPORTSPAGE THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 9
Texas 8 Final
Detroit 5 Final
LA Angels 5 Final
Seattle 8 Final
Minnesota 3 Final
Kansas City 8 Final
Toronto 6 Final
NY Yankees 3
Tampa Bay 1 Final
Chi White Sox 1 Final
San Francisco 7 Final
NY Mets 1 Final 10
Washington 4 Final
Philadelphia 3 Final
Cincinnati 1 Final 10
Chi Cubs 4
LA Dodgers 4 Final
WASHINGTON 3 PIKE CENTRAL 2
MUNSTER 9 ANDREAN 0
KOUTS 9 Oregon Davis 0
Chesterton 7 Merrillville 1
Herron 3 Washington 1
Woodlan 4 Lakeland 0
Northview 7 Sullivan 1
Boone Grove 9 River Forest 0
Switzerland County 1 Jac-Cen-Del 0
Vincennes Lincoln 6 North Knox 0
Evansville North 3 Evansville Memorial 0
Providence Cristo Rey 6 Riverside 0
West Lafayette 9 Benton Central 0
Plymouth 7 Argos 2
Mississinewa 4 Muncie Central 2
Providence 4 N. Harrison 0
Hobart 2 Kankakee Valley 0
Griffith 5 Hanover Central 0
Norwell 2 New Haven 2
Crown Point 6 LaPorte 0
Northwestern 7 Tipton 0
Hammond Noll 4 E. Chicago Central 0
Carroll 2 Leo 0
Fort Wayne Northrop 2 Fort Wayne Concordia 1
Valparaiso 15 Michigan City 0
Westville 1 Washington Township 0
Norwell 10 New Haven 0
Sheridan 3 Beech Grove 2
Illiana Christian 5 Morgan Twp. 0
Mount Vernon 3 New Palestine 2
Benton Central 9 Twin Lakes 0
Center Grove 9. Ben Davis 0
Glenn 8 South Bend Clay 0
Fort Wayne Wayne 2 Heritage 0
Bremen 10. South Bend Washington 1
Vincennes Lincoln 6 Washington Catholic 1
Greenfield Central 5 Delta 3
LaVille 8 N. Miami 0
Milan 1 Franklin County 1
Cascade 6. Indianapolis Scecina 1
Terre Haute North 4 Bloomington North 0
Corydon Central 9 Charlestown 2
Culver 6 Kouts 1
Plainfield 9 Perry Meridian 0
Mooresville 1 Greenwood 1
Hamilton Southeastern 2 Fishers 1
Leo 7 Fort Wayne Concordia 0
Martinsville 3 Decatur Central 1
Zionsville 1 Franklin Central 0
Noblesville 4 Westfield 0
Franklin 5 Whiteland 1
Brownsburg 0 Avon 0
South Bend St. Joseph 2 South Bend Adams 1
Columbus North 9 Southport 0
Bloomington South 10 Terre Haute South 0
Centerville 3 Seton 1
Marquette Catholic 3 South Bend St. Joseph 1
South Spencer 3 Evansville Christian 1
Hobart 3 Hammond Morton 0
Scottsburg 3 Austin 0
Hebron 3 Wheeler 1
Chesterton 3 Highland 1
Charlestown 3 Shawe Memorial 0
Daleville 3 Union City 0
Andrean 3 Lowell 0
Mitchell 3 Shoals 0
Wes-Del 3 Cowan 0
New Palestine 3 Indianapolis Lutheran 0
Carmel 3 Zionsville 0
Indiana Deaf 3 Crispus Attucks 0
Irvington Prep 3 Sheridan 2
Griffith 3 Boone Grove 1
Bremen 3 LaVille 1
Terre Haute South 3 Mooresville 0
Ritter 3 Cascade 2
Evansville North 3 Mount Vernon 0
Lawrence North 3 Warren Central 0
Fort Wayne Concordia 3 Angola 1
Tecumseh 3 Evansville Central 0
Providence 3 S. Oldham 0
Sullivan 3 Vincennes Lincoln 0
Park Tudor 3 Scecina 1
Brownsburg 3 Plainfield 0
Muncie Burris 3 Delta 0
Bellmont 3 Carroll 1
Richmond 177 New Palestine 200
Winchester 202 Hagerstown 218
Centerville 5 Hagerstown 0
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL FRIDAY
Adams Central at Jay County 7:00 pm
Anderson at Marion 7:00 pm
Angola at West Noble 7:00 pm
Beech Grove at Indianapolis Scecina 7:00 pm
Bellmont at Norwell 7:00 pm
Ben Davis at Center Grove 7:00 pm
Bloomington North at Bloomington South 7:00 pm
Bluffton at Woodlan 7:00 pm
Boone Grove at Hammond Noll 8:00 pm
Bowman Academy at Gary West 8:00 pm
Bremen at Triton 7:00 pm
Brownsburg at Avon 7:00 pm
Calumet at Whiting 8:00 pm
Carmel at Pike 7:00 pm
Carroll (Flora) at Southern Wells 7:30 pm
Centerville at Winchester 7:00 pm
Charlestown at North Harrison 7:00 pm
Christel House Manual at Indianapolis Attucks 7:00 pm
Clinton Central at Frontier 7:00 pm
Cloverdale at Cascade 7:00 pm
Columbia City at Huntington North 7:00 pm
Columbus East at Jennings County 7:00 pm
Columbus North at Indianapolis Roncalli 7:00 pm
Concord at Wawasee 7:00 pm
Connersville at South Dearborn 7:00 pm
Crawford County at Rock Creek Academy 7:00 pm
Crown Point at Lake Central 8:00 pm
Culver at West Central 7:00 pm
Culver Academy at Hobart 7:30 pm
Danville at Crawfordsville 7:00 pm
Delphi at Sheridan 7:00 pm
East Central at Franklin County 7:00 pm
East Chicago Central at Andrean 8:00 pm
East Noble at DeKalb 7:00 pm
Eastern (Pekin) at Silver Creek 7:00 pm
Eastern Greene at Mitchell 7:00 pm
Eastside at Churubusco 7:00 pm
Edgewood at Owen Valley 7:00 pm
Evansville Central at Vincennes Lincoln 7:30 pm
Evansville Harrison at Castle 8:00 pm
Evansville Mater Dei at Evansville Memorial 8:00 pm
Evansville North at Evansville Reitz 8:00 pm
Fairfield at Fremont 7:00 pm
Fort Wayne Concordia at Fort Wayne Luers 7:00 pm
Fort Wayne North at Fort Wayne Wayne 7:00 pm
Fort Wayne Northrop at Carroll (Fort Wayne) 7:00 pm
Fort Wayne South at Fort Wayne Snider 7:00 pm
Fountain Central at Covington 7:00 pm
Frankfort at Southmont 7:00 pm
Garrett at Lakeland 7:00 pm
Gibson Southern at South Warren (Ky.) 8:00 pm
Goshen at NorthWood 7:00 pm
Greencastle at South Putnam 7:00 pm
Greenfield-Central at Pendleton Heights 7:30 pm
Griffith at Lowell 8:00 pm
Guerin Catholic at Brebeuf Jesuit 7:00 pm
Hagerstown at Union County 7:00 pm
Hamilton Southeastern at Fishers 7:00 pm
Hammond Central at Highland 8:00 pm
Hammond Morton at Munster 8:00 pm
Hanover Central at River Forest 8:00 pm
Heritage at South Adams 7:00 pm
Heritage Christian at Eastern Hancock 7:00 pm
Heritage Hills at South Spencer 8:00 pm
Homestead at Fort Wayne Dwenger 7:00 pm
Indian Creek at Brown County 7:00 pm
Indianapolis Chatard at Indianapolis Cathedral 7:00 pm
Indianapolis Lutheran at Lapel 7:00 pm
Indianapolis Tindley at Indianapolis Shortridge 7:00 pm
Indianapolis Washington at Covenant Christian 7:00 pm
Jasper at Evansville Bosse 7:30 pm
Jeffersonville at Mount Vernon (Posey) 7:30 pm
John Glenn at Jimtown 7:00 pm
Kokomo at McCutcheon 7:00 pm
Lafayette Jeff at Harrison (West Lafayette) 7:00 pm
LaPorte at Chesterton 8:00 pm
Lawrence North at North Central (Indianapolis) 7:00 pm
Lawrenceburg at Southport 7:00 pm
Linton-Stockton at North Vermillion 7:00 pm
Logansport at Indianapolis Tech 7:00 pm
Manchester at Tippecanoe Valley 7:00 pm
Marshall (Ill.) at South Vermillion 7:30 pm
Martinsville at Decatur Central 7:00 pm
Michigan City at Valparaiso 8:00 pm
Milan at Madison 7:00 pm
Mishawaka Marian at New Prairie 7:30 pm
Monrovia at Triton Central 7:00 pm
Mooresville at Greenwood 7:00 pm
Mount Vernon (Fortville) at New Palestine 7:00 pm
New Albany at Bedford North Lawrence 7:00 pm
New Haven at Leo 7:00 pm
Noblesville at Westfield 7:00 pm
Noblesville HomeSchool at Purdue Polytechnic 7:00 pm
North Decatur at Shenandoah 7:00 pm
North Judson at Knox 8:00 pm
North Knox at Boonville 7:30 pm
North Montgomery at Lebanon 7:00 pm
North Newton at Kankakee Valley 8:00 pm
Northeastern at Cambridge City Lincoln 7:00 pm
Northfield at Southwood 7:00 pm
Northridge at Plymouth 7:00 pm
Northwestern at Hamilton Heights 7:00 pm
Oldenburg Academy at Monroe Central 7:30 pm
Owen County (Ky.) at Switzerland County 7:00 pm
Paoli at Perry Central 7:30 pm
Perry Meridian at Plainfield 7:00 pm
Peru at North Miami 7:00 pm
Pike Central at Southridge 7:30 pm
Pioneer at Caston 7:00 pm
Portage at Merrillville 8:00 pm
Prairie Heights at Central Noble 7:00 pm
Princeton at North Central (Farmersburg) 7:30 pm
Providence at Clarksville 7:00 pm
Richmond at Muncie Central 7:00 pm
Rushville at Batesville 7:00 pm
Salem at Brownstown Central 7:00 pm
Scottsburg at Corydon Central 7:00 pm
Seeger at Riverton Parke 7:00 pm
Seymour at Floyd Central 7:00 pm
Shelbyville at New Castle 7:30 pm
South Bend Riley at South Bend Clay 7:00 pm
South Bend St. Joseph at South Bend Adams 7:00 pm
South Newton at Lake Station 8:00 pm
Speedway at Indianapolis Ritter 7:00 pm
Springs Valley at West Washington 7:00 pm
St. Xavier at Penn 7:00 pm
Sullivan at North Putnam 7:00 pm
Taylor at Eastern (Greentown) 7:00 pm
Tecumseh at Forest Park 7:30 pm
Tell City at North Posey 8:00 pm
Terre Haute South at Terre Haute North 7:30 pm
Tipton at Lewis Cass 7:00 pm
Traders Point Christian at Park Tudor 7:00 pm
Tri-Central at Clinton Prairie 7:00 pm
Tri-County at North White 7:00 pm
Tri-West at Western Boone 7:00 pm
Twin Lakes at Rensselaer Central 8:00 pm
Union City at Knightstown 7:00 pm
Wabash at Rochester 7:00 pm
Warren Central at Lawrence Central 7:00 pm
Warsaw at Mishawaka 7:00 pm
Washington at North Daviess 7:00 pm
Wes-Del at Tri 7:00 pm
West Lafayette at Lafayette Central Catholic 7:00 pm
West Vigo at Northview 7:00 pm
Western at Benton Central 7:00 pm
Wheeler at South Central (Union Mills) 8:00 pm
Whiteland at Franklin 7:00 pm
Whitko at Maconaquah 7:00 pm
Winamac at LaVille 7:30 pm
Yorktown at Delta 7:30 pm
Zionsville at Franklin Central 7:00 pm
INDIANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL SATURDAY
Alexandria vs. Blackford 1:00 pm Ball State
Frankton vs. Elwood 4:00 pm Ball State
Indiana Deaf at Alabama Deaf 7:00 pm
Madison-Grant vs. Mississinewa 10:00 am Ball State
Oak Hill vs. Eastbrook 7:00 pm Ball State
Osceola Grace at Phalen Academy 3:00 pm
WEEK TWO COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 10
Kansas at Coastal Carolina | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
North Carolina A&T at Duke | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
North Dakota at Utah State | 9 p.m. | CBSSN
UTEP at Boise State | 9:30 p.m. | FS1
Saturday, Sept. 11
Boston College at UMass
Western Carolina at Oklahoma
Illinois at Virginia | 11 a.m. | ACC Network
Western Kentucky at Army | 11:30 a.m. | CBSSN
VMI at Kent State | 11:30 a.m. | ESPN3
Alabama State at Auburn | 12 p.m. | SEC Network
South Carolina at East Carolina | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Pitt at Tennessee | 12 p.m. | ESPN
Kennesaw State at Georgia Tech | 12 p.m. | ESPN3
Norfolk State at Wake Forest | 12 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Youngstown State at Michigan State | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Indiana State at Northwestern | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Oregon at Ohio State | 12 p.m. | FOX
Tulsa at Oklahoma State | 12 p.m. | FS1
Florida at South Florida | 1 p.m. | ABC
Wyoming at Northern Illinois | 1:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Middle Tennessee at Virginia Tech | 2 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Rutgers at Syracuse | 2 p.m. | ACC Network
Duquesne at Ohio | 2 p.m. | ESPN3
Toledo at Notre Dame | 2:30 p.m. | Peacock
Purdue at UConn | 3 p.m. | CBSSN
Robert Morris at Central Michigan | 3 p.m. | ESPN3
UAB at Georgia | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Texas A&M vs. Colorado (Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado) | 3:30 p.m. | FOX
Buffalo at Nebraska | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Ball State at Penn State | 3:30 p.m. | FS1
Cal at TCU | 3:30 p.m. | ESPNU
Temple at Akron | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Murray State at Cincinnati | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Air Force at Navy | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
Georgia Southern at FAU | 3:30 p.m. | Stadium
Mercer at Alabama | 4 p.m. | SEC Network
South Alabama at Bowling Green | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Iowa at Iowa State | 4:30 p.m. | ABC
South Carolina State at Clemson | 5 p.m. | ACC Network
Long Island University at West Virginia | 5 p.m. | ESPN+
Illinois State at Western Michigan | 5 p.m. | ESPN3
Gardner-Webb at Charlotte | 6 p.m. | ESPN3
Lamar at UTSA | 6 p.m. | ESPN3
Portland State at Washington State | 6 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
North Carolina Central at Marshall | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Houston at Rice | 6:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Bethune-Cookman at UCF | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Texas at Arkansas | 7 p.m. | ESPN
NC State at Mississippi State | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 or ESPNU
Texas State at FIU | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
SE Louisiana at Louisiana Tech | 7 p.m. | ESPN3
North Texas at SMU | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Hampton at Old Dominion | 7 p.m. | ESPN3
Grambling at Southern Miss | 7 p.m. | ESPN3
Eastern Kentucky at Louisville | 7 p.m. | ACC Network Extra
Appalachian State at Miami | 7 p.m. | ESPN2 or ESPNU
Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin | 7 p.m. | FS1
Liberty at Troy | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Texas Southern at Baylor | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Southern Illinois at Kansas State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Stephen F. Austin at Texas Tech | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Morgan State at Tulane | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Memphis at Arkansas State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Nicholls at Louisiana | 7 p.m. | ESPN3
New Mexico State at New Mexico | 7 p.m. | Stadium
Missouri at Kentucky | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
Austin Peay at Ole Miss | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network+
Georgia State at North Carolina | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN3
Idaho at Indiana | 7:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Howard at Maryland | 7:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
McNeese at LSU | 8 p.m. | SEC Network+
Jacksonville State at Florida State | 8 p.m. | ACC Network
Washington at Michigan | 8 p.m. | ABC
Vanderbilt at Colorado State | 10 p.m. | CBSSN
San Diego State at Arizona | 10 p.m. | Pac-12 Network
Cal Poly at Fresno State | 10:05 p.m. | CW59
Utah at BYU | 10:15 p.m. | ESPN
Stanford at USC | 10:30 p.m. | FOX
UNLV at Arizona State | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Idaho State at Nevada | 10:30 p.m. | Stadium
Hawai'i at Oregon State | 11 p.m. | FS1
Guerrero, streaking Jays drop sliding Yanks from top WC spot
NEW YORK (AP) Vladimir Guerrero Jr. hit his 41st home run and the streaking Toronto Blue Jays knocked the slumping Yankees out of the AL's top wild-card spot, beating New York 6-3 Wednesday night.
