Collegiate Times

By Zach Mariner, sports editor

‘Morning, Hokie fans. Here’s your weekend wrap-up of all things Tech sports.

Football

The Hokies performed sluggishly, to say the least, against the Duke Blue Devils on Saturday, just barely escaping with a 14-10 victory. Tech benefited from Duke kicker Will Snyderwine missing three of his four field goal attempts, and an impressive performance from their defense. Logan Thomas and the offense scored on two of their first three possessions, but failed to get in the end zone during the game’s final 40 minutes. David Wilson continued his hot streak, with his eighth 100-yard game of the season, going for 148 yards on 23 carries. He leads the nation with 1,185 yards on the season. Senior linebacker Barquell Rivers made the game-sealing interception with 48 seconds remaining in his first start since 2009. The Hokies are off this weekend, but will travel to Atlanta, GA next Thursday, Nov. 10 for what will pretty much be a Coastal Division championship game.

Men’s Soccer

Last week was a rough one for the Hokies. After losing to Radford 2-1 on Tuesday, Tech dropped yet another one on Friday night, 2-1 to the Duke Blue Devils. Duke scored in just the 6th minute, and would build a 2-0 lead late in the game after an own goal by the Hokies in the 78th minute. Taylor Lemmon delivered his first career goal to cut the deficit to one just two minutes later, but Tech was unable to tie the game. With the loss, they drop to 4-11-2 on the season, and will finish off their regular season this Thursday night at home against Clemson.

Women’s Soccer

After a 2-0 loss to Florida State on Thursday night, the Hokies were knocked out of the ACC tournament in the first round by the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils, losing 1-0. Duke, the tournament’s No. 1 seed, beat Tech at home for the second time this season. The Hokies have a national RPI ranking of 22, and are just a few votes away from being ranked in the nation’s top 25 poll. They will more than likely be invited to the NCAA Tournament.

Volleyball

The Hokies lost both of their matches over the weekend, while failing to win a single set over either No. 19 Florida State on Friday night, or Miami on Sunday afternoon. While 13-11 overall this season, the losses gave Tech a losing in-conference record, at 6-7. Erin Leaser led the team with 37 assists over the weekend. Cara Baarendse led the team with 23 kills, and Victoria Hamsher led with 12 blocks. The Hokies are on the road again this weekend, facing off against on Wake Forest on Friday night, and Duke on Saturday night.

Follow me on Twitter: @ZMarinerCT

By Zach Mariner, sports editor

Happy Monday Hokie fans. Here’s your weekend wrap-up of all things Tech sports.

Football

After starting slow for the second consecutive week, the Hokies (7-1, 3-1) bounced back late to take down an ACC opponent, this time being Boston College on homecoming. Redshirt sophomore Logan Thomas became the first quarterback in school history to throw for 260+ yards in three consecutive games with his 22 of 36, 268 yard performance. Thomas also threw a touchdown, his 10th on the year, and ran for another, his sixth of the year. He needs just two more rushing TDs to tie Michael Vick’s single-season record for QB rushing touchdowns. David Wilson rushed for 134 yards on 17 carries, including a 42-yard third quarter touchdown. Wilson eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on the season, as he now sits at 1,037: first in the nation in rushing yards (fifth in yards per game). The team will travel to Durham this Saturday to face off against Duke. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

After picking up their fourth win of the season earlier in the week, the Hokies (4-9-2, 1-4-1) tied No. 21 Virginia 0-0 on Friday night. Tech picked up four yellow cards, all from different players, in the win. Goalkeeper Kyle Renfro picked up seven saves, adding to his ACC-leading total. The team travels to Radford on Tuesday, and then to Duke on Friday night.

Women’s Soccer

After a disappointing 4-0 loss to No. 11 Virginia on Thursday, Tech bounced back on Sunday with a 1-0 upset victory over No. 8 North Carolina. The Hokies’ (12-5-1, 4-4-1) lone goal came from team leader Kelly Conheeney, who netted her 10th of the season. Goalkeeper Dayle Colpitts pitched her eighth shutout of the year. The team will face off against Florida State on Thursday at Thompson Field, at 7 p.m.

