ROLLINS COLLEGE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Tasi Purcell Women's Tennis Junior – Orlando , Fla.

Marnie Mahler Women's Tennis Sophomore – Viernheim , Germany

Junior Tasi Purcell and Sophomore Marnie Mahler teamed to advance to the championship match of the 2005 Wilson/ ITA Southeast Regional Tournament last weekend. Due to rain delays, they were forced to play three matches in the final day of the championships. The duo came into the tournament as the third seeded team and received a free pass into the second round. They downed the team from Florida Southern 8-1 to move into the quarterfinals and posted another 8-1 win, this time over Maggiorini and Polulak from Florida Gulf Coast . The Tars top doubles team then posted an upset victory over the top ranked Lynn team by a score of 8-5 to move into the finals against the second seeded team from Barry. Purcell and Mahler jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but couldn't hold on and fell 8-6. Purcell also advanced to the semi-finals in singles competion .

 

 

 

TENNIS TEAMS COMPETE AT ITA REGIONAL TOURNAMENT

MEN

The Tars men's tennis team had high expectations entering the Wilson/ ITA Southeast Regional Championships at Florida Gulf Coast in Fort Myers , but were bit by the injury bug and struggled in both the singles and doubles draw. In the singles competition, senior Carlos Custodio ( Porto Alegre , Brazil ) came in as the fourth seeded player and received a first round bye, but was turned back in the second round 6-4, 4-6, 6-3 by unseeded David Riegraf ( Lynn ). David Tafur ( Longwood , Fla. ) was the tournament's eighth seed and also earned a bye into round two. He scored a 6-4, 6-3 victory in the second round over Micheal Knoedler ( Fla. Southern) before falling 6-3, 6-2 in round three to Victor Rodriguez (Barry). Sophomore Jonathan Gomez (Diego Martin, Trinidad ) was the recipient of a first round bye and defeated Greg Heartt (Fla. Southern) 6-2, 6-2 in round two, but dropped a 6-4, 6-3 decision to third seeded Thomas Hipp (Barry) in round three.

 

Albin Hubscher ( Plymouth , Minn. ) fell in his first round match by scores of 6-1, 6-3 to Alberto Gutierrez ( FGCU ). Michael Schwartz ( Roswell , Ga. ) downed Guiseppe Schwartz (Carson-Newman) 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 to open the tournament, but then lost to Javier Romero (Eckerd) 6-4, 6-2 in the second round. Brian Compton ( Cincinnati , Ohio ) won his first round match by a score of 6-1, 6-2 over Chris Caswell ( FGCU ) and defeated Jan Macko ( Lynn ) in round two before defaulting to Riegraf in the third round. Brian Irvin ( Naples , Fla. ) fell to Victor Rodriguez 7-5, 6-1 in his first round match. Michael Compton (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored a hard fought 6-0, 3-6, 6-3 win over David Lopez (Eckerd) in round one before falling to eventual runner-up and second seeded Sebastian Niedermayer (Eckerd) in round two.

 

In the doubles draw, the team of Custodio and Tafur came in as the second seeded team and received a bye into the second round to match up with teammates Irvin and Hubscher , who advanced to round two by defeating the team from Carson-Newman 9-8 (5). Custodio and Tafur won by default then defaulted to the team from Florida Tech in the third round. The tournament's seventh seeded team of Brian Compton and Gomez defaulted in their second round match to a team from Barry after getting a first round bye. The Tars Michael Compton and Schwartz fell to a duo from Lynn 8-3 in their opening match.

 

The Tars men's tennis team will hit the courts on October 7-9 at the C.L . Varner Invitational in Winter Park .

 

WOMEN

Rollins junior Tasi Purcell ( Orlando , Fla. ) advanced to the semi-finals of the singles competition and teamed with sophomore Marnie Mahler ( Viernheim , Germany ) to finish in second place in doubles to highlight the Tars women at the Wilson/ ITA Southeast Regional Championships in Fort Myers last weekend.

 

Entering the tournament as the second seed, Purcell received a first round bye before defeating teammate Silvia Frandji ( Orlando , Fla. ) 6-1, 6-0 in round two. Frandji advanced to her match with Purcell by way of a 6-1, 6-4 victory over Nicole David (Fla. Tech) in her opener. Purcell downed Kidia Gandarias (Fla. Southern) by scores of 6-2, 6-0 in round three, then beat eighth seed Ana Maria Zuleta (Barry) 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals. She matched up with third seeded Greta Trotman (Barry) in the semis and fell by scores of 6-2, 6-3. Mahler was the sixth seeded singles player and, after a first round bye, lost to Ullia Talalenko (Nova Southeastern) 6-2, 6-3 in the second round. Newcomer Anastasiya Schevchenko ( Kyiv , Ukraine ) won a pair of matches in the tournament, defeating Jessica Homerlein (Nova Southeastern) 6-3, 7-5 in the first round and Erika Bellettini (Carson-Newman) 6-1, 6-1 in round two before defaulting to Zuleta . Soni Bernal ( Colombia ) downed Kristi Kirkland (Carson-Newman) 6-1, 6-1 in her opening round and fell in round two to fourth seeded Alexandra Schunck ( Lynn ) 6-0, 7-5. Cassie Webster fell in her first round match by scores of 7-5, 6-2 to Muriel Sherwood (Barry) while Katie Parent also lost in round one, 6-2, 6 -0 to Helen Wisniewski (Barry).

