Great Weekend for Elon Athletics

By Matt Curry, WSOE Sports

Calling all Elon sports enthusiasts! This weekend will play host to a montage of Elon athletics as some seasons are coming to a close while others are just beginning. Come out and support your Elon Phoenix and show your school spirit as they try and dominate the weekend, especially against rival App State.

Friday 11/13/09:

Womens Basketball
vs Youngstown State at 7:00 PM

Men’s Soccer
(SoCon Tournament)
against College of Charleston in Spartanburg, SC at 7:00PM

Saturday 11/14/09:

Football vs App State
3:00 PM game at Rhodes Stadium
*** Remember to listen live to the football tailgate show before the game on the radio at WSOE 89.3 fm or give us a cheer as you walk by our tent as you walk to the stadium! (starts at 2PM)

Volleyball at App State
7:00 PM gametime

Men’s Basketball at Lipscomb
Game starts at 8:00 PM

Women’s Basketball
vs Navy at 9:00 PM

Sunday 11/15/09

Volleyball at Western Carolina
3:00 PM start

Contact Information:
Matt Curry
WSOE Sports
mcurry3@elon.edu

Interview with Elon Volleyball Player Ali Deatsch

By Matt Curry, WSOE Sports

Freshman Ali Deatsch is the Elon Phoenix’s Varsity Volleyball defensive specialist or in other words the “libero”. She has played in over 100 sets this season and is a vocal leader on the floor. She has helped her team to a 22-6 record with three games remaining in the regular season, and a possible berth in the Southern Conference Tournament.

When asked why she decided to attend Elon, Deatsch responded frankly, “I wanted to play volleyball here, but I obviously looked at the academics as well.” Her coach in high school pushed her to succeed, and was in fact the one who introduced Deatsch to Elon. She expected to come to Elon and help her team out and make a difference in her freshman year. She was however “really nervous and excited,” but at the same time “had fourteen guaranteed friends to help me out.” These friends of course refer to her teammates who have really made her adjustment to college a delightful one. There aren’t any special traditions that came along with joining the team, but she loves going out to eat with the girls.

Asking Deatsch about her daily life and the commitments to being both a student and an athlete, the first thing she did was smile and say “it is really tough.” Her typical week includes “class starting at 8am every day, study hall (6 hours every week), breakfast with the team, weights or film depending on the week and who we play, dinner together.” There is always something going on in Deatsch’s day to the point where she has to stay up late just to finish her homework.

Ali Deatsch really seems to just love what she is doing in life. She started playing volleyball when she was in 5^th grade because “everyone was doing it and I wanted to join in.” Soon she would fall in love with the sport and seemingly “never stop playing.” She decided to stop playing softball because of her love for volleyball, and she continues to show this love for her favorite sport at Elon. One of her closest friends on the team, freshman Carly Ledbetter, is just as passionate about volleyball as Deatsch and they play all the time for fun. Deatsch really credits her coaching staff and team members for helping her make the most of her first semester so far, and she only looks for the semester to keep on improving. She also hopes to work towards one day being captain of her team.

One way for Deatsch to improve her year would be with a championship in the Southern Conference Tournament. With three games remaining in the season, she and the rest of the Phoenix squad must play hard and win all of their games to get into the tournament. With the memorable victory against Samford earlier in the year when they weren’t expected to play well, the Phoenix won convincingly in three sets. With that mentality in mind Deatsch stated confidently, “I believe we can get into the tournament and it is always a possibility to win it all because of how many good players we have on the team.” When asked about the loss of sophomore teammate Traci Stewart to an ACL tear, she responded with “it’s scary mentally because we haven’t had to play without her all year.” Even with the loss of Stewart, Deatsch still believes in what this team can accomplish, and welcomes the challenge one day at a time.

Contact Information:
Matt Curry
WSOE Sports
mcurry3@elon.edu

Phoenix finish preseason with 85-61 win over Greensboro College

Tonight’s Men’s Basketball starting lineups are as follows:

For the Pride of Greensboro College:
Guard, R.J. Smith, Sr.
Guard, Pernell Davis, Jr.
Guard, Adam Powell, Jr.
Forward, Walter Brady, Sr.
Center, Lewis Owenby, Jr.

For the Elon Phoenix:
Guard, Drew Spradlin, So.
Guard, Devan Carter, Sr.
Guard, Chris Long, Jr.
Forward, Adam Constantine, Sr.
Forward, T.J. Douglas, Sr.