Volleyball

The Hokies (13-9, 6-5) won both of their matches over the weekend: 3-2 against Georgia Tech on Friday night, and then 3-2 again against Clemson on Sunday afternoon. Cara Baarendse lead the team in kills during both matches, with 17 on Friday and 13 on Sunday. Erin Leaser totaled 50 saves over the weekend, while Morgan O’Neill notched 44 digs. The team will travel to the sunshine state this weekend, as they’ll play Florida State on Friday night, then Miami on Sunday afternoon.

Follow me on Twitter: @ZMarinerCT

By Matt Jones, sports editor

Men’s soccer

The Hokies fell 2-1 to NC State in overtime Friday night. Redshirt senior James Shupp had the lone goal for Tech.

Volleyball

Cara Baarendse had 15 kills and 10 digs for the Hokies in a 3-2 win over NC State.

Women’s soccer

Sophomore Jazmine Reeves scored the only goal on the day against NC State, but it was all they needed in a 1-0 win.

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Follow me on Twitter, @MattJonesCT

By Zach Mariner, sports editor

It was a pretty eventful weekend for Hokie sports, primarily because of the football team’s thrilling 38-35 victory over rival Miami on Saturday evening. Let’s take a look at how things played out for Tech athletics this past weekend:

Football

After being heavily criticized for much of the week by pretty much everyone who associates themselves with Hokie football, Logan Thomas came out and absolutely shut them all up by delivering a performance that will be hard for him to ever repeat. He finished 23 of 25 passing for 310 yards and three touchdowns, and also ran for a pair of scores, including the game-winner with 56 seconds to play. His 92 percent completion percentage was the highest ever under head coach Frank Beamer (min. 20 attempts), and also the highest for any QB in the FBS this season (min. 25 attempts). David Wilson also chipped in 128 yards on the ground, and a receiving touchdown, and Jarrett Boykin passed Ricky Scales atop the school’s career receiving yardage list, and caught a 60-yard TD pass from Thomas, who is currently a nominee for the Capital One Cup Performance of the Week. The team travels to Winston-Salem this Saturday to take on Wake Forest, a team that just handed Florida State it’s third straight loss. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m., and we’ll have plenty of coverage on that throughout the week.

Men’s Soccer

The Hokies dropped their sixth in a row on Saturday night, a 2-1 defeat at the hands of the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Midfielder Robert Alberti converted a penalty kick in the 29th minute for the team’s lone goal, his second of the year. The loss left Tech with a record of 3-8. Five out of their six losses during this losing streak have come by just one goal. The team retakes the field this Tuesday night at Thompson Field against Campbell at 7 p.m., and will return to ACC action when they travel to Raleigh on Friday night to face the NC State Wolfpack.

Women’s Soccer

Tech needed a last second goal on Friday night to defeat the Miami Hurricanes 2-1 at Thompson Field. Shannon Mayrose connected on a header in the 90th minute to seal the deal for the Hokies. It was her seventh goal on the season, which ranks second on the team. Jazmine also scored for Tech(9-4-1, 1-3-1), who notched their first win in ACC play this season. The team plays at home again this Thursday night against Clemson at 7 p.m.

Volleyball

The Hokies split two matches last weekend, both against ACC foes. On Thursday night, Tech beat Wake Forest three sets to two. Justine Record led the team with 19 kills, and added 21 digs. Morgan O’Neill had 25 digs, and Erin Leaser added 34 assists to help lead the Hokies to victory. However, on Friday night, Tech lost to Duke, again three sets to two. Cara Baarendse had 16 kills in the loss. The team’s record now sits at 10-8, including 3-4 in ACC play, and they’ll hit the road to North Carolina this weekend where they’ll play against UNC on Thursday night, and NC State on Friday night.

For more coverage on Hokie sports, follow me on Twitter: @ZMarinerCT.

