XU's Howell, Flowers win first match at national tourney

Brion Flowers (L) and Kourtney Howell (R)

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Xavier University of Louisiana's Kourtney Howell and Brion Flowers defeated Westmont's Jessica Cedillo and Grace Davis 6-2, 7-5 Thursday in the opening round of the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.

Howell and Flowers, top-seeded in the NAIA women's doubles bracket, will play Lindsey Wilson's Jessica King and Alicia Rodriguez in the semifinals at 12:30 p.m. EDT Friday. King and Rodriguez upset SCAD Savannah's fourth-seeded Maria Barragan and Daniella Arcila 6-2, 6-1.

Howell and Flowers will play for the championship or in the third-place match at 5:30 p.m. Friday.

Howell and Flowers are 5-0 this fall and have won 15 of their last 17 matches dating to March of last season.

In the other first-round matches of this bracket, Evangel's second-seeded Amy Grossklag-Fritz and Jenna Elliott defeated Davenport's Alyssa Fuentes and Emily Spiech 6-4, 6-4, and Kristina Marova and Hui-I Huang of Embry-Riddle (Fla.) upset Oklahoma Baptist's third-seeded Kateryna Shkot and Anastasyia Baranova 3-6, 6-0, 1-0 (10-7).

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

TSU Looks for Sixth Straight Win at JSU

GAME NOTES | LIVE STATS | LISTEN LIVE | WATCH LIVE

 

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee State football team looks to record its second-ever victory against Jacksonville State when the two sides meet on Oct. 12 at 3 p.m.

 

The good news for TSU (5-1, 2-0 OVC), is that the Tigers are one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won their previous five contests by a combined score of 207-66.

 

In Big Blue’s most recent contest – a, 40-16, home win over Southeast Missouri – the defense held the Redhawks to 229 yards of total offense, 99 of which came on one play. Even with the long run, the stout defensive effort last Saturday pushed the Tigers to No. 1 in the Football Championship Subdivision in total defense (246.7 yards per game).

 

A big reason for the unit’s success is its play on third downs. Opposing offenses have only converted 21-of-78 third down attempts for a successful rate of just 26.9 percent. The stingy number ranks the Tigers sixth nationally.

 

The offense has also really picked it up after not scoring a single touchdown in the season opener against Bethune-Cookman. During the team’s current five-game winning streak, the Tigers have averaged 41.4 points and 222.4 rushing yards. Additionally, TSU quarterbacks have thrown 13 touchdowns in the stretch, and just three interceptions.

S

enior running back Tim Broughton has been the offense’s workhorse all year, and is second in the OVC in rushing yards with 549. Broughton has had help though, as his counterpart Telvin Hooks is fourth in the league with 381 yards.

 

TSU’s two-headed rushing attack has amassed seven touchdowns on the year including four the past two weeks. The duo has also gained 362 yards in those contests.

 

While the Tigers’ ground game has been solid during the past few games, Jacksonville State’s (5-1, 1-1 OVC) has been tops in the conference all season long (243.3 yards per game).

 

The Gamecocks are led by DeMarcus James who has 563 yards so far this season, and an impressive 10 touchdowns. Miles Jones (333 yards) and Troymaine Pope (327 yards) have helped out James in the rushing department as well.

 

JSU is coming off of a, 41-27, victory at then-ranked UT Martin. In that contest, junior quarterback Max Shortell threw for 226 yards and two touchdowns on14-for-25 passing with no interceptions, while freshman Josh Barge hauled in five passes for 114 yards.

 

TSU is 1-7 all-time in the conference clash and lost last year’s game, 31-28, in overtime. The three-point margin of victory is the smallest in the rivalry.

 

Big Blue will try to keep its winning streak going when the squad travels to Jacksonville State for a ranked matchup with the Gamecocks. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

 

 

Chemistry gives Jackson State run game boost

COACH RICK COMEGY

JACKSON, Mississippi -- For Rakeem Sims, one of the keys to Jackson State’s running game has been the chemistry between he and quarterback Clayton Moore.

“We talk a lot; we’re friends now,” the junior running back said. “Last year, we didn’t know each other. I didn’t start camp, so I didn’t know Clayton until August.

“We trust each other,” Sims added. “I know how to set my pocket up so he can pull it if he has to. Just chemistry, that’s the number one thing.”

Moore transferred to Jackson State (4-2, 4-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) last season and didn’t establish himself as a starter until the middle of the season.

Sims can see the results of the improved chemistry with the team’s latest success in the running game, which has carried the offense. In its last game, JSU rushed more than 300 yards en route to a 42-33 win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

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PVAMU Bowling Ranked 19th Nationally To Open 2013-14 Campaign

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas - With the 2013-14 season on the horizon, the Prairie View A&M bowling team will enter the season with high expectations once again as they open season ranked 19th nationally by The National Tenpin Coaches Association.