The Yankees have lost five straight and nine of 11 since winning 13 in a row. This latest defeat dropped them a half-game behind Boston for the first wild-card slot.
Teoscar Hernandez hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and Guerrero connected off Aroldis Chapman to begin the ninth as the Blue Jays won their seventh in a row. Toronto moved within 1 1/2 games of the Yankees.
Guerrero padded Toronto's lead when he hammered a fastball several rows back in the left field seats. He is three shy of Hall of Fame father Vladimir Sr.'s career high set in 2000 for the Montreal Expos.
"He's a stud man," Blue Jays rookie starter Alek Manoah said. "Just everything he's doing for our team and the way he's been able to battle even through some down stretches throughout the year, he's finding ways to stay together and keep the team together and keep some positivity."
"So it's not only the bat that he brings to the plate. It's his attitude in the locker room, his positive attitude in the dugout, it just brings a lot of life to our team," he said.
Guerrero reached three times a night after his career-high 14-game hitting streak ended. Toronto won for the 10th time in 11 games. He leads the AL with a .320 batting average and his average has been above .300 after all but one game this season.
Marcus Semien hit a two-run single during a three-run fourth. He scored the go-ahead run on Hernandez's hit off Clay Holmes (6-3), which came shortly before Boston secured a 2-1 win over AL East-leading Tampa Bay.
Jake Lamb added a sacrifice fly in the eighth on a night in which Toronto set a season high with 11 walks, including a 13-pitch free pass by Hernandez in the fifth. It was Toronto's most walks since also getting 11 at Texas on Aug. 26, 2015.
"The whole is team is doing a great job, pitching, defense and our lineup has been outstanding," Toronto manager Charlie Montoyo said. "Our lineup is hot."
Brett Gardner hit a tying, three-run homer in the fifth. It was New York's first extra-base hit since Gary Sanchez's two-run homer in the sixth inning of Sunday's 8-7 loss to Baltimore.
"We know we have the guys capable but we got to get it done," Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. "It's a little bit of a broken record this week, I understand that, but this is the group that we absolutely believe in and we got to get thing turned around and (I) believe we will, but it's certainly been a frustrating several days for us on the offensive side."
Manoah allowed three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings in his second career start at Yankee Stadium. His first start in New York was May 27 in his major league debut when he allowed two hits in six innings in the opener of a doubleheader.
"These games mean a lot more than my debut, so I'll just continue to go out there and give it my all," Manoah said. "It doesn't matter what day it is.
Trevor Richards (6-2), who pitched for Tampa Bay and Milwaukee before joining Toronto, tossed 1 2/3 innings for the win.
Heyward's walk-off HR in 10th gives Cubs 4-1 win over Reds
CHICAGO (AP) Jason Heyward hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Chicago Cubs a 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday night for their eighth victory in nine games.
Ian Happ homered for the third straight game, extending his hitting streak to a career-high nine games to help the new-look Cubs win their third consecutive series.
"At the trade deadline, I feel like all of us came into the same situation together," Heyward said. "The guys that have been here from the beginning, and the guys that have come aboard, it's just been awesome to watch their work, watch their preparation, watch us help each other grow and, of course, seeing us have some success, win some series, put up some great games against some really good teams that are trying to make it in."
Joey Votto launched his 29th homer of the season, but his fourth-inning solo shot was all the offense Cincinnati could muster.
The Reds have lost four of six as they fight for a playoff spot. They entered the day tied with San Diego for the second NL wild card.
"Obviously a tough, tough loss tonight," manager David Bell said. "But we have a lot left ahead of us, and we put it behind us and we move forward. We just have to keep playing."
Automatic runner Willson Contreras advanced from second to third in the 10th on a single by Patrick Wisdom. Heyward then sent a drive to right field off Brad Brach (1-2).
Chicago was boosted by yet another stellar start from Alec Mills, who allowed one run and four hits over six innings. He's given up just three earned runs over his last three starts.
"He's really stabilized our rotation," said bench coach Andy Green, running the Cubs while manager David Ross is away from the team after testing positive for COVID-19. "He's a guy that has really pitched through some really good lineups, and done a little bit of everything with the baseball. It's been fun watching him do his thing and help us out a lot."
Rowan Wick provided two shutout innings in relief, and Codi Heuer (7-2) worked two hitless innings for the win. Heuer hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 12 outings.
Happ's first-inning solo shot off Vladimir Gutierrez nearly left Wrigley Field, but Chicago's offense went quiet afterward. The Cubs were held scoreless over the next eight innings, with just one hit.
Gutierrez gave Cincinnati five solid innings on the mound, allowing two hits and one run. Happ's homer was the lone blemish for the rookie right-hander, who struck out six.
Giants get 4 in 9th to beat Rockies; 1st team with 90 wins
DENVER (AP) LaMonte Wade Jr. and Evan Longoria each had two RBIs during a four-run rally in the ninth inning and the San Francisco Giants beat the Colorado Rockies 7-4 on Wednesday.
The streaking Giants (90-50) won their fourth straight and became the first team in the majors to win 90 games. They began the day with a one-game lead in the NL West over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Wednesday's rally capped a three-game sweep of Colorado and was the last of 16 consecutive days of baseball. San Francisco went 10-6 in a schedule that included a 4-6 mark against postseason hopefuls Atlanta, Milwaukee and the Dodgers.
"We did a nice job through a very difficult stretch of games and some point we'll look back and really recognize what a grind that was," Giants manager Gabe Kapler said.
Brandon Crawford homered and Brandon Belt had three hits for San Francisco. Tyler Rogers (6-1) worked a scoreless eighth inning and Jake McGee pitched the ninth for his 30th save.
The Giants trailed 4-3 when Carlos Estevez (2-4) walked pinch-hitter Buster Posey to open the ninth and two straight singles loaded the bases. Wade lined another single to right-center to give the Giants the lead.
"He's had so many big hits for us this year," Crawford said of Wade. "Down to our last strike a couple of times and then so many tiebreaker, go-ahead base hits for us. He's been a huge for us."
Longoria doubled to center to cap the comeback.
"Estevez is a big challenge," Kapler said. "He's throwing 98 mph bowling balls up there and one of the tougher at-bats for right-handed hitters, so Longo's hit was as big as any."
Elias Diaz, who also had two doubles, put Colorado ahead 4-3 with his 16th homer in the sixth.
San Francisco starter Anthony DeSclafani gave up three straight singles, including one to pitcher Jon Gray that drove in the first run, before exiting with one out in the fifth.
A groundout and Trevor Story's double gave Colorado a 3-0 lead.
The Giants tied it on Crawford's three-run homer – his 20th – in the sixth off Gray, who was activated from the injured list for the start. He allowed three runs on six hits and struck out eight in five-plus innings.
"Five scoreless innings, held them down and got some punch outs," Rockies manager Bud Black said of Gray. "In the sixth, three opposite-field hits. On balance I thought Jon threw the ball really, really well, and physically he was fine."
Molina homers, Wainwright wins as Cards beat Dodgers 5-4
ST. LOUIS (AP) Adam Wainwright pitched into the ninth inning and Yadier Molina homered, helping the St. Louis Cardinals top the Los Angeles Dodgers 5-4 on Wednesday night.
Led by Wainwright and Molina once again, St. Louis stopped a four-game slide. Tyler O'Neill also connected for the Cardinals, and Edmundo Sosa had an RBI single.
St. Louis is trying to move into position for an NL wild card.
"I thought today was a must-win game," Wainwright said. "I just felt we had to have it. We've got to get a split from them in my opinion."
The Dodgers dropped two games back of NL West-leading San Francisco, which rallied for a 7-4 victory at Colorado.
Wainwright (15-7) sailed into the ninth, but he was replaced by Giovanny Gallegos after Corey Seager's RBI single got the Dodgers within two. Will Smith then hit a sacrifice fly before Gallegos struck out Chris Taylor for his fifth save.
Wainwright allowed seven hits, struck out four and walked none. The 40-year-old right-hander improved to 8-1 in his last nine starts.
"That first inning I thought we started off positive and came away with one run," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "Then after that, he settled in and just had really good glove-side command spinning the baseball. His curveball was sharp. This is what Wainwright does."
Max Muncy hit his 31st homer for Los Angeles, which had won three of four. Mitch White (1-3) permitted four runs and five hits in five innings.
"Pitchers come out and they give us their best and we really haven't been giving our best back at them," Muncy said. "It's just one of those things where we have the talent and we're just not putting it together. We haven't really been able to do it all year."
Seager doubled home Muncy to put the Dodgers in front in the first, but the Cardinals responded with three runs in the bottom half.
Tommy Edman singled and scored on Nolan Arenado's groundout. The 39-year-old Molina then hit a two-run drive to left for his 10th homer.
"Never ever surprised when he hits a homer," Wainwright said. "He's got so many big hits and big home runs for us over the years, of course it was Yadi."
St. Louis added another run in the fourth. Molina singled, advanced to second on Taylor's error in left and moved to third on a wild pitch. He then came home on Sosa's hit, giving the Cardinals a 4-1 lead.
Muncy connected in the fifth. Wainwright had gone a major league-leading 50 consecutive innings without allowing a home run.
Finally, Jeter, Walker and Simmons to be inducted into HOF
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. (AP) Derek Jeter visited Cooperstown when he was a kid nearly four decades ago and says he doesn't remember much about the trip. He's returning this week and likely won't ever forget even one moment.
After a delay of well over a year, the former New York Yankees shortstop and captain will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame on Wednesday along with fellow class of 2020 members Ted Simmons, Larry Walker, and the late Marvin Miller, whose efforts on the labor front changed the game.
Last year's ceremony was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Nobody was selected from this year's writers' ballot and the Hall of Fame's Era committees postponed their scheduled elections until the upcoming offseason because of the pandemic.
"As strange as this sounds or may sound, I'm trying not to think about it," the 47-year-old Jeter, now an owner and CEO of the Miami Marlins, said last week. "I just want to go there and experience it. I'm trying to keep it out of my mind because I do want to go in there with no preconceived notions of what may happen. I want to experience it and try to enjoy it. It's been a long time coming."
In 2007, the inductions of Cal Ripken Jr. and Tony Gwynn drew an estimated record crowd of 82,000 to the expansive grass field at the Clark Sports Center on the outskirts of this one-stoplight village in upstate New York. When the wildly popular Jeter was elected in January 2020 that record figured to be in jeopardy because fans had been booking reservations well in advance. With a mid-week ceremony instead of the traditional Sunday afternoon, school back in session and the threat of inclement weather the Hall of Fame wasn't offering an attendance prediction. The deaths of eight Hall of Famers over the past year and a half, including Hank Aaron and Yankees star Whitey Ford, and the lingering pandemic have limited the number of returning Hall of Famers to 31. Two years ago a record 58 showed up.
The 72-year-old Simmons, a star catcher and first baseman in the 1970s and 1980s for the St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers, found a silver lining in the long wait.
"The wait has been good and bad – bad in that you've had to wait an extra year for this thing to kind of come to a head, but good in that it's extended an additional year," said Simmons, who grew up just outside Detroit. "It's been such a difficult time for everybody here in the last two years, all over the country, in the workforce, in society in general with this pandemic. The fact that it's now going to happen just brings us closer to some normalcy, which we're all hoping for."
The self-effacing Walker, now 54, said the delay sort of made his election seem a bit surreal.
"I've been caught on many occasions when somebody wants me to sign something and … I give it back to them and then they give it back to me because I forget to put HOF2020 on there," said Walker, who will join Ferguson Jenkins as the only Canadian-born players in the Hall of Fame. "So I guess that reality of it hasn't sunk in. I don't necessarily consider myself a Hall of Famer at anything."
Jeter was the 57th player elected by the Baseball Writers' Association of America on the first try. He was one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous pick, named on 396 of the 397 votes cast. His former Yankees teammate, ace reliever Mariano Rivera, remains the only one.
A key member of five World Series champions, Jeter stayed right where he always wanted to be from 1995-2014 – two decades in the Big Apple playing for a storied franchise.
"The most important thing during my career, what I wanted to be remembered as, I wanted to be remembered as a Yankee. That was it," he said. "That was the only team I ever wanted to play for since as far back as I could remember. As you start playing your career you start thinking about legacy. It's much more than what you do on the field. It's the legacy you leave off the field.
"I never wanted my career to be over and then for me to say, `Well, I wish I would have done a little bit more.' Ultimately, you're judged, especially in New York, by winning. They remember you if you win."