By Zach Mariner, sports editor

Good morning Tech fans. Unfortunately, it was a pretty disappointing weekend if you’re a fan of Hokie sports. We start of course, with…

Football

The previously undefeated Hokies fell flat on their faces in their first real test of the year on Saturday, when the No. 13 ranked Clemson Tigers came to Blacksburg. Tech played admirably on defense, but just could not get anything going on the other side of the ball. Two crucial turnovers on their first two possessions set the tone for the game, and the Tigers capitalized on the Hokies inability to move the football, walking out of Lane Stadium with a 23-3 victory. Tech dropped to No. 21 in the AP Top 25 poll, and will look to get back on the winning side of things this weekend at home against Miami. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.

To be honest, there’s a lot more I’d like to say about this game, but I’ll save that for another blog post maybe later on tonight or tomorrow when I have some time. Nick Cafferky will be giving his take on the game in Tuesday’s paper, so be on the look out for that as well.

Also, another note about football, the Extra Point will be hitting our newsstands on Thursday this week, rather than Friday, because of fall break.

Men’s Soccer

Tech fell to Wake Forest in Winston-Salem this weekend, 1-0 in double overtime. Goalkeeper Kyle Renfro had seven saves on the day, bringing his season total to 51. It was the fifth straight loss for the team, and fourth of those losses that had come by only one goal. The Hokies are now 3-7 on the year, including 1-3 in ACC play. Tech retakes the field this Saturday night, as they’ll travel to Newark, NJ to take on the New Jersey Institute of Technology for the first time in school history. The team returns home to face Campbell next Tuesday, October 11.

Women’s Soccer

The Hokies fell to No. 4 Duke 1-0 on Sunday afternoon in Durham, bringing their record on the year to 8-4-1. Tech is still looking for their first ACC victory, as they are 0-3-1 in conference play. The team returns home this weekend, as they’ll take on Miami at 7 p.m. on Friday night.

Volleyball

Tech won for the first time in their last four matches, beating Maryland three sets to two yesterday in College Park. The Hokies (9-7, 2-3 ACC) fell behind two sets to none, but won three in a row to earn their second ACC victory. Jennifer Wiker and Cara Baarendse both set season highs in kills with 16 and 14, respectively. Morgan O’Neill set a career high with 29 digs, and Erin Leaser added 32 assists. Tech returns to Cassell this weekend, facing off against Wake Forest on Thursday night at 6:30, then on Friday against Duke at 7 p.m.

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Before I sign off, I’d just like to say that Matt and I recently found out that our blog and sports section page combined are currently receiving over 10,000 hits a week. I just wanted to take this time to let our readers know that we really appreciate all the support, and will continue to do everything we can to make this blog all it can be. Always feel free to contact us and let us know of things you’d like to see or ways we can improve the blog at sportseditor@collegiatetimes.com. Thanks so much again.

Until next time, follow me on Twitter. twitter.com/ZMarinerCT

Just a few odds and ends on this Monday morning…

• Frank Beamer and company improved to 4-0 on the season with their win Saturday at Marshall. Check out the postgame blog, complete with quotes, notes and videos.
• Dabo Swinney told the media Sunday night that the Tigers would use crowd noise to prepare for their trip to Blacksburg this week.
• Women’s soccer lost in double overtime to Boston College 2-1 Sunday. The Hokies are now 8-3 on the season. Look for more coverage of the game here on the blog and in the Collegiate Times this week.
• The men’s soccer team couldn’t upset another No. 1 team Saturday, as they fell to Maryland 2-0.

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@MattJonesCT

Photo by Kevin Dickel

Outside the Hokies’ win over Arkansas St. Saturday, here’s how the rest of Virginia Tech’s teams did this weekend.

Volleyball

Three Tech players tallied double-digit kills in the Hokies’ 3-1 win over UVa Friday night. The Hokies came back Saturday to defeat Chattanooga by the same score, as Morgan O’Neill led the Hokies with 29 digs. They wrapped-up their weekend Saturday night by beating UConn 3-1 as well.

Men’s soccer

The Hokies fell to No. 11 Boston College in overtime 4-3 Friday night. Tech got goals from sophomore midfielder David Clemens, sophomore midfielder Jed Prater and freshman midfielder Ben Strong.

Women’s soccer

Tech dropped their first game in ACC play to No. 6 Maryland Sunday 2-1. The Hokies will return to Thompson Field Sunday, Sept. 25 as they face Boston College at noon.

