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Show /port/ B5 MONDAY • MARCH 5 • 2007 March Madness becomes March madness with no postseason play Jack Jared Waters Sports Writer Chad Clark/NetXNews Freshman Julie McMurray from Canada has helped UVSC to a record season. Robyn Fairbanks and McMurray recently swept the Independent Awards for the week. Sports briefs Men's volleyball The men's volleyball team placed second in the annual Spring Invitational Tournament held in the Shurian Activity Center. After winning three games in pool play on Friday, UVSC entered the double-elimination tournament Saturday as the top seed along with the UVSC Alumni team. The Alumni beat UVSC for their first defeat in Saturday's play in straight sets 25-19 and 2522. The two teams met in the final Saturday as well and UVSC lost again 25-23 and 25-15. Women's basketball UVSC women's basketball swept the D-I Independent awards this week with sophomore Robyn Fairbanks named Player of the Week and Julie McMurray named the Newcomer of the Week. It's the fifth time that Fairbanks has won the award this season while McMurray has earned the newcomer award three times in the last four weeks including two weeks in a row. Fairbanks averaged 20 points and 9.5 rebounds hitting 60.7 percent (17-for-28) from the field as Utah Valley went 2-0 last week. She also totaled five assists, four steals and three blocks. Against NJIT, Fairbanks recorded her tenth double-double of the season with 22 points (on 10-for-15 shooting) and 10 boards in 23 minutes of action. Fairbanks leads all independents in scoring with a 23.5 ppg average, which also ranks her fourth nationally. She's also first among independents in field goal percentage, hitting 55.6 percent from the field. McMurray averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds, shooting 62.5 percent (10for-16) from the floor and 2-for-4 from the three-point line. In a three-point win over IPFW, McMurray had 20 points and seven rebounds and followed that with 15 points, eight rebounds and four assists against NJIT. The two Canadians, who both hail from Alberta, have won the respective awards more than any other D-I Independent player this season. Softball UVSC freshman Lindsay Dyer has been named Division I Independent Co-Player of the Week for performances at the SUU Invitational. Dyer shared the award with Laurel Pipkin of North Dakota State. Dyer helped spark the Wolverines to a 2-2 record in the SUU Invitational last weekend. She was 6-for-12 with two doubles and four RBI. In the 2-1 win over Utah State, she was 3-for-3 with one RBI. Dyer went 2-for-4 with three RBI in an 8-7 eight inning win over Southern Utah on Friday. She is currently hitting .400 on the season. Baseball The UVSC baseball team got their first wins of the season against in-state opponent Southern Utah. The Wolverines pulled out two wins in the three-game series in Cedar City. Austin Heaps hit a two-out double in the ninth that helped UVSC to a 3-2 win in the first game. Marcus Moore earned the win in game one and Kyle Kasper earned a win in game two in the 5-3 victory for UVSC. The Thuderbirds won the final game 8-2. The Wolverines played in the Banana Belt Tournament over the weekend but lost the opening game to Washington State 17-7. They play at BYU March 13 and play their first home game at the end of March against fellow Independent South Dakota State. Despite the Wolverines successful 20-plus win season, we won't be able to see them playing during "March Madness" in the NCAA Tournament. UVSC went undefeated in the month of February, an impressive eight wins in a row. UVSC is currently in the fourth year of a sixyear term in which the Wolverines are classified as a Division I transitional team. NCAA rules prevent transitional teams from participating in any postseason play. It's a rule that many here at UVSC see as an unfair obstacle to the program's improvement, as well as a roadblock to the completion of a dazzling season for the Wolverines. With UVSC's credentials, it would seem reasonable to be considered for at least an NIT berth. Yet the NCAA owns the rights to the NIT, and will remain committed to enforcing the ban on postseason play. UVSC has maintained its dominance of the United Basketball League, and with a record of 8-1 in the league, they claim at least a share of the title. Conferences should soon take notice of the team's success. The WAC, Big Sky and Mid-Continent Conferences should really take a hard look at the program. UVSC's lack of a football team may hurt the school's chances to eventually join these conferences, but the basketball team's success may be the catalyst for joining. Quick recap of the February stars: On Feb. 1, UVSC handily beat New Jersey Tech 86-55 behind 28 points from sophomore sensation Ryan Toolson. After a slew of turnovers by NJ Tech, UVSC scored 28 points off of them. It was another blowout victory for UVSC when they humiliated IPFW 96-66. Ryan Toolson was once again the high scorer with 23, followed by Matt ''a I Ben Paz/UVSC Athletics Junior Jordan Brady throws down a hammer dunk while a South Dakota State defender looks on. The Wolverines won the United Basketball League with just one loss in the league. Peterson's season-high 22. Richard Troyer pulled down seven boards for UVSC on Feb. 3. Joe Walker stepped up against UC Davis with a career high 22 points while also grabbing eight rebounds, as the Wolverines walked to an easy 88-59 win on Feb. 6. Feb. 10 at Texas Pan Am, David Heck showed his home state how he dominates, scoring 23 points with seven rebounds in front of his friends and family. The Wolverines defeated North Dakota State on Feb. 15, 66-64 as Ryan Toolson scored eight of his 20 points in the final three minutes. Jordan Brady had 12 rebounds for UVSC. Ryan Toolson led four Wolverines in double figures with 20 points in the 83-56 win against South Dakota State on Feb. 17. Feb. 22 at IPFW, Ryan Toolson once again paced the Wolverines with 16 points, while Joe Walker and Jordan Brady each had seven rebounds in the 7263 victory. At NJ Tech on Feb. 24, the Wolverines hit its first 12 shots of the game, and Ryan Toolson scored 17 points as UVSC cruised to an easy 77-47 win. Toolson has been a consistent spark off of the bench for Dick Hunsaker's hungry Wolverines, leading all scorers with 15 poinjs per game. Toolson is shooting a blistering 97 . percent from the charity stripe, missing only three free throws this entire year. His 97 percent is good enough to lead the entire nation. The Wolverines concluded their season last Saturday, when they played host to Texas-Pan Am on Senior Night. It was the final home game for Chris Bailey, David Heck, Matt Peterson and Peter Brown. For the results of this game and in-depth wrap-ups of their remarkable season, visit http://wolverinegreen. cstv.com/ Lacrosse starts with wins From LACROSSE-B5 After the wild and thrilling third quarter when the game still hung in the balance, both teams were worn down, with the Wolverines and the Bears each scoring three goals in the final quarter. The physical toll taken on the players showed with UNC scoring their goals from turnovers, but giving up opportunities on defense. Coach Perkins said the only downside in the match was his team's inability to finish their scoring opportunities, as the Wolverines converted just 10 of their 56 shots. OFF i | 375-8000 Regular price on any cut and style, color service or perm 2230 N. 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