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NEW ORLEANS — Kacee Salyers produced 14 of her 20 kills in the final three sets Saturday to rally Marian (Ind.) to a 19-25, 22-25, 25-12, 25-18, 15-8 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in the 2017 NAIA Women's Volleyball National Championship Opening Round at the Convocation Center.
The Knights (28-5) advanced to the NAIA National Championship Final Site at Sioux City, Iowa, with pool play beginning Nov. 28 for 32 teams. Marian snapped the 13-match win streak of the Gold Nuggets (23-3), who finished with the best winning percentage in the program's 10-season history.
Salyers, the Crossroads League Player of the Year, hit .406 in the final three sets after hitting .056 in the first two. Marian outhit XULA .288 to .040 in the final three sets after the Nuggets outhit the Knights .266 to .127 in taking a 2-sets-to-zero lead.
Marian closed the third set with a 17-2 run, ended the fourth set with a 13-4 run and held momentum in the fifth after scoring six of the first seven points. An Anne Strevels kill ended the two-hour, four-minute match.
Frannie Stephenson had 13 kills for Marian, and Sarah Clem and Hannah Trout had eight apiece. Vanessa Lay had 30 digs to lead five Knights in double figures. Strevels had seven blocks, and Clem had five.
Freshman Anna Dalla Vecchia set a school record with 34 digs — she held the previous mark of 31 with two others — and she had 10 assists to became the first XULA libero to produce a double-double. Juliana Tomasoni closed her collegiate career with 15 kills and a season-high 25 digs, and Kayla Black had 11 kills and 15 digs. Tiffany Phillips also produced a double-double with 12 assists and 12 digs. Adili Rikondja had seven kills and three blocks, Lauryn Taylor had nine kills, and Eva Le Guillou had 25 assists.
For the match Marian outhit XULA .221 to .127 and had advantages of 63-55 in kills, 101-97 in digs and 13-4 in blocks.
The loss was XULA's first at home this season and the first since a three-set loss to Saint Francis (Ill.) in the 2016 NAIA nationals opening round. It was the Gold Nuggets' seventh consecutive appearance at nationals and their seventh consecutive first-round exit. This is Marian's first appearance at nationals.
Honored before the match as their teams' NAIA Champions of Character recipients were Rikondja and Marian's Julie Hoying. BOX SCORE
VANCOUVER, Washington — Maliya Vaughan was Xavier's University of Louisiana's fastest finisher at the NAIA Women's Cross Country National Championships for the second straight year, running the 5,000-meter course at Fort Vancouver National Historical Site in 21 minutes, 24 seconds Saturday. Vaughan, a junior, was 311th out of 338 runners. The Gold Nuggets' other finishers were Taylor Price, 318th in 21:35; Brianna Pace, 324th in 21:53; Hajjia Mohammed, 332nd in 23:11; and Carlie Calais, 336th in 23:45. XULA was 36th in team scoring with 1,189 points. The University of British Columbia scored 109 points to win the team title for the second straight year and the fifth time in six years, and Oklahoma City's Aminat Olowora was individual champion in 16:50. XULA's lone male runner was freshman Camren Sewell, who finished 306th out of 328 runners. His time for the 8K route was 29:19. Oklahoma City's Mark Shaw was individual champion in 24:09, and British Columbia won its first men's title and had five runners in the top 19. The Thunderbirds' 41 points were the fewest by an NAIA men's team since Life won with the same score in 1998. Pace was honored Friday as the Gold Nuggets' NAIA Champions of Character recipient. Pace also was named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete. The XULA distance runners will resume competition in early March during the outdoor track and field season.
GREENSBORO, North Carolina -- Technically, the 2017 outright Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championship belonged to the North Carolina A&T football team at 3:39 p.m., eastern when Hampton defeated Howard.
But who cares about technicalities?
N.C. A&T needed to defeat North Carolina Central after three straight defeats to their No. 1 football nemesis cost them three outright conference titles, a playoff berth in 2014 and a Celebration Bowl bid and an undefeated MEAC season in 2016.
And defeat NCCU is what the Aggies did Saturday evening in a 24-10 win at Aggie Stadium that led to Aggie fans storming the field to celebrate both an undefeated regular season (11-0) and their first undefeated MEAC season (8-0) in 18 years. In the process, the Aggies also captured their first outright title in 14 years. The Aggies, who knew they were headed to the Celebration Bowl last week, will go there with a chance to complete the first-ever undefeated season by a MEAC team since the league started in 1971.
“Being 11-0 is special,” said N.C. A&T coach Rod Broadway. “It was a good win and a good competitive football game. It was a very physical football game. I thought it got to be a dumb football game at times, especially that one drive in the fourth quarter. That was so unlike us to commit that many penalties. That's not how we play around here, and that's not how we are going to play. But the guys fought, and I thought they showed a lot of class with the way they fought.”