 

In doubles action, the team of Bernal and Shevchenko fell to the fourth seeded team from Barry, 8-3 in round one while the Tars Frandji and Webster also dropped their opening match by a score of 8-6. The duo of Purcell and Mahler came into the tournament as the third seeded team and received a free pass into the second round. They downed the team from Florida Southern 8-1 to move into the quarterfinals and posted another 8-1 win, this time over Maggiorini and Polulak from Florida Gulf Coast . The Tars top doubles team then posted an upset victory over the top ranked Lynn team by a score of 8-5 to move into the finals against the second seeded team from Barry. Purcell and Mahler jumped out to a 4-1 lead, but couldn't hold on and fell 8-6.

 

The Rollins women's tennis team will host the C.L . Varner Invitational on October 7-9 in Winter Park .

 

 

MEN'S SOCCER BLASTS BARRY IN SSC CONTEST

Last week:

Rollins 5, Barry 0

Record: 5-3, 2-0 SSC

 

Hosting Barry University Saturday in a crucial conference match and on an emotional night as head coach Dr. Keith Buckley was honored as the Tars all-time winningest coach, the Tars blasted the Buccaneers 5-0 and gained momentum heading into the heart of their SSC schedule. Rollins attacked right from the kickoff and grabbed a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute as Tres Loch ( Longwood , Fla. ) tapped a pass back to goalkeeper Frazer Siddall (Jersey, Channel Islands) who then blasted the ball to Ryan Dodds ( Windermere , Fla. ) for the score into the left side of the net. The hosts kept fighting and took a 2-0 advantage in the 33 rd minute as freshman Jon Gruenewald (Manlius, N.Y.) took a shot from 35 yards out that sailed over the keeper's head and into the back of the net, earning him a celebratory back-flip at midfield. Dodds struck again early in the second period with an ESPN Top 10 Plays worthy goal in the 48 th minute. Defender Daniell Robertson ( Stockton-on-Tees , UK ) lofted a pass from midfield to the right side where Gruenewald one-touched a pass to the middle of the box. Dodds dove at it and slid the flying header past the keeper for a 3-0 Tars lead. Not laying off one bit late in the game, Dodds sent a cross into the box right to the feet of Juan Kusnir ( Maitland , Fla. ) for the goal in the 59 th minute, giving Rollins an insurmountable 4-0 lead. The contest's final goal came in the 82 nd minute as Chris Cerroni ( Bexleyheath , UK ) scored his first goal of the season after coming back from an illness with a breakaway blast through a defender and the goalkeeper for a Tars 5-0 lead.

 

Siddall was named the Sunshine State Conference Player of the Week for the second consecutive week for his performance against the Bucs as he allowed no goals and tallied three saves in 90 minutes between the posts. The Rollins defense of Robertson, Eric Vergati ( Plano , Texas ), David Dwyer ( Purley , UK ) and Anthony Santiago ( Oviedo , Fla. ) kept relentless pressure on the Buccaneers the entire match and set up many of the Tars scoring chances. They held Barry, the SSC's shots leaders, to just 12 attempts and three shots on goal.

 

Before the contest, in front of a packed house, Buckley was recognized by the Rollins Athletic Department as the Tars All-Time Wins Leader after amassing now 160 wins at the helm of the program.

 

On the season, Dodds leads the offense with six goals and four assists for 16 points. Chris Chafin ( Lake Worth , Fla. ) has totaled five goals and two assists on the year with Gruenewald scoring a pair of goals and tallying four assists. Siddall is 4-2 on the year, allowing just 1.17 goals per game and totaling 16 saves.

 

The Tars face their toughest test of the regular season this week as Lynn University , the nation's number one team, comes to Winter Park on Wednesday, September 28 for a 7 p.m. clash at Cahall -Sandspur Field at Barker Family Stadium. The Blue and Gold then hit the road Saturday, October 1 when they travel to Fort Lauderdale and match up with Nova Southeastern. Kick-off is slated for 7 p.m.

