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Show SPORTS VOLUME LII ISSUE 6 IN THE Z NE with MATT PETERSEN sk Sept. 11 brought out best in sports I'm not a Yankees, Knicks or Giants fan. I had never been further east than Kansas City, Mo. I didn't know anyone in New York City. I was as far removed from politics as a narrow-minded sports geek could be. That being said, I had no idea how close to home 9/11 would hit both me and the world of sports. I was 17, and suddenly I remembered stories from grandparents about "getting drafted." I pictured myself fighting a foe without a face in some foreign country. And unlike many friends who later volunteered for military service, I didn't face the idea with bravery or duty. I was afraid. In the aftermath of Sept. 11, I retreated further into the world of sports. I just didn't expect the rest of the world to join me. I watched a baseball game and saw them honor the recently fallen and newly commissioned. I saw ridiculously rich athletes, already donating ridiculous amounts, shed tears on the field, and it wasn't over the money. I heard fans sing the national anthem like they meant it. I realized, in that moment, that sports wasn't a place to hide. It was a place to hope, a world that reminds us that whatever happens, we still hold the right to be happy. To play. To watch. To go on. My team sucked that year. I didn't care. They wore American flags on their jerseys, defying those who say sports aren't a place to stand for something, that teams and players should stay out of the political arena. In 2001-02, athletes around the world lifted a collective middle finger not toward a country, but to terrorism and evil. That's the beauty of sports. They're not owned or populated by one nation. A German just led his team to an NBA title. Cubans and Japanese dominate the major leagues. Canadians own hockey. When athletes stand together, it's not political. It's powerful. People often criticize the over-dramatization of sports, the HD-TV-assisted portrayal of good vs. evil. That year, sports had it right. SEPTEMBER 12, 2011 WWW.UVUREVIEW.COM Love of the game Parker Davis hopes passion for soccer will filter to rest of the team r 41/4,.. • By KEVIN OLSEN Sports Writer Head coach Kemal Makasci concluded tryouts last week for the men's soccer club team hoping to build a team that will earn them a spot in the regional championship. In his fifth year as coach of the UVU club team, Makasci sought to find a solid coaching staff and players who are dedicated and have a passion for the game. Parker Davis, starting his third and final year on the club team as a at mid-fielder, personifies the passion and dedication Makasci is looking for. Following the season Davis willd continue his education in a nursing program off campus. While attending the University of Idaho, Davis's father played for their football team. Like mans young men, Davis planned to play football like his father. That all changed, however, when he was introduced to soccer. "I'm really not that big," Davis said. "And I just really liked soccer, the competitive nature, the feel for the game." For all four years of his high school career, Davis played varsity soccer in Idaho Falls, Idaho. In addition to high school ball, he played for a traveling club team named Ballistic and put in a year with the Olympic Development Team for Idaho. After graduation, Davis married his high school sweetheart, which brought him to Utah County after playing semi-pro soccer for the Idaho Falls Eagles. His wife supported his career, and encour- DAVIS B4 Nop lace like home Wolverines' eight-game homestand includes win over Syracuse By JOSH KEIL Sports Writer Photo by Shane Maryott/UVU Review Cassie Wahlin (No. 5) goes up for the kill against BYU-Hawaii. The Wolverines went 6-2 in their eight-game homestand, including wins over Illinois State, BYU-Hawaii and Syracuse. The UVU volleyball team concluded their eight-game home stand to begin the season, finishing with a 6-2 record including a win over Syracuse. "It's been great, I am very pleased as far as where we are after the home stand," head coach Sam Atoa said. "We have done a good job on staying focused on each opponent and playing hard, it's been very encouraging." The opponents in the home streak included Michigan, Syracuse, Illinois State, Cal Poly, UC Bakersfield, BYUHawaii , Santa Clara and Northern Arizona. One of the highlights was UVU's come-from-behind, 3-2 victory over Big East foe Syracuse. In the match the Wolverines fell behind early, losing the first two sets going into the break. They followed up the poor early performance with an impressive second half, culminating in an exciting fifth set comeback victory. "I was happy with execution that we expected from ourselves right at the beginning of that third set," Atoa said. "[We] realized that for [us] to be able to be in control, we have to stay focused on our game, and we did that very well. In the fifth set we kept our composure even when they made a run and we were down 10-12, we only gave them one more point and we were able to score five more points." The Syracuse victory was a big confidence boost for a team that has struggled against even competition. The two losses came against Michigan, ranked in the top 25, and Northern Arizona, who swept through the Wolverine Invitational. Next up for the Wolverines VOLLEYBALL B3 4 Owlz, NY natives recall 9/11 By JONATHAN BOLDT Asst. Sports Editor The attacks on Sept. 11, 2001 mean a lot of things to everyone, many of them in a very personal way. For Owlz catchers Ricky Pacione and Kyle Mahoney, simply remembering where they were when the towers fell is only scratching the surface. Pacione's sixth-grade class was headed to Ellis Island for a field trip. "That was your class?" Mahoney interrupted. "I heard CONTACT: about you guys on the news." "We were supposed to but I stayed in class that day," Pacione said. "Our class was stuck in traffic when the planes hit. I had a good friend's dad that was a lieutenant in the Bronx. He was one of the first ones on the scene to help out and didn't make it." "I had a lot of friends with parents and family that were lost in the towers that day," Pacione said. There are very few Ameri- cans that escaped the tragedy of that day. Owlz teammates and pitchers Joe Melioris and Garrett Baker were in class 45 minutes upstate. "Baker and I weren't as close as these two (Pacione and Mahoney), but I remember watching it on TV," Melions said. "We were watching as mid-sentence from the teacher that the other plane hit." "It was confusing," Baker said. "Someone said a bomb went off in the city and no 9/11 B4 Photo by Nathan Grill/UVU Review The Orem Owlz stand as the national anthem is performed during a season game. Four members of the team lived in New York when the Twin Towers fell. SPORTS EDITOR ASST. SPORTS EDITOR SPORTS DESIGNER petersensports@gmail.com jonboldt@gmail.com gonzamatic@gmail.com MATT PETERSEN JONATHAN BOLDT ERIC GONZALEZ FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @UVU_SPORTSDESK |