the chronicle
august 24, 2009
sportswrap FALL SPORTS PREVIEW
2 | MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
THE CHRONICLE
SEASON PREVIEW: VOLLEYBALL
Paulus to Duke to take on nation’s best start at QB for ‘Cuse by Caroline Fairchild THE CHRONICLE
This season, the Blue Devils hope to bring respect and recognition to the ACC, a conference often underestimated by the rest of the country. Although the ACC is known as a competitive sports conference in general, it doesn’t get the national acknowledgement in volleyball that Duke and other ACC teams believe they deserve. But with the addition of No. 1 Penn State to the Blue Devils’ early schedule, as well as a strong returning team that puts it at the top of the ACC preseason polls, Duke has an opportunity to gain respect for its conference. “It’s not that we aren’t respected now, it’s just that they’re not looking for us to get to the Final Four, and that’s what we are looking to do here at Duke,” head coach Jolene Nagel said. “Our schedule allows us to develop our entire roster and play against the very best, and prepare us not only to really understand our team come ACC season, but also to give us a good feel of what we need to do to continue to be successful in the ACC and in the postseason, as well.” Penn State, the back-to-back national champion, is scheduled to play Duke Sept. 12, when it comes to Cameron Indoor Stadium to compete in the Duke Invitational. Nagel and Penn State head coach Russ Rose discussed the prospect of a match for years, and Rose agreed to bring the Nittany Lions to Durham in a match that will give the Blue Devils the challenge for which they have prepared
LAWSON KURTZ/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Rachael Moss, a senior, was an all-conference selection in 2008 as Duke shared the ACC title with UNC. all summer. “The fact that they are the No. 1 team in the country wasn’t something that I wanted to shy away from, and I don’t
ASK US YOUR QUESTIONS. GIVE US YOUR OPINIONS.
think our team wants to shy away from it at this point in our maturity, so we are SEE VOLLEYBALL ON PAGE 5
Greg Paulus’ one year as a Syrcause football player is going to start just the way he envisioned—under center for the first snap of the season. Orange head coach Doug Marrone announced Paulus would be Syracuse’s starting quarterback to begin the season, even though Paulus hasn’t played competitive football since 2004. The Syracuse, N.Y. native played point guard at Duke for four seasons before deciding to use his fifth year of eligibility on the gridiron. The 2004 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in football, Paulus beat out sophomore Ryan Nassib, the No. 1 quarterback in spring practice, Cam Dantley, last season’s starter, and freshman Charley Loeb for the job. Syracuse kicks off its season Sept. 5 against Minnesota at home. At Duke, Paulus started at point guard in his first three seasons and reached the Sweet 16 as both a freshman and a senior. He served as the team’s tri-captain as a sophomore and senior. His best statistical season came in 20062007, when he averaged 11.7 points per game, but Paulus’ role diminished his senior season as Nolan Smith and then Elliot Williams took his starting spot. Paulus averaged 4.9 points and 1.3 assists per game in his final season in Durham. —from staff reports
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MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009 | 3
MEN’S SOCCER
SEASON PREVIEW: MEN’S SOCCER
Soph trio Joint effort inspires Blue Devils suspended for season by Kevin Fishner THE CHRONICLE
Three returning sophomores, including two starters, have been suspended from the team for the year for failing to uphold the standard of conduct expected of a Duke student-athlete, head coach John Kerr announced last week. Forward Kyle Bethel, defender Ian Kalis and midfielder Joseph Pak will not participate in the 2009 season, but they have the option to return to the program the next year. Kalis and Bethel contributed as soon as they arrived in Durham last year. Kalis started all but one of the team’s games and cemented himself as the Blue Devils’ best left back. Bethel, a striker, started nine of Duke’s first 10 games, but suffered a season-ending broken arm Sept. 30. He still finished as the team’s third-leading scorer with four goals and two assists. Pak took longer to settle in, but quickly became one of Kerr’s favorite substitutes. He played in 16 of Duke’s 17 games and started in 11 of them. The Blue Devils finished 10-5-2 in 2008 and were eliminated in the first round of the NCAA tournament by UNCGreensboro. They kick off Kerr’s second season at the helm Sept. 1 against James Madison. Kerr declined to comment for this story, and would not elaborate on the reason for the players’ suspensions. —from staff reports
