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Show Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 Page 9 WednesdaySports Utah State University • Logan, Utah • www.aggietownsquare.com Aggies win in five set thriller By Connor Jones sports senior writer The USU women’s volleyball team broke its two-match skid Tuesday night against the Utah Valley University Wolverines, 12-6, in a thrilling five-set win (25-19, 19-25, 25-19, 16-25, 1510). With the win, USU moves to 11-8 on the season. This was the second meeting between UVU and USU this year, with the first match ending with a 3-1 Wolverine win. USU’s win comes just in time for the Aggies who return to WAC play Thursday at home against Fresno State. The Bulldogs have gone 10-8 this season and are 3-2 in conference play. The first set against the Wolverines was tied at 14 when the Aggies made a push, eventually going on to the 6-point win. The second set was commanded by the Wolverines who only trailed with the score at 1-0. “The first two and a half sets I think both teams played at a really high side out level,” said USU head coach Grayson DuBose. “I thought it was a really nice level of volleyball on both sides.” The pendulum swung back in favor of the Aggies during the third set. USU never gave UVU the chance to take the lead and eventually finished the Wolverines off with another 6point win. Emily Kortsen came alive during the second half of the third set with four kills, including the set winner. UVU took the fourth set as it held the Aggies to six kills while hitting 14 in the set itself. The deciding fifth set is something the team really prides itself on, Chelsea Fowles said. Coming off a tough fiveset loss at Nevada Saturday, the Aggies rebounded with a strong fifth set against UVU. The outside hitters for the Aggies, Kortsen and Liz McArthur, led USU to the five- Volleyball TouchBase Athletics gets new TV deal By USU ATHLETICS USU’s Chelsea fowles, 2, blocks a shot during the Aggies’ comeback win over Boise State while teammate Emily Kortsen looks on. cody gochnour photo point win with nine kills and only one error. Kortsen finished the game with an impressive zero errors on 12 kills and 31 attempts for a .387 hitting percentage. McArthur fought back from a poor first couple sets to end the match with 19 kills and 16 errors on 66 attempts for a .045 percentage. Middle blocker Shantell Durrant had a team high .471 percentage with 10 kills and two errors on 17 attempts. USU returns to the Spectrum for two WAC games, with the first on Thursday at 7 p.m. against Fresno State and the second on Monday against Idaho at 9 p.m. Monday’s game against Idaho will be covered by ESPNU. “These next two home games are important for our conference record,” DuBose said. “We really hope to get a lot of loud fans out for these games. Especially the match on ESPNU Monday against Idaho, we really want to show people how great Aggie fans are.” – c.h.j@aggiemail.usu.edu Club Baseball Singer slam gives USU first win over WSU UsU Ace Ryan Doyle winds up for a pitch during an Aggie game earlier in the season. cody gochnour photo infield throwing error. The Aggies finally broke through against the defending conference champion Wildcats in the second game of the Friday night doubleheader, The Aggies opened a four-game series against winning 11-9. conference rival Weber State with yet another The Aggies put together arguably their best frustrating loss, falling to the Wildcats, 7-5. performance of the fall season, beating Weber Coming off a 15 strikeout performance in State for the first time in six tries. last Friday’s shutout win over the Gate City “Everyone played really well, we executed Mavericks, staff ace Ryan Doyle suffered his really well,” Singer said. second loss of the season Friday night. Doyle Singer and second baseman Brady Sayama pitched yet another complete game, but didn’t keyed a powerful early offensive charge, helping receive the defensive help he needed. USU many Aggie players follow through on their preremains winless against Weber State on the seadictions that this weekend’s son. series against Weber State “I’ll put that out In the fourth inning, a would be different than the Wildcat rally ensued when a there that we are season opener which saw Doyle pickoff throw to first USU drop four straight to a better team than bounced off the first basethe Wildcats. Weber, there was man’s glove, allowing two Sayama went 4-for-4 Wildcat runs to score. Weber just a couple things at the plate but conceded State would tack on two here and there that offensive supremacy to more runs before the inning Singer, whose second-inning went their way. We was over, taking control of grand slam helped the just have to finthe game and ending Doyle’s Aggies seize early control three-game winning streak. ish.” of the game. Singer’s bomb “That’s really the difgave the Aggies a 6-0 lead – USU third baseman ference in the game, right an amount that nearly Brad Singer –equaled there,” said USU third basethe seven runs the man Brad Singer. “They capiteam managed in its season talized and scored four runs opening series against the Wildcats. that inning, and that really was the difference.” “The pitcher had been struggling a little bit,” The defensive blunder came after the Aggies Singer said. “He was just throwing fast balls, and had put together what head coach Brett Al-amari I sat back on it.” and a number of his players considered the After leading the Aggies in home runs durteam’s best defensive series of the fall season. ing the spring, the drive over the left field fence Doyle’s season opening outing against the was Singer’s first home run of the season and the Wildcats, his only other loss of the fall season, Aggies first grand slam during fall play. Singer was also marred by a fielding miscue. In the and Sayama highlighted what has been a streakopener, he had pitched seven shutout innings before a scoreless tie was broken in the top of the eighth when a Wildcat runner came home on an - See SLAM, page 10 By DAN FAWSON staff writer Utah State University Director of athletics Scott Barnes announced Monday that in conjunction with Aggie Sports Properties, the school’s athletics multimedia rights holder, USU has entered into an agreement with XXL Sports and CisCom Productions to televise numerous football and basketball games live on CW 30 for the next four years. A minimum of 13 events will be televised live during the 2009-10 season on CW 30, which is available on Comcast, DirecTV and the Dish Network, followed by a minimum of 15 events during the next three years. Of the 15 annual events to be televised, three will be football, 10 will be men’s basketball and two will be women’s basketball. Along with those scheduled games to be televised on CW 30, an additional number of Utah State events will be broadcast live on Comcast. CW 30’s coverage includes all or portions of Utah, Wyoming, Idaho and Nevada. “This new TV partnership, along with our recent conference ESPN agreement, will provide our programs with unparalleled exposure,” said Barnes. “We have been focused on casting a wider net in terms of connecting with Aggie fans and building the Aggie Athletic Brand, and this partnership moves us forward another step.” Utah State’s new television deal with XXL Sports and Cis-Com Productions runs through the 2012-13 academic year with its first broadcast under the agreement scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17, when USU hosts Nevada in football at 1 p.m. (MT). Along with its football broadcasts this year, XXL Sports and Cis-Com Productions will produce eight men’s basketball games and two women’s basketball games that will all appear live on CW 30. Among the telecasts will be men’s home games against Southern Utah (11/28), Brigham Young (12/2), Saint Mary’s (12/5), Utah Valley (12/12), Boise State (1/16), San Jose State (1/30) and New Mexico State (3/6) and a road game at Idaho (1/23). Women’s basketball games televised include home games against Utah (11/13) and Brigham Young (12/19). |