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Show Sports FRIDAY. SEPTEMBER 9.2011 Volleyball drops another close game WSU falls to Aggies in a five-set thriller By Nathan Davis sports editor 1Jhe Signpost For the third time in two weeks, the Weber State University Volleyball Team lost a match in the fifth set, falling to the Utah State University Aggies 3-2 on Tuesday in the Swenson Gym. The match was close, with the two teams pushing each other in every set. The Aggies started out hot, controlling the tempo of the match, and jumped to an early 7-3 lead in the first set. During the first set, WSU suffered and committed some errors, which helped the Aggies maintain their lead. Head Coach Tom Peterson said that the team needs to try and play clean, mistake-free volleyball. "The key is to balance the kind of effort we had tonight with better execution," Peterson said. "1 thought we struggled a little bit with our execution at key times." For much of the first set, the score was tight, and emotions ran high for USU Head Coach Grayson DuBose, who was shown a yellowcard by the official following two outbursts directed at the referee. Following the yellowcard, USU went on to win the first set 25-18. Once again in the second set, the Aggies took the early lead, but the Wildcats responded well See Volleyball page 8 AMERICA FIRST " " " \*y"' PHOTOS uv CRYSTAI CHARRIERE | THE SICNFOSI Ltft: Michelle Arave dives for an out-of-bounds save. Right: Ashley Orr spikes the ball. The Wildcats played Utah State University on Tuesday and lost in a close five-set match. It was the third game this season WSU has lost in the fifth set. The team will travel to Nebraska for the Ameritas Players Challenge Tournament this weekend. Football to face in-state rival USU Nathan's Notations Wildcats ready to face in-state rival ftah State Aggies Nathan Davis • The Signpost columnist *i i EJy Corie Holmes asst. sports editor I The Signpost Wildcat football will have a strong season despite last week's tough loss t E;After losing a nail-biter of a game lafct weekend against the University of \)fyoming, the Weber State University Football Team will play Utah State Univjarsity tomorrow. A tough battle will ejisue, since both teams lost in the last rhjnutes of their previous games. ;*USU played defending NCAA chamjiipns Auburn University. They gained a sbjid lead in the first half of the game, j^fter their guard came down in the firtal minutes of the fourth quarter and M) capitalized-on that time, USU fell to AU 42-38. t-WSU played UW and also lost in the f(£al seconds of the game. UW took the conversion and ran with it to score a late touchdown. A missed 53-yard field goal let USU beat WSU 35-32. After the narrow losses by both WSU and USU, the teams are ready for another chance to prove themselves. "Obviously you look for ways to improve from your first game," Head Coach Ron McBride said. "It's really important at this point that we establish an identity that we can be successful against D-l teams." After the loss last weekend, WSU is r|0w 3-45 against Football Bowl Subdivision teams. After last Saturday, WSU rtas lost 22 straight to FBS opponents. W$XJ has not met USU in a game since 2&01. The Aggies have come up against tJjSe Wildcats 12 times total, with the Aggies winning 11 of the games. riEven though the Wildcats track recjJrd looks negative, running back Josh Efoooker said they believe they are a $$od team and are well prepared for tfcfis game. ( i SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS Wyoming's Ghaali Muhammad (23) blocks the punt of Weber State University punter Josh Kealamakia (37) during last weekends game at War Memorial Stadium in Laramie, Wyo. WSU will take on Utah State University on Saturday in Logan, Utah. "We have prepared for what they have ran in the past and what we think they will run against us," Booker^said. "We are not going out of our way or anything too different ju§t because they are Utah State. We are treating them like any other game. I feel like we have a really good team. I believe in our team and our team, believes in us and what we can do." Kicking errors is one thing McBride said they have been working on to change for this upcoming game against the Aggies. * "We need to improve our flaws in our kicking game that we had a week ago," McBride said. Freshman Xavian Johnson was voted National Freshman of the Week by The Sports Network after his performance in the first game. He emerged as a reliable wide receiver for quarterback Mike Hoke. Johnson finished the day with seven catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including a 49-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter. See Football page 8 Despite losing their first game of the season, I think the Weber State University Football Team will bounce back and improve upon last season's record. Last Saturday's game was a tough loss for the Wildcats, who dropped a close game to the University of Wyoming. Generally when a team loses a close game, one of two things can happen. Either they will use the loss as motivation and come back stronger, or they will get down and struggle to regain their good form. I think the 'Cats will bounce back stronger and better than ever. One thing that was evident in the game against the UW Cowboys was the fact that WSU has an exciting, high-octane offense. The Wildcats didn't struggle to find the end zone, putting up 32 points on UW, a FBS school. When conference play starts next week, I think WSU will challenge a lot of Big Sky teams with their ability to put points on the board. In the game against the Cowboys, many offense players showed they have what it takes to compete against a good team. Mike Hoke threw for more than 300 yards, Josh Booker rushed for 117 yards and freshman Xavian Johnson (or Professor X, as I like to call him) had more than a 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate game. To me, Johnson, who was named the See Notations page 8 |