GRAMBLING, LA — The Tigers make their way back home this week — finally, and not at all too soon.
Grambling coach Doug Williams hasn't been particularly pleased with his team's — especially his offense's — performances in its past two games.
He's hoping some home-cooking will be just the remedy to rebound against visiting Alabama A&M (1-2, 0-1) and start moving forward again in SWAC play.
"It's certainly a good time to get back on track, and that's at home," he said. "Alabama A&M had a big win for them to beat Tuskegee who has been like a thorn in the side to some of the schools in the SWAC, but the good part about it, it's home. We get a chance to recoup, and hopefully the guys realize in order to do what we've set out to do we've got to compete every week, every minute, every second. There ain't no time to let up, and it ain't over until it's over."
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Saturday, September 24, 2011
XU's Kirk tames Lady Tigers with 13 kills, .650 percentage
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Moira Kirk produced 13 kills and a .650 attack percentage Friday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-12, 25-12, 25-10 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against Edward Waters.
The Gold Nuggets (8-2 overall, 3-0 GCAC) won their seventh in a row to extend a school record and moved a half-match ahead of Tougaloo in the conference.
Kirk had no attack errors for the first time this season. She hit .600 or better in a match for the third time, and for the first time she reached double figures in kills in consecutive matches. Kirk had 12 kills in a three-set sweep of Talladega earlier in the afternoon.
Xavier never trailed in any of the three sets, and first-year coach Christabell Hamilton used 11 of 12 players in the rout. Freshmen Kia Smith and Morgan Stallings both produced their first two kills of the season. Stallings also recorded her first block.
Starting setter Patrice Hightower did not play after the first set, and kills leader Taylor Reuther sat out the third. Alexandra Rencher had 16 assists and Smith seven in relief of Hightower.
Jeanay Butler served a season-best four aces and finished with a XU-best seven for the day.
Xavier closed the first set with a 12-4 run, had a 9-1 run in the second set and scored 11 of the first 12 points in the third. Edward Waters (2-10, 0-2) did not produce a kill until the 16th rally.
Xavier hit .275. It was the third straight match the Gold Nuggets hit .200 or higher, the first time that's happened since Xavier reinstated the program a year ago. The Nuggets had a 9-1 advantage in aces, including Celeste Poe's two and one apiece from Hightower, Rencher and Reuther.
Xavier will conclude its GCAC series at Talladega with an 8 a.m. Saturday match against Fisk, which led 5-2 and 9-5 in its fifth set against Tougaloo before losing 15-13. Fisk rallied from a 2-sets-to-none deficit.
NOTES: The Lady Tigers were Xavier's first neutral-site opponent of the season . . . It's the third time in Xavier's four seasons that the Nuggets won twice in one day. The other times were Sept. 11, 2004, and last Nov. 12 during the opening day of the GCAC Tournament . . . The Nuggets have won 10 consecutive sets and 21 of their last 23.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: GCAC
The Gold Nuggets (8-2 overall, 3-0 GCAC) won their seventh in a row to extend a school record and moved a half-match ahead of Tougaloo in the conference.
Kirk had no attack errors for the first time this season. She hit .600 or better in a match for the third time, and for the first time she reached double figures in kills in consecutive matches. Kirk had 12 kills in a three-set sweep of Talladega earlier in the afternoon.
Xavier never trailed in any of the three sets, and first-year coach Christabell Hamilton used 11 of 12 players in the rout. Freshmen Kia Smith and Morgan Stallings both produced their first two kills of the season. Stallings also recorded her first block.
Starting setter Patrice Hightower did not play after the first set, and kills leader Taylor Reuther sat out the third. Alexandra Rencher had 16 assists and Smith seven in relief of Hightower.
Jeanay Butler served a season-best four aces and finished with a XU-best seven for the day.
Xavier closed the first set with a 12-4 run, had a 9-1 run in the second set and scored 11 of the first 12 points in the third. Edward Waters (2-10, 0-2) did not produce a kill until the 16th rally.
