Volleyball Wins North Country Title; Kicking Woes Plague Football; Cross Country Competes at Oswego; Tough Going for Soccers and Tennis



VOLLEYBALL (7-5) - Polka Leads Bengals to North Country Title

After high expectations yielded a disappointing start, Buffalo State got itself on track this weekend, as it lost just a single game in four matches on route to claiming the North Country Invitational for the second consecutive year.

Buffalo State opened the tournament on Friday with a win over Hartwick, 30-23, 30-14 and 30-12. Krista Wierzbicki (Cheektowaga/Maryvale) led the Bengals with 30 assists and seven blocks. Monica Polka (Youngstown/Lewiston-Porter) had 17 kills and 11 blocks, and Vicky Manos (Cheektowaga/Cheektowaga) recorded 13 kills.

In Friday's nightcap, the Bengals breezed past St. Lawrence, 30-21, 30-26 and 30-22. Polka tallied 15 kills, seven digs and six blocks, and Wierzbicki served up 25 assists and notched 11 digs.

The Bengals battled tournament host Potsdam to open Saturday's action, and defeated the Bears 30-17, 30-20, 27-30, and 30-24. Polka was dominant again, with 20 kills and nine blocks. Lisa Herrscher (Clarence/Clarence) added 10 digs and seven kills, and Denise Jedynak (Hamburg/Frontier) had nine digs and five blocks.

Buffalo State earned the championship with a 3-0 win over Clarkson, 30-24, 30-28 and 30-28. Polka matched her 20-kill performance from the morning and added eight digs. Manos was also stellar with 14 digs, 11 kills and four aces. Wierzbicki had 34 assists and four aces.

Buffalo State vaulted its record above the .500 mark to 7-5 on the season.

Who's Next?

Buffalo State will host Nazareth on Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at the Sports Arena. The Golden Flyers are 12-1 on the season and defeated the Bengals 3-0 earlier this year. Buffalo State will also host Medaille on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Encore?

For the second-straight season, Buffalo State won the North Country Invitational, and for the second-straight time, Monica Polka (Youngstown/Lewiston-Porter) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. In four matches, Polka recorded 72 kills, a .447 hitting percentage, 11 aces and 31 blocks.

FOOTBALL (0-2) - Kicking Woes Continue to Plague Bengals

Division II Mansfield held on to triumph at Buffalo State by a 20-19 score as the Bengals missed a 21-yard field goal as time expired to fall to 0-2 on the season. Mansfield is now 1-1.

Buffalo State got on the scoreboard first with 23 seconds remaining in the first quarter when Felix Joyner (Rochester/Hilton) plunged in from three yards out and an Eric Buchanan (Hamburg/Frontier) kick made the score 7-0. On the ensuing drive, Mansfield drove 64-yards on five plays, capped by a 10-yard touchdown catch from Travis Motley to Arnoldo Santiago. Mansfield missed the extra point try, to make the score 7-6. Buffalo State answered the Mansfield score on its next possession with a similar drive of 65-yards on four plays, including a 38-yard run by Joyner and a 20-yard touchdown strike from Mariano Granata (Lewiston/Lewiston-Porter) to Marc Hoppy (Depew/Depew). After another missed extra point, Buffalo State held a 13-6 lead. Mansfield was able to tie the score before the intermission, however, as they blocked a Ryan Cox (Amherst/Williamsville North) punt and recovered on the Bengals' 15-yard-line. Steve Smith ran it in from the one-yard-line just four plays later, and the teams would go to the locker room 13-13.

After forcing the Bengals to punt on their first series of the second half, the Mountaineers took the lead for good at 10:19 of the third quarter when the quarterback Motley pounded the ball in from the 1-yardline. After Jeff Mimm's kick sailed through the uprights, Mansfield grabbed a 20-13 lead. In the fourth quarter, Buffalo State orchestrated a seven-play drive of 45 yards, and Joyner scored his second touchdown of the day from one-yard out. After a second missed kick, the Bengals still trailed 20-19. After trading possessions, Buffalo State pinned Mansfield back to its own four-yard-line with 1:37 remaining after a 70-yard boot by Cox. The Bengals defense held and after a 20-yard punt Buffalo State took over on the Mansfield 27 with just 31 seconds remaining. Bobby Ballard (Buffalo/McKinley) hauled in a Granata pass at the four yard-line with just 22 seconds to play to set up a potential game-winning field goal. After Tom Jakubaszek (N. Tonawanda/N. Tonawanda) recovered a Buffalo State fumble on the next play, the Bengals were forced to call on Cox to try a 21-yard field goal. His attempt missed right, however, as time expired and Mansfield triumphed 20-19.

Joyner led Buffalo State's offense with 125 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns. Granata was 7-for-19 for 74 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Billy Edwards (Buffalo/McKinley) was the leading receiver with four catches for 23 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, Michael Pawlikowski (W. Seneca/W. Seneca East) racked up 12 tackles, including seven solo stops and a sack. Tyree Parker (Buffalo/Burgard) also had 12 tackles and John Lesure (Rochester/Greece-Athena) added 10 stops.

Who's Next?

Buffalo State will go back on the road this weekend to face Albion in Northern Michigan. The Britons are off to an 0-2 start with losses against Wittenberg and Tri-State, 44-7 and 38-0 respectively. The teams are 1-1 against each other in two previous meetings, although Albion defeated Buffalo State at Coyer Field last season 34-31 in triple overtime.

