Soccer team plays tough, falls short

By Mark Brockett - Sports Reporter

In front of the UIS Fall Festival crowd, the men's soccer team was hoping to take the momentum of their tie with Columbia earlier in the week and notch another victory for the season and in the conference against the Bearcats of McKendree. Despite a fast start and a halftime advantage, the Stars could not keep or build on a 1-0 lead and went on to lose to American Midwest Conference rival McKendree 3-1.

The team was ahead midway through the first half when Korey Baker scored on a shot assisted by fellow senior Todd Pierce. The team also dominated physically and set the tempo for the first half in their favor.

The second half brought the large crowd a whole other game and team. The team would be McKendree and they were playing how they wanted the game to be played. With a relentless attack, the team scored three times including one in the final six minutes to send some fans home early and unhappy.

The loss puts the team at an overall record of 2-6-2 with a 0-1-1 mark in the AMC. Disheartened by the loss, the team will look to rebound with two games this week; one taking place tonight at Missouri Baptist and one being played here at UIS in the friendly confines of Kiwanis Field against William Woods on Saturday. The game time for the home game is to be announced at press time.

Women's volleyball has rough week

By Mike Fitzpatrick - Sports Reporter

It was a rather disappointing week for the UIS women's volleyball team. After starting their eight-game road trip with two wins the Stars' attempted to ride out their winning momentum in their up coming matches this week.

In the first match of two that were played at Hannibal-LaGrange the Stars came ready to play in their conference match up against the Hannibal Trojans. The Stars wasted no time with the Trojans quickly disposing of them in game-one with a 30-20 victory, followed by wins in games two and three 30-24, and 30-26 giving them the match win as well as a conference win. Sophomore outside hitter Lauren Sanders led the team with a match high 11 kills, followed by senior setter Megan Leonard's match high 39 assists.

Following the match the Stars took on Culverton-Stockton college who this time around were much improved after regaining two of their star players from injuries. Overall the match was very close and the Stars played very well, despite missing some big break opportunities. In the end, Culverton-Stockton proved to be too much for the Stars as they lost the match three games to one 24-30, 30-25, 32-34, and 27-30. For the second time during the night Sander's led the team with 17 kills and Leonard's 48 assists.

On Wednesday night the women's volleyball team traveled to St. Louis , Missouri to face Webster University . During this match it was evident that the Stars were already reeling from their long road trip. Despite looking sluggish, the Stars tried their best yet they still lost the match in a sweep of all three games. After the game Coach Fisher commented stating, “Webster has a very good program, and when you come into a match up tired like this, it makes for a very short game.”

Following the trip to St. Louis , on Friday and Saturday the Stars traveled to Taylor Quandrangle in Upland , Indiana for a non-conference tournament. In the first round of the tournament, the Stars were matched up against King College . Throughout the match, it was quite evident that the Stars looked more rested this time around as all 5 games were close, but the end result was a win for King College . Aquinas University came next in round two, and quickly took care of Stars sweeping the match in three. Having lost four matches in a row, it looked as if the team's momentum had completely evaporated as in round three they were once again swept in three against Taylor University .

Even with losses in every round of the tournament the Stars were still placed in the fourth place match up bracket. With a win against, King College who they had played earlier in the day, would have resulted in the Stars not going home empty handed. However, for those in attendance, the results were rather disappointing as once again King College won, this time in four games.

During the tournament, Maria Ray played exceptionally well coming up with key blocks and hits when the team really needed it. At times, the Stars played very well and even showed signs that they might be able to win the tournament, none the less it was those game breaking opportunities that Stars missed that cost them the tournament.

The Stars record now stands at 7-16, with an AMC record of 3-2. Hopefully the Stars will be able to rebound as they will have a six day break before heading to Lebanon , Illinois on Friday to take on McKendree College .

Women's tennis falls, finishes season with big win

By Micheal Fitzpatrick - Sports Reporter

There is certain optimism about this season's young and talented women's tennis team. The proof is in the play as the team rounded out its fall season with a win over this season's 21 st ranked team in the NAIA, St. Ambrose 6-3.

This victory came right after a tough loss to Illinois Wesleyan, a Division III school, on Friday. The team played tough but fell short by the score of 7-2. Victories came in the way of both singles and doubles with UIS No. 1 Christine Hofmann defeating Illinois Wesleyan's Lindsey Irwin 7-6 (7-1) and 6-2 and doubles partners Jenny Cloyd and Jennifer Gebben winning 8-5 in their match.

Coach Dominic Giacomini saw the St. Ambrose win as a big stepping stone towards future goals in the spring season. Before the match, he thought that a win over that caliber of a team would be a good indication of where they are at and where they could go this year.