The reigning back-to-back SWAC Champions and the lone school from the conference ranked nationally, the Lady Panthers return four letterwinners from last year's squad in juniors Alexis Holmes, Sharita Turner and sophomores Ashle Reid and Brittney Wehmeier. In addition to head coach Glenn White's three returning letterwinners, the Lady Panthers will finally have the depth White has coveted as seven freshmen join the team this fall.

2013/14 NTCA Preseason Bowling Poll.pdf



With the foundation in place, White's goals from this point forward are for the Lady Panthers to become a contender on the national level week-in and week-out. With a limited number of spots available for the NCAA Bowling Championship, the Lady Panthers will have to rank high after each event in addition to tweaking their schedule for additional exposure.

In addition to their usual tournament schedule, the Lady Panthers will venture to the New Jersey Jamboree for the first time ever on Nov. 1 and battle a variety teams from the East Coast which should help tremendously in terms of competition, recruiting and exposure. Along with the New Jersey Jamboree on Nov. 1, the team will open the season in New Orleans, La. at Tulane on Oct. 18 followed by a trip to Valparaiso, Ind. for the Crusader Classic on Nov. 8.

Due to the change in date for the annual Sam Houston State Track-Kat Clash which normally took place in December, the Lady Panthers will have an extended break from that point and won't return to action until the SWAC West Round-up on Jan. 17 in Baton Rouge, La. The annual Prairie View A&M Invitational at the ITRC is slated for Jan. 31 in Arlington, Texas followed by the Track-Kat Clash on Feb. 14 in Houston for the first time ever. The SWAC East Round-up will take place in Jackson, Miss. on Feb. 21 followed by the Music City Classic in Smyrna, Tenn. on March 7 and the 2014 SWAC Championship on March 21 in Arlington, Texas at the ITRC.

"The team is very excited and eager to get started with the season," said White. "We have a great group of young ladies and they are working hard to get prepared. There is a lot of work to be done. Our goals are set high as we know it will not be easy to defend our conference championship but we are also focusing on competing on a national level. We feel it's attainable and we will follow our team motto, 'No Excuses--Make It Happen'."

COURTESY PRAIRIE VIEW A&M UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Week 7: HBCU Football Schedule and ScoreCard

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Thursday, October 10

South Carolina State at North Carolina Central, 7:30 PM, TV: ESPNU

Saturday, October 12

OVC
Tennessee State at Jacksonville State, 4 PM


SWAC
Prairie View A&M at Alabama State, 2 PM
Jackson State at Mississippi Valley State, 3PM
Grambling State vs. Alcorn State at Circle City Classic, Indianapolis, IN,  4 PM
Alabama A&M at Southern U., 7 PM
Texas Southern at Arkansas Pine Bluff, 7 PM

MEAC
South Carolina State at North Carolina Central, Thursday -7:30 PM, TV: ESPNU
Bethune-Cookman at Howard, 1 PM
North Carolina A&T at Hampton, 2 PM
Norfolk State at Delaware State, 2 PM
Florida A&M at Savannah State, 6 PM

CIAA
Virginia State at Elizabeth City State, 1 PM
Chowan at Bowie State, 1 PM
Johnson C. Smith at Winston-Salem State, 1:30 PM, (Homecoming)
Livingstone at Saint Augustine's, 2 PM
Virginia Union at Lincoln (Pa.), 2 PM
Shaw at Fayetteville State, 4 PM

SIAC
Miles at Central State (Ohio), 1:30 PM
Fort Valley State at Kentucky State, 1:30 PM
Albany State at Lane, 2 PM
Morehouse vs.Tuskegee at Columbus, GA,
      78th Annual Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic, 2 PM
Benedict at Stillman, 2:30 PM
College of Faith at Clark-Atlanta, 6 PM

OTHER CONFERENCES & INDEPENDENTS
Texas College at Oklahoma Panhandle State, 1 PM
Virginia University Lynchburg at Wesley, 1 PM
Cheyney at Kutztown, 1 PM
West Virginia State at West Virginia Wesleyan, 1 PM
Lincoln (Mo.) at Washburn, 2 PM
Concordia-Selma vs. Arkansas Baptist, Cross Road Classic, Prichard, AL, 3 PM
Edward Waters at Webber International, 5 PM

ALL GAME TIMES ARE SHOWN IN EASTERN TIME ZONE


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LIVE FOOTBALL TONIGHT ON ESPNU: South Carolina State Bulldogs at North Carolina Central Eagles

THE GAME
South Carolina State University "Bulldogs" vs. North Carolina Central University "Eagles"

GAME NOTES .pdf

THE KICKOFF
Thursday, October 10, 2013 – Kickoff at 7:30 p.m.

