In case you missed it, one of the Atlantic Sun’s most dominating regular season runs came to an end last week.
Tennis appears to be on an uptick in the A-Sun with the top of both the men’s and women’s standings, boasting nationally ranked programs and gaudy records.
USC Upstate snapped ETSU’s 38-match conference win streak with a thrilling 4-3 victory in Johnson City. The Bucs completed unblemished runs through the regular season every year since the introduction of the round-robin schedule in 2007. The team’s only loss to this point was one of the most stunning upsets in A-Sun tennis history when fourth-seeded Belmont rolled past top-seeded ETSU 4-2 in the semifinals of the 2006 championship.
Only two teams in the past decade can even make an argument to be considered as dominant as the ETSU netters and neither had to contend with those pesky regular season schedules. In women’s track & field, UCF won eight of nine championships stretching from 1997 to 2005 while the Jacksonville women have won five straight indoor titles to go with four consecutive outdoor trophies. In sports with regular season play, only two teams boast runs that could over-shadow ETSU. From 1993-98, the UCF volleyball team won 55 consecutive A-Sun matches including four straight postseason titles. During that same stretch (1993-96), the FIU women’s hoops team went 54-2 in the regular season and won three out of four tournaments.
Needless to say, this could be a program-defining win for the Spartans.
"We've been waiting for this match since last year," said UCS Upstate head coach Alessandro De Marzo, who became the second coach in school history to reach 100 career wins with the victory. "They showed a lot of courage. I'm too excited."
The program can reflect on a long history of success at the NAIA and NCAA Division II levels, but in three years with the A-Sun, had yet to clear its biggest obstacle until that day.
On the other hand, the well-established Bucs will move on.
“Records and streaks eventually come to an end and that’s simply what happened today,” ETSU head coach Yaser Zaatini said. “I was extremely proud that this program didn’t lose a regular season match for so long but the bottom line is that we are out here just playing tennis. It’s not life or death. These kids work so hard and I’m heartbroken that it’s over, but now our team has a chance to start a new one tomorrow.”
The one ingredient missing from the burgeoning rivalry is postseason showdowns. That will have to wait two more years as the Spartans complete their re-classification process to Division I. Until then, we’ll have to enjoy those matches in March.
Who do you think will win the 2010 A-Sun Men's Tennis Tournament?
Showing posts with label ETSU. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ETSU. Show all posts
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Friday, March 5, 2010
Evans Looks to Cap Career with Historic Three-Peat
Even when the Lady Bucs struggle recently in A-Sun Championship play, struggle is defined loosely.
After sprinting out to an 11-0 lead against Belmont in the team’s semifinal game on Friday, the Bruins clawed their way back into the contest and held a 29-28 advantage in the closing seconds.
About that time, the ball found its way into the hands of Siarre Evans as it has so often the last four years. The versatile forward sprinted down the floor and hit a shot just before the buzzer to give the Lady Bucs a one-point advantage despite one of the team’s worst offensive halves of the season. ETSU would go on to win 77-63.
The first half was a microcosm of Evans’ career. She accounted for 16 of the ETSU’s 30 first half points and took the air out of Belmont’s spirited effort with the shot at the end of the half. That was what the Lady Bucs needed today, and she delivered.
This tournament has already been a special run for Evans. Her hometown of Griffin, Ga., is a short drive down I-75 from the University Center. She entered the championship as the 2010 A-Sun Player of the Year plus she has played in front of several friends and family including her former high school coach the last two games. More folks are expected to make the drive down tomorrow as Evans looks to help deliver ETSU’s third straight title.
No matter what happens in Saturday’s final, Evans will go down as one of the top players in A-Sun history, racking up award after award and reaching the title game in each of her four seasons.
Who do you think is the best women's basketball player in A-Sun history?
After sprinting out to an 11-0 lead against Belmont in the team’s semifinal game on Friday, the Bruins clawed their way back into the contest and held a 29-28 advantage in the closing seconds.
About that time, the ball found its way into the hands of Siarre Evans as it has so often the last four years. The versatile forward sprinted down the floor and hit a shot just before the buzzer to give the Lady Bucs a one-point advantage despite one of the team’s worst offensive halves of the season. ETSU would go on to win 77-63.
