Sports

• Mason Overpowers the Trojans: Mason High-Octane Offense Scores in Triple Digits

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 4:02 pm Comments are Disabled

  Jerry Holy, Broadside Correspondent In an exciting atmosphere at the Patriot Center, the men’s basketball team put on a show as they downed the Virginia State Trojans 100-82 in the exhibition game last Thursday. Mason controlled the game from the very beginning with a 3-point jumper from junior guard Cam Long. Sophomore guard Andre Cornelius led the team with 22 points and sophomore forward Ryan Pearson added 12 points with a 3-point jumper at the end of the first half. Senior forward Louis Birdsong and Long had 10 points apiece. Sophomore forward Mike Morrison had nine points and two blocks. The bench players also contributed to the team’s impressive victory. Rising freshman forward Kevin Foster added seven points, one block and a steal. Junior guard Isaiah Tate showed he could step up as a leader on the floor, scoring six points in the game. Among the freshmen, forward Luke Hancock had a strong debut on both sides of the floor. Hancock led the team with four steals and eight assists. Hancock also added seven points from the bench as did freshman guard Sherrod Wright. “[Hancock] played good for his first game as a Patriot,” said sophomore guard Jimmy Nolan on […]

   

• NFL Midseason Report: The Highs and Lows of 2009

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:55 pm Comments are Disabled

  Yasin Jama, Staff Writer The 2009 NFL season has been a tremendous start for some teams and a disastrous start for others. Unlike last season, there are more bad teams than recent years. There are five 1-win teams in the league and still one winless team. There are also three teams with only two wins so far. Here are the surprises and disappointments for the 2009 season: Surprises New Orleans Saints: The Saints are one of two undefeated teams in the NFL at the season midpoint. They are averaging nearly 40 points a game. Quarterback Drew Brees has so far been the NFL’s Most Valuable Player, throwing touchdowns to five different receivers and anchoring an offense that is number one in the league. Add to that an improved defense led by new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, the Saints could possibly be the team to beat in the NFC. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts have a new head coach and offensive coordinator. However, that has not changed the chemistry of the team. Led by future-Hall of Fame quarterback Peyton Manning, the Colts are off to a 6-0 start for the third time in five years. The Colts are fourth in the league […]

   

• In My Own Words: CAA Celebrates 25th Anniversary

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:38 pm Comments are Disabled

  Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer This year is the Colonial Athletic Association’s 25th anniversary. Inspired by the CAA’s milestone and my upcoming 21st birthday, I decided to look into some numbers and interesting facts of international volleyball at George Mason University. I am celebrating 21 years of life; Pat Kendrick, our head coach, is celebrating her 25th season at Mason. Kendrick is the longest-tenured coach in the conference. She also ranks 44th among active head coaches with 405 career victories. Along with Kendrick, the Mason women’s volleyball program is symbol of tradition in the CAA. The name Mason Volleyball carries history and success. The Patriots have won seven CAA championships with only the William & Mary Tribe holding more titles. The Patriots played in 11 championship games. It is interesting to see that Mason hosted the championship four times, but never won a championship title on their home court. The odds are against us winning a championship match on our home court. Of course, hosting the championship would be amazing, but nothing would be better than winning the tournament. As part of the anniversary celebration, the CAA selected a 25th anniversary team. Mason had six of its volleyball athletes honored by […]

   

• Traveling Great Distance for the Love of the Game: Women’s Volleyball Team Adds to Their Collection of International Assets

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:36 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ari Sinay, Broadside Correspondent Freshman outside hitter Ran Yin of the George Mason University women’s volleyball team has traveled long distances to play the game she loves. Yin, an only child, has lived in Beijing, China her whole life with her parents, YanJun and ChangXin Yin. Traveling to Mason to play volleyball and to receive an education is Yin’s first time leaving China and her life behind. Yin started playing volleyball at the age of 12 when her middle school primary teacher suggested the sport to her. “I used to play Chinese traditional music, but that was boring and I didn’t enjoy it, so I listened to my teacher and started to play volleyball,” said Yin. The rest was history. Yin blossomed into a standout on the court and by the time she finished her career playing for her high school Beijing 101 team, which boasted an undefeated record and a top 10 placing in China, Yin was a highly talented commodity. Yin’s abilities on the court also propelled her into international competition as she competed in the 2004 young Olympic games in Australia against countries like Taiwan, New Zealand and Australia. “As a team, our results weren’t so good, […]

   

• Sports at a Glance

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:34 pm Comments are Disabled

  Ryan Dempsey,  Staff Writer NFL On Thursday, Indianapolis Colts starting cornerback Marlin Jackson confirmed Thursday that he has torn his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. This is the second straight year that Jackson has suffered a season-ending ACL injury. The injury for Jackson is worse than it is for his team since he is scheduled to be a free agent at the conclusion of this season, and unless he can prove to be healthy, he will be cut from the team. For the Colts, things continued to spiral downward as the team learned that cornerback Bob Sanders needs surgery to repair his injured elbow which will end his season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN in a televised report. MLB After the New York Yankees won the World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies, Yankees designated hitter Hideki Matsui was named the Most Valuable Player in the World Series after a record-setting performance in the decisive Game 6. Matsui had a .615 batting average in the series, including three home runs and eight RBIs. Matsui drove in six of the Yankees’ seven runs in Game 6, the most by any player in a World Series clincher and […]

   

