LSC Roundup 11-9

Buffs remain fifth in regional grid poll - Amarillo Globe News
Undefeated Wildcats remain No. 1 team in region rankings - Abilene Reporter News
Bods may be bowling in Topeka - Topeka Capital Journal

Loss to ACU costs WT little - Dave Henry, Amarillo Globe News
WT remained fifth in the NCAA Division II Super Regional Four rankings, released Monday. What WT's 41-34 loss to Abilene Christian Saturday cost the Buffs, more than likely, was a home playoff game as the Buffs were fifth in the region before the loss to the Wildcats.

Barring a loss to LSC North Division member East Central this Saturday, which would be a huge upset, the Buffs will make the playoffs after missing out last season. The Buffs will likely hit the road to take on either Northwest Missouri or Central Missouri in the first round of the playoffs.


Eskridge's status uncertain for MSU - Times Record News
Midwestern State quarterback Zack Eskridge is suffering from a sprained right shoulder, but may still get to play in the Mustangs regular-season finale this Saturday — although it will likely be a game-time decision.

Eskridge suffered an injury to his throwing shoulder when he was tackled from behind while picking up a first down in a 27-7 loss to Texas A&M-Kingsville last Saturday night.

“There was no structural damage,” MSU head coach Bill Maskill said. “He’ll be re-evaluated by the doctors on Thursday and then again on Saturday. We’re hopeful that with treatment and rehab he’ll be ready to go by the end of the week.”

Backup quarterback Brandon Kelsey will get most of the snaps in practice this week, and Maskill and the Mustangs have confidence in him should he have to start.

Freshman Aldo Quirogo, who played at Newman-Smith High School in Carrollton, has been the emergency quarterback all season for the Mustangs and would back up Kelsey. Quirogo is one of five freshman quarterbacks MSU brought into camp this year.


Senior swing - Ben Johnson, Tahlequah Daily Press
Northeastern State football players and coaches basked in the glow of victory for several minutes on the field Saturday at Doc Wadley Stadium. After all, they had just survived a 43-40 contest, which saw them prevail on Trey McVay’s 30-yard, game-winning catch in overtime.

As they made their way to the locker room, the RiverHawk fans in attendance showered them with cheers and celebratory high-fives.

However, one NSU player prolonged his time on the field — almost as if he never wanted to leave.

Senior linebacker, Jon Evans, paused on his way toward the dressing room, throwing his arms up in the air and letting out a big roar to celebrate right along with the green- and white-clad crowd.

It was the moment Evans had been waiting for during his five-year tenure in Tahlequah.

“I knew it was my last game at Doc Wadley,” he said. “And I was just looking at the standings, (soaking) the moment in. I was just realizing it was my last game at home and in front of the home stands.

“I saw my mom up there, and I just wanted to get a mental picture — just as kind of the last one in my head.”




Jets-Browns Is Next Battleground for Ryan vs. Ryan - Greg Bishop, New York Times
The Ryan brothers remember only highlights from their infamous fight at Southwestern Oklahoma State. It started in a dormitory and spilled outside, where two friends broke their noses while attempting to restore peace.

By brawl’s end, Rex Ryan’s shirt had been torn off. His twin, Rob, had a broken nose and ankle. Yet, almost instantly, all was forgiven. Soon afterward, the Ryans were off to the Super Bowl to be with their father, Buddy, the defensive coordinator for the 1985 Chicago Bears.

There, the Ryans partied in New Orleans, walking almost everywhere to save on cab fare. Rob complained of foot pain — oh, shut up, his brothers told him — and later discovered the bottom of his cast had disappeared.

“They tried to tell our stepmother that Rob fell down a flight of stairs,” said Jim Ryan, their older brother, a lawyer in St. Louis. “My dad was sitting there with a look on his face, like, yeah, right.”

The Ryan rivalry will continue Sunday, when Rex Ryan’s Jets travel to Cleveland, where Rob Ryan is the Browns’ defensive coordinator. This being the Ryan brothers, the level of trash talking has only increased in recent weeks.

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Men's Soccer: MSU selected and will host regional
RICHARDSON, Texas – Midwestern State enters the postseason as top seed and host in the first round of NCAA Division II Men's Soccer Championship South Central Regional.

The Mustangs will face second-seed Truman (Mo.) Thursday night in Wichita Falls, Texas. The game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m. at the MSU Soccer Field. The winner moves on to the second round against the winner of the game between Colorado Mines and Regis.

MSU qualified for its fourth consecutive NCAA postseason appearance after completing the second unbeaten season (16-0-2) in program history.

The NCAA Quarterfinals will be held on campus sites and completed by November 21. The semifinals and final will be played December 2 & 4 at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky.




Women's Soccer: ACU, ASU and MSU selected for regional
Abilene Christian, Angelo State and Midwestern State were selected for the 2010 NCAA Division II Women's Soccer Championship South Central Regional for the first time in the history of each program.

The Wildcats won the Lone Star Conference Championship on Sunday to earn the league's automatic qualification into the regional. ACU will face Angelo State in the first round on Friday at 12 p.m. in Austin, Texas. The winner advances to meet top seeded and host St. Edward’s on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Rambelles and Wildcats will be meeting for the third time this season. ACU has won both previous games, 3-1 (Oct. 22) and 2-0 (Nov. 5).
MSU travels to Warrensburg, Mo., to face Truman Friday at 1 p.m. The Mustangs defeated Truman, 3-2 (Sept. 3), in their season-opener. The winner advances to the second round against host Central Missouri on Sunday at 1 p.m.