THE SITE
O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium (10,000 capacity/Mondoturf) - Durham, N.C.

THE RECORDS
S.C. State (4-2 overall, 2-0 MEAC); N.C. Central (3-2 overall, 1-0 MEAC)

MEDIA COVERAGE
Audio: NCCU Sports Network mobile app (iPhone, iPad, iPod, Android, Kindle Fire HD); "GameCentral" at NCCUEaglePride.com (audio internet stream). Broadcast starts at 7:00 p.m. (Chris Hooks, play-by-play; Joe Simmons, color analyst).

Television: ESPNU / ESPN3. Broadcast starts at 7:30 p.m. (Mark Neely, play-by-play; Jay Walker, color analyst)

QUICK HITS
• Battle of two unbeaten teams in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play.
• S.C. State's last visit to NCCU's O'Kelly-Riddick Stadium was in 1977 (Oct. 29).
• S.C. State has won seven of the last eight games against the Eagles, dating back to 1976. NCCU won last year's meeting 40-10 in the Circle City Classic.
• NCCU has won three of its last four contests, with its only setback during that time coming against No. 4 Towson (now No. 3 at 6-0).
• After losing to Coastal Carolina and Clemson to open the season, S.C. State has won four straight games by a combined score of 150-36.
• NCCU true freshman cornerback Michael Jones (Baltimore, Md.) is the national FCS leader with four interceptions and leads the MEAC with 10 total passes defended.
• NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster (Henderson, N.C.), who amassed 80 tackles in eight games last season, leads the MEAC with 58 tackles (6th in FCS).
• The last time NCCU played in an ESPNU contest, the Eagles beat Hampton 37-20 on Thursday, Oct. 18, 2012 in Durham, N.C.  NCCU linebacker Tazmon Foster made SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays with an 80-yard interception return for a touchdown.
• WHITE OUT - Fans are encouraged to wear white to the game in order to "White Out" the stadium for the ESPNU viewing audience.

THE SERIES
This will be the 21st football meeting between South Carolina State and NCCU since the two schools first played on Oct. 15, 1927. SCSU leads the series 11-9. The Bulldogs have won seven of the last eight match-ups dating back to 1976. In last season's meeting, NCCU snapped a seven-game losing skid to the Bulldogs by cruising to a 40-10 victory at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis.
Oct. 6, 2012 - NCCU 40, SCSU 10 (Indianapolis, Ind.)
Oct. 8, 2011 - SCSU 49, NCCU 38 (Orangeburg, S.C.)

LAST WEEK
(NCCU 37, Howard 28) NCCU used two special teams touchdowns and a season-high 215 rushing yards to earn a 37-28 road conference victory over Howard University on Saturday inside Greene Stadium in Washington, D.C.



(S.C. State 29, N.C. A&T 24) S.C. State redshirt senior quarterback Richard Cue threw for a game-high 236 yards and two touchdowns on 17-of-28 passing to lead the Bulldogs to a 29-24 victory over rival N.C. A&T in the Atlanta Football Classic at the Georgia Dome.

FOUR OF MEAC'S TOP DEFENDERS IN ACTION THURSDAY NIGHT
Four of the top defenders in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference will be on the same field Thursday night. NCCU senior linebacker Tazmon Foster leads the conference in tackles with 11.6 stops per game (58 total tackles). NCCU freshman cornerback Michael Jones tops the MEAC and is the national NCAA Division I-FCS leader with four interceptions, while also leading the conference with 10 passes defended. SCSU junior defensive end Andrew Carter leads the league with 11.5 tackles for a loss and 8.5 sacks. Bulldogs senior linebacker Joe Thomas tops the conference in total tackles with 62, including 8.5 hits for a loss with 3.0 sacks.

COURTESY NORTH CAROLINA CENTRAL UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

ASU Coaching Staff Sees More Than Offense in Prairie View

MONTGOMERY, Alabama  -- If you sit back and look at Alabama State's next opponent on the gridiron, Prairie View, the first thing that would jump out at you is the amount of points they have put on the scoreboard in jumping out to a 4-2 record, but the Hornets coaching staff sees more than their offense.

"Defensively they have given up some points," Head Coach Reggie Barlow said. "They still have a good group of linebackers and the defensive line position that are playing fast and with a lot of confidence. Our offense will have to be ready to play against them."

They held Texas Southern to 13 points and Grambling State to three points in two of their conference wins. So they have the ability to shut their opposition's offense down.