 

SSC MEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS
	SSC							OVERALL
	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA		W	L	T	PCT	GF	GA
Lynn	2	0	0	6	12	2		6	0	0	1.000	25	4
Rollins	2	0	0	6	7	0		5	2	0	.714	22	8
Tampa	1	0	0	3	2	0		4	2	1	.643	14	10
Eckerd	1	0	0	3	3	2		3	2	2	.571	8	9
Saint Leo	1	1	0	3	5	2		7	1	0	.875	31	4
Nova Southeastern	1	1	0	3	2	6		5	3	0	.625	17	11
Florida Southern	1	2	0	3	10	8		6	3	0	.667	24	11
Barry	0	2	0	0	1	7		6	3	0	.667	19	13
Florida Tech	0	3	0	0	1	16		1	5	1	.214	5	24
Teams receive 3 points for an SSC win and 1 point for an SSC tie.

 

WOMEN'S SOCCER FALLS TO SSC FAVORITE BARRY

Last week:

Barry 3, Rollins 1

 

Record: 5-3, 0-2 SSC

 

Up against the 16 th ranked team in the nation with one of the most powerful offenses in the south, the women's soccer team held their own, but fell 3-1 last Saturday. The Tars defense turned back the Lady Buccaneers for most of the first half and kept the game scoreless until Tiina Saario got Barry on the board with a goal in the 44 th minute. The score remained 1-0 into the halftime break with the visitors ahead. Early in the second half, the Bucs went up 2-0 with an Elisa Pirinen goal. Rollins fought back and got on the board in the 76 th minute as Alison Tradd ( Longwood , Fla. ) sent a pass to Cristina Saenz ( Altamonte Springs , Fla. ) who beat the keeper for her first score of the season and got the Tars right back into it at 2-1. Barry came back 14 seconds later and slammed the door shut with a Daniella Tjeder goal to make the score 3-1 and preserve their victory.

 

Rollins out-shot Barry 19-16 in the match, but Kelly Tryson in goal turned back six Tars attempts. Francesca Nicoloso ( Tallahassee , Fla. ) was between the posts for Rollins and allowed three goals with two saves.

 

Senior Laura Guild (Jupiter, Fla. ) leads the Tars attack on the season with three goals and two assists. Ashley Hunsberger ( New Britain , Pa. ) and Alexis Sutton ( West Columbia , S.C. ) each have two goals on the year with Alison Tradd leading in assists with three. Nicoloso has played all but 17:50 in goal, allowing an average of 1.38 goals per game with 25 saves and three shutouts.

 

The Rollins women's soccer team faces another challenging week as they travel to Fort Lauderdale to take on Nova Southeastern on Tuesday, September 27 th at 6 p.m. They then host Lynn on Friday, September 30 and Palm Beach Atlantic on Saturday as part of their “Parent's Weekend” festivities. They kick-off at 7 p.m. in both games at Cahall -Sandspur Field at Barker Family Stadium.

 

SSC WOMEN'S SOCCER STANDINGS
	SSC							OVERALL
	W	L	T	PTS	GF	GA		W	L	T	PCT	GF	GA
Barry	2	0	0	6	7	1		8	1	1	.850	27	5
Saint Leo	1	0	1	4	3	2		3	2	2	.571	16	12
Nova Southeastern	1	1	1	4	6	8		3	4	1	.438	18	20
Eckerd	1	0	0	3	1	0		2	7	0	.222	4	27
Florida Southern	1	1	0	3	2	2		3	4	2	.444	18	17
Tampa	0	0	0	0	0	0		6	1	1	.813	28	4
Lynn	0	1	0	0	1	2		4	6	0	.400	27	21
Florida Tech	0	1	0	0	3	5		2	4	1	.357	11	15
Rollins	0	2	0	0	2	5		5	3	0	.625	11	12
Teams receive 3 points for an SSC win and 1 point for an SSC tie.

 

 

VOLLEYBALL SPLITS PAIR OF CONFERENCE MATCHES

Last week:

Florida Southern 3, Rollins 0 (30-19, 30-19, 30-24)

Rollins 3, Florida Tech 1 (28-30, 30-26, 30-15, 30-19)

 

Record: 14-4, 1-2 SSC

 

The Tars women's volleyball team split a pair of Sunshine State Conference matches last week to begin the first part of their conference schedule. They were downed by Florida Southern 3-0 at home last Wednesday before defeating Florida Tech on the road 3-1 Friday.

 

Against the 15 th ranked Mocs , the Tars fell by scores of 30-19, 30-19 and 30-24. Senior Julia Caner ( Boca Raton , Fla. ) led the Tars with 13 kills and 34 total attacks while Lorena Orlandini ( Miraflores , Lima Peru ) tallied seven kills. Lacey Malarky ( Lawrence , Kan. ) led with 29 assists and Kim Cline ( Lake Worth , Fla. ) grabbed 13 digs to pace Rollins.

