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Bulls name 2007 captains, prepare for Rutgers
Head coach Turner Gill has announced team captains for the 2007 season based on voting by members of the team.
Senior linebacker Kareem Byrom, senior center Jamey Richard, senior defensive end Trevor Scott and junior quarterback Drew Willy will serve as team captains for the 2007 season. Byrom, Richard and Scott were captains last year as well.
"Four outstanding young men will captain our football team," Gill said. "I believe the right choice was made as these young men possess the leadership qualities we are looking for and are great representatives of the University at Buffalo football program."
Byrom, who has played both linebacker and defensive back in his career with the Bulls, started all 12 games last season. He ranked third on the team with 88 tackles, including 49 solo stops a year ago. He also had an interception, three pass breakups and four forced fumbles.
Richard enters his senior season as the anchor and heart and soul of the offensive line. He has started 23 straight games at center for the Bulls.
Scott is coming off a breakout season at defensive end. After playing the first two seasons of his career at tight end, Scott made the move to defensive end last year and led the team with nine sacks and added 45 tackles.
Willy returns for his third season as the Bulls starting signal caller. Last season he completed 59.7 percent of his passes for 1,391 yards and six touchdowns. He holds the school record for career completion percentage (60.2).
The Bulls will open the season with three road contests before the Sept. 22 home opener against Baylor. The season kicks off tonight when UB meets Rutgers, ranked 16th in the Associated Press preseason poll after ending the 2006 season ranked 12th. Game time is 7 p.m., with television coverage on the Madison Square Garden Network (MSG). The game also will be broadcast on WGR-AM 550.
Volleyball
Baylor 3, UB 0
Stony Brook
3, UB 0
North Carolina 3, UB 0
UB opened its 2007 season with a 3-0 loss to Baylor Friday night in Alumni Arena on the first day of the University at Buffalo Classic.
The Bulls came on late in the match, but it wasn't enough to overcome a quick start by Baylor, which won the match 30-10, 30-18, 32-30 and outhit the Bulls .303 to .000. The Bears had early runs in both the first and second game, and hung around just long enough in the third game, finally prevailing, 32-30.
The Bulls started three freshmen and each of them made an impact in the match, including setter Lindsey Schlegel. Schlegel had 22 assists on the evening and led all players with three service aces in the match. She also finished with a team-high 12 digs and added three kills. Freshman Richelle Bigelow and junior Claudia Neba led the way with eight kills on the evening. Bigelow also added eight digs in her first collegiate match. Freshman Kristin Bignell had three total blocks, including one solo. Senior Lizaiha Garcia, one of just two seniors on the team, added 10 digs as she continues her quest to become UB's all-time digs leader. Junior Kate Love had five kills on 16 attempts to finish with a team-high .312 hitting percentage.
The Bulls continued to improve during day two of the tournament, but were unable to come away with a victory, dropping 3-0 decisions to Stony Brook and North Carolina, Saturday in Alumni Arena. The Bulls hung tight with both teams, including North Carolina, who claimed the tournament title.
In the opening match, Stony Brook took a 30-28, 30-18, 30-23 decision, fighting back during the first game and never looking back. Neba and Bignell each had nine kills to lead the way for the Bulls. Bigelow led the way with 13 digs, while Schlegel had 21 assists.
As a team, the Bulls recorded eight total blocks, with Neba recording the lone solo for UB. Schlegel had four block assists, while Bignell added three.
In the nightcap, UB faced North Carolina in front of 748 fans and hung tight with the Tar Heels, even managing to control most of game two before UNC took the lead and the game. Bigelow recorded her first career double-double in the match with a match-high 16 kills and 37 swings. Bigelow also had 11 digs, finishing as one of four UB players with double-figure digs. Schlegel had a team-high 14 digs, while Garcia and freshman Jenna Gabello each had 12 digs. Neba added 11 kills, while Schlegel had 35 assists, her highest amount in any of the three games in the tournament. Schlegel also had two service aces and a block assist.
Schlegel was the lone Bull named to the all-tournament team.
The Bulls will host the Western New York Invitational, beginning tomorrow in Alumni Arena.
Soccer
WOMEN'S
Tassy to retire following 2007 season
Head coach Jean-A. Tassy, who has guided the Bulls' soccer fortunes for the past 12 years, has announced he will retire at the end of the 2007 season to spend more time with his family. The 2000 Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year has a record of 106-97-20 at UB.
"It has been an honor to serve this team and this university for the past 12 years," Tassy said. "At the conclusion of the season, my wife and I are moving to Charlotte to be closer to our family because we believe this is what God wants us to do as we begin a new chapter in our lives. I will never forget the time that I have spent here as I've gained a lifetime of memories. However, right now my focus is the 2007 season and finishing strong in my final year and reaching our goal of another MAC championship."
Tassy has led the women's soccer program at UB since 1995 and is the second-longest tenured coach at UB. He is a well-known name in the Western New York soccer community, serving as coach of the men's programs at Niagara University and Buffalo State College, where he also starred as a collegian, before joining UB.
"Coach Tassy is one of the finest individuals that I know and he will be missed as a leader and colleague," said Warde Manuel, director of athletics. "Coach Tassy has not only led his teams to success on the field, but off the field, both academically and in terms of community outreach, our women's soccer team has always excelled. It is no doubt a reflection of the kind of person Coach Tassy is and the kind of student-athlete he has recruited."
Tassy's most successful season at UB was in 2000 when he led the team to the MAC regular season title, marking the only MAC championship to date at UB. The Bulls finished with a 16-6-1 record during that season and earned the number-one seed in the conference tournament. After defeating Toledo in the first round of the MAC Tournament, UB's magical season ended with a 2-0 loss to Miami (OH).
The search for Tassy's replacement will begin after the 2007 season has concluded.
The Bulls will open the 2007 campaign with a pair of contests against Western New York rivals. UB will host Niagara at 7 p.m. tomorrow in UB Stadium. The Bulls will visit Canisius on Sunday for a noon contest.
MEN'S
Bulls open play this weekend
After posting a 10-7-2 record in 2006, UB will hit the field for the first time in 2007 this weekend with a pair of contests at the St. John's Tournament. The Bulls, under head coach John Astudillo, will face Fairfield in the opening match tonight and will conclude tournament play on Sunday with a match against Fairleigh Dickinson.