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The Bulls, under second-year head coach Craig Cirbus, return 12 starters from last season's squad headed by junior running back Anthony Swan, who broke the UB record for rushing attempts in a season last year with 236 and fell just shy of the 1,000-yard mark, finishing with 968, a figure that ranked him 48th in the nation and ninth among sophomores in Division I-AA.

Quarterback Mark Taylor returns as the Bulls' starting quarterback. Taylor, a senior, completed 115-of-276 passes last season for 1,218 yards. The offensive line is anchored by seniors Ed Ellis and John Sandusky. Ellis was tabbed by The Sporting News as a pre-season All-Independent selection.

All-American candidate Craig Guest leads an experienced defense. The senior linebacker led the Bulls as well as all ECAC I-AA players in tackles last season with 161, including a team-leading 77 solo stops and 15 tackles-for-loss, earning him first-team ECAC and Honorable Mention Football Gazette All-American honors. Guest set a school record with 29 tackles last season against Maine and earned All-Independent honors from The Sporting News and Bob Griese's Football Yearbook.

The Bulls boast one of the best kicking games in Division I-AA with senior Gerald Carlson handling the punting and placekicking duties. The senior already holds 12 school records and made of 17-of-22 field goals last season including a pair of over 50 yards. His average of 1.5 field goals per game ranked him fourth in the nation while his punting average of 39.2 yards on 62 kicks ranked him 28th among Division I-AA punters.

VOLLEYBALL
Coach Bob Maxwell's Royals take to the court to begin the 1996 season on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7 p.m. as they host St. Bonaventure in the first game of the William G. Morgan Invitational Tournament. UB concludes the tourney on Saturday hosting Eastern Michigan and Colgate.

The Royals return four starters from last season's 22-13 squad led by junior middle blocker Kathy Brinkworth. Last season, Brinkworth became the first athlete in UB's rich athletic tradition to lead the nation in an individual category when she topped all NCAA Division I players with 223 blocks, a 1.84 average per game. Brinkworth added 176 kills and a hitting percentage of .260 and was named to the Mid-Continent Conference Eastern Division's second-team last season.

Senior setter Candi Sims returns to lead the offense. Sims currently is second on the Royals all-time list for assists with 2,235 and could see some time at a weakside hitter position this season with the continued development of some of UB's talented freshmen. Sims was third on the team with 177 kills and earned first-team Mid-Con Eastern Division recognition last year.

MEN'S SOCCER
The Bulls kick off their season with a pair of contests this weekend. UB hosts Big Ten member Michigan State to open the season on Friday, Aug. 30 at 7:30 p.m. and faces Mid-American Conference foe Akron on Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m. Both matches are held at RAC Field behind Alumni Arena.

Coach John Astudillo's squad finished 9-8-2 last season. Sophomore Sebastian Zawislan and senior Ediru Okpewho return to head the lineup. Zawislan had a fine freshman season scoring five goals (tied for the team lead) and adding an assist for 11 total points, second on the Bulls. Okpewho was third on the team last season with four goals and 10 points.

WOMEN'S SOCCER
The Royals open their 1996 season on the road at Syracuse on Saturday, Aug. 31. UB's home opener is Sept. 7 when they host Youngstown State.

Coach Jean Tassy's team finished 1995 with a stellar 9-3-3 mark, their best winning percentage since 1986. The team was ranked fourth in the Northeast Region in scoring at 3.21 goals per game. Heading the list of returnees is senior Lori Perillo who topped the Royals with 10 goals and 21 points in 1995. Perillo's 21 points ranked her 19th in scoring in the Northeast Region. She also led the team last season with three game-winning goals. Also back is sophomore Beth Costello who accounted for five goals and two assists last season.

MEN'S BASKETBALL
The Bulls opened their Italian tour last week. UB was downed by Montani-Forli 80-61 as former NBA star Manute Bol, at 7-feet-7, blocked 12 Bulls shots. UB was led by Mike Martinho's 26 points while Matt Clemens added 14. In a second game, the Bulls fell to Reggio-Calabria 74-55 as Clemens and Martinho combined for 51 points.