8

SPORTS

THE TARTAN Oct. 12, 2011

Brummitt emerging as a key player on Volleyball

Freshman libero making a name for herself in the Big South conference with exceptional play on the court.
PETER MASON
pdmason@radford.edu
Its not very common for college athletes to be starters as freshmen. However, all the way from Plano, Texas, freshman libero Rachel Brummitt has made this achievement a reality. Brummitt, who was recently named the Defensive Player of the Week in the Big South, has managed to post some pretty impressive numbers in the short time shes been here at RU. So far the seasons going good, Brummitt said. Were really just trying to get better game by game and work hard in practice. Throughout the season I feel like my numbers are getting stronger and Im feeling more comfortable with my teammates and my position, so Im growing. Brummitts defensive efforts have allowed her to have three games this season in which she managed 30 or more digs for the Highlanders, these were the games against Manhattan, Liberty and High Point. That total is more than any other player in the Big South so far. She also has had six games this season in which she managed at least 20 digs. Its her best statistical category as she manages to average a total of about five per game. Brummitt has been playing volleyball since the fourth grade, and in that time shes played it competitively for about six to seven years at a higher level. She also said at one point she was playing volleyball, basketball, soccer and softball. Her parents finally decided to make her choose one sport to play, and Brummitt decided to play volleyball because she had friends who were playing on her schools team. My two best friends played volleyball, so I decided that I was going to play volleyball, Brummitt said. In high school, Brummitt managed to build up an impressive list of accomplishments. Some of these include being awarded the District 8-5A Defensive Player of the Year Award; she was named one of the top 39 liberos in the country by PrepVolleyball. com, and she was selected to the 2011 Defensive Dandies second team. She was recruited by Coach Jenkins out of high school to play volleyball for the Highlanders. She said that when she first came to Radford, adjusting was difficult for her. At first I was really homesick, Brummitt said. Its a lot different than back home in Texas and the girls helped a lot and its gotten a lot better but it was a struggle at first. There are several differences between high school volleyball and college volleyball that Brummitt discovered. Its definitely a lot more serious, Brummitt said. Its just a bigger game, a little faster. Youre really working for your seniors again and for your teammates more than just in club where youll be with the same girls. You are really working to help your teammates and playing for each other in every game. So far, Brummitt has played a total of 81 games, and has managed a total of 30 points for the Highlanders. Brummitt is also leading the team in digs, posting an impressive total of 412 on the season. Her numbers and achievements, however impressive they may appear, are not what she likes most about volleyball. Were so close with all the girls, and how it is kind of like a family, and when you have a bad day and theres always someone there to pick you up, so its really nice to just have people there for you, Brummitt said. RU volleyball currently stands with a record of 8-11 overall and 2-3 in the Big South conference. You can see Brummitt, along with the rest of the volleyball team play on both Oct. 14 and Oct. 15 against Charleston Southern Courtesy of RU Athletics University and then Coastal Carolina Uni- Freshman libero Rachel Brummitt leads the team versity as a part of RUs upcoming home- and the league for most games with 30 or more digs (3). coming week.

