Broadside Sports

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

Sophomore outside hitter Noelle Fanella fell one dig short of a double-double in last year’s loss to the VCU Rams in Richmond, but she still had a solid 11-kill performance. On Friday night, Fanella topped last year’s performance with a career-high 18 kills as she helped the women’s volleyball team (13-5, 2-1) win its conference home opener against the Rams (12-6, 1-1) in a five-set thriller (25-21, 25-27, 25-23, 21-25, 15-11).

Mason returned to the RAC after playing its last 10 games on the road and opened conference play with a 1-1 record. The team opened the first set with an 8-3 lead and played at ease before taking the first game, 25-21.

The Rams came as close as three points when they cut the lead to 24-21, but Mason was able to hold on as middle blockers and opposite hitters, senior Laura Turner and junior Holly Goode, recorded a set-ending block.

“[Winning the first set] was very important because we knew VCU was going to have a very good team, so we wanted to try to set the pace early,” said Head Coach Pat Kendrick.

The team again gained the early advantage by taking the first three points in the second set, but the Rams responded and made it tough on Mason to pull away again. Down 21-18, Mason went on a 5-1 run to take their first lead since leading 6-5 earlier in the second set. Fanella played a huge part in the rally, recording three kills during the run.

Mason had set point at 24-23, but a service error from sophomore libero Katrina Boryc proved to be costly. Even though Mason had another shot at going ahead by two sets, the Rams scored the three final points to provide a contest between the Colonial Athletic Association rivals. Rather than lament over the tough second-set loss, the team went into the intermission to make adjustments.

Mason shot right out of the gate in the third set, winning seven of the first nine points. Goode recorded three kills in that span. Both teams traded points, and neither team would hold a two-point advantage until Mason took a 24-22 lead late in the third set. As the Rams momentarily prevented Mason from taking the set, Goode finished it off with her ninth kill of the match.

“It was extremely vital [to win the third set] because it depends on who is up two games, so we obviously needed to stay in the contest and put more pressure on them,” said Fanella.

The fourth set was in Mason’s favor in the beginning, but the Rams scorched Mason by scoring points in bunches. As Mason tried to stabilize their opponents, the Rams kept on putting themselves in a position to win the set. The Rams forced a fifth set by winning the fourth set, 25-21.

Mason took advantage of the numerous of errors from Rams outside hitter Michala Kvapilova in the fifth set, and even though it was no cakewalk, Mason sensed a victory within their reach.

The team built a comfortable 12-5 lead, but the Rams cut the deficit to 13-11, but Mason staved off another rally as sophomore middle blocker Kelsey Bohman and junior setter Fernanda Bartels recorded the game-ending block.

Fanella, who matched her career high in kills twice this season, notched a new career high with 18 kills and added 10 digs for her first double-double this season. Last year, she finished third on the team with 163 kills.

Freshman libero Koala Matsuoka, who recorded 14 digs, made a number of game-saving plays in the latter part of the match by sacrificing her body to keep the ball in play.

“It’s a big morale booster when somebody just throws their body at the ball and gets it up, and it kind of deflates the other side when their best hit is getting dug,” said Kendrick. “I think [Matsuoka] helped us out, aside from getting the dig up, but I think of it as a morale booster on our side that no ball was too hard to be dug and we were going to keep our hopes up no matter what.”

On the opposing side, Kvapilova led all players with 19 kills and also recorded 14 digs. The Rams were unable to withstand Mason’s sudden outburst towards the end of the match.

“It’s really exciting to win a five-set match because it’s a lot of emotion and a lot of physical exertion in a five-set [match]. In the fourth set, we should have won, so we went into the huddle and we said, ‘Look, this is our set, the fifth set, so let’s take it,’” said Turner.

Last year, Mason went 1-4 when the match went into five sets, but this season, the team reversed their five-set record, winning their fourth on Friday night.

For Mason, who battled through a tough season last year, the script writes itself in this season’s major turnaround. The fifth set, which will now be known as Act V, is a perfect ending for the women’s volleyball team as they close out matches in dramatic fashion.

