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Show UVU falls to Idaho State ThunderBol6 Jonathan Boldt Relationship killer Men are suckers and women are liars. Those two sweeping generalizations will only apply to this situation...for now. Imagine this conversation, for most guys it's more like remembering the last time this phrase was spoken on a date: "Oh that's cool, I love sports too!" Therein lies the false statements which suck men in. She is only ok with the idea of you liking sports not the actualities of college football marathons on Saturdays, NFL Sundays, Monday Night Football and the local high school games on Friday. While she may enjoy sporting activities and the occasional big game, the inundation of the 24/7 Sports Center world can be more than a thorn in the side of a relationship — it can be the final nail in the coffin. There is an equation that will quell these fears and give sports fanatics an opportunity to have their cake and eat it too. It's called the happy wife quotient represented by q+t=x*3. In other words, quality plus time equals activities that she likes to do times 3. In order to maintain the relationship, and the one with her too — it's all about putting in the work leading up to game day and must be done at a three to one ratio. College students are familiar with this idea, for every hour of class there should be three hours of studying. It sounds intimidating and unrealistic at times but when applied, tests become easier and more guilt free sports viewing is enjoyed. This next word problem will help those who struggle with numbers. Sunday is the Super Bowl and Jonny's favorite team is playing. Jonny has a Jennie that likes to spend time with him and she is not into sports. Counting the pre-game and post-game Jonny plans to watch five hours of coverage. How many hours of quality time does he need to spend with her during the week to satisfy the happy wife quotient? Answer: 15 hours. This may sound like a lot and in reality it adds up to a moderate sized internship. But the beauty of sports is that the schedule is laid out in advance and will never leave you waiting in car in sub-zero temperatures to warm it up for them. Jonny finds out two weeks before the game that his team will be playing for the championship and instantly realizes that like the team, he too has hard work to do before the big game. Knowing this he can visualize the hours spreading out over the next two weeks and falling on the calendar with two hours at Target on Tuesday, an hour apiece at TJ Max and Ross, and not to mention three hours meandering through the mall going from store to store on Thursday. All of a sudden date night on Friday changes from Texas Road House and a round of mini golf to Chinese takeout and You've Got Mail again. The intense feelings of pure joy when your team wins, is the closest thing to experiencing heaven on earth, next to her of course. The high this event produces and merely a shot at glory gives men the strength to window-shop, peruse the dollar section merchandise, and debate the pros and cons of a new hamper. It must be true that anything worth doing is worth doing right. If that is a true principal then putting in the cross training of relationships and sports can be a synergized relationship saver. Photo by Shane Mayott/UVU Review Chelsey Heaps leads the team in kills, but will need others to draw the defense's attention if the Wolverines hope to reach their potential. Volleyball B3 the importance of being consistent regardless of the level of play," Atoa said. "That can always be and has been a challenge in trying to play at our level, especially if our opponent we're competing against is not quite at that level." The Wolverines recent road trip may have provided a necessary dose of humility Heading into last Saturday's region opener at North Dakota, UVU had gone 4-4 on an eight-game road swing after starting the season 6-2. Superlative play from middle blocker Erica Nish (GWC Player of the Week) and sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Barker was tempered by lack of execution and a rough stretch from Chelsey Heaps. The senior outside hitter leads the team in kills and attempts as the offense's number one option, but isn't converting at the rate she did in 2010 (.137 compared to .190). Atoa hopes the continued good play of Nish, Barker and Jaicee Kuresa on the outside will free up Heaps in conference play. "Just like football where you have to run the ball, you can't survive on just outside hitters, just like you can't just keep launching the [football]," Atoa said. "There has to be a balanced attack, a good working relationship in the middle and with those on the outside. I think we're doing that. Chelsey in some number of games has not played well for one reason or another, however she's somebody that never quits." Quitting may not be an option for the Wolverines, but letdowns in conference play left them short of conference titles the last two years. Atoa admits UVU has been tempted to let their guard down when playing Houston Baptist and North Dakota after facing the likes of Michigan, Syracuse and St. Mary's. This year, he has implored the team to focus on themselves more than the opposition. "It's