This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics, 10-23-00

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10-23-00

This Week In Armstrong Atlantic State Athletics

Monday, October 23
• AASU Athletics Golf Tournament, Southbridge Golf Club

Tuesday, October 24
No Events Scheduled

Wednesday, October 25
• Volleyball vs. North Florida, 7:00 p.m.

Thursday, October 26
No Events Scheduled

Friday, October 27
• Volleyball at Lander, 7:00 p.m.
• Women's Tennis at University of South Carolina Fall Invitational (Columbia, S.C.)

Saturday, October 28
• Volleyball at USC Spartanburg, 3:00 p.m.
• Women's Tennis at University of South Carolina Fall Invitational (Columbia, S.C.)

Sunday, October 29
• Women's Tennis at University of South Carolina Fall Invitational (Columbia, S.C.)

Volleyball (22-6, 8-1 Peach Belt, No. 24 AVCA Division II Top 25, No. 3 South Region)

The No. 24-ranked Armstrong Atlantic State volleyball team won two Peach Belt matches over the weekend, defeating visiting USC Aiken, 3-0, and Augusta State, 3-0.

In a match of the No. 2 and No. 3 teams in the Peach Belt on Friday, AASU hit .359 en route to a 15-3, 15-5, 15-3 win over USC Aiken, holding the Pacers to just an .011 hitting percentage. Senior Micah Roman recorded 17 kills to lead the Pirates, while sophomore Sofie Hakansson recorded 11 kills and Erin Melius notched 36 assists.

Saturday, the Pirates got a late start against Augusta State as the Jaguars arrived late due to a misunderstanding of the match time, but AASU hit .347 in picking up the 15-5, 15-6, 15-9 win. Sophomore Sarah Haynes recorded a career-high 17 kills in 24 attacks with no errors, hitting .708, while sophomore Sofie Hakansson tallied 11 kills for the second straight match.

This week, AASU hosts No. 21 North Florida in a first place battle in the Peach Belt on Wed.,

Oct. 25 at 7:00 p.m., then travels to Lander and USC Spartanburg on Friday and Saturday.

Women's Cross Country (No. 5 South Region)

The Armstrong Atlantic State women's cross country team finished third in the Peach Belt Conference Championships held at Columbus, Ga., on Saturday morning.

AASU compiled 67 points to finish behind team champion Kennesaw State (38) and North Florida (44). Senior Nikki Garland finished fourth, covering the 5000 kilometer course in a time of 18:26.07, to earn All-Peach Belt Conference honors for the fourth time. Also earning All-Peach Belt honors were senior Marie-Claude Ostiguy (8th, 19;40.90) and 1999 PBC Freshman of the Year Jillian Charles (10th, 20:01.20). Rounding out the Pirate finishers were sophomore Michaela Kratochvilova (22nd, 21:24.90), senior Amanda Lagesse (23rd, 21:35.34), freshman Zsofi Golopencza (29th, 22:06.01) and freshman Sarah Harris (43rd, 22:57.05).

The Lady Pirates finished third in the Peach Belt for the third consecutive season and have never finished below fourth in the conference since league competition began in 1991. AASU will next compete at the NCAA Division II South Regionals in Jacksonville, Fla., on Saturday, Nov. 4.

Men's and Women's Tennis

Several of the AASU men's tennis players played well over the weekend at the University of South Carolina Fall Invitational, a three-day tournament featuring more than 30 teams and 200 players.

Senior Stefan Wirtz advanced to the semifinals of the A2 Singles Bracket, picking up wins over Darren Clark of Georgia Southern (6-2, 6-2), Laszlo Leiter of Francis Marion (3-6, 6-3, 6-2) and No. 3 seed Jody Strik of William and Mary (7-6, 6-2) before bowing out to eventual flight winner Pat Brown of William and Mary (1-6, 6-1, 6-2).

Junior Blaise Tribolet advanced to the fourth round of the A1 Singles Bracket, defeating Ben Fortune of The Citadel (6-1, 6-2), then receiving a default win from the tournament's No. 1 seed, Guillaume Legat of South Carolina. Tribolet then defeated Andrew Lux of James Madison (6-7, 6-4, 6-2) before falling to 5-8 seed Lee Nickell of Furman (6-3, 6-4).

The doubles team of sophomore Aref Jallali and freshman Bob Rog advanced to the semifinals of the B1 Doubles bracket. The duo defeated the team of Babilek/Gili from South Carolina State, 8-2, then knocked off the No. 3 seeded team of Rosado and Knehr from James Madison, 8-4, and defeated the team of Roycik and Frangui from Georgia Southern, 8-5, before falling to the eventual bracket champion team of Wolfe and Brier from Brown, 8-3.

Freshman Neil McPhee advanced to the semifinals in the B2 Singles bracket with wins over Paulus Halim of USC Aiken (6-2, 7-5), Jordan Bass of The Citadel (6-2, 6-0) and Damir Krimer of Bethune Cookman (6-2, 6-7, 6-4) before falling to Lewellyn King of Francis Marion, 6-3, 6-3.

McPhee's teammate, Bob Rog, won two matches, also in B2 Singles, defeating Matt Cooper of Gardner-Webb, 6-3, 6-4, and Francesco Wagner of the College of Charleston, 6-1, 6-2, before falling to Peter Netzler of Furman, 6-2, 6-3.

AASU tennis next competes in the women's version of the South Carolina Fall Invitational on Friday, Oct. 27-Sunday, Oct. 29 in Columbia, S.C.

- Pirates -