Losing four senior leaders would decimate most teams, but the Blue Devils will face this adversity together—as a tougher and tighter unit. Despite the low expectations given to this Blue Devil team, expected to finish seventh in the ACC this year, the vibe among the players is optimistic. The voices of Darrius Barnes, Pavelid Castaneda, Brendan Fitzgerald and Mike Grella will no longer echo over the Duke team come game day. The leadership role now lies in the hands of captains Josh Bienenfeld, Christian Ibeagha and Nick Tsipis. Replacing players like Grella and Barnes, now playing professinally. is a necessity in rebuilding the style and flow of the team. “It’s hard to replace the talent and leadership they provide,” Tsipis said. “But this is a new team and it’s a new year. As a team together we hope to forge our own identity and we’re really excited about what we’re doing.” Last year’s team focused mainly upon All-American forward Mike Grella, now playing for Leeds United in England’s League One. In order to get the ball to Grella as often as possible the Blue Devil defenders often resorted to a kick-andrun style of play. The major problem with this approach is that it completely bypasses the midfielders, effectively taking them out of the game. Opposing teams exploited this weakness and ultimately dominated possession in midfield, giv-
LAWSON KURTZ/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Junior Cole Grossman, who scored four goals last year, will serve as Duke’s midfield anchor in 2009. ing them control of the game’s tempo. Sophomore forward Kyle Bethel will also miss the 2009 season after being suspended last week, leaving the forward po-
sition with an uncustomary lack of experience. Without a dominant force at the SEE M. SOCCER ON PAGE 9
In 1924, students at Notre Dame made history by defeating the KKK. In 2008, one university made history by punishing a student for reading about it. When a college student was found guilty of racial harassment simply for reading a book, he called on FIRE to help clear his name. Join the thousands of students in FIRE’s Campus Freedom Network who are defending their rights on campus. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Learn about Duke’s stance on student rights:
www.thecfn.org/duke Because your liberty is a precious thing.
4 | MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
THE CHRONICLE
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VOLLEYBALL from page 2 excited,” Nagel said. “It was a win-win for us to have great volleyball here at Duke, as well as to play a good opponent and know exactly where we stand.” Senior captain Rachael Moss echoed her coach’s enthusiasm for the early test. For Moss, it’s the matches against nationally ranked teams that bring a fiery intensity and committed focus in practice for the Blue Devils. “I love the challenge of playing the teams that are top 10 in the country,” Moss said.
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009 | 5
“Going out there and playing schools that are so big in the nation is a huge challenge, and I think that challenge pushes you in practice. It’s a great goal to work towards.” Duke starts its season this Friday at the InnTower Invitational in Madison, Wis., where it will play Wisconsin, South Dakota and Ohio, and the Blue Devils plan to take advantage of the early games to grow as a team, junior Becci Burling said. In the future, it could be their preseason growth that leads the Blue Devils to the Final Four and elevates the ACC on the national stage.
FALL 2009 SEMINARS The Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health will host a series of regularly scheduled conferences. These seminars will be held on the first Thursday of every month during the Fall Semester with the exception of September (see below). September 10
“Faith, Healing and the Placebo Effect” Anne Harrington, PhD Chair, Professor of the History of Science Harvard University Location: Duke University School of Nursing Rm 1014
LAWSON KURTZ/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Junior Becci Burling is primarily a middle blocker and will lead Duke’s defensive play against top competition.
October 1
“How God Changes Your Brain” Andrew Newberg, MD Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology University of Pennsylvania Location: Duke University School of Nursing Rm 1014 November 5
“To Be Announced” Sarah Coakley, PhD, ThD Norris-Hulse Professor of Divinity University of Cambridge Location: Duke University School of Nursing Rm 1014 December 3
“Religious Involvement and U.S. Adult Mortality: Evidence, Controversy and Next Steps” Robert Hummer, PhD Professor of Sociology The University of Texas at Austin Location: Duke Medical Center Board Rm 1170B For more information or to register (lunch will be provided): spiritualityandhealth.duke.edu dukespiritualityandhealth@gmail.com 919.660.7556 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ Available
Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health Duke Center for Aging and Human Development
6 | MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
THE CHRONICLE
SEASON PREVIEW: WOMEN’S SOCCER
Injury wave hits attack-minded Blue Devils by Ryan Claxton THE CHRONICLE
DIANNA LIU/THE CHRONICLE
Elisabeth Redmond was Duke’s second-leading scorer in 2008 and will partner KayAnne Gummersall in attack.
