The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 26, 2003, Page 8, Image 8
MEN'S SOCCER vs. Portland at Husky Fever Classic,
5 p.m. Friday
PONTArT ITS WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Georgia Southern at UGA/Nike
OKJiy IrAU I G vj Tournament, 5 p.m. Friday
Story ideas? Questions? Comments? VOLLEYBALL at LSU, 8 p.m. Friday
E-mail us at gamecocksports@hotmail.com FOOTBALL at Tennessee, 7:45 p.m. Saturday
T
1
USC at Tennessee
7:45 p.m. Saturday
Knoxville, Tenn.
TV: ESPN
BY JONATHAN HILLYARD
THE GAMECOCK
The USC football team (3-1, 0-1
SEC) will look to beat Tennessee
(3-0,1-0 SEC) on Saturday for the
first time since 1992.
Halloween of 1992 was a historic
day for USC football as the team
upset the 16th-ranked Tennessee
Volunteers 24-23 in Columbia.
Hank Campbell’s tackle of UT
running back James Stewart on a
potential game-winning two-point
conversion produced a feeling that
has been absent at USC for 10 years.
That was the last time, and one of
only two times in history, that
Carolina defeated the Volunteers.
The Gamecocks have also failed
to defeat the Vols under UT head
coach Phillip Fulmer, who is 10-0
versus USC since 1993.
“We have a very big challenge
this week versus South Carolina,”
Fulmer said. “It’s been a battle for
the last four years. You can read
for yourselves how close the
games have been. Not one of them
has been easy.”
Each of the past three meetings
between these two teams has been
decided by a touchdown or less.
Overall, UT holds a 17-2-2 advan
tage in the series that began in
1903, the other Gamecock victory.
The Gamecocks are winless in
11 tries at Knoxville. UT has won
60 of its last 68 games at home and
is 73-12 there since 1990. A bright
spot, however, is that one of those
12 losses came at the hands of a
Notre Dame team coached by
USC’s Lou Holtz, who is 1-5 all
time versus Tennessee.
“We didn’t play well in our first
road game at Georgia, and now we
have to go up to Tennessee and
play very well. I don’t know what
to expect,” Holtz said.
South^-Carolina will face a
charged-up Volunteer team that is
coming off a big win over rival
Florida last week in The Swamp.
“We’re very happy with last
week’s game and effort,” Fulmer
said. “It’s very important that we
put that behind us as quickly as
we can and turn all our attention
to South Carolina.”
The eighth-ranked Volunteers
are on top of the SEC East in the
standings, as well as in various
statistical categories. UT is second
in the conference in rushing of
fense at 212 yards per game, just
ahead of Carolina, which averages
181 yards per contest.
The run defense of USC, which
is currently giving up 118.8 yards
per game, is banged up and will
have a tough task against the UT
offensive line. The Tennessee of
fensive linemen average 305
pounds a person.
The most impressive statistic
for the Volunteers is the measly
53.3 yards Tennessee is giving up
per game on the ground, which
ranks first in the SEC. Carolina
will need a big day from its run
ning backs.
Demetris Summers seems to
have received the nod from Skip
Holtz after running fr , 161 yards
and three touchdowns versus the
University of Alabama-Birming
ham. Daccus Turman could also
be a factor, averaging 4.9 yards per
carry.
The rushing attack also suf
fered last weekend as offensive
lineman Chad Walker dislocated
his kneecap and suffered cartilage
damage. He had surgery
Wednesday and will be out for the
year.
If Tennessee has a weakness,
it’s the passing game. Its pass de
fense ranks 10th in the conference,
while the passing offense ranks
eighth.
Defensively, the Gamecocks
will have to put pressure on
Tennessee quarterback Casey
Clausen, who is 58.6 percent in
completion.
Carolina defensive tackle
Preston Thome, who tore a pair of
ligaments and suffered other dam
age to his right knee last week, is
out for the season. Recovery time
for his type of injury is typically
about a year. Linebacker Ricardo
Hurley said that he would make
the trip to Knoxville and play de
spite an ankle injury that has
bothered him.
Tennessee is the third ranked
opponent that Carolina has faced
already this season and the second
top 10 opponent on the road. The
game is a sellout and could be the
largest crowd the Gamecocks have,
ever played for. Kickoff is at 7:45
p.m. and the game will be on ESPN;
it will be the second time USC has
been televised nationally this year.
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gamecocksports@hotmail.com
PHOTO BY JOHNNY HAYNES/THE GAMECOCK
USC’s Deandre’ Eiland and Dunta Robinson make a tackle
against UAB. Carolina plays Tennessee on Saturday night.
Men’s soccer to head to Seattle for Husky Fever Classic
PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
Ayo Aklnsete dribbles past an Appalachian State defender In Sunday's 1-0 win. Akinsete leads
the team with 14 points heading into this weekend’s games against Portland and Washington.
BY BRAD SENKIW
THE GAMECOCK
The undefeated USC men’s soc
cer team will get a chance to visit
the West Coast this weekend to
play some tough competition.
No. 11 Carolina (7-0-0) is taking
on Portland and Washington be
ginning Friday at the 15th annual
Husky Fever Classic in Seattle.
The Gamecocks will play the
Pilots on Friday and host No. 22
Washington on Sunday.
USC had several days to pre
pare as the team has been off
since last Sunday after holding
off Appalachian State 1-0. That
win helped the Gamecocks move
up four spaces from last week’s
No. 15 slot in the NSCAA/Adidas
Poll.
Portland (3-5) comes into the
classic winless on the road, losing
its last three games. The Pilots
have dropped matches to three
ranked opponents, including No.
