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Show Page 5 Wednesday, November 15, 2006 Sports The Signpost Timber! Wildcats fall hard to Lumberjacks' air attack By Jon McBride sports editor I The Signpost The Weber State University Football Team failed to carry over the momentum from its home win two weeks ago, as they lost to Northern Arizona University 42-17 Saturday at Flagstaff, Ariz. The Wildcats fell victim to an impressive performance Boa score summary, by NAU WSU vs. NAU Final score: 17-42 First-half score: 3-14 Second-half score: 14-28 w - . . . . - . . WSU stats (NAU slats) Rushing yards; 99 (99) Passing Yards: 109 (342) First downs: 15 (21) Possession time: 30:04 (27:06) Third-down conversions: 2 of 13 (H of 14) What a comeback WSU Volleyball Team wins fifth-straight to earn a spot in the Big Sky Tournament By Jeremy Tyler sr. sports reporter I The Signpost The Weber State University Volleyball Team is doing something some people may not have thought possible at times throughout the season: they are on their waytotheBigSkyConferenceTournameni for the second year in a row. The Wildcats have become a different team after losing to nationally ranked Brigham Young University on Oct. 24. The Wildcats were 4-23 overall, and 1-11 in Big Sky play. After the loss to BYU, Weber State has won five straight matches, earning them a spot in the Big Sky Tournament. The 'Cats defeated the University of Northern Colorado Thursday night in Grccley, Colo. It was their fourth consecutive win and the first on the road since Sept. 2. Weber State was able to pick up the win, 17-30, 30-26, 30-20 and 30-26 in a must-win match, in order to advance to the conference tournament. Once again, WSU sophomore Leah Burmeister, who had her 12th doubledouble this season with 16 kills and 13 digs, led the team. Junior Kolbie Murphy also had 16 kills and Jenna Legget posted 12 kills. Keelee Kap had 20 digs, moving her closer into the record books for the most career digs. "This was a huge win for us," said WSU Head Volleyball Coach Al Givens in a news release following the game. "We got down early in the match, but really fought back hard. It was a great team effort to get back into it, and now we have to figure out how to do it again." The win over Northern Colorado snapped a nine-match losing streak to UNC as the Wildcats picked up their first win ever in Greeley, and their first win against Northern Colorado since 1975. On Saturday, the Wildcats defeated Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz. 3-0 for their fifth-straight match, securing a spot in the Big Sky Tournament. WSU clinched the number-six seed, defeating NAU 30-28, 31-29 and 30-22. The Wildcats found a way to win, as Givens said they would need to. They did so in impressive manner, sweeping NAU quarterback J a s o n Murrieta, who threw for 342 yards and a career-highsix touchdowns. The six touchdowns moveMurrieia into the alltime lead at NAU, with 89 passing touchdowns. "I think the kid's a smart kid," said WSU Head Coach Ron McBride, "and I think he took what we gave him and did a real good job with it, and then he threw three or four or five balls just up there and they made plays on them. So, you've got to give credit to their wide receivers, and to their quarterback and don't give any credit to our secondary guys or our guys who were in coverage, because' the things he threw up there weren't that difficult to cover." McBridc's disappointment with his defense has been a rarity this season. Even in the other Wildcat losses, McBride has continually praised his players for consistent play. "Our defense has played well all year except for this game,"- McBride said. "At least over half the defense or three quarters played extremely well, perhaps just three players didn't play very well at all." NAU entered the game with the best passing offense in the Big Sky Conference. WSU entered the game with the best passing defense in the Big Sky. NAU's offense overpowered the previously strong Wildcat defense. WSU gave up a total of 441 yards and gained just 208 yards. "It was very disappointing," McBride said, "because 1 actually thought we were peaking. I thought this team was starting to mature into itself and I really expected something entirely different than what we got." Offensively, the Wildcats struggled. WSU quarterback Ian Pizar.ro was 13-35 for 109 yards and one touchdown. WSU running backTrevyn Smith had 24 carries for 89 yards. See Football page 6 See Volleyball page 6 S O 1 H O . KOW-K1 ("A'.FV Wildcats going to nationals Women's team finishes fifth, men's team seventh at mountain regionals By Nichole Lee correspondent I 7/?e Signpost PHOTO BY MATT GLASS j Tilt $lC\>t't~)ST Weber State University freshman running backTrevyn Smith carries the ball in a game earlier this season. Smith had 24 carries for 89 yards in Saturday's loss to Northern Arizona University. Smith needs just 77 yards to be the first WSU freshman to rush for 1,000 yards in a season. The Weher State University Cross Country Teams competed Saturday at the NCAA Mountain Regional meet in Albuquerque, N.M. The WSU women's team finished fifth in the region, and the WSU men's team came in seventh in the region. The fifth-place finish for the women's team earned them an at-large berth into the NCAA National Championship. The men's team, however, did not make it to the NCAA Championships. But WSU junior Seth Pilkington did earn an individual spot after finishing sixth individually at the meet. The WSU women's team finished with 98 points to finish in fifth place, and were only four points away from taking third See Cross Country page 6 Weber State University senior Heidi Bouwhuis, #52, runs in the NCAA Mountain Regionals Saturday at Albuquerque, N.M. Bouwhuis and the WSU women's team won fifth place in the race and earned an at-large berth into the NCAA Championships. Going in with momentum T h e close out the Weber State season. Standing Out University W S U Volleyball ended up in By Jon McBride Team has a three-way sjxirts editor j The Signpost done the tie for sixth unthinkable. place, but The Wildcats won the tieearned a spot in the Big Sky breaker against Northern Arizona Conference Tournament. University, because the Wildcats But at the beginning of swept the season series. NAU the season, qualifying for the faced WSU in the final game of tournament wasn't so unthinkable; the season Saturday night. WSU not qualifying for the tournament swept the Lumberjacks 3-0, an was. With some promising players impressive way for WSU to end its due for breakout seasons, a lot season. of people around WSU athletics The Wildcats played at the were excited to see what this University of Northern Colorado team would do. Aspirations of last Thursday in another mustbeing the number-one seed and win situation in the second-to-last hosting the tournament were very game of the season. WSU won that real. But after injuries to perhaps game 3-1. the Wildcats' two most valuable The back-to-back road wins are players, and some debilitating, the first for WSU since 2002. seemingly never-ending losing Even though the Wildcats don't streaks, the 'Cats were fighting enter the Big Sky tournament as with the three teams at the bottom the number-one seed, they still of the conference standings for enter in an advantageous position. that sixth and final seed out of the They enter as the underdog, the eight teams in the conference. last-place team that no team takes The Wildcats were losing that seriously. But it's one thing to be battle for a good portion of the an underdog that is struggling, season until Oct. 28, when in a non- it's a totally different thing to be conference home game against an underdog who is excelling. North Dakota State University, Entering the tourney on a fiveeverything seemed to change. The game winning streak, with morale Wildcats won that game, breaking high and chemistry in sync, a seven-game losing streak and gives the 'Cats some powerful propelling the 'Cats to a seasonbest five-game winning streak to See Standing Out page 6 |