Some would say that the best offense is a good defense. But is the best defense a good offense? Duke certainly hopes so. The Blue Devils enter the year with an injury-riddled back line. Four defenders will miss the season, including sophomore Ashley Rape, who was a standout defensive player last year before tearing her ACL in October. Redshirt sophomore Molly Lester and senior Sara Murphy will join Rape on the sidelines, along with freshman Kim DeCesare. The good news for Duke comes on the attack, where seniors KayAnne Gummersall and Elisabeth Redmond will spearhead what could be the best attack the program has had in years. In 47 combined starts last season, the pair compiled 27 goals and 8 assists. “The thing that we knew that was coming back was attack and our offensive side of play,” head coach Robbie Church said. “We have two of our top goal scorers in the history of our program returning and they both have had an outstanding preseason.” With the returning firepower up front, look for the Blue Devil mindset to be focused solely on outscoring opponents. “I’m excited for it, and I know Elisabeth is too,” Gummersall said. “And that has always been one of our main goals: to score early and score often, so I don’t think anything is really changing from last year.” One thing that could haunt Duke is the offensive consistency that was lacking last
season. Sandwiched between a 6-0 win over Clemson and a 5-1 win over Radford late in the year was a three-game scoreless streak for the Blue Devils at the end of the ACC season. Duke’s seniors will look to avoid that kind of barren stretch this year as they try to give confidence to a young back line consisting of mostly freshmen. In a scrimmage against Tennessee, the Blue Devils started two freshmen on the back line and played with three for the majority of the game, a trend that Church says will continue through the non-ACC schedule. Duke did get a result in that game, beating the Volunteers, 5-2. “Our incoming freshmen have done a fantastic job,” he said. “We have had to replace a lot of players through graduation in our defensive backline, and they have done a really, really nice job.” Overall, the newcomers have impressed coaches and players alike. “I think that [the freshmen] have stepped into those positions where we have lost a lot of injured players, and they are really tough,” Redmond said. “That’s what I think we need.” Duke will relieve some of the pressure on the backline through the play of Redmond and Gummersall up front, hoping that its offense can also serve as a first line of defense. “It’s been a different preseason,” Church said, “We have had a ton of injuries pile up, but besides that we have been extremely, extremely impressed with what our young ladies have done and what we have accomplished over the two weeks.”
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THE CHRONICLE
MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009 | 7
summerblogrecap Though Duke sports quiet down in the summer months, Blue Devil athletes continued to make news all over the country and around the world. Below are some highlights from The Chronicle’s Sports Blog from July and August: Krzyzewski To Coach Team USA In 2012 Olympics, July 21 It’s official: Mike Krzyzewski is going for gold again. As was reported in early July, Krzyzewski has agreed to try to lead Team USA to another gold medal at the 2010 World Championships in Turkey and the 2012 Olympics in London. He guided the United States to gold in Beijing, and after USA Basketball Managing Director Jerry Colangelo offered him the chance to stay on for four more years, Krzyzewski announced he would accept today at a press conference in Las Vegas. “It was a huge honor to be selected as the USA National Team coach the first time. It is still a huge honor,” Krzyzewski said in a statement. “The experience of being the head coach of the USA National Team for three summers was the best experience I’ve ever had in coaching. The upcoming three years will be a new experience and hopefully, it will be as rewarding.” The rest of Krzyzewski’s coaching staff from the last Olympic cycle—Jim Boeheim, Mike D’Antoni and Nate McMillian—will join him on the sidelines again, while the process of selecting the Olympic team begins tomorrow. Krzyzewski, about to begin his 30th year at Duke, brought his Duke assistants and some staff members with him to Beijing.