12 Oakland, No. 2 UCLA and
Washington. The Pilots won’t
have to face Washington again
this weekend. Portland has also
lost to two formerly ranked teams
in Cal State Fullerton and
Creighton.
In the most recent game
against UCLA, Portland held off
the Bruins in the first period,
allowing no shots on goal before
halftime. Early in the second pe
riod, UCLA scored two goals in
less than two minutes and kept
the Pilots from putting up any of
fense to win 2-0.
It’s been a tough start in 2003
for a team that returned seven
starters from last season’s NCAA
Tournament squad. The Pilots
made it to the second round before
losing to Stanford and are the de
fending West Coast Conference
champions.
The Pilots are led this season
by Christopher Sanders, who
leads the team in points with sev
en and is tied with Alejandro
Salazar in goals with three.
Goalkeeper Luis Robles has given
up an average of 1.22 goals per
game and has recorded 36 saves.
This is the third meeting be
tween the Gamecocks and
Portland, with the Pilots winning
the first game in 1980 and
Carolina taking the second meet
ing in 1992.
The Gamecocks will end the
Husky Fever Classic by taking on
their first ranked team in
Washington (4-0-1). The Huskies
debuted this week in the poll after
winning the Marquette Invita
tional, where the team knocked off
Michigan and Marquette last
weekend. C.J. Klaas nailed a
penalty kick in the 88th minute to
beat Michigan 3-2. Washington
scored early against Marquette
and held off a late rally by the
Golden Eagles to win 2-1.
Washington’s wins made it the rT.
only undefeated team in the Pac- *°
10 this week.
Klaas, who was named tourna
ment MVP last week, and Leo
Totev are tied as team leaders in
points with seven each, while
Totev leads the team in goals with
three. Goalkeeper Danny
Waltman has given up an average
of .095 goals per game and has
allowed a total of five goals this
season.
USC is returning the favor to
Washington after the Huskies
made the trip to Columbia last
year. Carolina won the match 3-1
and has a 2-0-1 series-record
against Washington.
The Huskies have fared well in
their own tournament, winning ms
seven titles, while Portland has ^
taken five of them.
The Gamecocks’ battle with
Portland is scheduled for 5 p.m.
Friday, with Sunday’s match
against Washington starting at
4:30 p.m. SEC foe Kentucky is also
competing in the classic.
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Volleyball to open SEC season
this weekend at LSU, Arkansas
BY WES WOLFE
THE OAMECOCK
USC’s volleyball team (6-6) will
be traveling across the Mississippi
River this weekend to go up
against LSU (5-8, 0-1 SEC) and
Arkansas (8-4,1-0 SEC).
Last season’s swing through
Arkansas and Louisiana saw
Carolina beat both schools in four
games.
The Gamecocks leave town with
some good news after teammates
Lauren Ford and Lynae Vanden
Hull were named to the Gamecock
Invitational All-Tournament
Team. Ford led the team with a
.329 hitting average, and Vanden
Hull led the team with 44 kills over
the past weekend.
The LSU game opens Carolina’s
SEC season, but the Gamecocks’
nonconference schedule wasn’t ex
actly easy. USC played six ranked
teams and beat two of them.
Carolina also handed George
Washington its second loss in 12
matches.
LSU’s last game before playing
USC was, ironically, against
Arkansas. The Tigers lost in four
games but kept it close in each
ga&e. LSU has only played one
game against a ranked opponent
this season — Kansas State — who
soundly beat the Tigers 30-15,30
14 and 30-14.
The Tigers’ Rachel Pittman
leads the team with a .333 hitting
average this season, while sopho
more Megan
Road trip: Heinz leads
LSU in
FRIDAY blocks with
USC vs. LSU 43. Addition
Baton Rouge, La. ally, junior
8 p.m. Regan Hood
SATURDAY leads the
USC vs. team in kills
Arkansas with 228.
Fayetteville, Ark. Hood also
2:30 p.m. had a fine
sophomore
year last season by leading the
team in solo blocks, block assists
and total blocks.
Two days after taking on the
Tigers, USC will have to travel to
Fayetteville, Ark., to play the Lady
Razorbacks. The Lady ’Backs have
had a successful run entering
their 10th year of competition. In
eight of the previous nine years,
Arkansas has been the best team
in the SEC West.
Arkansas has also been SEC
Tournament runner-up six of nine
years and won the tournament in
1997. T^ie Lady ’Backs have been
dominant in the SEC recently by
winning 27 of their last 32
conference matches, dating back
to 2001.
Arkansas only played one
ranked team this season, falling to
Missouri in four games at the 2003
Quality Inn Tiger Invitational. All
except one match, however, have
been played on the road. The Lady
’Backs’ first home match came last
Sunday with a win against
Wichita State in four games.
The season did not start out so
well for Arkansas, though. After
winning its season opener against
Toledo in five games, Arkansas
dropped three straight matches
against Montana State, Missouri
and Southwest Missouri State.
Senior Sara Kincaid leads
Arkansas in hitting and is tied
with Jennifer Haaser for the team
lead in blocks. Kincaid’s blocks
per-game average of 1.6 was the
best in the SEC last year and tied
for best on the team in blocks.
Haaser was second on the team in
average kills last season and was
SEC Freshman of the Year in her
first season with the Lady ’Backs.
Carolina travels to Baton Rouge,
La., to take on LSU on Friday at 8
p.m. and plays Arkansas on
Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
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PHOTO BY MARK SCHILLING/THE GAMECOCK
USC's Niece Curry prepares for a spike set up by Katelyn T’anzau in last weekend’s win over the
Duke Blue Devils. The Gamecocks will play at LSU on Friday and Arkansas on Sunday.