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@MattJonesCT

Photo by Austen Meredith

Several hours after Virginia Tech’s most popular sports team barely survived a Week 2 scare, one of it’s more unheralded squads pulled off an upset of epic proportions. Here’s a rundown of everything that went on this weekend in Blacksburg.

Football

Well, it wasn’t pretty. But, David Wilson shined once again, Josh Oglesby ran for two touchdowns, and Frank Beamer got his 200th win with the Hokies as Tech beat East Carolina 17-10 in Greenville on Saturday. After trailing 7-0 for most of the first half, Cody Journell tacked on a 39-yard field goal late in the second quarter to cut the lead to four heading into halftime. Tech was just one for three in the redzone in the first half, after Logan Thomas threw an interception in the back of the endzone and Journell missed a 30-yard field goal. Oglesby ran for his first touchdown on the Hokies first drive of the 3rd quarter to give the team it’s first lead of the day, then took it in from 10 yards out midway through the 4th for the victory. The defense shined, holding ECU to -15 yards rushing and only 112 total yards. The Hokies take on Arkansas State this Saturday at Lane Stadium at 4 p.m.

Men’s Soccer

In almost unbelievable fashion, Tech knocked off No. 1 North Carolina 1-0 in double overtime Saturday night at Thompson Field. Senior captain James Shupp scored the game-winning goal in the 103rd minute and sophomore Kyle Renfro tallied nine saves and posted his second career shutout to beat top-ranked UNC. This is a great start in conference play for a team that’s going to need to play a few more games the way they played this one to have a shot at being competitive in the ACC. The team will retake the field Tuesday night at 7 p.m. as they face off against Longwood at home.

Women’s Soccer

After opening the weekend with their first loss of the year, a 4-3 double overtime heartbreak to Nebraska, the Hokies rebounded with a 3-0 win over Loyola on Sunday afternoon to run their record to 7-1. Brittany Michels, Katie Cramp, and Kelly Conheeny scored a goal apiece for Tech, who starts ACC play next Sunday against Maryland. The junior midfielder Conheeny now leads the team with eight goals in eight games. The Hokies play Appalachian State on Thursday at six p.m. at Thompson Field.

Volleyball

After sweeping American on Friday night and Seton Hall on Saturday afternoon, the Hokies fell to Tennessee three sets to one to end the Hokie Invite. Tech is now 5-4 on the year. Justine Record recorded two double-doubles over the weekend, and she now has five on the season. The team will host the Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational this weekend, featuring Connecticut, Chattanooga, and Virginia, and will open conference play next weekend against Miami.

At the end of this coming weekend, all five Virginia Tech fall varsity sports teams will have officially started their respective seasons. While you all know that Hokie football kicks off this Saturday, here’s a little something from Tech’s less popular sports programs…

Men’s Soccer

One game into it’s 2011 campaign, and the men’s soccer team doesn’t look like it’s going to change anything from it’s 5-13-1 mark a year ago. I attended Saturday night’s season opener against Howard as a fan (a 2-1 loss), and it wasn’t pretty to say the least. While the team clearly outplayed the Bison in the first half, it didn’t take away from their countless missed opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. I think it’s also worth noting that Howard had only four shots on goal, to Tech’s 18. I don’t know enough about the sport to explain exactly what this team needs to fix if they’re going to compete in one of the nation’s best soccer conferences, but I do know that if they don’t turn things around quickly, it’s going to be a very long season. They go for their first win this Friday at 7:30 against Wisconsin at Thompson Field.

Women’s Soccer

After last night’s 5-0 victory over Elon, the team improved to 4-0 on the year (look for a recap on that in tomorrow’s CT). Kelly Coheeny already has four goals on the season, and Shannon Mayrose has three. The Hokies have only allowed one goal through their first four games. If their first two weeks are any indication of how their season is going to go, this team has a very good chance of making their fourth straight NCAA Tournament appearance. They look to stay undefeated this Friday down in Winston-Salem at the Wake Forest tournament against Campbell at 4 p.m.