Raheem Cardwell leads the Panthers defense with 58 total hits (37 solo). Jerome Howard causes a lot of havoc in the backfield as he leads the team with nine stops behind the line of scrimmage and 2.5 sacks.

"Their defense is playing fast and running to the ball," Barlow said. "They are also causing a lot of turnovers which has helped their offense score. We must go into the game knowing we have to take care of the ball against their defense because it could be that kind of game."

PVAUM puts a lot of pressure on the quarterback and enters the game third in the conference in sacks with 15. They are tied with ASU for second in the SWAC in interceptions with seven.

The kickoff for Saturday's SWAC showdown will be at 1 p.m. in New ASU Stadium. The game can be watched live on Hornet Vision on bamastatesports.com, and can be listened to live on WVAS FM 90.7.

COURTESY ALABAMA STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Tennessee Statre Men's Basketball to Play Belmont on ESPNU

BRENTWOOD, Tennessee – On Wednesday, the Ohio Valley Conference announced that the Tennessee State men’s basketball team will play at least one contest on the ESPN family of networks during the 2013-14 season.

TSU will be showcased on ESPNU on Feb. 13 when the team travels to Belmont for an intra-city matchup with the Bruins. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 8 p.m. (CT).

The full list of OVC on ESPN schedule includes seven total men's basketball games (four regular season contests and three OVC Tournament games) that will appear on one of the networks during the season. Each of the regular season games and the OVC Tournament semifinals will air live on ESPNU.

The OVC Tournament championship game will air on ESPN2 at 6:00 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 8. The tournament will be held at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn.

The package is part of a five-year agreement with ESPN. The new deal runs through the completion of the 2017-18 season and also includes a minimum of eight football games to be carried on ESPN3 annually as well as the ability for the OVC to receive additional national exposure.

“We are delighted to maintain our relationship with ESPN, the proven worldwide leader in sports,” said Beth DeBauche, OVC Commissioner. “This new deal is the foundation of a more comprehensive media approach for men’s basketball that includes additional national and regional exposure.”

The first live game event telecast on ESPNU, launched on March 4, 2005, was a Southeast Missouri State/Eastern Kentucky OVC Tournament semifinal which followed a live College GameDay telecast from Oklahoma State. The 24-hour college sports television network airs more than 650 live events annually. ESPNU is available nationwide in approximately 75 million households and has long-term carriage agreements with all 10 of the top multichannel TV providers - Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox, DirecTV (Channel 208), DISH Network (Channel 141), Mediacom, Time Warner Cable, Verizon FiOS TV and AT&T U-verse.

A complete television schedule with additional national and regional exposure will be released soon.

2013-14 OVC ESPN Television Schedule

Thursday, January 16
Belmont at Eastern Kentucky 7:00 p.m. ET (6:00 p.m. CT) (ESPNU)

Thursday, February 6
Murray State at Belmont, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Saturday, February 8
Morehead State at Eastern Kentucky, 11:00 a.m. ET (ESPNU)

Thursday, February 13
Tennessee State at Belmont, 8:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Friday, March 7
OVC Tournament Semifinal #1, 6:30 p.m. CT (ESPNU)
OVC Tournament Semifinal #2, 9:00 p.m. CT (ESPNU)

Saturday, March 8
OVC Tournament Championship, 6:00 p.m. CT (ESPN2)

 

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

J.C. Smith trying to get where WSSU has been

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina -- Johnson C. Smith has a thin history of football supremacy in the CIAA — one conference championship in 101 years, in 1969.

Coach Steve Aycock is trying to change that.

The Golden Bulls — rarely consistent winners — showed a glimpse of what they could become last season with a second-place finish in the CIAA’s Southern Division. They recovered from a 63-7 flattening by Winston-Salem State to win their final four games, and they’re 4-1 this season (2-1 CIAA) and coming off a 49-10 victory against Lincoln (Pa.).

Aycock and his more experienced Bulls will get another crack against WSSU, ranked 16th in Division II and the two-time defending CIAA champion, at 1:30 Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.

"We’re excited about the challenge,” said Aycock, who is in his fifth season. “You try and tell the kids that it’s a big game because it’s our next game, but this one is different for a lot of reasons.”

The Rams-Bulls rivalry is one of the best in the CIAA ...

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Turning an $11.8 Million deficit into a $5.8 million surplus: Cal U. cuts back on spending, saves millions

Officials cite university as budget example for State System schools

CALIFORNIA, Pennsylvania -- Channel-surfing college football fans may notice one area team missing from this fall's TV lineup.