7:05 PM Tipoff won by the Pride

With 15:22 to play in the first half Elon leads Greensboro College 5-2. All five of the Phoenix points have been scored by Sophomore Guard, Drew Spradlin. The first field goal of the game, scored by Greensboro College’s Adam Powell, came at 18:15.

With 11:45 to play in the first half Elon leads Greensboro College 10-7. Phoenix are playing a very physical game, going after every rebound and loose ball. For the Phoenix, Adam Constantine and Devan Carter have two fouls each and for the Pride, Lewis Owenby has two fouls. Point leaders, for the Phoenix, Drew Spradlin with 5 and for the Pride, Walter Brady with 3.

With 7:51 to play in the first half Elon leads Greensboro College 23-14. The Phoenix have begun to heat up from beyond the arc. Drew Spradlin has two, 3-point field goals and 10 points on the game. Chris Long also has two, 3-point field goals giving him 6 points on the night. The Phoenix have racked up 8 team fouls to the Pride’s 6.

With 3:58 to play in the first half Elon leads Greensboro College 31-16. A very physical game is being played with both teams reaching 8 team fouls with over 6:00 to play. Drew Spradlin leads the Phoenix with 12 points and two Pride players are tied with a team high 4 points.

At the half Elon leads Greensboro College 37-22. Both teams played a very physical first half, reaching 10 team fouls each with 3:00 to play. Statistically, both teams had a very even first half with the Phoenix shooting 38% from the field and Greensboro College shooting 31%. The Phoenix, led by Adam Constantine’s 6, out rebounded the Pride 25 to 20, however Greensboro College’s Walter Brady led all rebounders with 9. The Phoenix have two double-digit scorers with Drew Spradlin scoring a game high 15 and Chris Long scoring 10. The Pride’s leading scorer was Adam Powell with 8. The Phoenix have taken 19 three-point attempts making only 5. The Pride have only taken 4 three-point attempts making 1. Both teams have 4 players with 2 personal fouls each. Greensboro College’s Chakiris Moss is the only player with 3 fouls. Despite all the fouls, neither team is shooting well from the free throw line with the Phoenix shooting 62% and the Pride shooting 50%.

Beginning of the Second Half: Phoenix Start With Possession.

With 15:59 to play in the second half Elon leads Greensboro College 48-24. So far this half Elon has held the Pride to 2 points. Three-pointers from Chris Long and T.J. Douglas along with 5 Adam Constantine rebounds have given the Phoenix their largest lead of the game. Adam Constantine was also charged with his third foul less then 30 seconds into the half. For the Pride, R.J. Smith has three fouls and Pernell Davis has already racked up his fourth.

With 11:20 to play in the second half Elon leads Greensboro College 59-36. Adam Constintane energized the crowd with two dunks highlighting a strong back and forth exchange by the Pride and Phoenix. Devan Carter added his first three-pointer of the game and Josh Bonney was charged with his third personal foul.

With 7:21 to play in the second half Elon leads Greensboro College 70-49. Fouls highlight this recent stretch as Adam Constantine was charged with his fourth personal foul around the 10:00 mark and the Pride hit seven team fouls at 8:54. Throughout, Elon has been able to maintain a twenty point lead with good shooting from Chris Long and Devan Carter.

With 3:02 to play in the game Elon leads Greensboro College 75-57. Adam Powell is currently the only double-digit scoring Pride player with 12 points. For the Phoenix, Drew Spradlin leads all scorers with 19. Chris Long is next with 14.

FINAL SCORE: Elon Phoenix 85 Greensboro College Pride 61

Statistical Leaders:

Elon: Drew Spradlin 19 Points, Adam Constantine 12 Rebounds, Josh Bonney 5 Assists

Greensboro College: Adam Powell 12 Points, Walter Brady 12 Rebounds, R.J. Smith and Pernell Davis 4 Assists

Elon finished the night shooting 44% from the field, 30% from beyond the arc and 74% from the free throw line.

Greensboro College finished the night shooting 43% from the field, 23% from beyond the arc and 50% from the line.

The Phoenix will take the court again on Saturday, November 14, at 8:00 PM at Lipscomb for the regular season opener.