Ryan Dempsey, Broadside Correspondent

Chicago out of Olympic Host Contention:

On Friday, Chicago, the third-largest city in the U.S. was removed in the first round of voting for a potential 2016 Summer Olympics host city. Many people thought that Chicago and Rio de Janeiro were the two lone standing favorites to host the event, but instead, Chicago was eliminated. The U.S. was the first of the four finalists to make its presentations, with some of the speakers stiff and seemingly nervous. “It’s not about the words,” Chicago Mayor Richard Daley stated. “It’s about the heart and the soul.”

But despite the soul put into the presentation, voters for the International Olympic Committee did not feel the same way. A large part of the way the voting took place could be because Chicago is largely unknown oversees. Another view could be based on President Barack Obama’s brevity when talking to IOC members. The short stopover was “too business-like,” Former IOC member Kai Holm said. “It can be that some IOC members see it as a lack of respect.”

According to Reuters, “White House senior adviser David Axelrod said Obama’s appearance before the IOC was not enough to overcome ‘politics inside that room’ and other factors he believed weighed against Chicago’s bid.” The decision came as a shock to many Americans, including President Barack Obama. “I think Chicago could not have made a better presentation,” Obama said.

Japan too was disappointed in the results as Tokyo was removed from contention after a second round of voting.

“It’s a disappointing outcome. I’m very sorry about it,” said Hiroshi Sato, vice governor of Tokyo. “So many people offered their support. I’m at a loss for words. The frustration is that we can’t give our stage of dreams to our youth. We tried hard and did everything we could.”

Tiger Alone in New Status; Jordan Close Behind

With a status that some thought would never be possible, Tiger Woods became the first ever athlete to become a billionaire, according to Forbes. Woods made his money through previous endorsements, business ventures, and past golfing wins, figures that reach into the $895 million range. Woods also received a $10 million bonus mark for winning the FedEx Cup, pushing his golf earnings for the year over $100 million.

What a lot of people believe is scary, is just how much Tiger can still make, and still accomplish. Woods is considered to be the best golfer on the planet and possibly one of the most stunning athletes in the world. At only the age of 33, Woods has a lot of years of golfing to do and, who knows, could be a multi-billionaire by the time he retires.

Former NBA star Michael Jordan is at a close second. Jordan is estimated to have around $800 million dollars, earning almost $45 million a year exclusively from Nike, according to Forbes.

“Annual sales of the Jordan brand are now $1 billion for Nike, so MJ should hit the $1 billion mark in career earnings in the next four to five years,” stated Forbes.com writer Kurt Badenhausen.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

Ichiro: a name that symbolizes a legacy. Ichiro Suzuki embodies the game that has gained international acclaim. He is the best player on the field and off the field.

In Japan, the ballplayer won his first batting title at age 20. He was named the league’s most valuable player at the age of 21. He then followed that feat by gaining five more batting crowns in Japan.

In 1994, partly because of the hype he was creating, his manager, Akira Ogi changed the name on the uniform from “Suzuki” to “Ichiro.”

He was introduced as a Mariner in the 2001 season, leading the team to a record-tying 116 wins out of 162 total games. Ichiro won the batting title with an average of .350, amassing 242 hits. He was named rookie of the year and MVP.

First, we look at his hitting statistics. He stands alone as the only player to have nine, that’s right, nine 200-hit seasons, beating our Hall-of-Famer Willie Keeler, who held the record at eight seasons.

The man reached 2,000 hits faster than everyone except Hall-of-Famer Al Simmons, missing the record by only 13 games. This is after he has compiled 1,278 hits while playing for the Orix Blue Wave in Japan’s Pacific League.
In 2004, Ichiro broke an 84-year-old record by piling up 262 hits in one season. Ichiro does not sacrifice his swing for statistics.

“Chicks who dig home runs aren’t the ones who appeal to me,” said Suzuki.
“I think there’s sexiness in infield hits because they require technique. I’d rather impress the chicks with my technique than with my brute strength. Then, every now and then, just to show I can do that too, I might flirt a little by hitting one out,” said Suzuki.

