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Show Sports WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 26 2011 Wildcats qualify for postseason oir .1 - sf • • 116. r. • : *5" :•• .1:**0 'tir.4445. ,i• 44%1-1!:*;t*':(1" --6 jr ...cs d .:* ti?;" . PHOTO BY CRYSTAL CHARRIERE I THE SIGNPOST Weber State University's Nicole Moore runs downfield toward the goal during a game earlier this season. The Wildcats defeated Sacramento State University 1-0 over the weekend to qualify for the Big Sky Conference tournament for the first time in two years. WSU finished third in the conference standings and will continue play on Nov. 4. WSU knocks off SSU for a place in the Big Sky tournament By Susana Landaverde correspondent I The Signpost Last year, the Weber State University women's soccer team only managed to win three games, and finished near the bottom of the Big Sky Conference rankings. This year, things have been very different and the team has booked a place in the conference tournament. On Sunday, WSU took on Sacramento State University, needing a win to extend their season. The Wildcats claimed a 1-0 victory at home on Senior Day. "Senior Day was exciting and sad," said senior Nicole Moore. "Exciting that we are almost done with our college careers, and sad because a lot of friendships had been made and soccer brings us together." As the game began, both teams remained scoreless throughout the first half of the game. WSU missed multiple opportunities that were just off target to take the lead. It wasn't until the 65th minute of the game that freshman midfielder Kendra Bailey scored the Wildcats' only goal of the game. Bailey's first goal of the season came at a crucial time in the season forWSU. The goal came off of Victoria Anderson's corner kick. Bailey connected on Anderson's kick with a header that hit off to the right post and banked it into the net. Following the WSU goal, the Hornets stepped up their attack and pressured the Wildcat goal. Moore said the team held up under the SSU attack and played well. "We possessed the ball, defended well as a team, and we had a good amount of shots on goal," Moore said. Sophomore goalkeeper Ryann Waldman held strong in the goal with seven saves to shut out the Hornets. This was Waldman's fourth complete-match shutout of the season and fifth overall. WSU women's soccer ended their regular season with a goals- against average of .98, which is the second- of years of preparation. lowest average at the end of the regular sea"I was very excited and proud of my teamson in the school's history. mates and very happy to advance to the Big The Wildcats accomplished a goal that Sky tournament; it has been our goal this the coaching staff set at the beginning of the season," Tebbs said. "For the past couple of year, and are headed to the Big years, we've worked so hard Sky tournament for the first time and had success, but at the since 2008. The Wildcats ended "For the past same time come up a little their season with a 4-2-1, Big Sky short when we needed it to couple of 6-10-1 overall, and will take the count." No.3 seed in the tournament in years, we've The Wildcats will head to Colorado. the Big Sky tournament for the WSU honored 10 senior play- worked so 11th time in 15 seasons. They ers before the game on Senior hard ... but at will begin to prepare for the Day: Kirsten Anderson, Victoria No. 2 seed, Portland State Unithe same time Anderson, Jessie Baddley, Emversity, in the semifinal round ily Freshman, Alyson Hansen, come up a on Nov. 4 at 3 p.m. in Greeley, Kylie Johnson, Moore, Lindsay Colo. Ortgiesen, Collette Simmons and little short..." "This year is especially different and exciting," Moore Roxanne Tebbs. Some of the seniors said they were anxious and - Roxa nne Tebbs said. "We've played all the teams that will be in tournaexcited to start their final regular WSU So ccer senior ment, so we know a little bit season game as their college caabout how they are going to reers reached an end. play and how they bring it. Senior Day turned out to be a proud moment for the 10 seniors, many of We're going to keep our heads up, practice whom will be going to the Big Sky tourna- hard, and leave everything out on the practice and game field." ment for the first time. Tebbs said that qualifying for the tournament is the culmination Comment on this story at wsusignpost.corn. WSU drops two games 'Cats disappointed in performance LIP" so far this season w Reliving the best day of my life By Corie Holmes asst. sports editor I The Signpost The Weber State University volleyball team lost to Portland State University in three sets with scores of 25-17, 25-12 and 25-2, and fell again to Eastern Washington University in four sets with scores of 25-18, 13-25, 15-25 and 10-25 this past weekend. Head Coach Tom Peterson said he had expected the team to be performing better this far into the season. "I thought we would get better, and maybe we will, but it just depends on our character," Peterson said. "For the last matches of the year, we need to show that character." Against PSU, WSU collectively had 26 errors, 23 kills, five aces, 23 digs and 15 blocks. PSU had 16 errors, 44 kills, three aces, 38 digs and 15 blocks. In the third set, PSU outblocked WSU 9-7. This was the first set in the past 11 games that WSU had been outblocked. The Playin' on Purple Corie Holmes • The Signpost columnist PHOTO BY CRYSTAL CHARRIERE I THE SIGNPOST Weber State University's Bethany Wray prepares to spike the ball during a game earlier this season. Over the weekend, WSU lost to Portland State University and Eastern Washington University. University of Nebraska, which is ranked second in the nation, was the last team to outblock the Wildcats, back in early September. PSU's Megan Ellis had a total of 15 kills, and Tineke Bierma added nine for the Vikings. Garyn Schlatter had assisted 35 of the 50 points scored by PSU. WSU's Bethany Wray had nine kills and four blocks for the Wildcats. Captain Shanae Langston added eight kills and five digs. "We passed the ball better against Portland than we did Eastern, but in both games we did not execute offensively," Langston said. The team gets antsy and is unable to play to its potential, said freshman outside hitter Dama Cox. "I feel like we worked hard, but we overfocused," Cox said. "Sometimes we get so tense that See Volleyball page 7 Let's rewind my life back to February/March of 2005. I was an eighth-grader on the girls' basketball team. This was one of the biggest games of the season for us. It was against our rivals. The game was neck-and-neck. The other team was shooting free throws to tie the game with only seconds left. The coaches put me in, because I am a powerhouse when it comes to boxing out and getting rebounds. The other team made its free throws. We took the ball out and they were full-court pressing us. We had this money press-breaker called red (or green, I'm not sure, but let's just go with red). We ran the play; I had broken the defense and was standing wide open on See Purple page 7 |