University at Buffalo - The State University of New York

Published: October 12, 2006

Football

Ball State 55, UB 25

UB, which had excelled in limiting turnovers, penalties and mistakes in its first four games, was doomed by a nightmarish first half in a 55-25 Homecoming Day loss to Ball State before 14,885 fans in UB Stadium.

The Bulls never recovered from a one-two punch in which Ball State stormed to a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes. After a 65-yard drive for a score to open the game, the Cardinals blocked a Bulls' punt in the end zone to shock the big Homecoming Day crowd and the Bulls. UB never recovered mentally and Ball State went on to take a 38-3 lead at halftime en route to the victory.

UB's only score of the first half came on the first-ever field-goal attempt by senior walk-on Adam Tanalski. Tanalski drilled a 42-yard kick, the longest successful field goal of the season for the Bulls.

After intermission, the Cardinals scored a touchdown on its first drive before UB got on the board again. The Bulls got their first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter, and their first defensive score of the season. Junior safety Kareem Byrom intercepted a Nate Davis pass and returned it 43 yards for a touchdown that cut the Ball State lead to 45-10. It was the fifth straight game UB (1-4, 0-3 in the MAC) has recorded an interception.

The Bulls narrowed the lead to 45-17 when sophomore quarterback Drew Willy connected with Ernest Jackson for a 20-yard touchdown strike. Willy completed 27-of-40 passes for a career-best 321 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Willy's final touchdown of the day came on a 10-yard strike to freshman Naaman Roosevelt with 9:02 remaining in the game. That score capped a 10-play, 80-yard drive that saw Willy throw for 64 yards on 6-of-8 passing. Roosevelt was Willy's favorite target throughout the day, as the true frosh grabbed a career-high seven catches for 72 yards. Willy then hit Jackson for a two-point conversion for

UB's final scoring play of the day. Jackson also had a career-best five catches for 74 yards for the Bulls.

The Bulls will host MAC rival Miami at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Soccer

MEN'S

UB 2, Bowling Green 1
Penn State 3, UB 0

UB came back from a 1-0 deficit in the second minute of action to prevail over Mid-American Conference opponent Bowling Green 2-1 on Friday night. UB used the early scare as motivation to capture its second conference win of the season.

In scoring a goal within the second minute of the first half, the Falcons became the first team to post a first-half goal on the Bulls this season.

But senior forward Andrae Clarke spoiled the Falcon's excitement with a game-tying boot in the ninth minute off a throw in by senior Brain Knapp.

Both teams battled for the game-winner, but the Bulls' second goal of the match was scored by junior Dan Stevens in the 28th minute.

The Bulls carried the momentum of the first half by outshooting the Falcons, 8-4, in the final 45 minutes.

In its second and final road game of the weekend, UB fell to Penn State, 3-0, in non-conference action on Sunday afternoon. UB found itself battling back after the Nittany Lions posted their first goal in the 36th minute, but could not find the offense to upend the Big Ten powerhouse.

The Bulls will return home for a 5 p.m. showdown tomorrow with MAC rival Western Michigan in UB Stadium.

WOMEN'S

UB 4, Western Michigan 2
UB 2, Northern Illinois 1

UB scored two big road victories over MAC opponents last weekend, downing the Western Michigan Broncos, 4-2, on Friday and the Northern Illinois Huskies, 2-1, on Sunday.

In the match against Western Michigan, sophomore Brooke McCalla had a huge afternoon for the Bulls, notching two goals and adding an assist, while freshman Caitlin Higgins and junior Ashley Turner rounded out the scoring for UB.

The victory was head coach Jean-A. Tassy's 100th in his 11-year career with the Bulls.

On Sunday, Turner and sophomore Andrea Vescio each scored for the Bulls in their 2-1 victory over Northern Illinois.

With Sunday's win, UB evened its MAC record at 3-3 (6-7 overall). The Bulls will return to action at 7 p.m. tomorrow in UB Stadium with a MAC match-up against the Toledo Rockets.

Volleyball

Miami (OH) 3, UB 0
Bowling Green 3, UB 0

UB dropped its first conference road match of the season on Friday, falling to Miami (OH), 3-0.

The host RedHawks hit the ball well on the evening-finishing with a .289 hitting percentage to just .121 by UB-and took the match 30-26, 30-21, 30-20.