Second, we look at his defense. Ichiro has garnered gold glove after gold glove for his stellar play in right field. This success comes from his incredible speed in open field and his ability to make plays where others would be hopeless.

For a small guy in the major leagues, his rocket of an arm can throw runners out from anywhere on the field. ESPN’s Baseball Tonight’s Web Gem segment has become a shrine to Ichiro’s high-flying and diving plays.

Third, we look at his diversity. Notable players make a name for themselves at one position and become either a defensive wall or an offensive wrecking crew. Ichiro has gained fame and notoriety by being equally talented in every area of the game.

After seeing how position players turned pitchers have injured themselves, most notably Jose Canseco who required surgery, Ichiro has still told some in his organization that he would like to pitch in a major league game before he retires.

Finally, we look at his intangibles. For 17 seasons, Ichiro had not been thrown out of a game. That streak, opposite of Bobby Cox’s ejection run, was broken on Sept. 24 for arguing balls and strikes in a loss against the Toronto Blue Jays.

His willingness to aid his team in any way possible has pushed him to be one of the best team players of all time.

He has a simple name, a simple swing, a simple glove, a simple run, a simple game. But the man is nothing short of exceptional. Of course, he still is the ever-humble Ichiro.

Brian T. Chan, Sports Editor

There is only one player who would round first base and run towards center field after hitting a walk-off single. Anticipating a mob chasing him, Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners unsuccessfully escapes from Mike Sweeney and a beer can in a 14-inning marathon against the Chicago White Sox.

Ichiro always electrifies the sport with his unique and unorthodox presence, but for him to be considered one of the top baseball players in his generation, Ichiro would have to outperform his counterparts in his own league, which he certainly does not.

As a 21-year-old in 2001, Albert Pujols debuted with the St. Louis Cardinals and won the National League Rookie of the Year award and finished second in the MVP voting. At the same time, the Japanese invasion reached a whole new level in Major League Baseball with Ichiro’s emergence in the Pacific Northwest. As a 28-year-old rookie, Ichiro took home the American League Rookie of the Year and AL MVP award.

In just his fourth season in the major leagues, Ichiro not only won the batting title with a .372 batting average, but he set the single-season record with 262 hits to provide a bright spot in a bitter season for the Mariners. Oddly enough, Ichiro does not hold the highest career batting average among active players. That belongs to Pujols, who leads Ichiro by one point. However, Ichiro’s batting averages have greater volatility than that of Pujols.

The focal part of this argument is the obsession with the batting average. In each of his first nine seasons in the major leagues, Ichiro recorded at least 200 hits and finished above the .300 mark. Batting .351 this season, Ichiro trails only Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins for the batting title.

The batting average alone is not the best indicator. It is one of the most misleading statistics in baseball. A .385 on-base percentage is typically solid, but it is quite disappointing for Ichiro, whose OBP is just 34 points higher than his batting average. I will denote this as OBP-BA.

OBP has a similar flaw as the batting average since a high batting average can influence a relatively high OBP. Ichiro eclipsed the .400 mark in OBP only once in his career. In that season, his OBP-BA was .041.

The best way to judge Ichiro as a hitter is by his on-base plus slugging percentage. Yet, he does not rank in the top 50 in that department. Since the range in SLG is greater than that in OBP, batters with a lower OBP and higher SLG than Ichiro also hold the advantage in OPS. Being a pure singles hitter does not justify him to be one of the top players in the league.

Let us do a side-by-side comparison of Ichiro and J.D. Drew of the Boston Red Sox. Drew is a career .283 hitter and has not batted over .300 since the 2004 season with the Atlanta Braves. What I want to show here is that Drew, whose style of play is different than Ichiro, is just as competent despite batting 50 points below Ichiro.

In each of the past six seasons, Drew consistently posted an OBP-BA of at least .100. Both do not share the characteristic in plate discipline. Ichiro, the hacker, swings at 31.9 percent of the pitches out of the strike zone while Drew tends to be more patient, swinging at 15.3 percent outside the zone.

