University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: August 31, 2006

Football

Captains named; opener to be televised

Head coach Turner Gill has named his 2006 captains based on voting by their teammates.

Junior safety Kareem Byrom, senior linebacker Ramon Guzman, senior running back Steven King, junior center Jamey Richard and junior defensive end Trevor Scott will serve as the 2006 captains for the Blue and White.

The Bulls open the 2006 season versus Temple tonight in UB Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on CN8 in the Philadelphia area. The game also will air twice on replay in the Buffalo area on TWC 13, formally known as Adelphia 13.

The replay will air at 7:30 p.m. tomorrow and at 3 p.m. on Saturday.

Tickets for the home opener can be purchased at the UB Athletics ticket office in Alumni Arena, at tickets.com outlets, by phone (645-6666) or through http://www.buffalobulls.com. Season tickets are available at the UB Athletics Ticket Office, with seating plans running between $50 and $90.

Soccer

MEN'S

UB 2, Pittsburgh 1
UB 0, West Virginia 0 (2OT)

UB opened the 2006 season by earning the overall title at the WVU Shootout with a victory and a tie over the weekend. On Friday night, UB scored a decisive, 2-1 victory over Pittsburgh. On Sunday, the Bulls forged a 0-0 tie against West Virginia following two extra sessions. With both Buffalo and West Virginia finishing with identical 1-0-1 records, UB was named the tournament champion based on a 2-1 total goal differential.

Against Pittsburgh, the Bulls attacked early, as they were able to find the back of the net in the sixth minute of the match. Senior Braden Byler struck the first blow for UB, finishing off a crossing pass from junior Dan Stevens, who recorded his first-ever point in a Bulls uniform. Sophomore Dan Gwyther put the game away with a header off a corner kick from senior Erik Jaanimagi in the 74th minute. The Panthers struck back in the 81st minute with a shot from 12 yards out by Chris Bastidas.

The defense continued its dominance from last season, allowing only one shot on goal the entire game. Senior goalkeeper Daniel Bell recorded his school-best 24th career win.

The win marks the team's first win over a Big East opponent since 1997, as well as the first time since 2000 that the Bulls have won their first game of the season on the road.

In Sunday's match, West Virginia, a 2005 NCAA College Cup Tournament participant, managed to push the Bulls early on, testing Bell with three shots on goal in the first half. The UB offense experienced early frustrations, gathering only three shots and inflicting 10 fouls in the half.

The second half proved to be another endurance battle, as neither team could find the back of the net. The Mountaineers attacked the UB zone often, but the backfield played strong once again, despite being outshot by a 23-10 margin in the game and allowing a 10-1 corner kick differential.

Gwyther, Jaanimagi, Dave Chojnowski and Dan Stevens were named to the 2006 WVU Shootout All-Tournament team, with Gwyther taking home top honors as the tournament MVP.

The Bulls (1-0-1) kick off their home schedule tomorrow against Detroit in the first game of the annual UB Fall Classic at UB Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

WOMEN'S

Niagara 3, UB 1
UB 2, St. Bonaventure 0

Using two second-half goals to its advantage, Niagara topped UB, 3-1, on Friday afternoon in Lewiston. Despite entering the half in a 1-1 stalemate, Niagara's Brittany Bisnott took off for the Purple Eagles, scoring twice in the second half in a game that served as the season-opener for both teams.

Emily Montgomery scored first in the contest for Niagara off a pass from Stephanie Gartley in the 12th minute of the game. UB fought back, and late in the first period junior Kara Winch found sophomore Andrea Vescio, who evened the score, 1-1, by nailing a shot from 30 yards out over Niagara keeper Sarah Stephens.

The tie didn't last long, as Bisnott opened the second half for Niagara with a one-touch, go-ahead goal off a pass from Gartley around the 15-yard line in the 56th minute. Bisnott leveraged the Niagara lead, scoring again 17 yards out in the 74th minute off a Natalie Frost pass.

Despite only posting one goal on the scoreboard, the Bulls mounted an offensive threat, with sophomore Janessa Banwell notching five shots on the afternoon, while junior Kelley Vander Mallie fired two of her own.

