Third-ranked Lee hits the jackpot, defeats Xavier Nuggets in 3

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CLEVELAND, Tennessee — Irene Ojukwu and Marija Zelenovic, both honorable-mention NAIA All-Americans a year ago, combined for 29 kills Friday to lead third-ranked Lee (Tenn.) to a 25-14, 25-16, 25-16 women's volleyball victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the Lee Invitational.

The Lady Flames (1-1) had a .506 hitting percentage — the best against the Gold Nuggets since Xavier reinstated its program in 2010 — to rebound from a five-set loss to ninth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan earlier in the day. Ojukwu had 16 kills — six in as many attempts in the opening set — and hit .667. Zelenovic, the 2011 Southern States Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, had 13 kills and hit .524.

Taylor Reuther and Chinedu Echebelem had six kills apiece, and freshman CeCe Williams had five in her collegiate debut for the Gold Nuggets (0-2), who dropped their second straight against a ranked opponent. No. 20 Lindsey Wilson swept Xavier earlier in the day. The Nuggets never lost consecutive matches in 2011.

Lee overcame deficits of 8-5 in the second set and 8-6 in the third to win for the 108th time in its last 117 matches. The Lady Flames were an NAIA national semifinalist each of the past three seasons.

Moira Kirk, the 2011 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year, finished with no kills for the first time at Xavier. She led the Nuggets with three blocks.

Lee limited Xavier to a .136 hitting percentage and had advantages of 52-22 in kills, 27-20 in digs and 9-2 in aces.

Xavier will play Union (Ky.) in the Nuggets' final match of the tournament at 3 p.m. EDT Saturday. Union, the defending Appalachian Athletic Conference regular-season champion, lost in five sets Friday to Olivet Nazarene.

Box score

By Ed Cassiere, SID
VISIT: XULAATHLETICS
VISIT: XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA

NSU report | As expected, Flores gets starting QB nod

NORFOLK, Virginia - Nico Flores will open the season at quarterback.

Head coach Pete Adrian officially announced his decision late Thursday, but it had become apparent as NSU prepared for next Saturday's season opener against Virginia State.

Flores, who got the nod over junior-college transfer Jake Basmagian, has looked more comfortable as he's gotten more time, sandwiching a pair of good practices this week around a poor one.



"Nico has earned it," Adrian said. "He's playing well. I think every day he seems to be growing. The one thing he'll do this year, I believe - at least I hope - is you're going to see him break runs he couldn't last year because we're running on offense. You're never going to know when he's going to take off."

On Tuesday, Flores completed ...

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Tiger Camp: TSU Prime For Opener

NASHVILLE, Tennessee – Not only can you tell by the calendar that the college football season is quickly approaching, but also by what the Tennessee State players and coaches are feeling.

"You can tell that sleep is getting a little shorter," head coach Rod Reed said. "Nerves are getting a little edgier. It’s time."

The Tigers got ready for their mock game on Saturday with a lighter practice on Friday morning.

"We were crisp today, but we didn’t have the pads on," Reed said. "We’ve got our mock game tomorrow, so we wanted to take a bit of the pressure off today and let them get their legs back."

Players are getting healthy and everyone seems to be peaking at the right time, just one week away from the season opener vs. Florida A&M at LP Field.

"We have some guys that we were going to hold back a little bit, but we want to be healthy going into the first game," Reed said. "A lot of the guys that you saw in red or green [no-contact] jerseys are now back in blue."

The Tigers will practice Saturday morning at Hale Stadium at 9:15 a.m. The practice is closed to the public and media due to construction at the stadium.

However, fans and media are encouraged to come see the Tigers during Fan Day starting at 2 p.m. Saturday at the indoor practice facility.



Kick-Off Times Confirmed

TSU Athletics announced last week that kick-off times have been set for all home games. The John Merritt Classic against Florida A&M is slated for a 6pm contest on Sept. 1. All Hale Stadium games (Austin Peay - Sept. 15, Eastern Kentucky - Oct. 6 and Tennessee Tech - Oct. 27) are scheduled for a 1pm start time. TSU kicks off Homecoming against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Sept. 29 at 5pm.