The first half was a microcosm of Evans’ career. She accounted for 16 of the ETSU’s 30 first half points and took the air out of Belmont’s spirited effort with the shot at the end of the half. That was what the Lady Bucs needed today, and she delivered.
This tournament has already been a special run for Evans. Her hometown of Griffin, Ga., is a short drive down I-75 from the University Center. She entered the championship as the 2010 A-Sun Player of the Year plus she has played in front of several friends and family including her former high school coach the last two games. More folks are expected to make the drive down tomorrow as Evans looks to help deliver ETSU’s third straight title.
No matter what happens in Saturday’s final, Evans will go down as one of the top players in A-Sun history, racking up award after award and reaching the title game in each of her four seasons.
Who do you think is the best women's basketball player in A-Sun history?
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
ETSU Battles on in Honor of Injured Teammate
MACON, Ga. - Over the past few season ETSU women’s basketball has been about winning, Championships and Latisha Belcher, Siarre Evans, and TaRonda Wiles
The three have been a huge part to the success over the past three years in Johnson City with their solid scoring talents. Evans ranks fifth all-time in points, while Wiles became the 17th player in Lady Buccaneer history to score over 1,000 points in her career. She joined the group following her 26-point performance at Arkansas Nov. 22.
But following that game, Wiles and every Lady Buc would find in hard to celebrate. After spending the last seven and a half months rehabbing from extensive knee surgery (left knee), senior post Latisha Belcher made her season debut at Arkansas but the return was short lived. Belcher, 2008-09 Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, went down with a season-ending ACL injury in her right knee early in the second half against the Razorbacks.
The injury stopped Belcher from helping ETSU on the court against Stetson in it first round win at the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship but her teammate still had her leadership and her voice on the bench. The Martinsville, Va. native marched out of the ETSU locker room, knee brace and all to support her teammate. Belcher, one of only three ETSU players to collect 200 or more steals, had not forgotten the team motto.
She wore it plain on her ETSU women’s basketball T-Shirt “One Team, One Goal”. Belcher talked in team huddles cheered during and once or twice even look like she wanted to jump and cheer. Until her knee stopped but even an ACL injury could not keep Belcher from getting up at each timeout to high-five each of her fellow Lady Bucs as they came off the floor.
Belcher is scheduled to receive her degree this May and still has a red-shirt season available however, it is unclear if she will use the option. One thing that remain clear, Belcher will not forget one team one goal.
The three have been a huge part to the success over the past three years in Johnson City with their solid scoring talents. Evans ranks fifth all-time in points, while Wiles became the 17th player in Lady Buccaneer history to score over 1,000 points in her career. She joined the group following her 26-point performance at Arkansas Nov. 22.
But following that game, Wiles and every Lady Buc would find in hard to celebrate. After spending the last seven and a half months rehabbing from extensive knee surgery (left knee), senior post Latisha Belcher made her season debut at Arkansas but the return was short lived. Belcher, 2008-09 Atlantic Sun Defensive Player of the Year, went down with a season-ending ACL injury in her right knee early in the second half against the Razorbacks.
The injury stopped Belcher from helping ETSU on the court against Stetson in it first round win at the 2010 General Shale Brick Atlantic Sun Women’s Basketball Championship but her teammate still had her leadership and her voice on the bench. The Martinsville, Va. native marched out of the ETSU locker room, knee brace and all to support her teammate. Belcher, one of only three ETSU players to collect 200 or more steals, had not forgotten the team motto.
She wore it plain on her ETSU women’s basketball T-Shirt “One Team, One Goal”. Belcher talked in team huddles cheered during and once or twice even look like she wanted to jump and cheer. Until her knee stopped but even an ACL injury could not keep Belcher from getting up at each timeout to high-five each of her fellow Lady Bucs as they came off the floor.
Belcher is scheduled to receive her degree this May and still has a red-shirt season available however, it is unclear if she will use the option. One thing that remain clear, Belcher will not forget one team one goal.
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