Xavier hit .275. It was the third straight match the Gold Nuggets hit .200 or higher, the first time that's happened since Xavier reinstated the program a year ago. The Nuggets had a 9-1 advantage in aces, including Celeste Poe's two and one apiece from Hightower, Rencher and Reuther.
Xavier will conclude its GCAC series at Talladega with an 8 a.m. Saturday match against Fisk, which led 5-2 and 9-5 in its fifth set against Tougaloo before losing 15-13. Fisk rallied from a 2-sets-to-none deficit.
NOTES: The Lady Tigers were Xavier's first neutral-site opponent of the season . . . It's the third time in Xavier's four seasons that the Nuggets won twice in one day. The other times were Sept. 11, 2004, and last Nov. 12 during the opening day of the GCAC Tournament . . . The Nuggets have won 10 consecutive sets and 21 of their last 23.By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: GCAC
TSU quarterback Smalls big on answering the bell
Houston, TX - Texas Southern quarterback Riko Smalls had to wait three weeks after the start of summer camp before he could practice with the team. He didn't have to wait nearly as long to see game action.
Smalls, a junior, was pressed into punting duty during the Tigers' Sept. 10 season opener against Prairie View A&M after starter Francois Ejiofor was benched for disciplinary reasons. He saw his first snaps at quarterback last weekend, filling in for injured starter Dantavious Parker against Texas College.
Small (6-2, 185) will make his third career start today against Alcorn State and likely remain the No. 1 quarterback for the near future with Parker expected to miss three to four weeks after undergoing left knee surgery Monday.
It's a remarkable reversal of fortune for Smalls, who missed ...
Alcorn State vs. Texas Southern
When/where: 1 p.m.; Delmar Stadium.
TV/radio: None; 90.9 FM.
Records: Alcorn State 1-2, 1-2 SWAC; Texas Southern 1-1, 0-1 SWAC.
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Smalls, a junior, was pressed into punting duty during the Tigers' Sept. 10 season opener against Prairie View A&M after starter Francois Ejiofor was benched for disciplinary reasons. He saw his first snaps at quarterback last weekend, filling in for injured starter Dantavious Parker against Texas College.
Small (6-2, 185) will make his third career start today against Alcorn State and likely remain the No. 1 quarterback for the near future with Parker expected to miss three to four weeks after undergoing left knee surgery Monday.
It's a remarkable reversal of fortune for Smalls, who missed ...
Alcorn State vs. Texas Southern
When/where: 1 p.m.; Delmar Stadium.
TV/radio: None; 90.9 FM.
Records: Alcorn State 1-2, 1-2 SWAC; Texas Southern 1-1, 0-1 SWAC.
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XU wins again in first of three GCAC matches at Talladega
TALLADEGA, Ala. — Taylor Reuther had 17 kills Friday, and Chinedu Echebelem and Moira Kirk had 12 apiece to lead Xavier UniversIty of Louisiana in a 25-19, 25-11, 25-16 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against Talladega.
The Gold Nuggets (7-2 overall, 2-0 GCAC) extended their school-record win streak to six in a row.
Reuther had seven kills and nine digs during a first set in which Xavier rallied from a 6-2 deficit. A Reuther kill put the Nuggets ahead to stay at 13-12, and she scored Xavier's final three points of the set with kills.
Xavier led 18-7 in the second set and 17-7 in the third. Kirk and Echebelem closed the match with free-ball kills.
Reuther hit 417 and finished with 14 digs in her fifth kill-dig double-double of the season — Xavier recorded just three in 37 matches in 2010 — and her third in a row. Celeste Poe had 12 digs to reach double digures for the fifth time this season.
Shalitha Swain led Talladega (5-7, 0-1) with six kills. Xavier had 46 kills, twice as many as the Lady Tornadoes, and hit .238 with six aces. Jeanay Butler, who entered the match with one ace this season, served a season-best three aces for the Nuggets.
Kerris Crier led Xavier with four blocks — her fifth consecutive match with three or more — and Kirk and Butler had three apiece.
Talladega is playing host to 13 GCAC matches Friday and Saturday involving six of the league's eight members. Xavier will play Edward Waters at 5 p.m. Friday, then return home after an 8 a.m. Saturday match against Fisk.