Mens Soccer struggles in weekend matches, drops to 5-6

BRENNEN WOODRUFF
bwoodruff@radford.edu
The Radford University Mens Soccer team played two contests on Oct. 5 and Oct. 9, one non-conference and the other a conference match. The rst match was a non-conference game against the Longwood Lancers that took place in Farmville, VA. The Highlanders hung in tight the whole game. They managed to control the game most of the time. The Highs had better chances in the second period of the game. They had a strong push in the last 20 minutes but could not knock the ball into the net. Radfords sophomore midelder Luis Grande had a strong opportunity late in regulation that ended in a diving save by Longwood goalkeeper Joel Helmick. The Highs sophomore midelder Bernardo Ulmo and freshman midelder/forward Ramzi Dridi also had solid opportunities toward the end of the game. Ulmos opportunity came off a loose ball from a free kick but was saved off Longwood defender Devin Pierces foot. Regulation ended with a 0-0 tie. The game went into overtime. In the rst period of overtime, the Highs had much better chances than the Lancers. Senior forward Iyiola Awosika and sophomore defender Matt Janssen each had solid chances at the go-ahead goal in the rst overtime. However, they entered into the second overtime period still in a 0-0 deadlock. The Lancers scored the game-winning goal early in the second period of overtime. Longwoods Vinnie Llana connected off a free kick that was taken just in front of mideld. The goal was scored in the 106th minute. The Highs ended up losing a toughly competed game 1-0. Each team had 13 shots. Sophomore goalkeeper Dane Wilson had six saves in the match to Longwood goalkeeper Helmicks ve. The loss puts Radford at 5-5 on the season. Longwood left the match with a 6-4-1 record. The Highs attempted to bounce back from the tough loss against a solid team, Coastal Carolina. RU continued their Big South conference play with their third conference game against the 23rd ranked team in the nation. The game was played at Coastal Carolina. The Highs appeared to be somewhat outmatched against the Chanticleers. Ashton Bennett of Coastal Carolina had two goals and one assist on the match. He scored his 12th goal of the season, which elevates him to one of the best at the statistic nationally. Bennett set up one of TeeJay Easts two goals in the game. The Chanticleers got off to a quick start and scored the rst three goals of the game, with the 3rd goal coming in the 53rd minute. Just three minutes after, the Highs managed to force a handball in the box by Coastal Carolina. RU received a penalty kick in the 56th minute. They chose Iyiola Awosika to take it. Awosika red in his team-leading seventh goal of the season. The goal also gave him his 26th career goal, putting him at 9th all-time at RU. Despite Awosikas goal, the Highs lost the match 1-4. Coastals last goal came off Cyprian Hedricks header on a corner kick that went wide of RU goalkeeper Ryan Taylor. The Highs left the match with a 5-6-1 overall record, 1-2-0 in the conference. Coastal Carolina ended the game with a 9-2-0 overall record, 3-0-0 in the conference. RU looks to bounce back from the two losses at home against Virginia Military Institute on Oct. 12.

WOMENS: Highs continue to

dominate Big South conference
From page 7
at the 12th minute. Sophomore forward Julie Ruhe was credited with the assist, and continues to lead the team in the category for the season. The rest of the game was marked but much stiffer defense. Even though the Highs had 14 shots and eight on goal, their only goal was the 12th minute shot by Vasquez. Charleston Southern goalkeeper Caitlin Cody stopped seven out of eight shots on goal by the Highs for the rest of the match. Leading the Highs defense was Brown in between the goal posts. Although the Charleston Southern attack was strong, it wasnt strong enough to score on Brown and the rest of the Highs defense. Despite 17 shots and six corner kicks, Brown had a big night and recorded eight saves on the evening. The shutout was Browns fifth of the year, while the match was recorded as her sixth victory of the year. RU went on to win the match by a score of 2-0. The Highs are 9-3 overall and 4-0 in the Big South conference, where they hold a half-game lead over Campbell University. The Highs are also riding a four game winning streak. This is also the first time since 1999 and the third time in school history that the Highs have started out 4-0 in the Big South conference. Only six games remain in the regular season for the Highs. They come back home to defend the turf at Cupp Stadium for their next three games against Gardner-Webb University on Oct. 13, Winthrop University on Oct. 15, and High Point University on Oct. 20. The final three games of their season will take place on rival territory away from Cupp Stadium, where the team has just one loss on the season. The Highs hold a 3-2 record on the road. The Highs look to continue their success in the Big South Tournament, which begins on Nov. 3. As of right now, the Highs are in first place in the Big South conference, but the usual suspects of Campbell University (3-0-1) and Winthrop University (3-1) are not too far behind in the standings.

COURTNEY EARLL | The Tartan

Sophomore defensive midfielder Rachel Conway and freshman midfielder Stephanie Herb have moved into prominent roles on the team, which boasts a plethora of freshmen and sophomores.