As for those speeches, Simmons said he took care of his right away and Walker said he wrote his, believed it was final, and keeps practicing it.
"I'm trying to just keep it short, simple, not going over the top on one subject or any one person or any one team," said Walker, who starred for the Montreal Expos and Rockies. "I'm just trying to show how (grateful) I am for this opportunity without having everybody fall asleep."
And the Captain?
"It's something that I've tried to take my time with," Jeter said. "I didn't want to get help from anyone. I didn't want anybody to see it before I deliver it. It's kind of hard to cover your entire career in that short a period of time. I'm still working on it."
Donald Fehr, executive director of the Major League Baseball Players Association from 1983-2009 and now in the same role with the National Hockey League, will accept Miller's plaque and speak on his behalf. Miller hired Fehr as general counsel of MLBPA in 1977.
"It really comes down to how our house has been built," said Tony Clark, MLBPA executive director. "In other words, how he built our house, our players' association, our union. In order for that house to stand the test of time, it has to be built on a strong foundation."
Roethlisberger on T.J. Watt's contract status: Pay the man
PITTSBURGH (AP) Steelers All-Pro linebacker T.J. Watt has an ally in his contract negotiations: Ben Roethlisberger.
The veteran quarterback said Wednesday he believes Watt "should get whatever he wants" as he tries to lock down a new deal before Sunday's opener at Buffalo.
Watt, a three-time Pro Bowler, is entering the final season of the rookie contract he signed after being taken 30th overall in the 2017 draft. The 26-year-old has been a fixture at the team facility since training camp opened in July but did not play in the preseason and has not participated in any contact 11-on-11 drills at any point.
Roethlisberger, who took a pay cut to return for an 18th season, said Watt has the support of the veterans on the team because they understand what he's going through and respect his professionalism.
"He deserves every penny that he wants and asks for," Roethlisberger said.
The Steelers do not negotiate with players once the regular season begins, creating a deadline of sorts for 1 p.m. Sunday. They have announced contract extensions on the eve of season openers before, though none with players as high profile as Watt.
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday he's optimistic Watt will be available when the Steelers face the defending AFC East champions. Watt's 49 1/2 sacks in his first four seasons ranks sixth-highest in NFL history for players over that span.
Vikings sign RT Brian O'Neill to contract extension
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) The Minnesota Vikings signed right tackle Brian O'Neill to a contract extension on Wednesday, securing their most reliable blocker for the long term.
O'Neill was drafted in the second round out of Pittsburgh in 2018 and would have been eligible for free agency next year. He cracked the lineup as a rookie and has started 42 games in his first three seasons. During his span as a starter, the Vikings have the third-most rushing yards in the NFL.
Financial details of the deal weren't immediately available.
The Vikings have drafted an offensive lineman in the first or second round for four straight years. O'Neill is the oldest and most accomplished from that group.
Minnesota opens the season at Cincinnati on Sunday.
Seeking RB help, Ravens sign Le'Veon Bell to practice squad
OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) Less than six months shy of his 30th birthday, Le'Veon Bell is trying again to rejuvenate his career with a new team.
Now it's the Baltimore Ravens – reeling a bit after J.K. Dobbins' season-ending injury – who have acquired Bell.
Baltimore signed Bell to the practice squad, adding another backfield option in the aftermath of Dobbins' knee injury. Bell was cut early last season by the New York Jets, then rushed for 328 yards in 11 games with Kansas City. He did not play in the Super Bowl for the Chiefs.
Bell rushed for more than 1,000 yards three times in five seasons for Pittsburgh. He then sat out the whole 2018 season in a contract dispute. He signed with the Jets and rushed for 789 yards in 2019.
On Wednesday, Bell was on the practice field for the Ravens wearing No. 17. Shortly before the start of practice – and before the team announced the move – offensive lineman Bradley Bozeman was asked about bringing Bell in.
"Excited about the opportunity. We'll see what happens," Bozeman said. "We're going to block for whoever's back there. We're going to try to make the biggest holes, the biggest opportunities, the biggest gains in our offense that we possibly can, regardless of who's back there running the ball."
The Ravens lost Dobbins in their final preseason game. That left Gus Edwards as their top remaining running back, although quarterback Lamar Jackson is a big rushing threat as well. Edwards ran for 723 yards and six touchdowns last season.
Now running back Justice Hill is also on injured reserve, and the Ravens signed running back Trenton Cannon. They also released safety Jordan Richards and signed defensive tackle Reginald McKenzie to the practice squad.
Cannon had 48 carries in three seasons with the Jets and Carolina Panthers.
The Ravens open the season Monday night at Las Vegas. It's not clear how quickly Bell might be ready to join the active roster. Coach John Harbaugh wasn't available to reporters Wednesday.
Bell was a two-time All-Pro with the Steelers, but he's now with his third team in the past 12 months. The former Michigan State star didn't rush for more than 62 yards in a game with the Chiefs last year. He had only two carries the whole postseason for Kansas City.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR KICK-OFF WEEKEND
SUPER STARTERS : History indicates that the best way for a team to start its drive toward a Super Bowl championship is to win in Week 1.
The 55 Super Bowl winners have a 44-10-1 record in the Kickoff Weekend games of their title seasons. The Super Bowl LV champion TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS, who host the DALLAS COWBOYS in the league's annual primetime Kickoff Game on Thursday (8:20 PM ET, NBC), became the first eventual Super Bowl winners to lose the opening game of their championship season since New England in 2014.
The KANSAS CITY CHIEFS, who have appeared in each of the past two Super Bowls, host the CLEVELAND BROWNS in an AFC Divisional playoff rematch on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS). Kansas City has won its past six Kickoff Weekend games, the longest active streak in the AFC and tied for the longest active streak in the NFL (Green Bay).
Since 1978 when the NFL went to the 16-game schedule, and excluding the abbreviated season of 1982, teams that are victorious in their season-openers are more than twice as likely to reach the playoffs than those that lose an opening game. This season will feature a 17-game schedule for each team for the first time ever.
Of the 633 teams that won openers…333 went to the playoffs (204 won division titles).
Of the 632 teams that lost openers…151 went to the playoffs (86 won division titles).
Note: There are a different number of winning and losing teams in season-opening games due to the fact the NFL had 31 teams in each season from 1999-2001, which creates an odd number for the total number of results.
In 2020, the 14 playoff teams compiled an 11-3 record on Kickoff Weekend, with the eight division winners going a perfect 8-0.
— NFL —
STARTING STREAKS: The Chiefs aren't the only team to have excelled in openers. Below is a sampling of other notable active NFL Kickoff Weekend milestones and streaks:
The BALTIMORE RAVENS, who visit the LAS VEGAS RAIDERS on Monday Night Football in Week 1 (8:15 PM ET, ESPN/ABC), have won their last five Kickoff Weekend games, the AFC's second-longest active streak. Since 2016, Baltimore has outscored its opponents 177-26 on Kickoff Weekend and hasn't allowed more than 10 points in any of its previous five Week 1 games.
The reigning NFC North division champion GREEN BAY PACKERS open their season on the road on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX) against the reigning NFC South division champion NEW ORLEANS SAINTS at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Packers have won 58 games on Kickoff Weekend, the most in the NFL. Green Bay has won its past six Kickoff Weekend games, tied with Kansas City for the longest active streak in the NFL.
The CHICAGO BEARS visit the LOS ANGELES RAMS on Sunday Night Football in Week 1 (8:20 PM ET, NBC). Chicago has 55 wins on Kickoff Weekend, the second-most in the NFL, while the Rams have won four consecutive Week 1 games, the second-longest active streak in the NFC.
START ME UP: Some players have excelled in openers. Below is a sampling of notable individual performances on NFL Kickoff Weekend:
Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY has 39 touchdown passes and 4,932 passing yards in 18 career Kickoff Weekend games, trailing only DREW BREES (41 touchdown passes and 5,566 passing yards) for the most in NFL history on Kickoff Weekend in both categories.
Tampa Bay tight end ROB GRONKOWSKI has eight touchdown receptions in eight career Kickoff Weekend games, the second-most all-time by a tight end, trailing only WILLIE FRAZIER (nine touchdown receptions).
Tennessee wide receiver JULIO JONES has 1,001 receiving yards in 10 career Kickoff Weekend games and is one of 11 players in league history with at least 1,000 career receiving yards in season openers. If Jones, who had nine receptions for 157 yards with Atlanta last year on Kickoff Weekend, records at least 99 receiving yards on Sunday against Arizona in his Titans debut (1:00 PM ET, CBS), he will become the sixth player to reach 1,100 career receiving yards on Kickoff Weekend.
Jones also has 67 career receptions in Week 1 and can become the ninth player in league history to reach 75 career receptions on Kickoff Weekend.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver DESEAN JACKSON has six career games with at least 100 yards receiving in Week 1, tied for the most all-time. With at least 100 receiving yards against Chicago on Sunday Night Football (8:20 PM ET, NBC), Jackson would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer MICHAEL IRVIN (six) for the most 100-yard receiving games on Kickoff Weekend in NFL history.
Including a sack last year in Week 1 with Indianapolis, Baltimore linebacker JUSTIN HOUSTON has 11 sacks in nine career season-opening games, tied for the sixth-most on Kickoff Weekend since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic. With at least two sacks in his Ravens debut at Las Vegas on Monday Night Football (8:15 PM ET, ESPN), Houston would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer LAWRENCE TAYLOR (12.5 sacks in 12 games) for the fourth-most in Week 1 contests.
START 'EM EARLY: Jacksonville rookie quarterback TREVOR LAWRENCE, the No. 1 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft, New York Jets rookie quarterback ZACH WILSON (No. 2), and New England rookie quarterback MAC JONES (No. 15), are each expected to make their first career starts on Sunday, when Jacksonville travels to Houston (1:00 PM ET, CBS), the Jets visit Carolina (1:00 PM ET, CBS) and New England hosts Miami (4:25 PM ET, CBS).
With a start by any of the three players, at least one rookie quarterback will have started in Week 1 in 14 consecutive seasons, extending the longest streak in the NFL since at least 1950.
This season is expected to join 2012 (five rookie quarterbacks) as the only seasons since 1970 in which at least three rookie quarterbacks started in Week 1. It can also become the first time that multiple rookie quarterbacks each start in Week 1 since 2016 (DAK PRESCOTT and CARSON WENTZ).
The rookie quarterbacks to start in Week 1 since 2008:
SEASON QUARTERBACK TEAM STARTING RECORD AS ROOKIE
2008 Joe Flacco Baltimore 11-5
2008 Matt Ryan Atlanta 11-5
2009 Mark Sanchez New York Jets 8-7
2009 Matthew Stafford* Detroit 2-8
2010 Sam Bradford* St. Louis Rams 7-9
2011 Andy Dalton Cincinnati 9-7
2011 Cam Newton* Carolina 6-10
2012 Robert Griffin III Washington 9-6
2012 Andrew Luck* Indianapolis 11-5
2012 Ryan Tannehill Miami 7-9
2012 Brandon Weeden Cleveland 5-10
2012 Russell Wilson Seattle 11-5
2013 EJ Manuel Buffalo 4-6
2013 Geno Smith New York Jets 8-8
2014 Derek Carr Oakland Raiders 3-13
2015 Marcus Mariota Tennessee 3-9
2015 Jameis Winston* Tampa Bay 6-10
2016 Dak Prescott Dallas 13-3
2016 Carson Wentz Philadelphia 7-9
2017 DeShone Kizer Cleveland 0-15
2018 Sam Darnold New York Jets 4-9
2019 Kyler Murray* Arizona 5-10-1
2020 Joe Burrow* Cincinnati 2-7-1
2021 Mac Jones^ New England –
2021 Trevor Lawrence*^ Jacksonville –
2021 Zach Wilson^ New York Jets –
*No. 1 overall pick
^Expected to start Week 1
CHAMP CHASING HISTORY : Tampa Bay quarterback TOM BRADY enters his 22nd NFL season as the league's all-time leader in touchdown passes (581) and is in striking distance of the league's all-time passing yards record. Brady has 79,204 career passing yards, trailing only DREW BREES (80,358).
The players with the most career passing yards in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM(S) PASSING YARDS
Drew Brees San Diego Chargers, New Orleans 80,358
Tom Brady New England, Tampa Bay 79,204
Brady also enters the season with 99 career games with at least 300 passing yards. With at least 300 passing yards on Thursday against Dallas in the league's annual primetime Kickoff Game (8:20 PM ET, NBC), Brady will join Brees (123 games) as the only players ever with at least 300 passing yards in 100 career games.
The players with the most career games with at least 300 passing yards in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM(S) GAMES WITH 300+ PASSING YARDS
Drew Brees San Diego Chargers, New Orleans 123
Tom Brady New England, Tampa Bay 99
This Thursday will also mark the 300th regular-season career start of Brady's career, making him the first quarterback in league history to reach the milestone.
Other quarterbacks that can reach career passing milestones in Week 1:
With at least 231 passing yards on Sunday against New Orleans (4:25 PM ET, FOX), Green Bay quarterback and reigning MVP AARON RODGERS (51,245 career passing yards) can surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer JOHN ELWAY (51,475) for the 10th-most passing yards in NFL history.
With at least four touchdown passes on Sunday at Buffalo (1:00 PM ET, CBS), Pittsburgh quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER (396 career touchdown passes) can become the eighth player ever with 400 career touchdown passes.
KICKOFF KELCE: Last season, Kansas City tight end TRAVIS KELCE ranked second in the league with 1,416 receiving yards, the most ever by a tight end in a single season. He also became the first tight end in NFL history to record at least 1,200 receiving yards in three different seasons. In 111 career games, Kelce has 7,881 receiving yards, the 10th-most all-time among tight ends.
With at least 119 receiving yards against Cleveland on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Kelce will become the fastest tight end (112 games) to reach 8,000 career receiving yards in NFL history, surpassing ROB GRONKOWSKI (120 games).
The tight ends to reach 8,000 career receiving yards in the fewest games in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM(S) GAMES TO REACH 8,000 REC. YARDS
Rob Gronkowski New England, Tampa Bay 120
Antonio Gates San Diego Chargers 137
Jason Witten Dallas 147
Travis Kelce Kansas City 111*
*Has 7,881 receiving yards entering Sunday
Kelce also enters this season with 48 career receiving touchdowns. With at least two touchdown receptions on Sunday, he will become the fifth-fastest tight end to reach 50 career receiving touchdowns, surpassing VERNON DAVIS (115 games).