tough, it really is," Atoa said. "However, it is what we expect to be better at and what we hope to be better at this year, regardless of who we're playing. That's the challenge of playing some very good competition early in the year, and then during conference it just drops a little bit. We have to be able to know how to deal with that. We have to be the better team. The last couple years we have not been the better team in doing what we need to do during the conference season and the tournament." Key Performer VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS* Overall GWC Team WL WL Houston Baptist 13 5 1 0 Utah Valley North Dakota Chicago State NJIT UTPA 10 6 0 0 113 0 114 0 5 11 0 4 13 1 0 1 1 0 *as of Friday, Sept. 30 .... ,• Upcoming Volleyball Schedule Ji 1o 10/01 @ North Dakota JAICEE KURESA 3GAMES di q BLOCKS IL 36 KILLS ,342 kill pct. 10/6 vs. Chicago State 7pm * 10/8 vs. NJIT fpm* *indicates home match POCATELLO, Idaho Utah Valley found itself on the wrong end of the scoreboard in a very tightly contest threeset match at Idaho State Sept. 24 as it fell 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 33-31) to the Bengals (8-6). "I was very disappointed with our effort," UVU head coach Sam Atoa said. "We came and played hard and had chances but we were not the better team. Idaho State proved that as they took it to us." Despite the loss Sarah Clement had an outstanding match for UVU as she put up a team-high 14 kills, hit. 524 and added five block assists. McKenna Tait and Rachel Anderson too had nice matches as they both finished in double digits in digs as Tait had 16 and Anderson had 12. The first set stayed close in the beginning and the Wolverines trailed by just two at 13-11 following a Katie Fritzler kill. The Bengals then enjoyed a 6-0 run to take a 19-11 advantage. In the second set the Bengals continued to play well early on as they jumped out to a 10-5 lead. Following a Clement and Chelsey Heaps block assist, the Wolverines later found themselves down by just a point at 13-12. ISU responded however and later extended its lead to four at 20-16. ISU's Danielle Downs helped the Bengals take the set by scoring the next point via a kill After a Clement kill the Wolverines later tied the score in the third set at 19-all. The Bengals then rallied and tied the score at 23 after a Vanessa Muir kill Both teams then matched one another seemingly point-for-point as the set continued past 30 points. ISU finally pulled ahead at 32-31 and won the epic set at 33-31 on a Downs kill "Today's outcome was not the direction we were hoping to be headed in." Atoa added. "I'm really concerned with what we're not doing especially when we are headed on the road to face the number one team. We are a good team but we just aren't executing and playing very well right now. So we have a lot of work to do to be prepared for next week." Wolverines look to make season-ending push Mens club team welcomes Boise State By KEVIN OLSEN Sports Writer Photo by Mike Fackrell/UVU Review Utah State has handed the men's soccer team their only losses on the season. The Wolverines will host Boise State next week. As the men's soccer club team approaches the middle of their season, the team holds confidence for themselves while also focusing on areas of improvement. UVU has shown themselves to be a strong team with home wins against Westminster College and a physical Salt Lake Community College, a team that is annually among the top three vying for the Northwest Regional Championship. UVU's record now stands at 3-2-0. The two losses have been against Utah State, which has proven to be UVU's biggest competitor this year. After a loss in Logan earlier to start the season, UVU hosted the Aggies last Saturday for another loss at 4-3. UVU has only two competitors left on the schedule this season they haven't already faced: Boise State University and Weber State University's A-team. Midfielder Cameron Brink has a solid feel for how the team will match up against other opponents; especially following the win against high-ranked SLCC. "I just really want to see how Weber's A-team plays," Brink said. "If we do well against them I think we have a good chance." Head coach Kemal Makasci believes Utah Valley will continue to succeed if they can improve on keeping control of the game and manipulate a stronger finish. Makasci would also like to see a full bench. UVU has been without forward Matt Tidwell, who was injured while playing Weber State's B-Team. "We have a finishing problem," Makasci said. "If we have a full team, I believe we have a 90 percent chance to beat the other team." Mario Lopez, an assistant captain, feels the same way. "I would like to see that we keep more possession of the game," Lopez said. "Regardless of the score, it's always nice to know that the game was at your feet and that you controlled most of the ball." For a college team, it's almost impossible to reach a point of pure comfort throughout the season. Makasci, however, feels they can get close if he can lead the team to improve their transitions from offence to defense, along with improving their substitutes to come out strong. UVU will play at home again Oct. 15 as they host Boise State University. |