10 Sports
SEPT. 11 - SEPT. 17, 2018 sonomastatestar.com
STAR // Jessica Bennett Junior outside hitter Caiti Weisner goes up for the hit.
Seawolves women’s volleyball undefeated in conference play JESSICA BENNETT STAFF WRITER
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ump, set, spike! Sonoma State Women’s Volleyball crushed the California State Monterey Bay Sea Otters in a four game match, this past Saturday. The Seawolves came out on top 3-1, continuing the successful conference start. Sonoma State Women’s volleyball out matched Monterey Bay in every single category. (75-69) points, (67-57) kills, (52-38) digs, (59-49) assists and (6-5) aces. Sophomore Tate Battistini had a crushing spike that took the Otters for surprise. “I feel like personally, I was
very motivated to beat Monterey Bay since they are a solid team so, I tried to give it my all for every play.” Battistini said. During this game Battistini reached a career-high of 19 kills against the Otters. Battistini continued to say, “After our win last night, I think it really showed the potential we have and we are super excited to keep growing together as a team.” Being a fresh ‘new’ team number, Battistini has high hopes in her teammates. “This year we have a really young team so it is really just about learning and getting better each game.” The first two games Sonoma State had it in the bag, but, let it slip during
game three when number 12, Adriana Baysigner, was taken out of the game with an ankle injury leading to a loss during that set. “Our team this year is one of a kind, we are very versatile with who we can play, every one of us ready to play and we can all get the job done.” Basinger continued, “I think one of our goals this season is to grow as a team since we are all younger, but even though we are a young team, I believe we can fight and play like an older team can.” Thankfully, Baysinger came back in the fourth to close it out, and won that last match with her teammates. During the final set, sophomore
Amy Trephan came in with four kills, Baysigner had one kill and an ace by number 11 Jenna Miller. Ending the game 28-26, a Seawolf win. After the match, the ladies in blue improved 2-0 in the California Collegiate Athletic Association conference. Monterey Bay falls into a projected fourth place in the north division for the pre-season coaches’ poll. The team is looking forward to this year and the opportunities they are able to bring. The ladies of the Sonoma State Seawolves are traveling down to Cal Poly Pomona next weekend, September 14 and will start at 7:00 pm against the Broncos.
Men’s rugby looking to break no-win spell JOEY PIOMBO STAFF WRITER
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ith the 2019 rugby season right around the corner, the Seawolves men’s team are looking to get back into the swing of things and they are using the fall semester to do just that. The sport of Rugby was introduced to Sonoma State in March of 2011 when the Sonoma State University Men's Rugby Club was founded. They currently compete in the National Small College Rugby Organization. Within the NSCRO, the Seawolves are a member of the Northern California CRC Division. They compete against schools such as University of San Francisco, California State University Monterey Bay, Humboldt State University, Santa Rosa Junior College and the University of Pacific. The sport requires a combination of many skills such as strength and speed, and involve skill-sets similar to soccer and football. A rugby match is eighty minutes long with a halftime at
the forty minute mark. Each team has fifteen athletes on the field at all times. The ball can only be passed legally sideways or backwards and the only way the ball can move forward is by running with it or kicking it forward. For a team to score a try, the rugby version of a touchdown, a player must physically touch the ball to the ground within the try-zone. A try is five points and the kick after adds an additional two points if successful. Last season, the Seawolfs were plagued with injury and did not win a game. The injuries forced many new players to step into roles that were unfamiliar. With no wins, the team focused on the positive aspects that were taken from last season. Jonathan Torres, president of the rugby team, gave insight on the season when saying, “What we took from last year was all the bonds we made, and the experience we got from the minutes we played together.” The team practices five days a week. These practices take place on the Beaujolais fields. The girls team practices with the team as well, helping both clubs improve.
During the off-season the team holds morning runs and weight room sessions as well as spending time on the field from 3-5pm practicing their skills. The team will also be competing in preseason scrimmages. On October 20 the team will face California State University, Chico. They are also hosting a tournament on campus on November 18. These events will be a good test of how they match up against their future opponents. This new season presents another opportunity for the Seawolves to grow as a team and get better. With the new season arriving soon, the team has an opportunity to fulfill some goals. “Some goals for this season would definitely be to win some games and even take home a championship.” said Torres. With all of the hard off-season work they have been putting in, this goal is not out of reach. The team recently had two players, Jonathan Torres and Josiah Butler, be selected for the Pacific Coast Grizzlies all-star team. With the help of these two Seawolf players, the team ended up winning the all-star championship in Texas
this past summer. Not only was this a tremendous experience for the two athletes, but it is also seen as an experience that can benefit the Sonoma team as a whole. “So with this knowledge, we gained from playing at a high all-star level, we took back to the team to help our players learn and grow.” Torres said. The team plans to achieve their goals by sticking together and making smart decisions as a group. President Jonathan Torres makes this clear when he explains, “Some keys to success would be thinking outside the box when it comes to what you could do on the field in terms of plays and situational calls and decisions, essentially just boosting more rugby IQ.” The team welcomes all new members and would love to talk to any interested athletes. To get in contact with the club come out to any practice and talk to the players. To watch the rugby team in action this year, go to the Beaujolais fields near the baseball diamond and cheer on the Seawolves.