California University of Pennsylvania decided it no longer could justify spending up to $150,000 a season to produce and broadcast games played by its Division II Vulcans football team -- not with classroom cuts looming.

Suddenly frugal Cal U also pared service on its Vulcan Flyer, a shuttle named for the school's mascot that used to leave campus stops every 10 minutes. Students now wait a bit longer, saving Cal U half a million dollars.

Still more money -- another $1.6 million -- was recouped by telling campus departments to return unspent money at year's end, suspending a practice that had let them amass surpluses, even in years that the university tapped reserves to balance its books.

These are a few of the ways, big and small, that a university once slammed for excessive spending managed in months to turn an $11.8 million deficit into a $5.8 million surplus. It enabled interim Cal U President Geraldine Jones to do this fall what some university presidents across the State System of Higher Education could not: pledge no professor layoffs.

State System officials have said Cal U's situation is not necessarily applicable to the 13 other member universities.

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Jackson State presses for SWAC perfection

JACKSON, Mississippi -- When Jackson State hit the practice field Tuesday, it added another goal to its list: Go undefeated in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Coach Rick Comegy said his players mentioned it that morning. After falling in the SWAC championship game a year ago, the Tigers (4-2, 4-0) have had their eyes on returning to the SWAC Championship this season.

If the Tigers keep their record unblemished, it would be the first time under Comegy, who is in his eighth season. He said his team doesn’t feel pressured by the 4-0 league record.

“They enjoy that,” Comegy said. “We were picked second in the conference, and to be able to put yourself in this situation right now (and) trying to show everybody, ‘well, you can picked us second, but here we are now.’

“That’s a drive right for them. Alabama State was picked ahead of us, and we beat them.”

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Morgan State football used old-school discipline to reduce turnovers and penalties

BALTIMORE, Maryland -- Junior quarterback Seth Higgins (Edgewood) combined for 246 passing and rushing yards and two touchdowns, and junior middle linebacker Cody Acker returned an interception 19 yards for a score in Morgan State’s 34-21 win against Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference foe Florida A&M on Saturday. But another factor (or two) in the team’s first victory of the year involved turnovers and penalties.

The Bears (1-5, 1-1 MEAC) did not turn the ball over against the Rattlers (1-4, 0-1), the first time this season the team did not give the ball away. The performance follwed a four-turnover showing in a 27-21 loss to Norfolk State on Sept. 28.

Asked Tuesday how Morgan State was able to protect the football, coach Donald Hill-Eley said: "Probably about 30 sprints on Sunday {after the lose to Norfolk State}. Sometimes you can talk to them, but every now and then, you've got to light the fire. We continue to tell them, "Protect the ball, protect the ball, protect the ball." Now you bring attention to it with instruction and practice. Then sometimes the rubber's got to meet the road on these kids. They have to be made important to them, and they had a great conditioning session that Sunday after turning the ball over."

The Bears also trimmed down their...

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United States District Court Rules That Maryland Violated Constitutional Rights At Maryland’s HBCU Schools

BALTIMORE, Maryland - In a historic, 60-page decision, Federal District Judge Catherine Blake ruled yesterday that Maryland has violated the constitutional rights of students at Maryland’s four Historically Black Institutions (HBIs), or Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), by unnecessarily duplicating their programs at nearby white institutions, a practice that begin during the era of de jure segregation.

The plaintiffs in the case, which was filed in 2006 and tried in 2012, are students and alumni from the four HBIs: Bowie State University, Coppin State University, Morgan State University, and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.

DISTRICT COURT DECISION ON Civil No. CCB-06-2773

The district court found that the lack of unique, high demand program has a segregative effect at HBIs and prevents the HBIs from attracting students of all races. The court noted that Maryland’s HBIs have only 11 unique high demand programs while the traditionally white institutions have 122.

The court also faulted Maryland for undermining the few unique, high demand programs at the HBIs, such as Morgan State University’s MBA program and Bowie’s State University’s Masters in Computer Science.

Rather than work to build up those programs, Maryland established competing programs at nearby white institutions, which caused the program enrollment at the HBIs to plummet. Judge Blake found Maryland’s conduct in undermining HBIs through unnecessary program duplication to be “comparable to, and in some cases more pronounced than, the duplication found in Mississippi” in a Supreme Court case from two decades ago.

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NCCU to host tough S.C. State on ESPNU Thursday night

DURHAM, North Carolina — N.C. Central bucked tradition a year ago and took it to S.C. State in a 40-10 win on a big stage.

The Bulldogs for years marked their territory in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference with league championships and appearances in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.