On Sunday, junior Heidi Griffiths scored two early first-half goals and freshman Amy Coron recorded her first career shutout in goal as the Bulls scored their first win of the season at UB Stadium, blanking St. Bonaventure, 2-0.

The Bulls jumped out to an early lead just 2:52 into the game, when Griffiths fought through a crowded goal box to tap in her first goal of the contest thanks to a long throw-in by Courtney MacVie.

After dominating much of the offensive side of the game in the ensuing minutes, Griffiths struck again in the 13th minute, this time blazing down the right side of the field on a solo breakaway set up by a long feed from freshman Caitlin Higgins.

Despite taking 16 shots in the game, the two early goals were all that the Bulls could muster to secure the victory, as neither team found the back of the net in the second half of play. Buffalo's defense proved to be strong, holding St. Bonaventure to just four shots on the afternoon.

The Bulls' next contest is tomorrow against Vermont in a non-conference matchup in Burlington.

Volleyball

Charlotte 3, UB 0; Davidson 3, UB 0
UB 3, North Carolina A&T 0; UB 3, High Point 1

UB opened the 2006 season with a pair of 3-0 losses to Charlotte and Davidson on Friday.

The Bulls, playing with eight newcomers on the roster, put forth a strong effort against the host 49ers, dropping the match 30-24, 30-27, 30-27. Senior Nikki Morzenti led the Bulls, finishing just short of a double-double with a game-high 15 kills and nine digs on the afternoon. The 15 kills put Morzenti over the 1,000-kill mark for her career with 1,001.

Junior Lizaiha Garcia also played well, finishing with game highs in both digs and service aces with 15 and three, respectively.

The newcomers saw plenty of action, including Alyssa Fitchette, who hit .364 in the contest as well as recording UB's only solo block on the afternoon. Sophomore Kate Love also made a solid UB debut, recording six kills in 14 attempts.

Senior Brandie Clark, making the switch to the team's setter this season, led the team with 33 assists.

In the nightcap, the Bulls fought hard again, but fell to Davidson, 30-24, 30-26, 32-30. Morzenti again just missed a double-double, finishing with a team-high nine kills and eight digs. Garcia finished with a team-best 17 digs for the match.

Freshman Kelsey Lueders finished the day with seven block assists, including five against Davidson.

The Bulls had their chances, taking the lead in all three games. UB had a 13-9 advantage in game one, before the Wildcats went on an 11-2 run to take the advantage. Down early in the second game, UB made a run of its own, taking the lead at 20-19. After a 22-22 tie, Davidson went on to outscore UB 8-4 to take the game. The third game was no different, as each team took a lead, but eventually the scoreboard read 30-30 and the teams were forced to play on. Davidson would take the next two points for the 32-30 victory.

UB evened its record on Saturday, sweeping North Carolina A&T, 3-0, and defeating High Point, 3-1, at the Millis Center.

The Bulls defeated the Aggies, 30-24, 30-15, 30-22 to pick up their first win of the year and did it in style, outhitting their opponent .280 to .038.

Jenna Mapé tied for a match-high 11 kills, while contributing five digs. Clark finished with a match-high 29 assists, while putting up matching sevens in the kills and digs categories.

UB benefited from a shaky Aggie offense that put up negative hitting percentage numbers in both the second and third games. Garcia and Lauren Fensten each recorded double-digit digs with 15 and 11, respectively.

The second match turned into a block party for UB as it defeated High Point, 30-28, 25-30, 30-27, 30-19. The Bulls combined for 16 blocks, including five from Lueders and four from Fichette. Fitchette also hit the ball well on the day, hitting a .556 (5-0-9) in the first game and .467 (9-2-15) in the second contest. Clark nearly missed a triple-double against High Point, finishing the game with eight kills, 38 assists and 14 digs. Garcia finished with a match-high 23 digs, giving her 70 on the weekend, and 971 for her career.

After getting off to a slow start, where the Bulls hit just .083 in the first game, UB steadily improved and it outhit the Panthers .390 to .122 in the match-clinching fourth game. Morzenti contributed a match-high 18 kills in the contest.

The Bulls will be back in action this weekend hosting the Western New York Invitational. UB plays Quinnipiac at 7 p.m. tomorrow in Alumni Arena. The Bulls will play Youngstown State and Coastal Carolina on Saturday.