The results show that Ichiro has a significant advantage in batting average, but Drew’s power and patience give him the edge in OPS. When valuing baseball players, it is not whether there is a discrepancy between a .275 and a .300 hitter because batting averages fluctuate from year to year. On the other hand, OBP-BA tends to be more consistent with career lines.

Although Ichiro is seen as an enigma, in which opposing pitchers struggle to figure him out, he is highly predictable in the sense that he will swing away and somehow reach base, especially when a bulk of them are infield hits. In his pursuit for 3,000 hits, Ichiro is by far one of the most unique players in the league. It fascinates me along with a number of people that his unorthodox approach has lasted him nine seasons.

Following his walk-off single, Ichiro came back the next night and stunned Mariano Rivera of the New York Yankees with a walk-off home run. This time, he could not avoid his teammates at home plate. It is the small things that make Ichiro a great player, but when you look at the big picture, I do not think we should get carried away and say that Ichiro has no flaw.

Fernanda Bartels, Staff Writer

Lately, our team has been talking a lot about positive attitude. On the volleyball court, positive attitude is a state of mind where you feel motivated and confident in your skills and your teammates.

It also includes believing, thinking about the best outcome and never letting your guard down.

Positive attitude can be considered a way of life too. It is like wearing a “positive lens,” where you see every event from a positive perspective. For the context, let us think about positive attitudes on the court.

In a volleyball game, whether you want it or not, the opponent is going to score points. It is the nature of the game. Think about it: without the mistakes, no one would ever score. Consider for an instant that the opponent scoring a point is the concept of a negative situation.

How would you deal with it? How do you recover from a negative situation? Also, do not forget to consider that when playing volleyball, you only have control of the actions that happen on your side of the court. It can be a very frustrating game if you do not have control of your mind.

When a negative situation happens, we tend to try to find reasons behind the action. Maybe the block was not in the right spot on that play, or maybe it was just a good swing by the hitter. But more important than finding reasons why it happened, you need to get ready for the next play.

Whatever the situation, our team needs to get over it and keep playing. That is one of the reasons why we always go back to the center of the court after every point.
Meeting your teammates on the center of the court shows that we are there for each other, together, in a good or bad situation.

In order to recover from a negative situation, we have to think positively. If you do not think you are able to side out and get the next point, no one else will. Find your motivation, believe in yourself and get ready for the next ball.

That will happen again and again. It goes back and forth in a volleyball game. They score, we score and they score once again. They win a long rally, and we win fighting back.

What makes the difference by the end of the game is whether or not we were able to maintain our positive mindset throughout the game.

If we keep our confidence level high, we are able to overcome negative situations easily. That is what a volleyball match is all about.

Kevin Nydam, Broadside Correspondent

After an incredible performance shutting out the fourth-ranked Maryland Terrapins last Tuesday, the men’s soccer team improved their record to 6-2. As they near the midway point of their season, the team prepares to play the Towson Tigers this Wednesday at 7 p.m. at George Mason Stadium.

The Patriots sit in second place in the Colonial Athletic Association standings, nine places ahead of the Tigers. As the defending CAA men’s soccer champions, Mason has been projected to repeat the achievement this year to win back-to-back conference championships.

The preseason CAA poll results predicted Towson to finish in sixth place, one rank higher than the previous season.

Mason has a strong offense, averaging nearly 14 shots per game. They have outscored their opponents 14-4 so far in the first eight games of the season. This match will be a true test for the Patriots, who look to move to first place with another conference win.

Senior goalkeeper Sean Kelley has already recorded 26 saves in the first seven games, while Towson’s sophomore goalkeeper John Steele has saved 24 shots.

The Tigers have played seven games this season and currently sit under .500 with a record of 3-4-0 and 0-1-0 in the conference. They suffered a tough 4-1 loss last Saturday against the William & Mary Tribe. The team still looks to turn things in a positive direction.