 

Friday brought a trip to Melbourne for the Tars as they got back to their winning ways with a 28-30, 30-26, 30-15, 30-19 victory over Florida Tech. Four Tars racked up double-digit kills, led by Caner with 17, who also tallied 10 digs. Allison North ( Mobile , Ala. ) notched 14 kills and hit at a .391 clip with Stephanie Nichols ( Lake Mary , Fla. ) totaling 13 kills and Orlandini getting 10. Malarky got back to form in the match and racked up 52 assists. Cline was again stellar as the defensive specialist and rolled up a match best 22 digs.

 

Both Orlandini and North cracked 200 kills on the season last weekend. Orlandini leads with 216 on the year while carrying a .293 attack percentage. North sits at 200 kills while leading the team and surpassed 1,000 for her career while also posting a .368 attack percentage this season. Malarky has rolled up 855 assists on the season and is still on pace to blast the school record of 1,421. She has also notched 29 service aces on the season. Cline leads with 305 digs on the year while Caner has racked up 153.

 

The Rollins women's volleyball team stays away from home this week and plays two conference road matches. They clash with Tampa on Wednesday, September 28 at 7 p.m. and Saint Leo on Friday, September 30, also at 7 p.m.

 

SSC VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS
	SSC				OVERALL
	W	L	PCT		W	L	PCT
Tampa	4	0	1.000		14	2	.875
Florida Southern	3	1	.750		16	2	.889
Barry	3	1	.750		8	6	.571
Lynn	2	1	.667		7	4	.636
Eckerd	3	2	.600		9	5	.643
Saint Leo	2	2	.500		5	9	.357
Rollins	1	2	.333		14	4	.778
Nova Southeastern	0	4	.000		3	9	.250
Florida Tech	0	5	.000		4	12	.250

 

 

 

 

ARONSON WINS AGAIN FOR ROLLINS HARRIERS

 

Last week at Embry-Riddle/Smoothie King Classic

Men: 10 th place

Women: 11 th place

 

Rollins freshman sensation Kristina Aronson recorded her second straight victory, taking first place at the Embry-Riddle/Smoothie King Invitational on Saturday. She broke the tape in 20:54, five seconds ahead of the runner-up finisher. Aronson also took first place at the Florida Tech Invitational two weeks ago.

 

As a team, the Tars women finished in 11 th place in the meet, totaling 226 points. Florida Tech took home the championship with 52 points while Nova Southeastern finished in second place with 89. On the men's side, Rollins took 12 th place with 281 points with host Embry-Riddle taking the team title.

 

The women's meet featured more than 100 runners on one of the most difficult courses in the area. Aronson led the Tars with her individual title while Kristen Hechler finished in 40 th place in a time of 23:39 for the Tars. Kelly Rolfes-Haase stopped the clock at 24:14, good enough for 48 th place and Monica Pena crossed the line in 80 th place in a time of 25:56. Salem Willis finished in 102 nd place with a time of 33:47.

 

The Tars men were paced by Rob Hoffman, who took 53 rd in a time of 32:48 on the very difficult 8k course. Patrick Flynn took 68 th place in 34:14 and Karl Reicken wasn't far behind, taking 72 nd in 34:40. Daniel Galvez took 86 th with a time of 39:07 while Daniel Mullery (44:37) and John Watson (44:39) finished in 90 th and 91 st respectively.

 

The Rollins men's and women's cross country teams will be back on the course on Friday, September 30 th when they will travel to Dade City , Florida for the Pre-Region Meet. The first race is set to go at 5:30 p.m.

 

 

TARS GOLF TEAMS OPEN UP 2005-06 SEASONS THIS WEEK

 

Both the

Rollins men's and women's golf teams begin their 2005-06 campaigns this week. The men play at the Coker Invitational at Orange County National in Orlando Monday September 26 and Tuesday September 27. The women travel to New Haven , Connecticut this weekend for the Yale Fall Intercollegiate October 1-2.

 

 

 

 

 

 

HALL OF FAME INDUCTION CEREMONY SET FOR OCT. 22

The Rollins Athletics Hall of Fame has been reinstituted by the Tar Boosters and will hold their 2005 Sports Hall of Fame Breakfast and Induction Ceremony on Saturday, October 22 at 9 a.m. at McKean Gymnasium in the Harold and Ted Alfond Sports Center . Those being enshrined into the HOF this year will be men's soccer players Steve Bence '94 and Oyvind Klausen '88, men's tennis players Paul C. Lennicx '92 and Barry Pelts '89, women's tennis player Stacy Moss Mager '95 and women's golfer Connie Hirschman Shorb '69

 

The breakfast is $15 per person and you must register in advance to attend. For more information, contact Judy Wolbert at jwolbert@rollins.edu.