Associate head coaches Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski served as scouting directors, while video coordinator Kevin Cullen assumed the same role with USA Basketball. Krzyzewski said he hasn’t made any decisions yet, but he expects them to retain similar positions. Duke Baseball Trio Turning Heads On Cape, July 23 Just as they do back home at Jack Coombs Field, Duke’s Alex Hassan, Jeremy Gould and Michael Ness have been trotting out to take the field together this summer. But this time, the name on the front of their jerseys doesn’t read Duke. Hassan, Gould and Ness are all teammates on the Orleans Firebirds of the Cape Cod Baseball League, an invitation-only wood-bat summer league reserved for some of the nation’s top collegiate baseball players. “It’s been awesome having Jeremy and Alex up here,” Ness said. “It’s made it a lot easier and more fun having guys up here that you know.” While all three Duke representatives on the Firebirds aspire to eventually join the professional ranks – Ness and Hassan both were selected in last month’s MLB Amateur Player Draft – each has a different agenda when it comes to taking advantage of their summer experience. In the case of Hassan, a right-handed pitcher and outfielder drafted in the 20th round of the MLB Draft by his hometown Boston Red Sox, this summer served as an immediate springboard into his professional career. Hassan signed a contract with the organization Aug. 2 that paid him a
MICHAEL NACLERIO/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Junior Alex Hassan will not return to Duke after signing with the Boston Red Sox, who took him in the 20th round. $90,000 signing bonus. Hassan was hitting .298 when he put pen to paper to end his amateur career. Meanwhile, pitcher Michael Ness— drafted in the 47th round by the San Francisco Giants—is using the summer to prepare for the spring season and improve his future draft stock. Ness has only pitched 8.2 innings for the Firebirds but has fared well in his limited time, boasting a 3.12 ERA. Also enjoying the atmosphere on the Cape is outfielder Gould, who capped off last year’s campaign with the Blue Devil by earning All-ACC second team honors. With a .178 batting average so far this summer, Gould hasn’t enjoyed
the same success on the field that he did in Durham. But some sort of dip can be expected for players in their rookie season on the Cape. While each of the three Blue Devilsturned-Firebirds has experienced varying degrees of success on the field, they all have taken away substantial lessons from their summer by the sea. Whether the next step is professional baseball in Hassan’s case, or a senior season back in Durham for Ness and Gould, their collective Cape experience this summer is bound to serve them well down the road. SEE SUMMER RECAP ON PAGE 8
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SUMMER RECAP from page 7 Grella Signs On For Three More Years, Aug. 12
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After playing 82 minutes and earning Man of the Match honors in an Aug. 10 win over Darlington, former Duke star Mike Grella signed a three-year contract with Leeds United Aug. 12. Grella’s final season as a Blue Devil ended with a first-round NCAA tournament loss, but his playing days weren’t over. The forward went on trial with Leeds United in January, scoring a hat trick in his first reserve game and inking an 18-month contract shortly thereafter. Grella joined the League One club midway through its season and did not see consistent playing time, appearing in 11 games off the bench. After going through his first preseason with the squad–and watching star striker Jermaine Beckford sustain a knee injury in United’s opening game against Exeter City–Grella earned the start against Darlington. Two days later, he signed his new contract. Leeds United plays in League One, the third division of English soccer. With Beckford slated to return to the lineup this week, Grella may go back to the bench. But he impressed in his first regular season start and should see increased playing time this season as Leeds United fights for promotion. And now he has the peace of mind that comes with a longer contract. “I was hoping to play in Europe my entire life,” Grella told The Chronicle in June. “I always kind of knew I would.”
LARSA AL-OMAISHI/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Former Duke star Mike Grella signed a three-year deal with Leeds United over the summer. Leeds plays in England’s League One.
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MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009 | 9
M. SOCCER from page 3 forward position, the 2009 team will need to adjust its style to a more holistic approach. Instead of bypassing the midfield like last year, Duke will now rely on it. And although it struggled to drive play through the midfield last year, Duke’s focus this year will be on continuity throughout the starting eleven. “The major difference this year will be mental toughness and physical presence,” head coach John Kerr said. “We will be playing more as a unit than we were last year. There’s no replacing Mike Grella, but we can change our direction in terms of having players play on the same page, play as a unit and work for each other a little bit more than they did last year. That’s really our goal—to be a harderworking team than we were last year.” The goal of a unified team rests on the shoulders of junior Cole Grossman, an anchor midfielder. Grossman will need to be the elastic band stretching between the defense and offense, binding them together. With the help of sophomore Temi Molinar, often the most explosive player on the pitch, the Blue Devil midfield has the talent to serve as the much-needed foundation of the team. Filling in around these players will be both familiar and new faces. Kerr has high hopes for a specific freshman, Andrew Wenger, who will be filling one of the center back spots. Ibeagha will be the other part of the center defense tandem. “The team discipline, the approach, the whole attitude has been phenomenal,” Kerr said. “The coaching staff, compared to last years’ group, is way ahead of where we were last year. It’s very exciting, there a lot of fresh new faces and we have a fantastic leadership.” Kerr’s team will be missing a trio of experienced underclassmen—sophomores Bethel, defender Ian Kalis and midfielder Joseph Pak were all suspended for the season last week—but the players he does have at his disposal have bought into the message: Duke lost some of its best-ever players, but the team’s backbone will define its 2009 campaign.