Contact Information:
Brian Dudiak
WSOE Sports
bdudiak@elon.edu

Elon continues to roll with a 42-17 victory over Western Carolina

In what turned out to be a historic day for Elon Wide Receiver Terrell Hudgins, the Elon University Phoenix improved 8-1 overall and 6-0 in the Southern Conference with a 42-17 victory over Western Carolina.  The Phoenix were led by the strong running duo of Brandon Newsome and Jamal Shuman, who combined for 230 yards on the ground and five touchdowns, and by their stifling defense.  However, the biggest story coming out of this game was Terrell Hudgins and his continued onslaught on the NCAA record books. Today, Hudgins surpassed NFL Hall of Fame member Jerry Rice to become the Division I all-time leader in receiving yards.  This win for the Phoenix sets up a Southern Conference showdown with rival Appalachian State in Rhodes Stadium next weekend that will determine the winner of the Southern Conference. The game will televised by Fox Sports South at 3:00 PM.

Tom Waterman

WSOE Sports

Elon: Jeremy Peterson – The ideal Student Athlete as a Freshman

By Matt Curry, WSOE Sports

Football is one of the toughest sports to play in due to the high standard of talent and the long hours needed to practice. Jeremy Peterson was scouted out of high school, coming to Elon this year as a freshman, and has made that commitment as a wide receiver. When asked why he chose Elon, he answered it was his top choice because it was not only a good fit for him, but the football staff made it comfortable to call the school home. He didn’t have high expectations for himself as far as football goes. He expected to be a second string player who helped the first string practice, but has actually caught five passes for a total of forty-eight yards, with three games remaining in the season.

Peterson was quite happy with where he was at this season because he had playing time and he was making progress towards possibly becoming a starter next season. When asked what it is like to play alongside Terrell Hudgins and catch passes from Scott Riddle, he replied that it was “extremely exciting”. Peterson has such a respect for Riddle and Hudgins, claiming both would play for the NFL one day and even going as far as to compare playing next to Hudgins as exciting and playing with Adrian Peterson. As for traditions that the team has, he couldn’t think of any but instead brought to mind the fact that they are a team and are quite close to each other.

The other half of Jeremy Peterson’s time is spent as a student at college.  Peterson thinks that being a student athlete is extremely hard because of the time commitment to both school and football. His weekly schedule includes class, papers, practice most days, and study hall. He doesn’t get to talk to his family as much as he would like, and he would like more sleep than he gets, but the future computer science major is content with the opportunity he has been given. Having such a bright future, he is grateful to everyone who got him here. He hopes to make them proud by graduating while pushing himself academically, and hopefully adding a Southern Conference Championship as well as a national championship trophy to Elon’s showcase.

 

 Contact Information:

Matt Curry
WSOE Sports
mcurry3@elon.edu

Volleyball: UNC Greensboro outlasts Elon 3-2 in Round Two

By Matt Curry, WSOE Sports

Entering into the game, the Phoenix knew what this game meant: not only a chance to revenge a loss to the rival Spartans, but a chance to secure a spot in the Southern Conference Tournament. The Spartans however look to take control of their own destiny and defeat the Phoenix twice this season.

First set: Both teams came out pumped and ready to go as the early going was extremely close. With the score 14-12 Spartans, the Phoenix took a timeout.  Out of the timeout the Spartans took the opportunity to extend their lead, even causing another timeout by the Phoenix with the score 18-12. The Phoenix battled back, but lost the set by a score of 25-21.

Second Set: Ace Lizzy West served for the second time (already having one ace earlier in the set) during the set, the Phoenix made a quick run which led to a Spartan timeout with the score 16-14 Phoenix. Lauren Coppenhagan added her own ace to give the Phoenix a 21-19 lead. The Phoenix would keep extend the lead and keep it as they won the set by a final score of 25-21.

As we head to the long intermission, some first half point to make is that these sets have been close, and very entertaining to watch. The teams almost seem equally matched, which maybe means a fifth set again to decide this one? Both teams seem to be all over the floor, as there have been players diving left and right. It will be interesting to see how both teams come out in the third set. Can either team make an early run or are we set for another close ending?

Third set: The Phoenix have definitely come out strong in the third set today as the have played to an 11-8 lead.  The Spartans have just gone on a huge run that led to a timeout as the score is now 19-13 UNCG. This is the run we knew would eventually happen, but unfortunately for Elon, it was UNCG that made their move. UNCG has come out in the second part of this third set and set the tone for the match right now as they have completely dominated the last few minutes, winning the set 25-17

Fourth set: The Phoenix have started off the set with a 5-1 run leading to a quick timeout. Let’s see if the Phoenix can extend this lead and force a fifth set for the match. UNCG has just climbed back into the game and are trailing by a score of 8-7. The Phoenix however, have just countered with their own run and now lead by a score of 14-10.  This game was just like the other, a fight until the end, with the Phoenix prevailing 25-19.