In the matches, the team received wins from Hofmann and Ashley McGowan, two freshmen and the team's top two players, in both singles and as doubles partners. Hofmann finished this fall season with a 6-0 record in dual matches and an overall mark of 12-1. McGowan also impressed with five wins in dual play and an overall record of 11-1. As doubles partners, the team took home eight wins and three losses. Their record in dual play was 5-1.

Cloyd, the team's No. 3 player, was also victorious in defeating St. Ambrose's McKenzie Knipp 6-2, 6-2. Cloyd finished the fall season at an overall 9-2. Gebben took a win over Courtney Meyer 6-2, 6-3. Her overall record this fall was 7-3.

The team now will wait for the cold winter to pass and the new spring air to arrive before stepping on a tennis court again. The 5-1 record in dual play will certainly catch the attention of other participating schools in the region and keep the Stars focused on attaining their goals.

Campus Recreational Sports Briefs

Intramural 6 x 6 Soccer and 7 x 7 Flag Football Leagues will begin play on October 14. Action will take place in the Rec Park Field on Friday afternoons, Saturdays and Sundays. Teams should indicate their availability to play on the entry form. Completed entry forms need to be returned to the CRS Office before the 11pm deadline on Tuesday, October 11. Entry forms must have a minimum of 6 players per soccer roster and 7 players per flag football roster. No more than 3 Non-UIS Rec Center Members/Non-UIS and no more than 1 past or present intercollegiate soccer or football player per respective roster. Both intramural sports will have Men's, Women's, or Co-Rec Divisions available if entries warrant; otherwise action will be mixed play. Individuals who do not have a team to play on but want to participate should stop by the CRS Office and complete a Free Agent entry form. Campus Rec Sports does not guarantee placement on a team but will do their best to match you up with a team to play.

The Intramural Tennis Singles Tournament will be held on Saturday, October 15 beginning at 10am at the UIS Tennis Courts. Interested individuals must return their completed entry forms to the CRS Office before the 11pm deadline on Tuesday, October 11. There will be Men's and Women's Open and Rec divisions of play if entries warrant; otherwise play will be mixed. Current and past intercollegiate tennis athletes must play in the Open division.

Entry forms for the above intramural sports are available from the CRS Office located in the Fitness Center (SLB 118). UIS Students and Rec Center Members with a valid i-card play intramural activities for free. UIS Community Non-Rec Center Members and Non-UIS (who must also sign a waiver form) need to pay the $10 intramural fee per sport. Check out the CRS website at www.uis.edu/recsports/ for additional information on these activities.

A Fencing Class will be held for six weeks on Wednesdays from 12:10-12:50pm in the UIS Gym beginning October 12. The class is limited to 12 fencers so first come, first served. The registration deadline to sign-up for the class is Tuesday, October 11 by 1pm. UIS Students and Rec Center Members with a valid i-card have priority in registration through Friday, October 7. Cost is $5 per person. After Friday, UIS Community Non-Rec Center Members and Non-UIS may register for the class upon paying the $15 class fee and signing a waiver form. Check out the CRS website for additional information about fencing.

Intramural 6x6 Sand Volleyball Tournament Results

In the first round of the single elimination tournament, the New Booties forfeited giving the win to Ocean's Twelve, the Sultans beat the Smokers, and Los Gangstars beat the Dirty Dozen. In round two, Ocean's Twelve beat the Sultans and Huge Volleyballs, Huge beat Los Gangstars in 3 games. Finally in the championship, Huge Volleyballs, Huge defeated Ocean's Twelve in a closely contested match 30-23, 24-30, and 15-13 claiming the Intramural 6x6 Sand Volleyball title. Congratulations to Huge Volleyballs, Huge team members: Captain Mark Brockett, Stacey Liles, Lara Stremsterfer, Mike Mester, Mike Moriarity, Mike Quick, Matt Riedle, and Andres Barcenas.

Intramural 9x9 Softball Tournament Results

On Sunday, the championship game was forfeited by The BAMF's giving the win to Her Majesty's Royal Squadron of MMV. Congratulations to IM Softball Champions: Co-Captains Dale Schultz and Lindsey Harden, Jesse Vezina, Mike Fitzpatrick, Aaron Anderson, Priscilla Alaniz, Angela Becker, Chase Kailer, Jeff Bohlmann, Michael Saffell, and Gustavo Cabral.

Soccer team plays tough, falls short

Women's volleyball has rough week

Women's tennis wins, finishes fall season with big win

Campus Rec Sports Briefs