NOTES: Xavier has swept five of six opponents during its win streak . . . Reuther recorded her fourth straight match with 10 or more digs and leads Xavier with six . . . Reuther's 17 kills are the most by a Nugget in a three-set match since Xavier reinstated volleyball in 2010. Reuther had 20 kills in the Nuggets' other GCAC match, a five-set home victory against SUNO this past Saturday.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: GCAC
The Gold Nuggets (7-2 overall, 2-0 GCAC) extended their school-record win streak to six in a row.
Reuther had seven kills and nine digs during a first set in which Xavier rallied from a 6-2 deficit. A Reuther kill put the Nuggets ahead to stay at 13-12, and she scored Xavier's final three points of the set with kills.
Xavier led 18-7 in the second set and 17-7 in the third. Kirk and Echebelem closed the match with free-ball kills.
Reuther hit 417 and finished with 14 digs in her fifth kill-dig double-double of the season — Xavier recorded just three in 37 matches in 2010 — and her third in a row. Celeste Poe had 12 digs to reach double digures for the fifth time this season.
Shalitha Swain led Talladega (5-7, 0-1) with six kills. Xavier had 46 kills, twice as many as the Lady Tornadoes, and hit .238 with six aces. Jeanay Butler, who entered the match with one ace this season, served a season-best three aces for the Nuggets.
Kerris Crier led Xavier with four blocks — her fifth consecutive match with three or more — and Kirk and Butler had three apiece.
Talladega is playing host to 13 GCAC matches Friday and Saturday involving six of the league's eight members. Xavier will play Edward Waters at 5 p.m. Friday, then return home after an 8 a.m. Saturday match against Fisk.
NOTES: Xavier has swept five of six opponents during its win streak . . . Reuther recorded her fourth straight match with 10 or more digs and leads Xavier with six . . . Reuther's 17 kills are the most by a Nugget in a three-set match since Xavier reinstated volleyball in 2010. Reuther had 20 kills in the Nuggets' other GCAC match, a five-set home victory against SUNO this past Saturday.
By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: GCAC
Game preview: Alabama State at Jackson State
When: 4 p.m. today
Where: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Miss.
Records: ASU (2-1, 2-0 SWAC); Jackson State (3-0, 1-0 SWAC)
On the air: TV -- none; Radio -- WVAS-FM 90.7
FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY
1. Jackson State ranks second in the conference in total defense, in part because of a solid defensive front that makes the Tigers a formidable group against both the run and the pass.
"They're huge in the middle," Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow said. "That's going to be a big challenge being able to run the ball on these guys. We haven't rushed the ball particularly well anyway and now you've got a big stout defensive front with big linebackers. We're going to have to create some other running opportunities."
2. The Hornets had their hands full last year trying to defend Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault, and they'll face the same daunting task again today.
"He's about as good as we've seen over the last few years in the conference," Barlow noted. "He's a pinpoint passer and has some receivers to throw to. They've got a real good scheme. It's patented for him. We're really going to have to be on top of things as far as coverage to have a chance of success against them."
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Where: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Jackson, Miss.
Records: ASU (2-1, 2-0 SWAC); Jackson State (3-0, 1-0 SWAC)
On the air: TV -- none; Radio -- WVAS-FM 90.7
FOUR-DOWN TERRITORY
1. Jackson State ranks second in the conference in total defense, in part because of a solid defensive front that makes the Tigers a formidable group against both the run and the pass.
"They're huge in the middle," Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow said. "That's going to be a big challenge being able to run the ball on these guys. We haven't rushed the ball particularly well anyway and now you've got a big stout defensive front with big linebackers. We're going to have to create some other running opportunities."
2. The Hornets had their hands full last year trying to defend Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault, and they'll face the same daunting task again today.
"He's about as good as we've seen over the last few years in the conference," Barlow noted. "He's a pinpoint passer and has some receivers to throw to. They've got a real good scheme. It's patented for him. We're really going to have to be on top of things as far as coverage to have a chance of success against them."