Home field advantage should prove to be in Mason’s favor as the Patriots attempt to achieve a victory that will show the conference they mean business.

John Powell, Asst. Sports Editor

The George Mason University women’s soccer team took on University of Maryland, Baltimore County Retrievers Tuesday night. The Retrievers were winless coming into the match and were winless going out. The Patriots took care of the match by scoring three times in the second half.

There was only one goal in the first half at the 12-minute mark, scored by freshman forward Tiana Kallenberger. For the goal, senior forward Annie Lebherz found Kallenberger at the top of the box, who turned for the goal, the first in 33 minutes.

“We were getting it in there, but we were a little bit off in our selection or we were a little bit too tight in our outside,” said Head Coach Diane Drake.

This shows how, while the Patriots seemed to have countless scoring opportunities, they were unable to capitalize.

Drake gave a motivating halftime speech, leading to three second-half goals. The Patriots learned from their dismal first-half showing and attacked with gusto in the second half, and, with heightened communication and hustle.

The second half success came to a head when Kallenberger scored the goal after a block, followed 30 seconds later by a score from Lebherz.

“We had so many opportunities, but it was just the finishing,” said Lebherz. “I think we have great team chemistry.”

Not only focused on her personal statistics, she fed the ball to Kallenberger before punching one in herself.
At the 88th minute, freshman forward Jessica Pisasale found senior forward Theresa DeLucca, who punched in the final score high in the goal. Retrievers goalie Van Vlerah jumped to block the ball, but it was kicked just out of reach for the goal.

Freshman goalkeeper Katie Frey did not have a direct shot against her, but her high-energy gameplay forced her out of the blocks, stopping possible Retrievers’ offensive surges before they could get started.

The relatively young defense ran their scoreless minutes streak to more than 294 minutes, the longest since the team ran almost 325 minutes without allowing a score.

“I feel like the only way to [play] is to progress,” said Kallenberger.

The Patriots had a game against the James Madison Dukes on Thursday night.

After Monday’s game, Drake said, “Thursday is the start of the new season,” referring to the opening of the conference part of their schedule.

The Patriots lost 2-1 in their Colonial Athletic Association home opener Thursday night to the Dukes. Freshman midfielder Mary Kate Lowry was credited with the lone score.

Ebad Khan, Broadside Correspondent

The highly anticipated matchup between the George Mason University men’s soccer team and the Maryland Terrapins will take place on Tuesday, Sept. 29.

The Patriots will look to avenge their 2-0 loss on Nov. 25 last season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Terrapins, the second-seed in the tournament, ended the dreams of the Patriot hopefuls, who advanced to the second round of the big tournament for the first time since 1996.

Mason’s eight-game winning streak was snapped, sending seven of the Mason’s finest into collegiate retirement.

For the Terrapins, they were able to enjoy their 2008 season on top, defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels in the national title game.

The senior co-captains midfielder Richard Edgar and goalkeeper Sean Kelley, who were also named to the 2009 Preseason All-CAA Team, plan to lead the young Patriots and seek revenge on a talented Maryland team.

Mason started the season 3-2 with victories over the Howard Bison, Presbyterian Blue Hose, and the Richmond Spiders.

The Patriots took the runner-up slot in the D.C. College Cup, suffering a 2-1 defeat to the American University Eagles.

Mason competed in the Adidas Gamecock Classic in South Carolina, but dropped a tough 1-0 loss to the host South Carolina Gamecocks. Mason finished in third place in the event.

The Terrapins, captained by forward Jason Herrick and defender Kevin Tangney, have begun the season 4-2-1.

Herrick matched his career high in goals with two and overall points with four against California Golden Bears on Sept. 6.

Tangney, a key defensive player, also scored a goal against Boston College Eagles on Sept. 11.

Historically, Mason has not faired well against the Terrapins, with an overall record of 5-8-1, but the Patriots will not let statistics levy the outcome of the game. After the hopeful defeat of Maryland, Mason will strive towards being crowned back-to-back champions in the CAA.