The tight ends to reach 50 career receiving touchdowns in the fewest games in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM GAMES TO REACH 50 REC. TOUCHDOWNS
Rob Gronkowski New England 59
Jimmy Graham New Orleans 73
Antonio Gates San Diego Chargers 92
Jerry Smith Washington 100
Vernon Davis San Francisco 115
*Has 48 receiving touchdowns entering Sunday
TITANS DEBUT: Tennessee wide receiver JULIO JONES enters his first year as a Titan with 848 receptions for 12,896 receiving yards and 60 receiving touchdowns in 135 career games.
Jones needs two receptions on Sunday against Arizona (1:00 PM ET, CBS) to become the second-fastest player (136 games) to reach 850 receptions in NFL history, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (140 games).
The players to reach 850 career receptions in the fewest games in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM(S) GAMES TO REACH 850 RECEPTIONS
Antonio Brown Pittsburgh, New England, Tampa Bay 133
Marvin HarrisonHOF Indianapolis 140
Andre Johnson Houston Texans 142
Julio Jones Atlanta 135*
*Has 848 receptions entering Sunday
With at least 104 receiving yards, Jones can also become the fastest player ever to reach 13,000 career receiving yards, surpassing Pro Football Hall of Famer JERRY RICE (154 games).
Additionally, Jones enters this season with at least 100 receiving yards in 58 career games. With at least 100 receiving yards on Sunday, he will tie Pro Football Hall of Famer MARVIN HARRISON (59 games) for the third-most such games in NFL history.
The players with the most games with at least 100 receiving yards in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM(S) GAMES WITH 100+ REC. YARDS
Jerry RiceHOF San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle 76
Randy MossHOF Minnesota, Oakland, New England 64
Marvin HarrisonHOF Indianapolis 59
Julio Jones Atlanta 58*
DUAL-THREAT BACKS: Carolina running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY has totaled 5,817 scrimmage yards (3,145 rushing, 2,672 receiving) and 45 touchdowns (29 rushing, 16 receiving) in his first four seasons, while also recording nine games with both a rushing and receiving touchdown, the most ever by a player through his first four seasons.
With both a rushing and receiving touchdown against the Jets on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), McCaffrey will surpass CHUCK FOREMAN (nine games) for the most such games by a player through his first five seasons in NFL history. New Orleans running back ALVIN KAMARA, who is also entering his fifth season,has eight such career games and can tie Foreman when New Orleans takes on Green Bay Sunday (4:25 PM ET, FOX).
The players with the most games with both a rushing and receiving touchdown in their first five seasons in NFL history:
PLAYER TEAM GAMES
Chuck Foreman Minnesota 9
Christian McCaffrey Carolina 9*
Abner Haynes Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs 8
Alvin Kamara New Orleans 8*
*Entering fifth season
ROOKIES NO MORE: The 2020 Associated Press Offensive Rookie of the Year, Los Angeles Chargers quarterback JUSTIN HERBERT, and the 2020 Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year, Washington defensive end CHASE YOUNG, will meet in Week 1, when the Chargers visit the Washington Football Team on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS).
It will mark the fourth time in NFL history, and second-consecutive season, that the two reigning Rookies of the Year will meet on Kickoff Weekend. In 2020, Arizona quarterback KYLER MURRAY and San Francisco defensive lineman NICK BOSA met in Week 1.
The Kickoff Weekend matchups featuring the reigning Associated Press Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year in NFL history:
SEASON REIGNING OROY (TEAM) REIGNING DROY (TEAM) WEEK 1 RESULT
2021 QB Justin Herbert (L.A. Chargers) DE Chase Young (Washington) ???
2020 QB Kyler Murray (Arizona) DL Nick Bosa (San Francisco) AZ 24, SF 20
1989 RB John Stephens (New England) DB Erik McMillan (N.Y. Jets) NE 27, NYJ 24
1975 RB Don Woods (San Diego Chargers) LB Jack LambertHOF (Pittsburgh) PIT 37, SD 0
Texas NAACP files federal complaint over "The Eyes of Texas"
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) The Texas chapter of the NAACP and a group of students have filed a federal civil rights complaint against the University of Texas for its continued use of school song "The Eyes of Texas," which has racist elements in its past.
The complaint filed Sept. 3 with the U.S. Department of Education alleges that Black students, athletes, band members, faculty and alumni are being subjected to violations of the Civil Rights Act and a hostile campus environment over the "offensive," "disrespectful" and "aggressive" use of the song.
The NAACP and the students want the federal government to withhold funding from the university.
Gary Bledsoe, president of the Texas NAACP and a Texas law school graduate, on Wednesday sharply criticized Texas for requiring the Longhorn Band to play the song at athletic events, and expecting athletes to stand and sing it after games.
"It's like slave owners making slaves buck dance for their entertainment," Bledsoe said.
The song was played before and after Saturday's season-opening football win over Louisiana-Lafayette and was given a full-throated sing-along by a crowd of about 80,000. Many Texas players gathered near the band during the song, as has been tradition for decades.
First-year football coach Steve Sarkisian has said the team will sing the song.
The complaint, which includes statements from several anonymous students, alleges those who oppose the song on campus are being harassed and that Black students feel "humiliated" whenever it is played or sung.
A university spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
"The Eyes of Texas" was written in 1903 and has a history of performances in minstrel shows with musicians often in blackface. For decades, it has been sung after games and graduation ceremonies, and is a popular sing-along at weddings and even funerals.
Last year, a group of athletes and students called for the school to drop the song amid racial injustice protests after the killing of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.
School President Jay Hartzell, with the full backing of the university's Board of Regents, said the song will stay and a school research panel determined there was " no racist intent " behind it.
In April, the university announced the school would create a separate band in 2022 for students who don't want to play "The Eyes of Texas."
The complaint argues that forcing students who object to the song into a different band is an attempt to create a "separate but equal" alternative that violates constitutional equal protection standards.
INDIANA FOOTBALL VS. IDAHO GAME NOTES
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. EST
Date: Saturday, Sept. 11, 2021
Location: Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) – Bloomington, Ind.
TV: BTN: Mark Followill (p-b-p), Matt Millen (analyst) & Elise Menaker (sideline)
Radio: IU Radio Network; Sirius 108, XM 202, SXM App 965: Don Fischer, Buck Suhr & Joe Smith
IU STAT LEADERS
Passing Michael Penix Jr.: 14-31, 156 Yds, 0 TD, 3 INT Rushing Stephen Carr: 19-57, 0 TD, 3.0 Avg Receiving Ty Fryfogle: 5-84, 0 TD, 16.8 Avg Defense DL Ryder Anderson: 7 T, 1 S, 2 TFL DL Weston Kramer: 7 T, 1 TFL S Raheem Layne: 6 T, 1 FF
IDAHO STAT LEADERS
12, 161 Yds, 2 TD, 0 INT Rushing Roshaun Johnson: 10-87, 3 TD, 10.2 Avg Receiving Hayden Hatten: 2-106, 1 TD, 53.0 Avg Defense DL Noah Elliss: 8 T, 1.5 TFL LB Hogan Hatten: 7 T, 1 S, 3 TFL LB Tre Walker: 7 T, 2 TFL
SETTING THE SCENE • RV/RV Indiana (0-1, 0-1 B1G East) opens its 62nd season at Memorial Stadium (52,656; FieldTurf) against Idaho (1-0) on Saturday, Sept. 11. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. EST on BTN. • The Hoosiers and Vandals are meeting for the first time. • This is IU's first meeting against a Big Sky Conference foe. • Indiana has won six of its last seven home games, including an unblemished 3-0 mark in 2020, and are 7-2 at Memorial Stadium since the start of 2019. • The Hoosiers are 43-18 in Memorial Stadium openers with wins in 17 of their last 19 and 34 of their last 39, highlighted by last year's 36-35 overtime victory over No. 8 Penn State. THE COACHES • The 2020 American Football Coaches Association National Coach of the Year, Tom Allen is 24-23 (.511) in his fifth season as Indiana head football coach. His 24 wins over his first four years are the most for an IU head coach during that span. Allen was also named the 2020 Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year (Big Ten coaches vote) and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year (Big Ten media vote). (full bio on page 14) • Paul Petrino is in his ninth season as Idaho's head coach. He owns a 31-59 (.344) career record and a 21-33 (.389) mark in the Big Sky Conference. Petrino led the Vandals to a victory in the 2016 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. NEWS & NOTES • Indiana is 14-8 overall and 11-6 in Big Ten play since the start of 2019. • IU's 14 wins share fourth and 11 victories are fourth in the B1G during that span. • The Hoosiers were ranked in the 2021 preseason for the first time since 1969. • Indiana appeared in both the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll for the 11th-straight week, a program record. • The team voted WR Ty Fryfogle, TE Peyton Hendershot, LB Cam Jones, DB Marcelino McCrary-Ball, LB Micah McFadden, and QB Michael Penix Jr. season captains. • Jones, McCrary-Ball, McFadden, and Penix were also 2020 captains. • IU has won 11 of its last 15 league games. • The Hoosiers (6-2, 6-1 Big Ten) finished the 2020 season with a No. 12 final rating from the Associated Press, their highest final ranking since 1967 (No. 4). • Indiana's 11 B1G wins over 2019-20 tied for the most in school history over a two-year span (1987-88). • IU has played in consecutive January bowl games (2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl and 2021 Outback Bowl) for the first time in school history.
Indiana Men's Basketball Announces 2021-22 Schedule
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana University men's basketball program announced their 2021-22 schedule which begins Tuesday, November 9 against Eastern Michigan and will mark the beginning of the coaching tenure of former IU All-American Mike Woodson who begins his first season as head coach. All totaled the Hoosiers will play 19 times in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, including 10 Big Ten matchups which begin Saturday, December 4 against Nebraska. Game times and television designations will be released by the Big Ten in the coming weeks.
"I'm excited for our team to get back on the floor," said Woodson. "It was nice to get a couple of games in the Bahamas, but we have to get ourselves ready for some challenging non-conference games and the extremely tough Big Ten season."
Following the EMU game, IU will host another MAC opponent, Northern Illinois on Friday, November 12. The Hoosiers will take on St. John's of the Big East in the Gavitt Games on Wednesday, November 17 and then host three games in the Hoosier Challenge against Louisiana, Sunday, November 21, Jackson State, Tuesday, November 23, and Marshall, Saturday, November 27. The Cream and Crimson will close out November in Syracuse on Tuesday, November 30 for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
The Hoosiers open the December schedule with its Big Ten home opener against Nebraska then travels to Madison to face Wisconsin on Wednesday, December 8. IU will host Merrimack on Sunday, December 12 before taking the week off for final exams. Play will resume against Notre Dame in the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday, December 18. The calendar year will close out against Northern Kentucky on Wednesday, December 22 and UNC Asheville, Wednesday, December 29.
The final 18 games on the schedule will consist of conference matchups with the Hoosiers traveling to Penn State on Sunday, January 2. A two-game homestand awaits with Ohio State visiting Bloomington on Thursday, January 6 and Minnesota coming to town on Sunday January 9. Indiana will take a two-game road trip to Iowa on Thursday, January 13 and to Nebraska on Monday, January 17 before returning home for three games including Purdue, Thursday, January 20, Michigan, Sunday, January 23 and Penn State on Wednesday, January 26. The Hoosiers will finish the month at Maryland, Saturday, January 29.
Illinois will visit Bloomington Saturday, February 5 and then IU heads to Northwestern on Tuesday, February 8 and will be at Michigan State, Saturday, February 12. IU is back home against Wisconsin, Tuesday, February 15 and then visits Ohio State on Saturday, February 19. A home game with Maryland on Thursday, February 24 coincides with a week that also sees the Cream and Crimson travel to Minnesota, Sunday, February 27.
IU will host Rutgers the final week of the season on Wednesday, March 2 before ending the regular season on Saturday, March 5 at Purdue. The 25th Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament will be held Wednesday, March 9 thru Sunday March 13.
The Hoosiers single-play conference games this year include Rutgers, Michigan and Illinois at home and Michigan State, Northwestern and Iowa on the road. IU is not expected to schedule any traditional exhibition games this season against non-Division opponents.
18-Game Big Ten Schedule Announced For Indiana Women's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference has announced its 18-game league slate for the Indiana Hoosiers for the upcoming 2021-22 season.
The Hoosiers are coming off its sixth-straight 20-win season in 2020-21 where it finished 21-6 overall and 16-2 in Big Ten play while advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen. All five starters return from that campaign including All-Americans junior forward Mackenzie Holmes and senior guard Grace Berger.
The schedule begins with three games in the 2021, kicking off with Penn State at home on Monday, Dec. 6. The Hoosiers then travel to Ohio State on Dec. 12 and finish off the calendar year at Rutgers on Dec. 30.
Returning in the New Year, Indiana will square off with the league's reigning champion Maryland at home (Jan. 2) and travel to Wisconsin (Jan. 5). After hosting Nebraska (Jan. 13) the Hoosiers head to West Lafayette for the annual Barn Burner Trophy game at Purdue (Jan. 16).
Michigan State comes to town (Jan. 19) and heads to Iowa (Jan. 23) in the middle of the month. January closes with games against Illinois at home (Jan. 27) and at Michigan (Jan. 30), who advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen last season.
IU will play its first consecutive league home games against Minnesota (Feb. 3) and versus in-state foe Purdue (Feb. 6) before heading back out on the road at Illinois (Feb. 10) and to Nebraska (Feb. 14). Northwestern (Feb. 17) and Iowa (Feb. 20) close out the regular season home schedule for IU, who wraps things up at Maryland on either Feb. 25 or 26.
Game times and TV designations along with the rest of the Hoosiers' non-conference slate will be announced at a later date.
2020-21 Indiana Big Ten Conference Schedule
Monday, December 6, 2021 Penn State at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Sunday, December 12, 2021 Indiana at Ohio State Columbus, Ohio
Thursday, December 30, 2021 Indiana at Rutgers Piscataway, N.J.
Sunday, January 2, 2022 Maryland at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022 Indiana at Wisconsin Madison, Wis.
Thursday, January 13, 2022 Nebraska at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Sunday, January 16, 2022 Indiana at Purdue West Lafayette, Ind.
Wednesday, January 19, 2022 Michigan State at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Sunday, January 23, 2022 Indiana at Iowa Iowa City, Iowa
Thursday, January 27, 2022 Illinois at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Sunday, January 30, 2022 Indiana at Michigan Ann Arbor, Mich.
Thursday, February 3, 2022 Minnesota at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Sunday, February 6, 2022 Purdue at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Thursday, February 10, 2022 Indiana at Illinois Champaign, Ill.
Monday, February 14, 2022 Indiana at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb.