COURTESY TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

Florida A&M Rattlers turn focus to Tennessee State Tigers

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - With the first phase of preseason camp completed over the weekend, FAMU began Monday to focus on Tennessee State University, its first opponent this season.

The Rattlers practiced on a soggy field in a steady downpour, but it didn’t dampen their enthusiasm for finally zoning in on the Sept. 1 opener, which will take place in Nashville.

“Even thought it was a little bit wet, I thought it was good to see how they align,” FAMU coach Joe Taylor said. “It was good to go out and get a feel for what we are going to see in our first game.”

The match-up with TSU will be the first between the two teams since the 2010 Atlanta Classic. In that game, the Tiger snapped an eight-game losing skid to the Rattlers to take a 26-24 lead in the series, which dates back to 1944 as one of the oldest rivalries involving two historically black universities.

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Headed to the Hall: Trifonov overcomes language barrier, creates MEAC power

HEAD VOLLEYBALL COACH TONY TRIFONOV

TALLAHASSEE, Florida - FAMU volleyball coach Tony Trifonov has such a passion for teaching the game that not even a language barrier could have kept him from getting his message to his protégés.

As a high school and club coach in Tampa (Florida), he used hand signals and drew plays out on a clipboard. That was a few years after he came to the United States in the early 1990s from Bulgaria, where he was one of the rising stars in the former communist country.

But by the time he took the head coaching job at FAMU, Trifonov’s English was much better and it didn’t take him long to begin what has become the MEAC’s longest conference title-winning streak in any sport. He accomplished the feat by incorporating things he learned back home with today’s techniques, he said.

“Along with the coaching experience, I was able to relate to the players and use my experience in recruiting to make those kids championship-caliber athletes,” Trifonov said. “A lot of them went on from here and have different careers. That’s what it’s all about.”

On Sept. 14, Trifonov will receive the highest honor that FAMU bestows on a coach or athlete when he is inducted in its Hall of Fame. The class also includes Chris Burls (tennis), Darrell Spence (basketball) and Burney Adams (football). Eddie Shannon, the school’s first full-time athletic trainer, will be inducted a as a supporter of athletics.

Trifonov’s induction will make him one of ...

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Southern WR Willie Quinn learning quickly

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana - For freshmen coming in during fall training camp, the goal is often to cram, study and learn the playbook as fast as possible, adjust to the speed of college football and maybe, if they’re lucky, dodge a redshirt and earn some playing time.

For the fortunate few who pull that off, it usually takes a full preseason of hard work. For Southern wide receiver Willie Quinn, it took about two-thirds of a practice.

By that point in the Jaguars’ opening session of fall camp, Quinn had already set himself apart. The definitive moment came after he made a catch down the middle of the field during a non-contact team drill, when coach Stump Mitchell came charging after him, yelling excitedly.

“Hey Willie! You’re going to help us this year! Keep working!”

Quinn did, and he is. With sure hands, lightning quickness and a tenacious work ethic, the freshman from Miami wasted no time making an impression on his new teammates and coaches.

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The skinny on NSU's 2012 football schedule

Beat Writer Chris Carlson's 2012 Norfolk State football prediction: 8-3

NORFOLK, Virginia  -  The Spartans face three road games against teams that received votes in The Sports Network Top 25 poll: Liberty, Bethune-Cookman and South Carolina State. They face FBS opponent Ohio on the road. And they face MEAC rivals Hampton and North Carolina A&T on the road. Winning half of those should qualify as a success, especially without an experienced quarterback under center.   

September 1
Virginia State, 6 p.m.
The skinny The question no longer is who will win the Labor Day Classic but how big the Spartans’ victory will be. Since Virginia State’s most recent win in 2005, the Spartans have won six by an average margin of 26 points.

September 8
at Liberty, 7 p.m.
The skinny Credit NSU athletic director Marty Miller and head coach Pete Adrian for scheduling this one. It’s the type of game the MEAC needs to play to earn respect. Liberty was picked to finish second in the Big South, is led by former Kansas coach Turner Gill and, like NSU, is replacing one of the most prolific quarterbacks in FCS.

September 15
Howard, 4 p.m.
The skinny The Bison are led by linebacker Keith Pough, the MEAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, and quarterback Greg McGhee, last year’s MEAC Freshman of the Year and, possibly, the best quarterback the conference has this season.

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