It was Aggie-Eagle so the game was chippie. The two teams combined for 27 penalties for 217 yards. When the game ended, there were a total of 16 unsportsmanlike penalties, two face masks calls and one roughing the passer. In between the things that make the rivalry so heated, the two premier teams in the conference did showcase why they have been the only two teams to represent the MEAC in the Celebration Bowl since it started in 2015.
It took nearly 21 minutes before either team could score, and it was graduate running back Jamari Smith, playing in his first Aggie-Eagle contest that ignited N.C. A&T’s offense. But it was sophomore Elijah Bell who closed it out with a 13-yard leaping grab over NCCU’s De’Mario Evans for a 7-0 Aggies lead. Smith caught a 20-yard pass and rushed for 28 more to set up the score in which Bell broke the school’s single-season touchdown receptions record with his 11th TD grab of the season. He surpassed former teammate Denzel Keyes (2016) and Craig Thompson (1991).
Smith ended his day with a season-high 99 yards on 14 carries. He also caught two passes for 23 yards. In addition to his record-breaking catch, Bell had four receptions for 82 yards.
NCCU (7-4, 5-3 MEAC) did not get on the scoreboard until the end of the first half. It was set up by a 40-yard run by Isaiah Totten to the N.C. A&T 35-yard line. With time running down, Eagles kicker Aedan Johnson stepped on the field and kicked an Aggie-Stadium record 52-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 halftime score.
““They have a good defense,” said Broadway. “I'll give them credit, they know how to win. It's a winning program the last three, four years, and they've done an outstanding job. We weren't playing against some nobodies. I think we were playing on emotion to start with. Once we settled down we started to focus a little bit better and started playing like we're capable of playing we were okay.”
That type of play started early in the third quarter, a quarter the Aggies dominated. It started with a 25-yard kickoff return by senior Khris Gardin and a 15-yard NCCU unsportsmanlike penalty to give the Aggies the ball at the NCCU 45. Junior quarterback Lamar Raynard then completed a 17-yard pass to Gardin before a completion to Bell appeared to go for a touchdown, but after a replay review, it was determined Bell stepped out of bounds at the 1 for a 23-yard reception. Junior running back Marquell Cartwright put the ball in the end zone for a 14-3 Aggies lead. The Aggies took a 21-3 lead on another 1-yard Cartwright run. All 63 yards on the drive came on the ground as the Aggies compiled 205 yards rushing for the game.
“We really committed to the run today,” said Raynard. The o-line blocked very well, the receivers blocked downfield and our running backs took advantage of what was there. To throw the ball effectively you have to run the ball, so that’s what we did.”
The Eagles did try to make it interesting late in the third quarter. Aided by four N.C. A&T penalties – three unsportsmanlike and one face mask – the Eagles scored on a three-yard touchdown by Totten to cut N.C. A&T’s lead to 21-10.
N.C. A&T gave the Eagles nothing else the rest of the game. NCCU compiled only seven yards of offense the rest of the game. Bell put the game away with an unbelievable one-hand catch in which he extended his right arm on a ball that was slightly overthrown to secure it for a 38-yard reception. It led to a 31-yard field goal from Noel Ruiz to give the Aggies a 24-10 advantage with 7:10 to play.
“It is joy and relief,” said senior rover Jeremy Taylor about beating NCCU. “They have beaten us three years back-to-back-to-back, so finally for us to come out on top on our last go around, feels great. That’s the joy. After three years, there’s a new sheriff in town.”
Taylor was one of 19 seniors honored before the game. He joined linebacker Marcus Albert, right guard Daquan Blake, wide receiver Jaquil Capel, punter Dominic Frescura, wide receiver Caleb Gabriel, wide receiver/return specialist Khris Gardin, center Darriel Mack, right tackle Christian Marshall, left guard Joshua Mattocks, defensive back Tard McCoy, left tackle Brandon Parker, punter/holder Garrett Nestor, rover David Pulliam, tight end Trey Scott, running back Jamari Smith, Taylor and defensive back Taylor Wilson as players who played their final game at Aggie Stadium on Saturday.
There is one more game to play for them, however. The Aggies were officially invited to the 2017 Celebration Bowl after the game. The game will be played live on ABC, Saturday, Dec. 16 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta at noon.
“To end the regular-season season 11-0 I think says a lot about our coaching staff and the job they have done,” said Broadway. “I think we have a great coaching staff and of course we have some great players. One thing about coaching is you don't have time to enjoy it as its happening.
Once it's over, you get a chance to look back and enjoy it a little bit more. Normally, we have a game next week, so let’ move on, go home and get a cigar so we can get ready for tomorrow because you have to start working on the next game. But this time we get to stay home tomorrow, so it may give me a chance to reflect on 11-0. I'm going lay around a watch football all day tomorrow.” NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
TALLAHASSEE, Florida -- In a statement released Sunday morning, Florida Rep. Ramon Alexander said he could have "handled his personal thoughts and frustrations differently" in regards to a Twitter post calling for the firing of FAMU football coach Alex Wood.