• Looking for Liberty: Men’s Basketball Opens Season Against the Flames

  Sports November 12, 2009 at 3:32 pm Comments are Disabled

  Chris DeMarco, Staff Writer The George Mason University men’s basketball team kicks off their 2009-10 basketball season against the Liberty Flames of the Big South Conference. The biggest difference for the Flames going into this year is the loss of Seth Curry to the Duke Blue Devils. Without Curry, the Flames lack a dominant scoring threat that could compete with the Patriots’ offensive weapons, but the Flames will be led by senior guard Kyle Ohman, who averaged 13.9 points per game last year. The Patriots are led by their lone senior, Louis Birdsong and his big presence under the boards. With the departure of leader John Vaughan, the Patriots will rely heavily on not only Birdsong, but junior Cam Long, who averaged 11.7 points last year, along with promising sophomore Ryan Pearson, who scored seven points and grabbed 3.6 rebounds per game. The Patriots hope that they can continue their remarkable success at home this year, so they can stay on top of the very competitive Colonial Athletic Association. Patriot fans also have to hope that the team is not looking past their first two games against Liberty and Dartmouth since they have the sixth-ranked Villanova Wildcats looming thereafter. With […]

   

• Playing Musical Chairs, but to a Lesser Extent

  Sports November 7, 2009 at 11:37 pm Comments are Disabled

  It is now safe to say that the women’s volleyball team is out of the running for hosting the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament. Mason can still play for second place, but the chances of that are quite slim. If the VCU Rams were to finish as the conference leader, the Delaware Blue Hens would then take the second seed. However, Mason can still tie VCU with a 10-4 conference record, but the Rams are currently on a seven-game winning streak and have shifted their focus on contending with the Blue Hens for the top spot. Earlier, we looked at Mason’s chances in taking the top or number two slot. It appears that the team will more likely contend for the third seed with the William & Mary Tribe. With the Rams and Blue Hens fighting for the top spot, Mason looks to hold on in the third spot. If Mason wins their final match against the James Madison Dukes, the Tribe will need to win their remaining matches to force a tie. Since the two teams split the season series, no team will hold the advantage if they were to conclude with a tied record. The difference between the numbers […]

   

• A Puzzled Playoff Situation

  Sports November 7, 2009 at 6:13 pm Comments are Disabled

  Situation 1: In order to host the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament, the women’s volleyball team must win their final two games and have the Delaware Blue Hens drop their final two. No matter what the VCU Rams do, Mason will have the advantage due to sweeping VCU. 1. Mason 2. Delaware 3. VCU However, it is still possible for all three teams to finish with an 11-3 conference record. Thus, the tiebreak advantage is as follows: 1. Mason > VCU 2. VCU > Delaware 3. Delaware > Mason Tonight’s match between Mason and VCU will determine whether the intransitive relationship will happen. Situation 2: Otherwise, Mason will still have the opportunity to fight for the second seed in the tournament. If the Blue Hens win their final two games, Mason can still earn the second seed by winning their final two games. No matter what VCU does from there, Mason holds the advantage. 1. Delaware 2. Mason 3. VCU If Mason were to split their final two matches, the William & Mary Tribe would need to win their remaining matches to force a tie for third place. The Northeastern Huskies are still in the hunt for a playoff spot, but […]

   

• The Clincher

  Sports November 6, 2009 at 9:14 pm Comments are Disabled

  The women’s volleyball team is currently in a tight battle against the William & Mary Tribe with the team pulling off a first-set win, 28-26 at Kaplan Arena. Trailing early in the second set, Mason rallied from a 12-3 deficit and gradually closed in on the Tribe. The Tribe took the final two points of the set, taking the second set 25-23. Both teams are vying for a playoff spot with Mason holding a half-game lead over the Tribe in the standings. With the Northeastern Huskies defeating the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks tonight, Mason can still clinch a playoff spot with a win tonight. The top two teams have won their matches to keep their spots unchanged, but the third spot is still at hand, depending on the results from the Mason/William & Mary match. Update: Mason clinched a playoff berth in the upcoming Colonial Athletic Association Tournament after defeating the Tribe in four sets. Mason remains a half-game behind the VCU Rams, whom Mason faces tomorrow in Richmond. Mason increases their lead to 1.5 games over the Tribe and still lead the Northeastern Huskies by 2.5 games. In the worst case scenario, Mason can end up tied with the Huskies, but […]

   

• The Season Finale: Mason Misses Postseason after Dukes’ Win

  Sports November 5, 2009 at 8:52 pm Comments are Disabled

  John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor As the clouds loomed during a murky Halloween afternoon, the George Mason University women’s soccer team recognized the nine seniors on the team during the pregame festivities, starting off the final game of the season for the Patriots. “I definitely think, since this is our best record since 1994, we’ve done great. Winning the last five games proved how much dedication and heart we had,” said senior forward Theresa DeLucca on the season. It was a must-win game to keep their hopes alive to enter the conference tournament. While the Towson Tigers’ season was over regardless the result of the game, the Patriots entered the match tied with the James Madison Dukes for fourth in the Colonial Athletic Association, with only four teams advancing to the postseason tournament. The Dukes won the head-to-head, so a tie of records between the two teams would send the Dukes to the tournament. The Patriots would need to win their game with a Dukes’ loss or tie, or they could tie with a Dukes’ loss. Knowing the need to win in the game, the Patriots (14-4-2, 6-3-2) came out of gates with a strong offense, creating strong momentum as […]