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Duke’s defense lost Pavelid Castaneda to graduation, but junior captain Christian Ibeagha will assume a leadership role in the backfield.
10 | MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
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MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009 | 11
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Blue Devils get past GardnerWebb in opener by Jeff Scholl THE CHRONICLE
Two freshmen helped anchor the Blue Devil defense, but it was veteran leadership that carried Duke to victory in its season opener. Senior forward KayAnne Gummersall scored two goals and senior midfielder Elisabeth Redmond added another as the No. 16 Blue Devils (1-0) defeated Gardner-Webb 3-0 Sunday night in Koskinen Stadium. “We expect at this stage of the year for our seniors to be ahead of some of the other players,” head coach Robbie Church said. “It’s going to take us a little while....Until we all continue to grow and get on the same page, we’re going to have to have those seniors. We’re very impressed with them, and that’s their job—to be leaders right now for us.” Redmond struck first in the 29th minute, latching onto a long ball from freshman goalkeeper Tara Campbell and chipping it over the head of Bulldogs’ goalkeeper Samantha Rupert from 15 yards out. Barely more than a minute later, Gummersall received a pass in the box from fellow senior Jane Alukonis, played a one-two with sophomore Cody Newman and drove the ball into a wide-open net after dribbling around the goalkeeper. But Gummersall—Duke’s leading scorer in 2008—was not finished yet. With 44 seconds remaining in the first half, she used her head to put the finishing touch on a stellar corner kick from Redmond, as the two players displayed the chemistry that the Blue Devils hope will create many more goals this season. The pair of seniors continue to leave their mark on Duke’s record books as well. Gummersall’s two tallies moved her into sixth place on the school’s all-time scoring list with 25 career goals. Redmond’s assist from the set piece was the 24th of her career, good for second place on the all-time assist list. The two captains helped mask an otherwise uneven first half for the Blue Devils offensively. Duke had difficulty establishing a rhythm in the opening period and was caught offsides eight times. “I think we played very, very poorly in the first half, and we were just not as tuned in as we needed to be,” said Church. “We’re still young, we’re still finding the right pieces. I think there was some really, really good play, and I think there was a lack of good decisions.” Nevertheless, the commanding play of Duke’s defense took the presure off the offense. The back line held the Bulldogs to four shots in the game—none in the second half—and allowed the Blue Devils to dominate possession and keep the ball in their opponent’s half of the field for the majority of the contest. Freshmen defenders Erin Koballa and Nicole Lipp clearly handled the pressure of their first start in a Duke uniform with poise. “Our freshmen have really stepped up and stepped into roles, and when we’re on the field beside them you would never know that they’re freshmen,” Alukonis said. “They play as well as everyone else on the field, if not better, and we’re really excited to have them.” In the second half, the Blue Devils played a cleaner game, spacing out the Gardner-Webb defense with more precise passing and pressing the Bulldogs (0-2) further into their own half of the field. Even though Duke could not capitalize on any of its 22 shots in the period, Church said he was pleased with the way the team improved its ball movement after halftime. Moreover, the defense continued to stifle GardnerWebb’s attack until the final whistle. Koballa and Lipp had strong games at the back, and fellow newcomers Libby Jandl and Maddy Haller saw some playing time on the back line as well, ensuring that the Blue Devil goalkeepers kept a clean sheet. “When you look at the score, 3-0, it’s great to get the three goals, but what we’re most proud of is the zero in the back,” Gummersall said. “I thought our back line really stepped up, and to get a quality shoutout our first game is something we’re definitely proud of. Our goal going into this game was to be 1-0, and we accomplished that, and to get the shutout just adds to that.”
MARGIE TRUWITT/CHRONICLE FILE PHOTO
Senior KayAnne Gummersall’s two first-half goals sparked the Blue Devils’ 3-0 win over Gardner-Webb Sunday night at Koskinen Stadium.
12 | MONDAY, AUGUST 24, 2009
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