The Rattlers blew a 14-point lead in the fourth quarter of Saturday's Florida Classic against arch rival Bethune-Cookman in Orlando, losing 29-24 in front of a crowd of 47,819 in Camping World Stadium.
It was FAMU's seventh loss in a row in the annual Florida Classic.
Alexander, a Florida A&M graduate, took to Twitter following the loss, saying Wood needed to be "immediately" fired after a fake punt was stopped in the fourth quarter of the game.
In Sunday's statement, Alexander said he was frustrated with the loss.
"To be very clear my reaction and personal opinions were in no way intended to directly influence the leadership of FAMU to make a specific decision about the future of Rattler Football," Alexander wrote. CONTINUE READING
HUNTSVILLE, Alabama -- The Bulldogs sent their seniors off on a winning note Saturday with a 21-13 win over Kentucky State.
The Bulldogs held a pregame ceremony to recognize the 19 seniors who wore the Maroon and White for the final time.
For Alabama A&M (4-7 overall), the defense, as it has been all year, was the story. The Bulldogs, the SWAC's number 2 defense, held the Thorobreds (3-8) to just 135 yards in total offense.
Kenneth Davis, in his final game in a Bulldogs uniform, recorded 13 tackles (5 solo, 8 assists) along with a sack and 1½ tackles for loss.
Yurik Bethune contributed six tackles (five solo, one assist), 2 1/2 tackles for loss and one sack and Vernon Moland had five tackles, 2 1/2 tackles for loss and a sack.
Senior punter Nick Carden, like Davis, a preseason All-SWAC selection, had one of his strongest games with six punts for a 45.5-yard average.
With A&M trailing 7-0 late in the second quarter, Jordan Bentley scored on a one-yard dive and Carden's point-after tied the score.
The Bulldogs then used a pair of 90-plus yard, clock-eating drives to take the lead and ensure the win. BOX SCORE
With 1:50 to go in the third quarter and A&M down 13-7, Roderick Randolph caught a 10-yard pass from Dylan Smith and barreled through three defenders for the touchdown. Carden's PAT put the Bulldogs up 14-13.
The score capped a 14-play, 91-yard drive that took 6:56 off the clock.
The Bulldogs offense did a near-replay of that drive early in the fourth-quarter.
Smith engineered a 96-yard, 12-play march over 6:08 that culminated with Isaiah Bailey catching an 11-yard fade pass in the endzone with 7:19 left in the game. Carden again was good on the PAT for the final 21-13 score.
Smith came off the bench and was 6-of-8 passing for 85 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
LANGSTON, Oklahoma -- The No. 7 Langston Lions perfect season came to a close on Saturday as they fell to the No. 10 Northwestern Red Raiders 55-7 in the first round of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
The loss puts a cap on a remarkable season for the Langston Lions and second-year head coach Quinton Morgan as they clinched the Central States Football League title, hosted the first home playoff game in school history and became the first team since 1973 to finish the regular season undefeated.
"I told our team to keep their heads up, we accomplished a huge milestone here at Langston University," Morgan said. "These kids are now a part of history at Langston. It's not how we wanted to finish the season but I'm very proud with what they've done throughout the season."
The Lions were making their seventh postseason appearance in the NAIA and fall to 2-7 overall in NAIA championship series history; the Red Raiders were making their 19th NAIA championship appearance and improve to 21-16 all-time in the playoffs.
From the outset, the Red Raiders set the tempo by scoring on their first two drives of the game which ended with a three-yard run by Tyson Kooima and a 14-yard scoring run by Jacob Kalogonis to give Northwestern a 14-0 advantage at the 3:40 mark in the first quarter.
Red Raiders head coach Matt McCarty emphasized throughout the week the need for a quick start.
"We were able to get Jacob (Kalogonis) going early and he was able to bust some big runs early," McCarty noted. "That was big for him and that was big for our confidence, we got that early lead with the wind so we were able to let our defense play fast and attack."
The Red Raiders tacked on one more touchdown prior to halftime when Kooima hooked up with Kalogonis for a 42-yard scoring strike to cap a seven-play, 81-yard drive.
Northwestern built a 45-0 advantage before the Lions hit pay dirt following a 14-yard touchdown run by Timothy Whitfield at the 9:43 mark in the fourth quarter.
Kooima finished 16-for-22 for 196 yards with two touchdown tosses; he picked up 18 yards on the ground with two touchdowns as well.
Lowe led the Langston aerial attack and finished 13-for-22 for 73 yards with one interception; he picked up 47 yards on 14 carries.
Kalogonis led Northwestern with 140 yards on 25 carries and one touchdown; Whitfield finished with 64 yards on eight carries and one score.
Northwestern (10-1) advances to the second of the NAIA Football Championship Series.
Langston (10-1) concludes their season at 10-1 overall.