Thursday, February 17, 2022 Northwestern at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Sunday, February 20, 2022 Iowa at Indiana Bloomington, Ind.
Fri., Feb. 25 or Sat., Feb. 26, 2022 Indiana at Maryland College Park, Md.
Big Ten Releases Men's Basketball Conference Schedule
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Big Ten Conference announced its 2021-22 composite schedule, releasing the dates of the Boilermakers' 20-game conference slate. The announcement completes Purdue's 31-game regular-season schedule that tips off Nov. 9, against Bellarmine.
Times and TV designations will be released at a later date.
In its fourth straight year playing a 20-game league schedule, the Boilermakers open Big Ten play prior to the holiday break. Purdue opens league play at home for the fourth straight season, when it hosts Iowa on Friday, Dec. 3. Six days later, Purdue closes out the Big Ten's opening week at Rutgers on Thursday, Dec. 9.
Following a home game with Wisconsin on Monday, Jan. 3, Purdue will play four of its next five games on the road at Penn State (Jan. 8), Michigan (Jan. 11), Illinois (Jan. 17) and Indiana (Jan. 20). The lone home game sandwiched in there comes against Nebraska on Friday, Jan. 14.
After a home game with Northwestern (Sunday, Jan. 23) and road tilt at Iowa (Jan. 27), Purdue will then have four of its next five games at home, entering a crucial stretch against the league's best in the hunt for a Big Ten title.
The Boilermakers will host Ohio State (Sunday, Jan. 30), travel to Minnesota (Feb. 5), then host Michigan (Saturday, Feb. 5), Illinois (Thursday, Feb. 10) and Maryland on Super Bowl Sunday (Sunday, Feb. 13). Ohio State, Michigan, Illinois and Maryland are all expected to be contenders for the Big Ten title.
Three of Purdue's next four games will be on the road after that stretch, beginning at Northwestern (Feb. 16). Rutgers comes to town on Sunday, February 20, before road games at Michigan State (Feb. 26) and Wisconsin (March 1).
Purdue ends the regular season by hosting Indiana on Senior Night on Saturday, March 5.
Purdue will have eight league home games played on weekends (Friday to Sunday). The lone two weekday games will be against Wisconsin (Monday, Jan. 3) and Illinois (Thursday, Feb. 10).
The Big Ten Tournament will be held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, from March 9 to 13.
Purdue's 18-Game B1G Slate Unveiled
West Lafayette, Ind. – The final pieces of the 2021-22 Purdue women's basketball season are finally in place as the Big Ten Conference unveiled its schedule for the upcoming campaign.
Purdue's 30-ga me slate for the 2021-22 season features 16 games at Mackey Arena, including nine conference foes. Season tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling the Hayes Family Ticket Office at 764.494.3194 or by clicking here.
The conference returns to 18 games for 2021-22. The Boilermakers will square off with Indiana, Illinois, Northwestern, Rutgers and Wisconsin in home-and-away tilts. Purdue's single-play opponents will be on the road at Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State and Nebraska, with Iowa, Minnesota, Ohio State and Penn State making single trips to Mackey Arena
Purdue will open the Big Ten season in the midst of its non-conference slate, starting Dec. 5 at home against Ohio State, four days after the Big Ten/ACC Challenge battle against Georgia Tech.
Following a road trip to reigning three-time regular-season champion Maryland on Dec. 8, the Boilermakers will be off for league duty until Dec. 30 for an away matchup at Wisconsin.
January will feature eight contests, evenly split between Mackey Arena and the road. The Boilermakers will host Rutgers (Jan. 2), Iowa (Jan. 13), Indiana (Jan. 16) and Minnesota (Jan. 27), while traveling to Michigan State (Jan. 9), Illinois (Jan. 20), Michigan (Jan. 24) and Nebraska (Jan. 30).
Purdue will open February bouncing between home and the road with a home tilt against Northwestern on Feb. 3, the Barn Burner Trophy Game at Assembly Hall against Indiana on Feb. 6,
Purdue's penultimate game will be a road contest at Northwestern on Feb. 24, before a Feb. 27 matchup at Mackey Arena against Wisconsin to conclude the 2021-22 regular season.
The 29th Big Ten Women's Basketball Tournament will return to Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis March 2-6.
Times and television assignments will be announced later.
ButlerUWSoccer Seeks to Continue Momentum at Wright State
DATE: Thursday, September 9 / 7 PM
LOCATION: Dayton, Ohio / Alumni Field at Rinzler
LIVE STATS: wsuraiders.com
LIVE VIDEO: N/A
SERIES RECORD: Butler leads, 16-9-2
LAST MEETING: September 9, 2015 – Indianapolis, Ind. – Butler 1, Wright State 0
The Butler women's soccer team is preparing for a Thursday evening matchup at Wright State on September 9. The 7 pm kickoff will take place at Alumni Field in Dayton, Ohio.
The Bulldogs (4-1-0) most recently beat Utah, their fourth win in as many matches. The Raiders are coming off a 1-4 loss to the University of Tennessee-Martin. Gabby Smith's goal was her second of the season and the fourth of her career, while Maddie Farnsworth's goal was her first of the season and the second of her career. This was the first ever multiple-assist match for Becky Dean. She has three assists this season and four in her career. Gretchen Skoglund's assist was her first of the season and the fifth of her career.
· The Bulldogs have scored nine goals in five matches. (1.80 goals/match) and given up eight goals in five matches (1.60 goals allowed/match).
· Five different players have scored goals in five matches this season, and six different players have produced an assist.
· Butler has taken 22 corner kicks this season while opponents have taken 14.
· Midfielder Katie Soderstrom (3g, 1a) and forward Abigail Isger (2g, 3a) lead the Bulldogs in points (7).
· Soderstrom (3), Isger (2), and Gabby Smith (2) each have mutiple goals after five matches.
· Three Bulldogs have three assists on the season: Isger, Alli Leonard, and Becky Dean
· Emma Martin was selected for the second time this season as BIG EAST Freshman of the Week. The goalkeeper (4-0) has allowed four goals in five matches (four starts) this season and has recorded 17 saves (.810). Her goals against average is 0.95.
Scouting Wright State
· Wright State finished seventh out of 12 teams in the Horizon League in the 2020-21 spring season with an overall record of 4-5.
· For the 2021 season, the Raiders have scored seven goals in five matches (1.40 goals/match) and have also given up seven goals (1.40 goals/match). Their opponents have had 21 corner kicks while Wright State has taken only 10.
· Stat Leaders:
· #17 Olga Massombo- leads the team in points. Has scored two goals and assisted on one in five games played.
· #6 Destiny Johnson has scored two goals in five games played.
· #10 Michelle Rings has scored one goal and assisted on another in four games played.
· Goalkeeper #0 Jessika Seward has started all five games in goal and has 25 saves and has allowed seven goals against. Save % of 0.759.
· Goalkeeper #1 Erin Baker has appeared in two games this year and is yet to allow a goal. Baker has three saves in her two appearances.
ND WOMEN'S SOCCER: GM 7 PREVIEW: DETROIT
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The Notre Dame women's soccer team (4-1-1) looks to keep Alumni Stadium a tough venue to earn a result when the Detroit Titans (1-5-0) come to town on Thursday, Sept. 9. Kickoff is slated for 7 pm ET and will be streamed live on ACCNX. Admission is free all season long.
JUST AROUND THE CORNER .. FROM ALUMNI STADIUM
The Irish have enjoyed a dramatic advantage in corner kicks vs its opposition, 42-13. Notre Dame's 7.0 corners/game ranks 35th in the nation and fifth in the ACC.
The Irish even scored off of a Sammi Fisher corner kick against Purdue, as Olivia Wingate headed it past the goalie and into the net.
LATE RALLY STYMIED
Coach Norman's best start with the Irish came in 2019 when they fired off a 6-0-0 unblemished record. Coach Norman also matched the unbeaten mark this season, but the Tigers unfortunately had other plans in overtime.
Trailing Mizzou 2-0 in the second half, the Irish showed a lot of fight by tying the match by regulation's end to force overtime. Sammi Fisher converted a PK in the 73rd minute before Korbin Albert hit the equalizer in the 87th.
PURDUE NOTABLES
ND continued to make Alumni a tough place to earn a result by downing Purdue by the score of 1-0 on Sept. 2. The Irish executed a corner kick to perfection. Fisher deep to Wirtz, who headed it to the middle of the box to Wingate, whose head put it in the back of the net.
In addition, sophomore goalkeeper Kaylin Slatter made her first career start in net and recorded her first career shutout as well.
Since Alumni Stadium's creation in 2009, Notre Dame has gone 100-26-6, good for a .781 winning percentage. In fact, they have only surrendered one loss or fewer on six separate seasons.
Looking at just the past three years, the Irish are 14-3-2 at home.
GAME-WINNERS
Game-winning goals – well Sammi Fisher has two through six games, which currently ranks 14th in the country.
Fisher's first came in the season opener against Bowling Green after a 2.5 hour weather delay. She then converted the game-winning penalty in overtime at Wisconsin – on her birthday no less.
SHOT RATES OF WINGATE
When Olivia Wingate gets a shot off, lookout because it's going to be a dangerous shot on net. In fact, her .833 shot accuracy percentage ranks 10th in the nation and tops all players in the ACC. In all, she has 12 shots, with 10 on net.
THREE-HEADED MONSTER
Sammi Fisher (6 points), Olivia Wingate (6 points) and Korbin Albert (5 points) are the attacking three-headed monster for the Irish thus far this season.
First, there's Fisher, who is a two-time All-ACC selection. She enters this week's games with 19 career goals and nine career assists. The graduate student is looking to top her 2019 season total of six goals and she's off to a great start with three.
"She's calmer in the final third. She's seen it all at this point. She understands what we need from a game. Possesses this maturity level of understanding," said Coach Norman.
Then there's Wingate, who boasts two goals and two assists. She scored the game-winner against Purdue and was responsible for the assist of Albert's game-tying goal at Mizzou that forced overtime.
"Wingate has really blossomed in the new formation. She's incredibly athletic and stretches the backline. If teams press us, that gives her the freedom to explore space and use her speed up top. She's one of the fastest kids in the country in my opinion," said Coach Norman.
Albert's five points come from two goals and one assist. Both goals have come on the road – at Wisconsin and at Mizzou. Albert is the lone freshman that has cracked the starting lineup.
"Korbin is a gifted attacking player that can do things on the ball that not too many players in this country can. She's awesome in tight spots or 1v1 areas," said Coach Norman.
LENDING A HAND FOOT
Junior midfielder Maddie Mercado has assisted two goals this season, which co-leads the Irish. Mercado had just two career assists to her name prior to this season starting.
"Mercado is an all-around player. A feisty tenacious defender. She boasts a creative side with her game and passing. A box-to-box midfielder," said Coach Norman.
NATE TAKES
"We want to be a team that applies a lot of pressure. We have a lot of depth so keep the game fast pace. We want to be up in people's faces, make them uncomfortable and create a lot of chances."
Indiana State Volleyball Set to Host Sycamore Invitational
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Indiana State volleyball is set to open the home portion of their schedule this weekend when they host the Sycamore Invitational in the ISU Arena from Thursday-Saturday.
OPENING SERVE
Indiana State volleyball is set to open their home schedule this weekend when they host the Sycamore Invitational. The Sycamores will matchup with IUPUI on Thursday, Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. ET, Western Michigan on Friday, Sept. 10 at 6 p.m. ET and Austin Peay on Saturday, Sept. 11 at 2 p.m. The opening two matches for ISU will be streamed live on ESPN+ while the match with Austin Peay will stream on ESPN3.
Sycamore volleyball earned their first undefeated weekend of the season at the Music City Invitational. ISU opened the tournament with a convincing 3-0 victory over Alcorn State before defeating host-Belmont, 3-1, on the Bruins home court on Saturday evening. Emma Kaelin and Kaitlyn Hamilton were named to the All-Tournament Teams for their efforts in both matches.
THE SERIES AT A GLACE
IUPUI: Indiana State leads the overall series with the Jaguars, 18-8, winning the last match in 2019, 3-1.
Western Michigan: The Sycamores own a 3-2 series advantage over WMU, but the Broncos won the last meeting, 3-2, in 2016.
Western Michigan: Austin Peay leads, 2-1, last winning 3-1 in 2005.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Melina Tedrow continued to claw her way up the Indiana State record book over the weekend, passing Megan Mirs for the sixth-most digs in Sycamore history with 1,277 thanks to 35 total digs. She is now just 145 digs away from fifth in the record book. Nationally, Tedrow is 96th with 90 digs on the year and 70th in digs per set at 4.74.
With an undefeated weekend at the Music City Invitational, Sycamore volleyball earned their 500th victory in program history. Indiana State clinched victory 500 on Saturday evening, defeating Belmont, 3-1, on the Bruins home court. The Sycamores' first official year of volleyball was 1977.
ATOP THE VALLEY
Madeline Williams sits atop the Missouri Valley Conference rankings in multiple categories after a strong weekend of competition at the Music City Invitational. Williams currently is first in the MVC in aces per set at .53 (70th nationally) and total service aced with 10 (68th nationally). Against Belmont, Williams tied a career-best with eight block assists as well.
Indiana State opened each match at College of Charleston with a first set victory in dominant fashion. ISU averaged 14.67 kills in the opening sets of the tournament, hitting no lower than .333 in any opener. Only Kennesaw State managed to hit over .300 in a first set against the Trees with the defense also maintaining control early over Eastern Michigan (.176) and College of Charleston (.000). The Sycamores have yet to lose an opening set through their first five matches.
IUPUI TO HEAD TO TERRE HAUTE FOR SYCAMORE INVITATIONAL
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The IUPUI volleyball team will embark on its third tournament of the 2021 season this week as the Jaguars participate in the three-day Sycamore Invitational, hosted by Indiana State at ISU Arena.
IUPUI (2-4) will face Indiana State in the opener on Thursday (Sept. 9), before facing Austin Peay on Friday (Sept. 10). The Jags will round out the event against Western Michigan on Saturday (Sept. 11).
Head coach Lindsey Froehlich's squad put up a solid showing at its own Hampton Inn Invitational, claiming a five-set win over Western Illinois and falling to both Chattanooga and Toledo. The Jags won the opening set against Chattanooga and had the first set seemingly in hand against Toledo, but squandered the opportunity en route to a 3-0 loss. Sophomore middle Emily Alan earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team after registering 23 kills and hitting .246 for the week. She also added 8.0 blocks, including a season-high six in the win over Western Illinois. Offensively, Briana Brown had a team-high 34 kills in the three matches while Brooke Phillips averaged 9.5 assists per set from her setter position.