In 2012, NCCU was in the FCS for just its second season, yet at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, the Eagles made a statement with a 30-point, second-quarter explosion to win the Circle City Classic “We played them last year in Indianapolis, and they embarrassed us there,” S.C. State coach Buddy Pough said. “They beat us really badly.”

It’s not like the Bulldogs never had been taken to the woodshed.

“I’ve had some good butt cuttings in my time, now,” Pough said. But that spanking from NCCU was especially memorable.

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XU Nuggets win at SUNO for sole possession of GCAC lead

Chinedu Echebelem

Taylor Reuther

NEW ORLEANS -- Taylor Reuther and Chinedu Echebelem had 12 kills apiece Tuesday, and Moira Kirk had a season-high nine blocks to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to a 25-18, 26-24, 23-25, 25-20 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's volleyball victory against SUNO at The Castle.

The victory was the seventh in a row for the Gold Nuggets (13-7, 5-0), who snapped the eight-match win streak of the Lady Knights (10-7, 6-1) and grabbed sole possession of first place in the conference. Xavier has won 27 consecutive GCAC regular-season matches and 33 straight against GCAC opponents -- 25 in the regular season, eight in the tournament.

Reuther (21 digs) and Echebelem (12) both recorded double-doubles. It was Reuther's 14th double-double of 2013 -- the most in a season by an XU player since the program resumed in 2010 -- and the 37th of her career. Echebelem has five double-doubles this season and 13 in her career.

Kirk's blocks were one less than her career best of a year ago. She has recorded at least one block in 74-of-80 XU matches.

Xavier rallied from a 21-17 deficit to win the second set, but the Gold Nuggets kept SUNO in the match by losing a 19-14 lead in the third. Two Echebelem kills and two by Kirk helped Xavier end the match after a fourth-set tie at 18.

Moira Kirk

Kirk had nine kills, and teammates Claudia Haywood and Jodi Hill had seven apiece. CeCe Williams had 17 digs, Franziska Pirkl 16 and Jodi Chatters 12
for Xavier. Pirkl had 41 assists in her fifth double-double of the season and 10th of her career.

Delores Tyler had 12 kills, Sabrina Scott 11 and Jana Reininghaus 10 for SUNO. Ana Privat had 23 digs.

Xavier outhit SUNO .237 to .114.

"We worked through a lot of inconsistencies and errors throughout the night," XU coach Hannah Lawing said."Although we made some mistakes, we did a good job at controlling our energy and attitude. We put up a really great block for our defense to work around, and we served tough. Winning is great, but we still have work to do."

Xavier's next match will start at 1 p.m. Saturday against GCAC opponent Philander Smith in Little Rock, Ark. The Gold Nuggets would tie the school record for consecutive victories by beating the Lady Panthers.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS 
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

Alabama A&M football outlook for this week's game with Southern

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama - Here's this week's "Mondays with Anthony," all you need to know and more about Alabama A&M football:

This week: Alabama A&M (2-4, 2-2 in the SWAC) at Southern (2-3, 2-1 in the SWAC), 6 p.m., A.W. Munford Stadium, Baton Rouge, La.
 
Last week: Alabama A&M lost 28-9 to previously unbeaten Mississippi Valley State at homecoming. The Bulldogs completed only 4-for-22 passes for 77 yards and had 125 yards in penalties. The loss all but eliminated A&M for contention for the SWAC East title.
 
Saturday's standouts: Tailback Barrington Scott rushed 22 times for 159 yards.



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Jackson State living on the edge with close games

JACKSON, Mississippi  -- Jackson State coach Rick Comegy expects another tough one this weekend.

After a back-and-forth game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last Saturday, Comegy said Mississippi Valley State will pose a similar threat this week.

MVSU (1-4, 1-2 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is coming off its first win of the season after spoiling Alabama A&M’s homecoming with a 28-9 win. That — along with the in-state rivalry — are part of why Comegy isn’t taking the Delta Devils lightly.

“When you go up there and you come out with a win against them (Alabama A&M), it shows the talent that Valley has,” Comegy said. “They come out each year and get stronger and better.

“You hope one day when you can play a game where they can sit back and have a cup of coffee. But that’s just not happening for us right now.”

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Xavier's Gauthier chosen to preseason All-GCAC team

Paige Gauthier

NEW ORLEANS — Paige Gauthier is Xavier University of Louisiana's lone representative on the 2013-14 preseason All-Gulf Coast Athletic Conference women's basketball team.
    
Gauthier, a 5-foot-6 senior guard from Lake Charles, La., and a graduate of St. Louis Catholic High School, averaged 7.5 points and 4.9 rebounds per game last season. She led the Gold Nuggets with 64 assists, shared the team lead in rebounding and ranked second with 26 3-pointers made.
    