Career Best?

Tailback Felix Joyner (Rochester/Hilton) rushed for a career-best 125 yards in the 20-19 loss to Mansfield on Saturday. The junior who was primarily used as a kick return specialist during his first two seasons also had career-highs with 26 attempts and two touchdowns.

Active Backfield?

Buffalo State's top-three tacklers from the Mansfield game all play in the Bengals' secondary. Michael Pawlikowski (W. Seneca/W. Seneca East) and Tyree Parker (Buffalo/Burgard) each had 12 tackles and John Lesure (Rochester/Greece-Athena) had 10.

Botched Kicking Game?

Buffalo State has made just one extra point this season in four tries, and is 0-for-2 on field goal attempts this season. Dating back to 1999, Buffalo State is 52-for-80 on extra point tries and just 2-for-9 on field goal tries.

CROSS COUNTRY - Bengals Finish Strong at Oswego

Buffalo State's men's cross country team finished in 8th place, while the women's team placed 11th this past Saturday at the Pat Peterson Invitational hosted by SUNY Oswego.

The men's 213 points were eighth best in the 13-team meet, seven spots behind Geneseo's 37-point championship performance. AJ Walsh (Hamburg/Frontier) led Buffalo State, finishing 17th out of 157 runners with a time of 26:35. Mike Herron (West Seneca/West Seneca East) and Chris Swift (Bethford/Frontier) finished 20th and 66th respectively with times of 26:41 and 28:41 to round out the Bengals' top-three.

The women earned 290 points, placing them behind Brockport and William Smith in the 14 team meet. Tiffany Knarr (East Aurora/Iriquois) was Buffalo State's fastest runner for the second meet in a row, taking 54th of 159 runners in 21:09. Aleksandra Halin (Clarence/Clarence) placed 59th clocking 21:27, and Nichole Van Hoesen (Stamford/Stamford Central) finished one second behind Halin with a time of 21:28, good for 60th place.

Who's Next?

Buffalo State will compete in their third meet of the year, this Saturday at the Hobart/William Smith Invitational.

MEN'S SOCCER (2-2) - Bengals Win Big to Open Season; Pitch Pair of Shutouts

Buffalo State played just one game this past week, as it traveled to Nazareth on Tuesday, and returned with a 2-0 defeat.

The Golden Flyers dominated the contest as they outshot the Bengals 23-4. Nazareth's goals came at 18:40 and 38:48, and Buffalo State never threatened after that. Bengal goalkeeper Kevin Senator (Scottsville/Wheatland-Chili) made 11 saves in the loss.

Buffalo State dropped to 2-2 on the season, while Nazareth improved to 3-0.

Who?s Next?

After eight days off from competition, Buffalo State will finally open its SUNYAC schedule this weekend with a pair of pivotal contests that could weigh heavily on the playoff standings come late-October. The Bengals will play at Geneseo on Friday at 4 p.m. and will be at Brockport at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Polling?

The Bengals were selected to finish ninth in the 10-team SUNYAC according to the preseason coaches poll. The rest of the poll is as follows: 1. Cortland - 113; 2. Plattsburgh - 86; 3. Fredonia - 83; 4. Geneseo - 71; 5. Brockport - 58; 6. Potsdam - 54; 7. Oswego - 48; 8. New Paltz - 46; 9. Buffalo State - 23; 10. SUNYIT - 10.

Road Show?

Buffalo State will finally open its home schedule on September 25 when it hosts R.I.T.

WOMEN'S SOCCER (1-4) - Bengals Come up Short in only Game of the Week

Buffalo State lost its fourth game in a row on Wednesday, with a 5-1 loss to non-conference foe RIT at Coyer Field.

Senior Karen Voght (Tonawanda/Kenmore East) netted her first goal of the season at the 14:25 mark of the first half, giving the Bengals the early lead, but that would prove to be the only goal for the Bengals. RIT scored five unanswered goals while holding a 38-7 advantage in shots. Buffalo State goalkeeper Erin Strassburg (North Tonawanda/North Tonawanda) recorded 17 saves in the loss.

The loss dropped the Bengals overall record to 1-4.

Who's Next?

Buffalo State will host a pair of SUNYAC rivals this weekend at Coyer Field. Friday the Bengals will face Geneseo at 4 p.m., and then play Brockport at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

TENNIS - (0-2) Bengals Drop First Two Matches of the Year

Buffalo State opened its 2002 season at home on Tuesday, losing 9-0 to Fredonia. On Thursday the team traveled to Brockport, but returned home with its second loss of the season, 9-0.

The Bengals faced an impressive Fredonia team on Tuesday. Amanda Coats (Tonawanda/Kenmore East) went the distance, but lost in a close match, 2-6, 6-0, 4-6 at second singles. Junior Sherrie Burton (Brooklyn/Erasmus Hall) also played well, but came up just short losing 4-6, 6-3, 5-7 at fourth singles.

Buffalo State traveled to Brockport on Thursday, and faced a dominant Golden Eagle team, losing 9-0. Molly Macpherson (Clarence/Clarence) played well, but lost 5-7, 4-6 at third singles.

The Bengals match Saturday against Oneonta was cancelled.

Who's Next?

Buffalo State will travel to Geneseo on Tuesday, and then return home to face Penn St. Behrend at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday. Buffalo State will also host New Paltz at 12 noon on Sunday.