Fifth-year senior Rhiannon Schuenemann continued her strong start to the season with 4.67 digs/set from the back row. She collected at least 18 digs in each of the Jaguars' three matches of the tournament.
For the year, the IUPUI offense is hitting .165 as Allie Pogue checks in at .272 and Alan is hitting .264. Pogue is second on the team with 67 kills, trailing only Brown's 71. Millai Madison is tops on the team with 22.0 blocks, averaging 0.92 blocks/set. Schuenemann is tops on the team in digs at 4.58/set.
"The servers did a fantastic job behind the end line. When we started making some hitting errors or some crazy plays that we couldn't execute, we could just be a little bit more mentally tough in some of those situations, but I'm really proud of our servers and how they attacked," Froehlich said after her team posted 13 aces in the win over Western Illinois on Sept. 4.
SCOUTING INDIANA STATE
ISU is 3-2 to start the year with early season wins over Eastern Michigan, Alcorn and Belmont. The Sycamores are hitting .238 as a team and limiting foes to .174. Kaitlyn Hamilton has a team-high 53 kills and is hitting .213 on the year. Defensively, Madeline Williams has a team-high 18 blocks and Melina Tedrow averages 4.74 digs/set.
SCOUTING AUSTIN PEAY
Austin Peay is 4-2 to start the year and enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak with all three victories coming in straight sets. The Govs are hitting .215 on the year and holding opponents to a .159 mark. Brooke Moore leads the APSU attack with 78 kills, averaging 3.71 kills/set and is also tops on the team with 66 digs. Two APSU middles – Maggie Keenan (1.29/set) and Jaida Clark (1.10/set) average better than a block per set.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
WMU enters play at 4-2 on the year which includes a five-set win over Indiana and defending Horizon League champion Wright State. Maggie King leads the WMU offense with 79 kills and 4.07 kills/set while Logan Case averages 10.53 assists/set. Mairead Boyle is tops on the team with 82 digs and Madison Merz is the team's top blocker with 13 on the year.
IUPUI will face Michigan State and Central Michigan in the Green & White Classic on Sept. 18 in East Lansing, Mich., to close out non-conference play.
Women's Soccer Cracks Top 15 in National Coaches Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Greyhounds have started 2-0, previously unranked the Hounds have cracked the United Soccer Coaches Poll in week two by coming in the 12 spot. They most recently took a home win against Ohio Dominican, 1-0.
Kiki Sauceda , who recently was named the first GLVC Offensive Player of the Week of the 2021 season, has led the Hounds offensively with eight points and four goals. Sauceda has been joined by Maria Herrero who has scored one goal, made an assist, and gathered two points. Jenna Taghikhani has been named the starting Goalkeeper for the Greyhounds with one shutout and three saves.
The Greyhounds have been ranked third in the GLVC pre-season poll and making their first trip to the GLVC Quarterfinals.
Below is a complete list of the top-25 rankings:
UNITED SOCCER COACHES TOP 25 POLL
Rank School Prev W-L-T
1 Flagler College 1 1-0-0
2 Dallas Baptist University 7 2-0-0
3 Grand Valley State University 9 2-0-0
4 Florida Tech NR 2-0-0
5 Sonoma State University NR 2-0-0
6 College Of Saint Rose NR 2-0-0
7 University of Central Missouri NR 2-0-0
8 Kutztown University NR 2-0-0
9 University Of West Florida NR 2-0-0
10 Northwest Nazarene University 11 1-0-0
11 Lenoir-Rhyne University 13 1-0-0
12 University Of Indianapolis NR 2-0-0
13 Westminster College (Utah) NR 2-0-0
14 Indiana University of Pennsylvania NR 1-0-0
15 Emporia State University NR 2-0-0
16 Columbus State University 20 2-0-0
17 Southern New Hampshire University NR 2-0-0
18 Western Washington University 25 1-0-1
19 Angelo State University 3 2-0-0
20 University of Findlay 24 1-1-0
21 Colorado School Of Mines NR 1-0-1
22 McKendree University 4 1-0-1
23 University of West Alabama NR 1-0-1
24 Missouri Western State University 23 0-0-0
25 Lee University 6 1-0-0
Records shown are through games of Sept. 5, 2021
Also receiving votes: Drury University, University Of Central Oklahoma, Lock Haven University, Seattle Pacific University, Fort Hays State University, Concord University, Molloy College, Mississippi College, Ferris State University, Frostburg State University, Edinboro University, University of Colorado-Colorado Springs
Men's Soccer Jumps up to #2 in United Soccer DII Coaches Poll
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After corralling a pair of season-opening wins over Ohio Dominican and Ashland this past week, the University of Indianapolis men's soccer team has moved up to No. 2 in the recent United Soccer DII Coaches Top 25 Poll, officials announced on Tuesday.
The No. 2 ranking comes as the highest in program history. Falling only behind the University of Charleston in the poll, UIndy sits with Maryville, who collected the No. 6 spot, as the only other GLVC member present in the poll.
The Hounds are set to return to the field this Sunday, Sept. 12 at 2:30 p.m. to face Missouri-St.Louis at Key Stadium.
Football Climbs Two Spots in DII Coaches Poll
WACO, Texas – The UIndy football team (1-0) moved up to No. 12 in the freshly-released American Football Coaches Association Division II Poll, climbing two spots in the weekly ballot. The Greyhounds are coming of a season-opening 34-10 win at Saint Xavier University last Saturday night.
The announcement marks UIndy's 40th consecutive appearance in the coaches' top 25, upping their own program record. UIndy is the only GLVC school in the poll this week but is one of six Super Region Three teams among the top 17.
The Greyhounds look to keep things rolling this weekend as they head to Hillsdale College Saturday, Sept. 11 for a 7 p.m. kick.
AFCA DII COACHES POLL
RK SCHOOL (1st-place votes) REC PTS PREV
1. West Florida (28) 1-0 744 1
2. Ferris St. (Mich.) (1) 1-0 703 3
3. Minnesota St. 1-0 668 2
4. Northwest Missouri St. 1-0 629 4
5. Valdosta St. (Ga.) 1-0 599 6t
6. Lenoir-Rhyne (N.C.) (1) 1-0 593 6t
7. Texas A&M-Commerce 1-0 560 8
8. Slippery Rock (Pa.) 1-0 547 5
9. Colorado School of Mines 1-0 504 10
10. Notre Dame (Ohio) 1-0 499 9
11. Ouachita Baptist (Ark.) 1-0 433 11
12. Indianapolis (Ind.) 1-0 399 14
13. Shepherd (W.Va.) 1-0 368 15
14. Grand Valley St. (Mich.) 0-0 308 16
15. Indiana (Pa.) 0-0 266 17
16. Tiffin (Ohio) 1-0 236 19
17. Harding (Ark.) 1-0 227 22
18. Kutztown (Pa.) 1-0 220 20
19. Colorado St.-Pueblo 0-1 201 12
20. Minnesota-Duluth 1-0 189 23
21. Wingate (N.C.) 1-0 156 24t
22. Angelo St. (Texas) 1-0 134 NR
23. Pittsburg St. (Kan.) 1-0 123 NR
24. West Georgia 1-0 71 NR
25. Bowie St. (Md.) 0-1 58 18
Soccer Closes Pre-Conference Play This Weekend
Valparaiso (2-3-1, 0-0-0 MVC)
Friday, Sept. 10 – Western Illinois (3-2-0) – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 12 – at Chicago State (0-4-0) – 1 p.m.
Next Up in Valpo Soccer: One final weekend of pre-conference action awaits Valpo before the MVC slate gets under way. The Beacons close out a three-match homestand on Brown Field Friday evening against Western Illinois before heading up to SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill. to take on Chicago State Sunday afternoon.
Previously: Valpo split a pair of home matches last weekend, falling to Northern Illinois Friday night by a 1-0 final before rebounding for a 3-0 victory over St. Bonaventure on Sunday. The Beacons combined to out-shoot the opposition 40-13 over the two fixtures.
Looking Ahead: The MVC schedule opens at Brown Field next Friday night, Sept. 17 as Valpo hosts Illinois State under the lights.
Following the Beacons: Friday's match will be broadcast live on ESPN+, while Sunday's will be carried live on the WAC Digital Network. Both matches will have live stats available via ValpoAthletics.com. All remaining home matches and select road matches will be carried live on The Valley on ESPN.
Head Coach John Marovich: In his 14th season at the helm of the Valpo program, John Marovich holds a 105-102-37 (.506) record both overall and at Valpo as a head coach. The 2014 Horizon League Coach of the Year, Marovich holds Valpo's all-time records for both victories and winning percentage.
Series Notes: Western Illinois – Valpo holds a 9-2-1 advantage in the all-time series over the Leathernecks, but the two sides have met just twice since Valpo departed the Mid-Continent Conference following the 2006 campaign. The most recent meeting was a 3-0 Valpo win in Macomb in September 2014 – a result which kicked off a 14-0-1 stretch over the next 15 matches.
Chicago State – Valpo has won both meetings with the Cougars, including most recently a 2-1 victory at the Sparta Dome in Crown Point this past February to open the spring 2021 season. Kelsie James scored her first collegiate goal less than seven minutes into that match, while Tahelah Noel tallied the match-winner in the 32nd minute.
Scouting the Opposition: Western Illinois – WIU enters Friday's match with a 3-2-0 record this year, most recently beating UIC this past Sunday, 1-0. The Beacons will be the Leathernecks' third MVC opponent of the season, as they have already defeated Illinois State and UNI by identical 4-3 scorelines. Amy Andrews has scored five of WIU's nine goals and has assisted on two others.
Chicago State – The Cougars enter the weekend at 0-4-0, with a Friday matchup against Purdue Fort Wayne prior to Sunday's fixture. Jayla Gage and Sara Quevedo have found the back of the net for CSU so far this season, while Alexa Seiler has played every minute in goal.
Valpo Picked Fourth in Preseason Poll: Valpo has been chosen to finish in fourth place in the MVC this fall in preseason polling of the conference's head coaches. Valpo racked up 51 points in the polling — including one first-place vote — to come in fourth position. Loyola claimed the rest of the first-place votes to top the poll, while Illinois State and Indiana State were picked just in front of the Beacons. Valpo was 13 points clear of Missouri State and UNI, who tied for fifth place. Valpo also boasted a trio of preseason All-MVC honorees: Nikki Coryell (First Team), Kiley Dugan (First Team) and Kelsie James (Honorable Mention).
Looking Back at Last Season: Valpo enjoyed a strong spring 2021 campaign, posting its best regular-season finish since joining the MVC (third place) and advancing to the title match of the MVC Tournament for the first time. Valpo finished with a 5-4-5 overall record, a seven-game improvement from its record the previous season — the third-best year-over-year improvement in the nation. Freshman Nikki Coryell was the MVC Goalkeeper of the Year and was joined on the All-MVC First Team by senior defender Keegan Maris and sophomore forward Kiley Dugan – Second Team and Third Team All-Region honorees, respectively.
Who's Back and Who's New: Valpo returns 12 letterwinners from the spring 2021 campaign, eight of whom were regulars in the starting XI last season and six of whom found the back of the net in the spring. Joining the 12 letterwinners, as well as five other returnees, on this year's team are two transfers and 10 freshmen.
Dominating Performances: While it didn't reflect in the final scoreline Friday night, Valpo put together a strong performance against NIU, outshooting the Huskies 17-8 and putting eight shots on goal to NIU's four. That level of performance carried over to Sunday's win over St. Bonaventure, as the Beacons held a dominating 23-5 advantage in shot attempts and put 14 efforts on goal to SBU's three. Valpo currently leads the Valley, averaging 14.17 shots/game and 7.33 shots on goal/game.
A Big Win: The dominating performance on Sunday led to a 3-0 win over St. Bonaventure, Valpo's first three-goal game and three-goal margin of victory since a 3-0 victory over UNI in the 2019 regular season finale. It also was the first time three different Valpo players have scored in one match since a 5-1 win over Indiana State in the 2018 regular season finale.
James Keeps On Scoring: Coming off of being named MVC Player of the Week the previous week, sophomore forward Kelsie James added a three-point match to her season ledger in Sunday's win over the Bonnies, assisting on Valpo's second goal of the game and then scoring the Beacons' third tally. With four goals and two assists through the season's first six matches, James has already surpassed her freshman year stat line of three goals and two assists – a line which earned her Honorable Mention All-MVC and All-Freshman Team honors. James, who currently ranks second in the MVC in both goals and points, now has six goals and two assists in eight career matches against non-MVC teams.
First Goal a Big One: For the second consecutive Sunday, it was a freshman scoring her first career goal to serve as the match-winner. Making her first career start, Addy Joiner headed home a free kick in the 13th minute to put the Beacons on top for good against SBU. This came one week after freshman Abby White scored in the 74th minute to complete Valpo's 2-1 come-from-behind win at Robert Morris.
Helping Out: Junior transfer Allie Anderson played a part in two of Valpo's three goals in Sunday's victory. She delivered the free kick which Joiner headed in for the eventual match-winner, and in the second half, started a push up the field which eventually resulted in James' goal. Anderson, who had entered the match with just one collegiate assist in her first two-plus seasons of play, recorded Valpo's first multi-assist match since Cierra Welch recorded two helpers in the 2019 regular season finale against UNI.
Streak Comes to a Close: In her 38th consecutive start in the Valpo uniform, junior defender Nicole Norfolk finally earned a rest on Sunday. Leading by three goals, John Marovich subbed Norfolk out in the 83rd minute, ending her streak of consecutive minutes played since stepping on campus at 3,591 straight minutes. She played all 1,659 minutes in 2019 as a freshman, played 1,379 minutes during the spring 2021 campaign and was at 553 straight minutes this season before coming off the park. Norfolk surpassed Tracy Roos' mark of 3,413 consecutive minutes played (2009-11), the previous known program record for consecutive minutes played by a Valpo field player, late in the game at Robert Morris.
Volleyball Looks to Carry Momentum Into Toledo This Weekend
at Blue & Gold Tournament (Toledo, Ohio)
Friday, Sept. 10 – vs. Youngstown State (2-4) – 3:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, Sept. 11 – at Toledo (5-1) – 11 a.m. CT
vs. South Dakota State (4-1) – 3:30 p.m. CT
This Week in Valpo Volleyball: Coming off a thrilling tournament victory at the Golden Eagle Invitational last weekend, the Valpo volleyball team takes aim at a second straight tournament title this weekend as it travels to Toledo for the Blue & Gold Tournament. The Beacons will face Youngstown State and South Dakota State in addition to the host Rockets.