Volleyball

At last weekend’s Hokie Tournament, the volleyball team went 3-0, knocking off Cleveland State, High Point, and Indiana. Cara Baarendse, Justine Record, and Samantha Gostling led the way with 29 kills apiece over the course of the weekend. Erin Leaser added 101 assists, and Morgan O’Neill led the team with 41 digs. This is another Tech program that could be well on it’s way to an NCAA Tournament, just one year after making the first one in school history. The team travels to Lexington, KY this weekend to take part in the Kentucky Tournament, where they’ll face off against Ohio, Western Kentucky, and Kentucky.

Cross Country

Not much going on here, as the team is yet to start it’s season. Both the men and women have their goals set on making the NCAA Championships, however, the women haven’t been there since 2006, and the men haven’t been there since 1987. They start their season this Friday with the Virginia Tech Alumni Invitational at 6 p.m.

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California won the Little League World Series championship in walk-off fashion.

Usain Bolt was disqualified for a false start at the world championships.

Dirk Nowitzki just keeps on winning.

Should Peyton Manning and Chris Johnson fantasy owners be getting nervous?

Follow me on Twitter: @ZMarinerCT

Photo by Ghislain Delporte

The Virginia Tech women’s soccer team recorded their second-straight win to start the season Sunday, defeating the Dukes of James Madison by a score of 3-1.

The Hokies, under first-year head coach Chugger Adair, jumped on top in the 27th minute when Katie Yensen scored her first goal of the season. Shannon Mayrose and Jazmine Reeves also added goals for the Hokies.

This is the second year in a row the Hokies have started their season 2-0. In 2010, Tech followed up their quick start with a three-game slide that included losses to Texas A&M, Long Beach State and Kentucky. Without a top-flight non-conference matchup on their schedule, the Hokies should enter ACC play in position to return to the NCAA Tournament.

With returning All-ACC Freshmen in Reeves and Dayle Colpitts and seven retuning starters, the Hokies should again make a run at the NCAA Tournament.

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• Six former Virginia Tech athletes were named to the Tech Hall of Fame Sunday, including three former football players.

1. Kicker Shayne Graham, best remembered for his game-winning field goal vs. West Virginia in 1999, gains induction to the exclusive club.
2. Defensive back John Moody, who became one of the university’s biggest athletic fund-raisers over the course of nearly 40 years.
3. Phil Rogers, who helped the Hokies during the early 7o’s at both tailback and quarterback.
4. World Champion pitcher Brad Clontz of the Atlanta Braves during the 1995 season.
5. Heavyweight wrestler Josh Feldman, who compiled a career record of 85-23-1, including All-American honors.
6. Tere Williams, the Hokies first women’s basketball player to be drafted into the WNBA.

 Other stuff

• Versus, in partnership with NBC, will be expanding their college football coverage, according to Michael Hiestand.
• Theron Kahn says that colleges as far as Washington state are worried about the ramifications of the Miami football scandal.
• As the Yahoo! Sports report on Miami football gains steam, memories of the Southern Methodist University scandal during their run in the 1980′s are revisited.

SMU had been sanctioned multiple times in the 10 years leading up to receiving the death penalty for recruiting violations, including being placed on three years’ probation in 1985. But the money kept flowing because school officials, including former Texas Gov. Bill Clements, the head of SMU’s board, were afraid that players already on the payroll would expose the cheating if they were cut off.

SMU was ultimately handed the first and only ‘Death Penalty’ by the NCAA. Could something similar happen to the ‘Canes?

• Notre Dame’s season rests heavily on the shoulders of whomever head coach Brian Kelly decides to go with at quarterback, writes Tom Davis.
• Kurt Voigt writes that Arkansas receivers Greg Childs, Jarius Wright and Joe Adams made a unique decision coming out of high school.

They were some of the most accomplished receivers in the state’s history and had plenty of opportunities to play college football somewhere else. Instead, they stayed home to form the core of Bobby Petrino’s first recruiting class.

“Before we all decided to come, we talked to each other and said, ‘Instead of leaving and making another state proud, let’s go to Arkansas and bring our own state up,’” Wright said. “We felt like then we were some of the best receivers in the country as high school kids and felt like we could make a difference, so we decided to come here.”

Until next time…

@MattJonesCT