Also named preseason All-GCAC were Edward Waters junior forward Amber Antoine, Philander Smith sophomore center Rubyunnia McHenry and junior forward Jerrica Scott, Tougaloo senior guard Portia Craft and senior forward Chasity Kearney, Fisk senior guard Janine Davis, Dillard sophomore forward Alena Evans, Talladega senior guard Arielle George, Voorhees senior foward Amber Johnson and SUNO senior center Sabrina Scott and guard/forward Marquetta Stoker.
    
Xavier, 24-6 last season and the three-time defending GCAC regular-season champion, will play its opener at 6 p.m. on Nov. 2 against Langston in Grand Prairie, Texas. The venue will be South Grand Prairie High School's Warrior Coliseum. The first home game will start at 4 p.m. on Nov. 9 against Spring Hill in the Convocation Center.

By Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

WSSU Rams have rivalry game J.C. Smith, homecoming ahead

WINSTON-SALEM, North Carolina  --  No. 16 Winston-Salem State is in the middle of one of its best times of the football season — homecoming week with a game Saturday against its biggest rival, Johnson C. Smith.

And in the age of Twitter and Facebook, it didn’t take long for both sides to start some good-natured trash talking.

There were some pointed comments made Monday night in Charlotte, at a WSSU-J.C. Smith volleyball match. There also were tweets about how the Golden Bulls were going to beat the Rams in volleyball and follow with a football victory Saturday at Bowman Gray Stadium.

Coach Connell Maynor of WSSU is taking it all in stride.

"People have been tweeting since we got here, and during the week, those other schools tweet that they are going to beat us and all of that,” Maynor said. “So that’s nothing new, and they tweet that our backs aren’t that good, our receivers aren’t that good, and our defense isn’t that good.

"But then they see it firsthand when we play the game how good we are.”

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Tennessee State Tigers Jump to No. 23 in FCS Coaches Poll

Courtesy TSU Athletics

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – The Tennessee State football team came in ranked No. 23 in the latest Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Coaches Poll this week.

 

The Tigers received 76 points, a week after defeating Southeast Missouri State, 40-16, on Saturday.

 

Against the Redhawks, Telvin Hooks and Tim Broughton totaled 254 rushing yards, combined as the Tigers piled up 544 total yards and recorded their third straight contest with at least 40 points.

 

In the team’s five- game winning streak, Big Blue has averaged 441 yards per game and outscored opponents by a combined 207-66.

 

The defense has been stout this year as well and the unit is now ranked No. 1 in the nation in total defense (248.8 yards per game). Big Blue is also second in passing yards allowed with only 120 given up per game.

 

The Tigers will go for their sixth consecutive victory on Saturday when they travel to Jacksonville State. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Complete poll

 

RANK	SCHOOL (FIRST-PLACE VOTES)	RECORD	POINTS	PREVIOUS
1.	North Dakota State (25)	5-0	649	1
2.	Towson (1)	6-0	623	2
3.	Sam Houston State	4-1	600	3
4.	Eastern Illinois	4-1	555	5
5.	Northern Iowa	4-1	530	4
6.	Coastal Carolina	5-0	521	6
7.	Montana State	4-2	502	7
8.	Eastern Washington	3-2	448	8
9.	Fordham	6-0	418	13
10.	Montana	4-1	417	12
11.	McNeese State	5-1	393	14
12.	Wofford	3-2	319	15
13.	Bethune-Cookman	4-1	315	16
14.	Lehigh	4-1	284	10
15.	Villanova	3-2	248	20
16.	Youngstown State	5-1	219	22
17.	Maine	5-1	215	23
18.	South Dakota State	3-3	211	9
19.	James Madison	4-2	210	21
20.	Central Arkansas	2-3	158	11
21.	Northern Arizona	3-2	107	17
22.	New Hampshire	1-3	77	18
23.	Tennessee State	5-1	76	NR
24.	Jacksonville State	5-1	66	NR
25.	Charleston Southern	6-0	60	NR

Dropped out: No. 19 Cal Poly, No. 24 Gardner-Webb, No. 25 Delaware.

 

Others receiving votes: Gardner-Webb 35, Harvard 31, Cal Poly 29, South Carolina State 22, Samford 15, Yale 12, Southern Utah 7, William & Mary 7, Richmond 7, Delaware 6, Tennessee-Martin 5, Chattanooga 4, Murray State 4, Sacred Heart 3, Alabama 2, Jackson State 1, Southern Illinois 1, Alcorn State 1, Stephen F. Austin 1.

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ASU NOTEBOOK: Rams rested, refocused after bye week

ALBANY, Georgia  --  The Albany State football team has five games left in the regular season, and the 1-3 Rams will likely have to run the table to represent the East Division in the Nov. 16 SIAC championship game.