Previously: Valpo captured the Golden Eagle Invitational title at Tennessee Tech with a perfect 3-0 weekend, sweeping UNC Asheville before winning five-set showdowns with TTU and South Alabama. Peyton McCarthy was named tournament MVP and was joined on the All-Tournament Team by Brittany Anderson and Victoria Bulmahn.
Looking Ahead: Valpo's final pre-conference action comes next weekend against Western Illinois and SIUE at the latter's Cougar Classic.
Following the Beacons: All three matches this weekend will be broadcast live on ESPN3. Links for all the live video, as well as live stats for all three matches, are available via ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Carin Avery: In her 20th season as head coach at Valparaiso, Carin Avery has won 428 matches (428-208, .673) at the helm of the program and has led Valpo to three league regular season and tournament titles, as well as three NCAA Tournament appearances. A two-time league Coach of the Year, Avery has coached 55 All-League recipients over her tenure at Valpo. She is Valpo's all-time leader in both victories and winning percentage, and owns a 483-232 (.676) record overall as a head coach.
Series History: Youngstown State – Friday's matchup will actually be the first between YSU and Valpo as members of different conferences, as the two programs were previously both part of the Mid-Continent Conference (1992-2000) and the Horizon League (2007-2016). Valpo holds a 28-8 advantage in the all-time series, while the two teams split their season series in 2016 in the last meetings.
Toledo - A series which dates back to 1982, Valpo holds an 8-5 edge all-time over the Rockets. The last meeting came in Valpo in non-conference action in September 2015, a 3-1 Valpo victory.
South Dakota State – Valpo holds a 5-2 advantage in the all-time series over the Jackrabbits, including a three-set sweep at SDSU in September 2019 in the last matchup. This is the seventh time in the last 16 seasons Valpo and SDSU have met in an early-season tournament.
Scouting the Opposition: Youngstown State – The Penguins enter the weekend at 2-4 on the season after going 1-2 last weekend at the Chippewa Invitational. YSU, which posted a 3-11 mark in the spring, was picked 10th in the Horizon League preseason poll.
Toledo – The Rockets won IUPUI's Hampton Inn Invitational last weekend and are currently 5-1 this year. Toledo went 6-14 in the spring 2021 season and was chosen to finish fourth in the MAC West Division this fall.
South Dakota State – SDSU won a pair of home matches last weekend to improve its record to 4-1 this season. The Jacks were projected to finish in seventh place in the Summit League preseason poll after going 6-11 this past spring.
Valpo Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll: For the fourth time in five seasons as an MVC member, Valpo has been picked to finish in seventh place in the conference standings in preseason polling of the conference's head coaches. Illinois State topped the poll with 79 points and three first-place votes, narrowly edging out Drake, which tallied 77 points, including three first-place votes. Valpo has outperformed its ranking in the preseason poll in each of its first four seasons in the MVC and is one of two programs (Illinois State) to post top-half finishes in the MVC standings in each of the last four seasons.
Looking Back at the Spring: The spring 2021 campaign saw Valpo post an 11-9 record and finish fifth in the MVC standings with a 10-8 mark in conference action. Rylee Cookerly repeated as MVC Libero of the Year, was named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was an AVCA All-Region honoree, while Victoria Bulmahn was tabbed the MVC Freshman of the Year. Included among Valpo's 11 wins were the program's first victory over Illinois State since joining the MVC and the first wins in program history over traditional power UNI.
Who's Back and Who's New: The Beacons return 10 letterwinners, including four starters and the libero, from the spring 2021 campaign – a group which accounted for 75% of the team's kills, 90% of aces, 82% of digs and 86% of blocks last season. Valpo also returns a pair of players who didn't see action last season, while welcoming in one transfer and four freshmen.
Digging Deep: Valpo continued its long tradition of strong back row play in the spring 2021 season, finishing the season ranked third nationally and second in the Valley with 20.37 digs/set. Valpo has ranked among the top-30 nationally in digs/set in each of the last 10 seasons, including leading the nation with 20.03 digs/set in 2017 to go along with a fourth-place rank in 2010 and a sixth-place finish in 2015. Since the move to 25-point scoring, only seven teams have averaged more than 20 digs/set over the course of a season, and Valpo is the only program to have done it twice. 2018 saw Valpo lead the nation in a digs category as well, as it posted 2,613 total digs – a mark which not only ranked first nationally for total digs, but also set a program single-season record and a Division I record in the 25-point era.
Bringing Home the Trophy: Valpo earned its first trophy of the season last weekend at Tennessee Tech's Golden Eagle Invitational, going a perfect 3-0 to claim the tournament title. It is the 26th in-season tournament title for the program under head coach Carin Avery.
The tournament title is the program's first since the 2018 squad capped a stretch of three straight titles by defending its home court and winning the Crusader Classic.
McCarthy Named MVP: Fifth-year middle Peyton McCarthy led the way as the Beacons claimed the tournament title and was rewarded for her play by being named Tournament MVP, and later the MVC Player of the Week. For the three matches, McCarthy averaged a team-best 2.85 kills/set on .471 hitting and an even block per set. Her weekend was highlighted by an 18-kill performance on .607 hitting in the five-set win over host Tennessee Tech — the second-best hitting percentage in a five-set match in program history and the best in the 25-point era. It was McCarthy's second Tournament MVP and fifth All-Tournament Team of her career.
More All-Tournament Honors: Setters Brittany Anderson and Victoria Bulmahn joined McCarthy on the All-Tournament Team at Tennessee Tech. Anderson – who earned her fifth career All-Tournament honor – averaged 5.31 assists/set for the weekend, in the process moving into third place in program history in career assists. Meanwhile, Bulmahn picked up her first career All-Tournament accolade, posting a pair of double-doubles while averaging 5.15 assists/set and 2.23 digs/set over the three wins. Valpo has now had five All-Tournament honorees through the first two weeks of the year, as McCarthy and Haley Hart picked up awards the first weekend of the year at Milwaukee.
Fifth Set is Ours: The fifth set has been a welcome sight for the Beacons so far this year. Four of their six matches have gone the full five sets, and in all four of those, Valpo has come out victorious. In both of the five-set wins this past weekend over Tennessee Tech and South Alabama, Valpo faced a match point and went on to win – the first known time in program history Valpo has faced a match point against it in consecutive matches and gone on to win both contests. Valpo has now won seven straight five-set matches dating back to last season, a streak which started immediately after a four-match losing streak in five-set matches ended.
Rallying From Down 2-0: Even more notable is the fact that in two of those wins, Valpo dropped the first two sets. In the season opener against UC Santa Barbara and the tournament finale this past weekend against South Alabama, the Beacons found themselves down 2-0 before rallying to eventually earn the 3-2 win. Valpo has come all the way back from a 2-0 deficit to earn a 3-2 victory 13 times now in the tenure of head coach Carin Avery.
Cookerly Continues to Dig: A preseason All-MVC selection and two-time MVC Libero of the Year, fifth-year Rylee Cookerly has gotten off to another stellar start this season. Cookerly averaged 4.77 digs/set in the trio of wins last weekend, picking up 25 digs apiece in the victories over Tennessee Tech and South Alabama. Cookerly, who finished last season ranked 10th nationally with 5.78 digs/set, moved into the NCAA's career top-10 in digs during the TTU match and is just 16 digs away from second place in MVC history. She also is within striking distance (67 digs away) of moving all the way up to sixth place on the NCAA chart this weekend.
Freshman Steps Up: After being used primarily as a serving sub for a middle late in sets in her first five-plus matches in the Valpo uniform, Elise Swistek was critical to the attack as the Beacons earned the come-from-behind five-set win over South Alabama. Swistek started playing all six rotations late in the second set and delivered a kill late in the fourth set which gave Valpo set point at 24-21. Then in the fifth set, Swistek led the way for the Beacons with four kills, the last of which closed the match in Valpo's favor. Swistek tallied seven kills in the match and picked up 14 digs as well.
Making Debuts: After two newcomers (Swistek and Gretchen Kuckkan) made their debuts opening weekend, one more Beacon freshman saw her first action at Valpo last weekend. Rookie Abby Boyle came off the bench late in the three-set sweep of UNC Asheville and served three points.
Tennis to Open Fall Slate at Home on Saturday
When the Valparaiso University tennis team opens the fall season on Saturday morning by hosting Holy Cross (Ind.) in a dual match, the group that takes the courts at the Valpo Tennis Complex will be entirely recognizable to supporters of the program.
That's because the entire team is back from last season, as head coach Bob Modesto's group will look to build on the program's highest win total since 2007, a feat achieved during the Spring 2021 slate.
"I really believe our experience is going to be one of our strengths as a team," Modesto said. "We had great team chemistry last year, and I foresee that happening again this year. I don't think we'll see a letdown in work ethic. Everybody is working hard, pumped up and excited to begin the fall schedule."
Although none of the seven players on the roster are new to college tennis, several will be experiencing fall competition for the first time after last year's fall docket was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"We had a team meeting earlier this week, and everybody expressed their excitement for the fall," Modesto said. "For some of them, this is their first fall competition. Everybody is pumped and excited. The weather forecast for Saturday is good, and we're looking forward to a good match to begin the season."
The Beacons are led by the Czerwonka sisters (Kenosha, Wis. / Saint Joseph Catholic Academy), as older sister Claire is utilizing her extra season of eligibility made available when the 2019-2020 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and younger sister Olivia is now a junior. Both have achieved numerous honors and accomplishments during their collegiate tenure, and Claire enters the fall on the verge of the program record for career doubles victories. She has 52 career doubles wins, while Mara Sonkin (2000-2004) holds the program record at 55.
Isabella Schoolcraft (Bargersville, Ind. / Center Grove) joins Claire as the student-athletes competing in their final collegiate season, while Demi Jhaveri (Westlake, Ohio / Westlake) and Amanda Tabanera (Valencia, Calif. / Valencia) join Olivia in the junior class. Sophomores Mia Bertino (Lockport, Ill. / Joliet Catholic) and Allison McConnell (Westland, Mich. / Churchill) will experience fall competition at the college level for the first time.
"We're looking for big things from Olivia and Claire," Modesto said. "It's Claire's last season. As the season goes on, she'll recognize and appreciate that her college career is coming to end. Olivia has always had a tremendous work ethic, and we expect good things from her again this season. Amanda is playing really well, so we're excited to see what she can achieve. Bella is in the same category as Claire; we want them to have the best season of their careers since it is their final year."
Saturday's fall dual match will get underway at 9 a.m. at the Valpo Tennis Complex to kick off Popcorn Fest Saturday. The Beacons will continue the fall slate on Sept. 17-19 at the Redbird Invite in Normal, Ill.
Three Matches on Tap For Mastodon Women's Volleyball at Liberty Invitational
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Coming off its first win of the season, the Purdue Fort Wayne women's volleyball team will take the floor again on Friday and Saturday when they compete in the Liberty Invitational. The Mastodons will have matches against Navy, Liberty and Old Dominion.
Liberty Invitational Game Day Information
When: Friday, September 10 – Saturday, September 11
Where: Lynchburg, Virginia | Liberty Arena
Live Stats: Game 1, Game 2, Game 3
Match Notes: Purdue Fort Wayne | Liberty
1 PM: Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Navy
10 AM: Purdue Fort Wayne at Liberty
1 PM: Purdue Fort Wayne vs. Old Dominion
Know Your Foes
• Navy is 3-3 on the season, but is riding a three-match losing streak coming into the Liberty tournament. The Mids hosted their home tournament last week with Michigan and West Virginia in attendance. Navy dropped both, but did take a set off the Wolverines. Avery Stowell and Jamie Llewellyn are leading the Mids, averaging 2.59 and 2.45 kills per set, respectively.
• Liberty is 3-0 after winning Robert Morris' tournament last week, picking up wins over the Colonials, Duquesne and Idaho. The Flames are led by Trinity Watts, who has 52 kills for a 4.00 per set average. Amaya Williams is pacing the offense with 10.38 assists per set, leading the team to a .241 hitting percentage. Liberty will play four matches in their tournament: Old Dominion, Navy, Purdue Fort Wayne and Loyola Marymount.
• The Old Dominion Monarchs are 2-4, having gone 1-2 in both tournaments in which they have competed. ODU beat Hampton and Appalachian State, both four-set affairs. Madelyn Grunza is leading the Monarchs with 2.40 kills per set and a .292 hitting clip.
Fresh Digs
The 'Dons will be playing in Liberty Arena, which was constructed in December of 2020. It seats 4,000. There were seven women's volleyball matches played in the facility in the spring of 2021.
A Long Road Ahead
The drive from Purdue Fort Wayne to Liberty is 544 miles, the longest of any other teams in Liberty's tournament. Navy's trip is just 220 miles and Old Dominion's is even shorter at 190 miles.
Saturday Night Five
The Mastodons have already played two five-set matches this season (SIUE and Kent State). This is more than the entirety of the spring 2021 season, as the 'Dons had just one: a 3-2 loss at Green Bay.
Make It A Double
Katie Crowe has four double-doubles in three matches this season. She had three consecutive against SIUE (17k, 10d), Evansville (12k, 11d) and Kent State (13k, 12d). She then got back to her double-double ways with one at Western Michigan with 15 kills and 12 digs. She now has 49 double-doubles in her career in her five seasons.
Let's Take a Michi-Gander at that Game
The Mastodons picked up their first win of the season at Western Michigan on September 4. The Broncos won the Discover Kalamazoo Classic, but the 'Dons were the only team to beat them in the weekend. Katie Crowe led the 'Dons with 15 kills and 12 digs, while Ramei Jackson had 13 kills with a .550 hitting clip. Rachael Crucis dug out 19 attacks, while both Madison Gates and Nicole Jones recorded double-doubles.
The Mastodons went 1-2 at the Discover Kalamazoo Classic last week, but finished the tournament on a high note with a 3-1 win over Western Michigan. WMU won the tournament, but the Mastodon offense was clicking, hitting .297 for the match against the Broncos. Katie Crowe was named to the All-Tournament Team.
Purdue Fort Wayne has its only mid-week non-league contest of the season: a Tuesday match against Toledo on September 14 at 7 p.m. in the Gates Sports Center.
Women's Soccer: Thunder Takes Down Ravens
Thunder Takes Down Ravens
Trine University took down the Anderson University women's soccer team by a score of 4-0 during Wednesday's match in Angola.
The Thunder (3-0-1) outshot the Ravens (0-3) by a 22-10 margin and held an 11-3 advantage in shots on goal.