The regional finals and quarterfinals will be held Nov. 19-21, followed by the Final Four in Louisville, Ky., at the NCAA Championship Festival hosted by Bellarmine University Dec. 2-4.

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The complete release is attached.

NOTE: The LSC Volleyball all-conference and all-academic teams will be announced at the championship banquet Wednesday night. I will send the releases out following the banquet.

All the championship games will be aired live via internet video streaming (http://www.lonestarconference.org/video).


TEAMS SET FOR LSC VOLLEYBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
West Texas A&M picked up a pair of road wins over Abilene Christian and Angelo State last week to win the Lone Star Conference regular season title and right to host the championship. The Lady Buffs won their 16th overall and fifth straight league crown with a flawless 14-0 record. WTAMU has went five consecutive seasons without dropping a conference match for a winning streak of 80 straight matches over league opponents.
The eight-team, single-elimination tournament consists of four first-round matches on Thursday, followed by two semifinal games on Friday evening and the championship match on Saturday night.
Action starts on Thursday at 12 p.m. with No. 3 Angelo State against No. 6 Central Oklahoma followed by No. 2 Abilene Christian versus No. 7 Texas Woman’s at 2:30 p.m., No. 4 Midwestern State against No. 5 Tarleton State at 5 p.m. and No. 1 WTAMU versus No. 8 Incarnate Word at 7:30 p.m.
In addition to winning the conference crown, the LSC champions will receive the league’s automatic berth into the NCAA Division II Championship tournament.
All the championship games will be aired live via internet video streaming (http://www.lonestarconference.org/video). The webcasts are available free of charge. Each webcast includes both video and audio, with viewers needing only a computer with a high-speed DSL or cable modem connection to the internet. Veteran broadcaster Chris Needham has the call for all the games.
WTAMU won the 2009 LSC volleyball championship with a 3-1 victory over ACU in Canyon, Texas.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
OFFENSIVE
Zuela Adom, University of Central Oklahoma, SR, Euless, Texas, Trinity HS
Adom led UCO to a pair of closing regular season wins that clinched an LSC Tournament berth for the Bronchos, hitting .338 with 29 kills and just seven errors in 65 attacks. The senior outside hitter hit .400 with 14 kills in a three-set sweep of Southeastern Oklahoma and followed that with a 15-kill effort against East Central while adding four assisted blocks.

Ashley Davis, West Texas A&M University, FR, Amarillo, Texas, Randall HS
Davis looked more like a seasoned-veteran than a true freshman this past week - all with a regular-season championship on the line. The Amarillo native pounded out 24 kills on .391 hitting while leading the Lady Buffs to a pair of wins over ACU and ASU on the road. Playing in front a massive crowd at Moody Coliseum on Thursday, Davis just put all of that behind her and recorded a team-high 11 kills on .450 hitting to lead WT to the 3-0 sweep. She followed it up with a 13-kill performance in San Angelo on Saturday, collecting seven kills in the first set, which led to the Lady Buffs downing the Rambelles in straight sets as well.

DEFENSIVE
Kendra Coulson, Texas Woman’s University, SR, Abilene, Texas, Abilene HS
Coulson helped the Pioneers to two conference wins last week and clinch a spot in the LSC Tournament for the eighth consecutive year. She had a team-high 55 digs and 5.00 digs per set. In the two crucial conference games against Incarnate Word and Texas A&M-Kingsville, Coulson recorded 20 digs in each game and 0 receiving errors. For the third straight season she led the team on defense with a team-high 509 digs. Coulson posted 15 plus digs in 24 games this season including 20 plus in 12 games. She is the all-time leader in digs at TWU with 1,741 and counting.

Caroline Cleveland, Angelo State University, SO, Abilene, Texas, Abilene HS
Cleveland was solid on defense for Angelo State last week. The sophomore from Abilene, Texas, collected 28 digs in two matches, averaging a team-high 4.67 digs per set. Cleveland notched a season-high 19 digs in the ‘Belles’ match against West Texas A&M. The libero was consistent in the back row for the Rambelles as she helped limit Eastern New Mexico to a .111 hitting percentage. Over the weekend, Cleveland’s defensive prowess held ASU’s opponents to a .191 hitting percentage. Cleveland is tied for the team-lead with 3.17 digs per set on the year.

SETTER
Erika Dupree, West Texas A&M University, JR, Mesquite, Texas, Poteet HS
Dupree averaged 9.83 assists per set this past week as she dished out a total of 59 assists in two matches over ACU and ASU. With WT running a 6-2 primary offense, Dupree still managed to average near 10 assists and lead the Lady Buffs offense to a .272 hitting percentage against two of the toughest defenses in the conference. She collected her team-leading 19th and 20th double-doubles of the season in the process as well and finished the week with 12 kills, 27 digs and having a hand in four blocks.

Fleming Smurthwaite, University of Central Oklahoma, FR, Decatur, Texas, Decatur HS
Smurthwaite helped lead UCO to two season-ending wins that clinched an LSC Tournament berth for the Bronchos, dishing out 72 assists in wins over Southeastern Oklahoma and East Central. The freshman setter had 33 assists, five kills, three aces and two assisted blocks in a three-set sweep of Southeastern Oklahoma, then came back two days later with 39 assists, two kills and two assisted blocks in a sweep of East Central.