I guess things do happen again. The first match this season between the two was won in five sets by the Spartans. Lets see if the Phoenix can’t pull out a little magic and win this match.

Fifth Set: The Spartans have stormed out to a 5-1 lead and have completely dominated the set up to this point. The Spartans win the set by a final score of 14-9. This was a tough set and the Phoenix could not get a break or bit of luck.

What an amazing match though with the Sprtans beating the Phoenix 3-2. This creates a bunch of scenarios, with UNCG having their own destiny in their hands. If the Spartans can beat Furman than they will enter the SoCon tournament, but if they lose and the Phoenix win out, they will be in the tournament. If they end up with a tying record then UNCG will win the tiebreaker. The Phoenix’s next game will be Saturday against Wofford.  Anyways, this was a great game as was the last meeting between the two. Lets see how the rest of the season plays out.

Contact Information:
Matt Curry
WSOE Sports
mcurry3@elon.edu

Men’s Soccer: UNC downs Elon 2-1

By David Aneser, WSOE Sports

The game was a matchup between two North Carolina schools but in the end, the University of North Carolina came out victorious over Elon University 2-1. Early on in the game the Tar Heels, who came into the contest ranked #2 in the nation, looked to be the better side. Elon had their fair share of opportunities though with freshman Chris Thomas and senior Justin Wyatt both having shots going off the woodwork. UNC looked to have the quantity of chances with Elon having the quality. Towards the end of the half UNC looked to be creating chances, culminating in a 41^st minute goal by Billy Schuler. He took the ball away from James Carroll 25 yards out, found space and right around the penalty spot fired home a left footed shot that Elon goalie Clint Irwin could do nothing about. At half it seemed that the Phoenix would just need to regroup and come out in the second half looking to equalize.

Carolina came out guns a blazing in the second half looking like they were the team in need of an equalizer. The Tar Heels were slicing their way through the Phoenix defense and Schuler once again slipped through and was able to put in a second. The striker was able to get around the sprawling Irwin and slip in a shot that trickled along the goal line until Elon defender Stephen Miller tried to clear it off the line but the ball bounced off the post. It was a great individual effort by Schuler who with two goals was easily the man of the match.

Elon looked left for dead after a lackluster second half when in the 75^th minute, Chris Thomas was slipped in by Erfan Imeni and he neatly slotted the ball into the far post. The game started to open up after the goal with the home side looking for the equalizer. The 1,100 fans at Rhodes Stadium became energized with the feeling that ELon could get back into the game.

The Tar Heels looked certain to have sealed the fate of the Phoenix in the 80^th minute when a bad pass by Jahan Threeths was given right to Michael Far fan who chipped Clint Irwin but off the far post the ball bounced right to the goalie on the line. The fans wearing blue thought the ball had crossed the line but the referee and his assistant ruled Irwin had kept it out.

Both teams had late chances, Elon tried to equalize when Brad Franks sent in a free kick that was headed by Hunter Miller but no other Phoenix could get to it. UNC then tried to seal the deal with Enzo Martinez who curled his far post shot just high and wide of the upper 90. UNC halted one final Elon attack with the game finishing 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

Elon’s next game is at home on the 7^th against rivals UNC Greensboro. Elon with the loss has a record of 8-7-2 (3-2-0).

Contact Information:
David Aneser
WSOE Sports
daneser@elon.edu

Men’s Basketball: Elon washes out Washington & Lee in exhibition game 87-62

Tonight’s starting lineup for the Washington & Lee Generals is:

Guard Kyle Bond, So.
Guard John Guest, So.
Forward Ben Goetsch, Sr.
Forward J.D. Ey, Fr.
Forward Zac White, Sr.

And for the Elon Phoenix:

Guard Drew Spradlin, So.
Guard Chris Long, Jr.
Guard Devan Carter, Sr.
Forward Scott Grable, Jr.
Center Adam Constantine, SR.

-At the 15:00 mark, the Elon Phoenix and the Washington Lee Generals are tied at 7. The Phoenix have already gone to the bench bringing in Guards Josh Bonney and Terrance Birdette along with Forwards T. J Douglas and Daniel Watts into the game. Both teams are being extremely active on the boards s0 far in this game, and are contesting every shot.

-With 11 minutes left in the first half, the Phoenix have started to take a little bit of a lead led by the big men. 7 footer Daniel Watts hit a three pointer from about 22 ft and Senior Adam Constantine made a steal and went coast to coast for the dunk. The Phoenix are currently up by four points. 16-12.