Ryan Dempsey, Broadside Correspondent

UFC

Ultimate Fighting Champion superstar Quinton “Rampage” Jackson has announced that he will retire from the UFC. Jackson announced his retirement for reasons such as being rushed into fights, past injuries and recent altercations with UFC President Dana White.

The altercations with White and Jackson were caused after Jackson accepted the role of B.A. Baracus in the forthcoming A-Team movie, leaving White to scrap plans for the Dec. 12 bout between Jackson and Rashad Evans.

“The UFC has done a lot for me but I think I have done more for them,” stated Jackson, the former UFC light-heavyweight champion.

“He’s acting like a baby right now, but he’s a grown man,” commented White on KHTK radio.
No one knows exactly what this means for the UFC, but there is no question that this story will develop into something interesting in the future.

Men’s Tennis

Last week, tennis star Rafael Nadal announced that he will again be taking time off from the game. The announcement came after Nadal was seen by doctors. According to CNN News, “Dr Angel Ruiz Cottoro, medical services chief for the Spanish Tennis Federation, revealed the world number two has suffered an acute rupture of his right abdominal muscle, which was confirmed by ultrasound, according to a statement on the tournament’s official website.”

Nadal, who is currently ranked number two in the world, had to withdraw from multiple tournaments this year due to an array of injuries.

Women’s Tennis

Last week, former world’s number one women’s tennis player Justine Henin announced that she will come out of retirement. Henin, who retired in May of last year at the age of 25, claimed she was burning out and wanted to be a soap opera actress.

Although Henin is not the first player in recent years to retire at an early age, such as Kim Clijsters, who stepped away from the game at 23 to get married and start a family only to return this year and win the U.S. Open, Henin is the first player ever to retire while holding the top world ranking.

So why did Henin decide to return to the game she so recently retired from? According to The New York Times, Belgian news agencies on Tuesday met with Henin.

“Perhaps subconsciously, [Clijsters’] comeback influenced me,” Henin said. “I have lots of admiration for what she did. To come back so quickly to that level, that earns your admiration and it’s certainly an inspiration. But that was not a determining factor. The victory of Roger Federer at the French Open this year spoke to me much more. That stirred emotions in me. I sensed something missing.”

The “something missing” Henin referenced might be the game itself, but could also be the Wimbledon title. It is the only grand slam title missing from Henin’s résumé.

“[Henin] is one of the great champions in the history of women’s tennis, and we, along with millions of her fans around the globe, are thrilled,” said WTA chairman Stacey Allaster. “[Henin] is that rare athlete who decided to step away from the game at the height of her powers, and no doubt she will be a force to be reckoned with from the get go.”

Yasin Jama, Broadside Correspondent

The George Mason University women’s soccer team, ranked fifth in the NSCAA Mid-Atlantic Region Polls, will continue their conference tune-up when they host the Northeastern Huskies. The game will be played at George Mason Stadium at 2 p.m.

The team is off to a great start with its young roster, winning eight of the first nine games.

Redshirt junior midfielder Omolyn Davis leads the team with six goals and has 14 points. Davis is among two other players with 14 points, which includes senior forward Kelly Keelan and freshman forward Tiana Kallenberger.

Keelan has four goals and six assists while Kallenberger has three goals and five assists. Fellow freshman goalkeeper Katie Frey earned the CAA Rookie of the Week this week.

Of Mason’s eight victories, four of them have come from playing at home, that stat propelled by the fact that Mason has not given up an opposing team’s goal at home. With the exception of Mason’s 3-1 loss to the Pennsylvania Quakers, Mason has been terrific so far in the 2009 season. However, Mason could be facing its toughest game of the season this Sunday when they take on the third-ranked Huskies.

Freshman Devin Pets is the team leader with four goals, two assists, and 10 points. The Huskies also have only have one senior on the roster to go along with their nine freshmen. The Huskies are 5-2, in which three of the five victories are all at home, but are 1-2 on the road. This matchup is favorable for Mason because of their experience and Northeastern’s struggles on the road.