 

And thanks to a bye week following the Sept. 28 loss to Miles, the rested Rams think they are ready to turn their season around starting Saturday at Lane.

 

“I feel rested, but you can’t get too much rest with the kind of record we have,” ASU linebacker Marcavius Dudley said. “I really feel like this was our week to get refocused and think about what we did wrong in the past week and get sharpened up on what we were doing right.”

 

It was a week where the Rams didn’t focus on Lane — a team that upset ASU in 2011 in the Rams’ last trip to Jackson, Tenn. — but instead tried to fix their own problems that have caused a second straight 1-3 start to the season. After the loss to Miles, ASU coach Mike White said he was surprised by the way his team failed to handle its emotions in a game where the Rams racked up 16 penalties for 194 yards, including eight personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties.

 

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S.C. State QB’s game may silence critics

ATLANTA – When it comes to college football, the Georgia Dome is Richard Cue’s house.

The South Carolina State quarterback has put together two of his best career performances in the Atlanta stadium. A year after throwing for a career-best in yards against Georgia State, Cue returned to the Georgia Dome for a repeat effort.

It was a more formidable opponent this time on Saturday in North Carolina A&T. Facing an Aggies team riding a seven-game winning streak, including back-to-back wins over Football Bowl Subdivision provisional Appalachian State and Southern Conference member Elon University, and a defense that was among Football Championship Subdivision’s best in rushing yards allowed, Cue had to play more the role of game-changer than game manager.



At the Atlanta Football Classic, it was a “classic” performance for Cue in lifting the Bulldogs to a 29-24 victory. With the Aggies determined to shut down any ground threat presented by S.C. State, it was Cue who carried the offense with big plays from his arm.

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TSU's Rod Reed Speaks Out Against Domestic Violence

COACH ROD REED (right)
COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- On Monday night, head football coach Rod Reed spoke to the Tennessee State community about the issue of male violence directed at females.

 

The event took place at 7 p.m. in Kean Hall and Reed was part of a panel of six guests that condemned forceful acts towards women.

“The most important thing is educating people about the dangers of domestic violence,” Reed said. “I have two daughters that are the most precious thing in the world to me, so I think about them and teach my players that ‘there is no reason that you should put your hands on a female.’”

Reed was introduced by the track team’s Michael Johnson, and in addition to giving his stance on the subject, also offered up a solution.

“What I would challenge everyone to do is be accountable and hold each other accountable. If you can stand up and tell one of your peers that what they are doing is wrong then a lot of the issues can be negated,” Reed said.

The head coach left the student-athlete heavy audience with this:

“Don’t let sports define what you are as a person. You character should decide who you are.”

 

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Tennessee Tigers Shoot Video to Raise Vaccine Awareness

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NASHVILLE, Tennessee  -- Eight freshmen members of the Tennessee State football team took part in a commercial shoot to raise vaccine awareness in the Indoor Football Facility, Monday.

 

The video encourages parents of teens and pre-teens to make sure that their children’s shots are up to date. These vaccines will protect against cancer, whooping cough, meningitis and other serious diseases.

 

“We are really excited to have the TSU football players for this video,” Pamela Hull, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, said. “These athletes are ideal role models for kids to look up to about how to be healthy, active and successful – go on to college and have great lives.”

 

“Our slogan is ‘bug your doctor, get three shots’. Parents need to remind their pediatricians to give them the HPV, Tdap and meningitis vaccines,” Hull said.

The student-athletes played catch with the kids in attendance at the shoot and kicker Cameron Carter taught them how to punt.

 

The other freshmen in attendance were Terrance Harris II, Afolabi Laguda, Roc-M Nesbitt, Justin North, Dantwuan O’Neal, Chris Sanders-McCollum and Patrick Smith.

 

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Florida A&M Rattlers start looking to the future

Holmes says younger players will get their chance

BALTIMORE, Maryland — After spending the last five weeks trying to find a solution to what ails his FAMU football team, first-year head coach Earl Holmes is leaning toward giving young players a shot at trying to help the Rattlers stop their losing skid.

While falling for the fourth consecutive time Saturday, FAMU showed a lot of the same problems that plagued the team since the second game of the season. They missed tackles, dropped balls and quarterback Damien Fleming was intercepted three times.

No position will be safe, Holmes said, frustration ringing in his voice following the Rattlers’ loss in front of a homecoming crowd at Hughes Stadium.

“Of course not,” he said.

“We have to go with some young guys,” Holmes said. “If you look at what we are doing (wrong), the same names keep showing up. The writing is on the wall.



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