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Friday, September 23, 2011
Florida A&M LB student of game
Atlanta, GA - Football is a game of hard hits and emotion, and through it all Florida A&M linebacker Demarius Folsom gleams a big, bright smile. A smile that coaches in the past may not have approved of. However, don’t be fooled by the fifth-year senior’s pleasant demeanor.
He is a down-to-business, fierce competitor. This was evident in Florida A&M’s 23-17 loss to Hampton on Sept. 8. After fellow starter Alvis Graham — the mainstay of the defense with 190 tackles in three seasons — left in the first quarter of that game with a knee injury that will lead to him missing the remainder of the season, the departure created a massive hole in the linebacking corps.
A void that Folsom gladly plugged in. “It became a lot more personal for me,” Folsom said. “Seeing him go down, I had to step up, and the coach looked to me. I had to put on my hard hat and go to work.”
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Georgia key territory for FAMU, Southern
Southern linebacker Franchot West was thrilled to make his first start last weekend, albeit in a crushing 28-24 home loss against Jackson State. This week, he’s even more excited. He’s going home. See, he grew up in Stone Mountain, Ga. It’s not a stone’s throw from Atlanta, but it’s not much farther.
West pulled for Michael Vick, Keith Brooking and the hometown Falcons. He’s even played football a few times in the Georgia Dome.
“Park ball. I played down there on the field a couple of times with my park-ball team,” West said. “You know how they do the halftimes at the NFL games, where they bring the little teams on the field to play? We were the show. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play in the dome when I was in high school, for a state championship.”
At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, in the same building where West once dreamed of playing, Southern (1-2) and Florida A&M (1-2) will renew one of the longest and hottest rivalries in black college football. To the fan bases, it’s a little more important than a high school game, let alone park ball.
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He is a down-to-business, fierce competitor. This was evident in Florida A&M’s 23-17 loss to Hampton on Sept. 8. After fellow starter Alvis Graham — the mainstay of the defense with 190 tackles in three seasons — left in the first quarter of that game with a knee injury that will lead to him missing the remainder of the season, the departure created a massive hole in the linebacking corps.
A void that Folsom gladly plugged in. “It became a lot more personal for me,” Folsom said. “Seeing him go down, I had to step up, and the coach looked to me. I had to put on my hard hat and go to work.”
READ MORE
Georgia key territory for FAMU, Southern
Southern linebacker Franchot West was thrilled to make his first start last weekend, albeit in a crushing 28-24 home loss against Jackson State. This week, he’s even more excited. He’s going home. See, he grew up in Stone Mountain, Ga. It’s not a stone’s throw from Atlanta, but it’s not much farther.
West pulled for Michael Vick, Keith Brooking and the hometown Falcons. He’s even played football a few times in the Georgia Dome.
“Park ball. I played down there on the field a couple of times with my park-ball team,” West said. “You know how they do the halftimes at the NFL games, where they bring the little teams on the field to play? We were the show. Unfortunately, I couldn’t play in the dome when I was in high school, for a state championship.”
At 2:30 p.m. Saturday, in the same building where West once dreamed of playing, Southern (1-2) and Florida A&M (1-2) will renew one of the longest and hottest rivalries in black college football. To the fan bases, it’s a little more important than a high school game, let alone park ball.
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Air Force scrambles to replace its open date with Tennessee St.
 |
| Tennessee State Tigers Head Coach Rod Reed |
During February and March of this year, Trego, a senior associate athletic director, was telephoning, e-mailing and contacting everyone he knew to find an opponent to fill the Sept. 24 date on Air Force's 2011 football schedule.
The combination of BYU and Utah departing the Mountain West and only one school, Boise State, coming in left Air Force in need of a game.
"I shut my office door and started going through the phone directory trying to find a game," Trego said. "I just kept looking and looking and finally found Tennessee State with an open date. I've been involved in scheduling for 24 years, and that was the biggest challenge I've ever had."
In Nashville, officials at Tennessee State also were looking for a game. A matchup in the Atlanta Football Classic against Florida A&M had fallen through. The telephone call from Trego proved a blessing.
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