On Saturday, the Bulls rolled into Bowling Green at the wrong time, falling 3-0 to a Falcon squad that hit .512 on the match, the most by a UB opponent this season. Bowling Green took the contest 30-14, 30-18, 30-12.

The loss drops UB to 12-10 on the season and 1-5 in the MAC.

The Bulls remain on the road for three straight matches this week, beginning with a match tonight at Kent State.

Tennis

MEN'S

UB 6, St. Francis (PA) 1

UB rolled to a 6-1 victory over visiting St. Francis (PA) Saturday at the University Tennis Center. It was the first dual-match win of the year for the Bulls (1-0) and the first for new head coach Sharef Zaher.

Playing with just five healthy athletes, the Bulls needed to sweep the two contested doubles matches to claim the opening point. The number two match easily was decided in UB's favor as the tandem of Yules Hadisubroto and Octavian Stane downed David Kirby and Jordan Kowalski, 8-2.

In the clinching doubles match, UB's number one duo of Mike Rockman and Nikesh Singh Panthlia needed to rally against the St. Francis pair of Andrei Sandu and Jeffrey Seevers. UB trailed 4-1 early in the match, but managed to claim the next seven games en route to an 8-4 win and the opening point.

The Bulls claimed five singles matches without dropping a set.

Highlighting the were "double-bagel" (6-0, 6-0) victories recorded by Singh Panthlia at number two and Stane at number four.

WOMEN'S

UB 7, St. Francis (PA) 0

UB scored a 7-0 whitewashing of visiting St. Francis (PA) to open the home portion of the 2006-07 campaign on Saturday at the University Tennis Center.

UB opened with a clean sweep of the doubles matches allowing just two games in the three matches. Highlighting the doubles play was Miglena Nenova tying the UB record for career doubles victories with the 59th of her four-year career. She teamed with freshman Denise Harijanto for the 8-0 win over Abigail Ball and Eva Keresztes. Nenova tied former player and current assistant coach Kristen Ortman (2002-06) on the doubles win list. She and Harijanto lead the Bulls with an 8-3 mark as a duo this season.

Nenova celebrated her 21st birthday on Saturday by downing Roxy Ionescu, 6-0, 6-1, at number one, to lead the singles sweep for the Bulls. UB won all 10 singles contests, with the top six counting in the scoring and the remainder played as exhibitions.

Five Bulls picked up 6-0, 6-0 "double-bagel" wins on Saturday: Natalie Dean at number three, Harijanto at number four, Tina Jacob at number five, Smaranda Stan at number six and Katrin Fischer in the top exhibition match.

The Bulls will compete in the Cornell Mock Duals this weekend in Ithaca.

Basketball

MEN'S and WOMEN'S

Idbihi, Turner named to preseason All-MAC teams

Yassin Idbihi and Heather Turner have been selected to the Preseason All-MAC East Division teams as voted on by members of the MAC News Media Association. Idbihi becomes the first UB player to be selected to the Preseason All-MAC team three straight seasons. Turner is the first UB women's basketball player to make the team since the 2003-04 season when Jessica Kochendorfer was named to the squad for a second consecutive season.

Idbihi is coming off a season in which he averaged career highs of 14.0 points and 6.9 rebounds per game en route to being named All-MAC Honorable Mention. He became just the ninth player in UB history to score 1,000 points in his first three seasons and ranks 12th in school history with 1,072 points.

Turner is coming off a sophomore campaign where she finished sixth in the nation and first in the MAC, in field-goal percentage, converting on 61.1 percent of her shots. She led the Bulls in scoring and rebounding, earned All-MAC Third Team honors and twice last year was named MAC East Division Player of the Week. Turner also was the 2004-05 MAC Freshman of the Year.

Crew

Bulls claim top status at Head of the Genesee

UB's open eight crew was the top American boat in the annual Head of the Genesee competition in Rochester on Sunday. The Bulls finished with a weighted time of 31:27.06-better than boats from such rowing powerhouses as Cornell, Syracuse and Radcliffe. Only Western Ontario finished ahead of the Bulls in the open competition.

The UB boat included coxswain Sher Briggs and rowers Corinne Blum, Melina DiCosimo, Nicole Cyr, Jessica Hughes, Amanda Mackeigan, Bridget Yannes, Lauren Sexton and Maggie Fairgrieve.

UB also sent several crews to the Head of the Ohio competition in Pittsburgh. UB's freshman novice four and novice eight entries won first place, while a second freshman novice four boat earned a second-place finish.