-Elon Sophomore Guard Terrance Birdette just hit consecutive three pointers from the exact same spot on the floor. The Phoenix have now boosted their lead to 10. 26-16.

-With just under three minutes left in the first half the Phoenix are up by a score of 30-22. The phoenix are really playing tough defense, and have unveiled a half court press which has been effective inducing a few turnovers by the Generals.

-At halftime, the Washington and Lee Generals and the Elon Phoenix are tied at 32. The Generals ended the half on a 10-2 run, led by Forward Zac White with 13 points. The Generals are currently shooting 52% from the field, but have an alrming amount of turnovers so far with 10. Leading the Phoenix with 8 points is Guard Terrance Birdette. The Phoenix are shooting only 35.5% from the field in the first half, but are 4-11 from 3-point range.

-With 15:41 left in the second half the Washingto and Lee Generals are leading 40-39. The Generals continue to be led by the play of forwards J.D. Eye and Zac White.

-With kust over 11 minutes left in the second half, the Phoenix have regained the lead 48-42. The Phoenix offense has been much more effective throughout the game when Forward Adam Constantine has been on the floor.

-With 9:40 seconds left in the second half the Phoenix have increased their lead to 14, 58-44. Elon Forward Adam Constantine continues to be a force on the offense including a reverse dunk in the open court.

-The Phoenix have now stretched out their lead to 69-50, with 6:43 left on the clock.

-Thanks to their unrelenting defense and good shot selction, the Phoenix have are now up by 22, 80-58.

-The Elon Phoenix defeated the Washington and Lee Generals 87-62. Led by strong performances by Seniors Adam Constantine and T.J. Douglas.

Contact Infromation:
Tom Waterman
WSOE Assistant Sports Director
swaterman@elon.edu

Elon Crushes Chattanooga in Homecoming Game

By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director

Three touchdown passes from Scott Riddle to Terrell Hudgins on consecutive possessions guided the Elon Phoenix to an overwhelming 45-10 victory over the Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday.  Elon stepped up to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the conference, while Chattanooga dropped to 4-3, 2-3.

“[It's] great to get another SoCon win and to do it in convincing fashion,” said Elon head coach Pete Lembo. “This is one of those good wins where we can enjoy it but go back tomorrow and see some things on film that we can tweak and improve on.”

Elon’s homecoming game didn’t start off the way the Phoenix wanted when Riddle threw an interception on the team’s first play from scrimmage.  Craig Camay connected on a 27-yard field goal and gave Chattanooga a 3-0 advantage.  However, the Mocs lead lasted for just two more possessions.

Hudgins’ three touchdown receptions were not only his first three catches of the afternoon, but they also provided Elon a 21-3 edge early in the second quarter.  The next time the Phoenix had the ball came after a Chattanooga fumble and resulted in a 36-yard field goal from Adam Shreiner.

On the ensuing drive for the Mocs, Elon’s Darrius McQueen blocked a punt, and A.J. Harris returned it 35 yards for a touchdown.  The Phoenix led 31-3 at halftime.

Riddle played only the first three quarters of the blowout, completing 13 of his 18 passes for 196 yards.  Hudgins caught six of those passes for 74 yards.

Elon’s offense picked up 179 yards on the ground, as Jamal Shuman ran 16 times for 61 yards.  Brandon Newsome and A.J. Harris each had six carries for 48 and 33 yards respectively.

On defense, Karlos Sullivan contributed with an interception and six tackles.  Brandon Wiggins and Cameron McGlenn each delivered seven tackles.  Travis Greene also made key stops, adding six tackles.

Next Saturday, Elon visits the Wofford Terriers and Chattanooga hosts the Western Carolina Catamounts.

Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu

Elon Athletics Active for Family Weekend

By Craig Filazzola, WSOE Sports Director

This coming weekend will have four Elon home games in three sports. 

Families are more than welcomed to watch the following:

Friday – 7:00pm – Women’s Soccer – Wofford at Elon – Rudd Field
Saturday – 1:30pm – Football – Georgia Southern at Elon – Rhodes Stadium
Saturday – 7:30pm – Men’s Soccer – Georgia Southern at Elon – Rudd Field
Sunday – 2:00pm – Women’s Soccer – Furman at Elon – Rudd Field

Contact Information:
Craig Filazzola
WSOE Sports Director
cfilazzola@elon.edu