Taylor Baker (Springfield, Ohio / Catholic Central) and Kaitlyn Revell (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption) each provided two shots and one shot on goal. Jessica Pulaski (Centerville, Ohio / Centerville) registered two shots. Corissa Horton (Fountaintown, Ind. / Triton Central) put her only shot on frame while Taylor Fort (Pendleton, Ind. / Pendleton Heights), Holly Garrett (Dayton, Ohio / Dayton Christian) and Isabella Trader (Eaton, Ohio / Eaton) each added shots.
During the first half, Meg White (Greenwood, Ind. / Center Grove) served as goalkeeper and saved two of the four shots she faced. Emmalee Paarlberg (Franklin, Ohio / Homeschool) relieved as goalkeeper in the second half and saved five of the shots she faced.
Anderson tangles with Wilmington College (0-4) on Saturday at 2 p.m. in Wilmington, Ohio.
Trine Fights Past Anderson
The Anderson University volleyball team faced off against the Trine University Thunder on Wednesday. During the four-set match, the Ravens fell to the Thunder, 18-25, 26-24, 18-25, 22-25.
The Ravens (1-3) kept a close battle through the first several points of the first set against the Thunder (2-4). Anderson took a 2-0 lead to start the set, before Trine tied it up, then took a 6-4 lead over the Ravens. Through the remainder of the first set, the Ravens would fight to keep it close, typically keeping it within two points, before the Thunder were able to run with the lead. The Ravens fell in the first set 18-25.
Set 2 saw the Thunder jump out to a quick and early lead, going up 4-1 against the Ravens. Anderson wasted no time to turn things around and gain back momentum. A kill by Lauren Dungan (Alexandria, Ind. / Alexandria-Monroe) tied the set up 6-6. From there the Thunder once again took the lead before the Ravens bounced back and made it 12 apiece. Both sides would then take turns going back and forth taking the lead and tying it all up. The Ravens got their break starting with an attacking error on the Thunders end to make it 23-23. A service ace for the Ravens then allowed them to take a 24-23. The Thunder then got a kill, brining it to 24-24. Then, an attack error on the Thunder, followed by a kill from Sydney McClain (Urbana, Ohio / Emmanuel Christian Academy) gave the Ravens two points to secure a 26-24 victory in set two.
Trine took control of set three through most of the set. The Ravens were only able to tie it up twice during the set, both early on. A kill by Jimena Montano (Algonquin, Ill. / Harvest Christian Academy) made it 2-2. Montano quickly answered with another kill two point later to make it 3-3. The Thunder then extended their lead, ultimately taking set three 25-18.
The Ravens came out hungry, starting out with another kill for Montano, followed by two attacking errors on the Thunder's end for the Ravens to take a 3-0 lead. Trine then answered with a 5-0 run to make it 3-5. The Ravens and the Thunder then went back and forth, with neither team letting the other get ahead. It was a close battle through the end, but the Thunder were able to break away first, securing a fourth set, 25-22 victory.
Leading the Ravens on the day was Jimena Montano with 16 kills and two block assists. Hannah Rady (Cloverdale, Ind. / Cloverdale) supported the Ravens with 16 assists. Kate Todd (Festus, Mo. / Festus) contributed three service aces, while Sydney McClain led the team with 19 digs. The Ravens had a .149 attack percentage, while the Thunder had a .224.
"I am proud of the fight that we displayed against Trine," Coach Tami Miller said. "After a flat weekend, we rebounded and came out with some new energy. We were simply outplayed by a talented young team. I credit Trine for their defense and offensive power. We will all regroup and work on being more disciplined and being an offensive threat."
Anderson will be back in action on Friday as they head to Cincinnati, Ohio to take part in the Charlie Wrublewdki Invitational hosted by Mount St. Joseph. The Ravens face off against the Quakers of Wilmington College (2-2). Match 1 is set to begin at 6PM. The Ravens will then turn around and play the Spartans of Manchester (3-2) at 8PM.
TAYLOR ATHLETICS | Trojans Wear Down Huntington for 11th-Straight Win
HUNTINGTON, Ind. – After splitting a pair of hotly contested sets to open play at Huntington on Wednesday, Taylor got on track and rolled to wins in the final two sets to take a four-set triumph for its 11th-straight victory.
TU took the opener, 27-25, before falling 27-29 in the second and appeared headed for another tight finish in the third with a 9-8 edge early into the set. The Trojans completely took over the action from there however, closing the third set on a 16-3 charge and following the 25-11 set-three rout with a 25-15 win in the fourth to secure the match victory.
Taylor outscored Huntington (6-5, 1-1 CL) by a 50-26 count over the final two sets, including a 41-18 clip to end that decisive stretch. TU's attack picked apart the Foresters in that time, collecting 23 kills with just four errors for a sizzling .380 attack percentage, while the hosts aided the Taylor onslaught with 19 hitting errors in the final two games.
Taylor closed the night with a solid .237 team percentage and kept added pressure on Huntington with eight service aces and 10 total blocks.
Amanda Adams turned in another sparkling all-around effort to pace the Purple and Gold, reaching double figures in kills for a ninth-straight time and posting her fourth double-double of the year with 19 kills, a .320 percentage, 11 digs, one ace and two blocks.
Kacy Bragg added her 10th double-double of the young season with 38 assists, 11 digs, two blocks and one ace and Nikki Parrett offered up four aces. Stephaney Fifield turned in 21 digs and two aces for her ninth match with at least 20 digs in her first 13 contests with the Trojans and Jaylynn Dunsmore finished with a career-high six blocks.
Taylor (12-1, 2-0 CL) will return to action on Friday night inside Odle Arena, when it hosts No. 13 Marian (10-0, 2-0 CL) in a 7:00 pm start.
TAYLOR ATHLETICS | Taylor Blanks Asbury for 3-0 Start to Season
WILMORE, Ky. – The Taylor men's soccer team added another strong showing to its impressive start to the 2021 campaign with a 3-0 victory at Asbury on Wednesday evening. The win moved TU to 3-0 for the first time since opening with three-straight wins in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
In addition to coming away with a win for the third time in as many matches to open the season, Taylor also kept its opponent off the scoreboard for a third-straight time, matching the program's longest shutout streak since posting clean sheets on October 6, 10 and 13 of the 2018 season during a 2-0-1 stretch for the Purple and Gold on the pitch.
Wednesday's shutout at Asbury (1-2) was more lopsided than the final margin hinted, as Taylor allowed only four shots over the 90 minutes of action and fired off 13 attempts of its own. TU was also plus-six in shots on goal and plus-eight on corner kicks while dominating possession throughout.
Collin Maris' first career goal was all the scoring Taylor would need, as the freshman received a pass from Sawyer Watterson and beat the Asbury keeper just 7:02 into the contest. The Watterson assist was also his first with the Trojans.
The lead doubled to 2-0 at the 27:45 mark, when Jhon Alzate scored off a James McBride assist and Quinn Partain's second goal of the year capped the scoring at 3-0 at the 70:15 mark. Partain's goal was assisted by Clay Vander Kolk.
Taylor (3-0) will look for its first four-game win streak since the 2014 season when it hosts Michigan-Dearborn (0-4) on Saturday at 7:00 pm inside Turner Stadium.
RHIT Men's Soccer Wins OT Thriller Over Wabash
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. — Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology junior Caleb Urban scored seven minutes into overtime to lead the Fightin' Engineers past Wabash College 4-3 in a thriller at the Rose-Hulman Soccer Field on Wednesday night.
Urban blasted home a shot from outside the right box on a pass from Julius Salinas to provide Rose-Hulman the victory. The score was Rose-Hulman's 17th shot in the evenly contested matchup, compared to 15 from Wabash.
Rose-Hulman trailed 3-2 late in regulation, but Takezo Kelly knotted the score at 3-3 with a goal from the top of the box in the 86th minute. Tyler Eldridge provided the assist on Kelly's tying goal.
Rose-Hulman had previously led 2-0 early in the first half. AJ Yilmaz started the scoring in the 17th minute, courtesy of an assist from Urban. Kelly made the score 2-0 on another assist from Urban in the 26th minute.
Wabash answered with a first half goal to move within 2-1 on a score by Coledon Johnson in the 29th minute, on an assist from Jerry Little. The Little Giants tied the scored just 18 seconds into the second half on a score by Evan Miller, assisted by Bruno Zamora.
Wabash took the lead in the 57th minute on a score from Mitchell Keeling, assisted by Adam Berg, setting the stage for Rose-Hulman's late comeback.
Evan Hofer recorded six saves in goal for Rose-Hulman, while Michael Bertram had four for Wabash.
Rose-Hulman's 17-shot attack was led by Kelly with eight shots and Yilmaz with four.
Rose-Hulman and Wabash both stand 1-2 on the season after the contest. The Fightin' Engineers return home to face Millikin on Saturday at 3:30 pm.
Overtime Goal Sends Wabash To Loss At Rose
Wabash erased a 2-0 first-half deficit Wednesday night at Rose-Hulman, only to see the hosts score a golden goal in overtime to claim a 4-3 victory over the Little Giants.
Wabash (1-2) fell behind 2-0 after Rose (1-2) scored its first goal in the 17th minute before adding a second in the 26th minute. Coledon Johnson put the Little Giants on the scoreboard in the 29th minute when he scored his third goal off the season off a pass from Jerry Little II.
Wabash trailed by a goal at the end of the half before Evan Miller evened the score at 2-2 with his first collegiate goal in the opening minute of the second period with Bruno Zamora recording the assist. The Little Giants took their only lead of the match 12 minutes later when Mitchell Keeling scored off a pass from Adam Berg to give Wabash a 3-2 lead.
The advantage held until the final five minutes of regulation. Rose-Hulman's Takezo Kelly connected on the game-tying goal with 4:56 remaining in regular time to force the overtime session.
Rose scored the game-winning goal seven minutes into the first overtime when Caleb Urban found the back of the net to secure the victory.
Wabash fired 15 shots overall and put nine shots on goal. Rose finished with 17 shot attempts and eight shots on goal. Johnson tallied a team-high four shots on goal for Wabash. Keeling added two shots on goal for the Little Giants.
Michael Bertram recorded four saves in goal for Wabash.
The Little Giants continue their road trip with a pair of matches the weekend. Wabash will play at Principia on Friday evening at 7:30 CDT before concluding the weekend road trip with a 5 p.m. CDT match at Fontbonne University.
NY Yankees 78 61 .561 9.5 40 – 30 38 – 31 28 – 35 20 – 8 19 – 12 2 – 8 L 5
Toronto 76 62 .551 11 39 – 29 37 – 33 31 – 28 15 – 12 16 – 16 9 – 1 W 7
Baltimore 45 93 .326 42 21 – 45 24 – 48 16 – 44 10 – 23 13 – 15 5 – 5 W 2
Chi White Sox 80 59 .576 – 46 – 24 34 – 35 17 – 13 38 – 27 13 – 13 6 – 4 L 1
Cleveland 68 69 .496 11 35 – 33 33 – 36 11 – 20 35 – 25 13 – 16 5 – 5 L 3
Minnesota 62 77 .446 18 32 – 36 30 – 41 10 – 15 31 – 32 13 – 20 5 – 5 W 4
Oakland 75 64 .540 6 38 – 32 37 – 32 15 – 18 20 – 9 29 – 28 5 – 5 W 1
Texas 51 88 .367 30 31 – 37 20 – 51 12 – 15 9 – 17 23 – 43 7 – 3 W 4
Atlanta 73 65 .529 – 34 – 33 39 – 32 37 – 29 22 – 12 8 – 10 4 – 6 L 1
Philadelphia 71 68 .511 2.5 39 – 28 32 – 40 38 – 29 15 – 12 12 – 16 6 – 4 L 2
NY Mets 70 70 .500 4 41 – 27 29 – 43 34 – 31 13 – 14 16 – 17 7 – 3 L 1
Miami 58 81 .417 15.5 37 – 34 21 – 47 27 – 32 11 – 18 17 – 17 5 – 5 W 1
Washington 58 81 .417 15.5 33 – 39 25 – 42 27 – 42 12 – 13 9 – 19 3 – 7 W 1
Cincinnati 74 67 .525 12 38 – 33 36 – 34 17 – 12 38 – 26 10 – 20 3 – 7 L 1
St. Louis 70 68 .507 14.5 36 – 32 34 – 36 14 – 16 29 – 30 16 – 13 4 – 6 W 1
San Francisco 90 50 .643 – 45 – 23 45 – 27 19 – 10 17 – 14 41 – 19 6 – 4 W 4
LA Dodgers 88 52 .629 2 46 – 23 42 – 29 24 – 9 15 – 11 37 – 24 6 – 4 L 1
San Diego 74 65 .532 15.5 44 – 31 30 – 34 14 – 15 16 – 14 30 – 30 6 – 4 W 1
Colorado 63 77 .450 27 45 – 27 18 – 50 10 – 10 14 – 19 29 – 38 3 – 7 L 4
Arizona 45 95 .321 45 28 – 43 17 – 52 12 – 18 13 – 19 19 – 45 1 – 9 L 5
Orlando City SC 22 10 8 4 33 26 7 7-4-1 3-4-3 38
Columbus 23 7 6 10 27 32 -5 5-3-3 2-3-7 27
Inter Miami CF 21 7 5 9 22 31 -9 4-2-5 3-3-4 26
FC Cincinnati 21 3 8 10 21 38 -17 0-5-4 3-3-6 17
Portland 22 9 3 10 31 39 -8 6-1-3 3-2-7 30
Los Angeles FC 22 7 6 9 32 31 1 5-5-2 2-1-7 27
FC Dallas 23 6 7 10 32 36 -4 4-5-2 2-2-8 25
Austin 22 5 4 13 21 31 -10 3-2-5 2-2-8 19
Houston 23 3 10 10 24 36 -12 3-5-3 0-5-7 19
Connecticut Sun 22 6 .786 — 13-1 9-5 10-3 10-0 10 W
Chicago Sky 15 14 .517 7.5 5-8 10-6 9-4 5-5 1 W
Washington Mystics 10 18 .357 12.0 7-7 3-11 5-7 2-8 3 L
Atlanta Dream 7 21 .250 15.0 3-11 4-10 5-7 1-9 1 L
Indiana Fever 6 21 .222 15.5 4-11 2-10 4-9 5-5 2 L
Seattle Storm 20 10 .667 1.5 10-5 10-5 8-5 5-5 2 W
Phoenix Mercury 19 10 .655 2.0 7-7 12-3 6-7 10-0 10 W
Minnesota Lynx 18 10 .643 2.5 11-3 7-7 10-5 7-3 1 L
Los Angeles Sparks 10 18 .357 10.5 7-7 3-11 1-12 4-6 5 L