#19
THECLOCK
Black 19
September 13, 2013
PSU Sports Wrap-up Eric Brill Sports Editor
P
layers who were givens their conference award’s over the past week -First year tennis player Nikki Lund (Hingham, MA) was named the Little East Conference Rookie of the Week, as she won both of her matches against the University of Southern Maine. In her doubles match with Chelsea Thibeault (Manchester, NH), the duo went 8-2 in their match, and Lund went on to win her singles match two sets to none after not allowing a point in her match. -Junior Rob Giles (Derry, N.H.) was named Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Special Teams Player of the Week after converting all of his extra-points, as well as hitting a 30-yard field goal. Giles also converted a crucial onside kick in the first quarter that lead to PSU tying the game at 14. -Zach Ziemba (Manchester, N.H.) was named MASCAC Rookie of the Week after phenomenal play at cornerback. Ziemba had a team-high three pass break-ups, as well as four tackles. Women’s Volleyball got the first win in the new academic year for Plymouth State, as they defeated Sage College three sets to none last Saturday, Septemeber 7th. The win puts the team’s overall record to 1-3, with their next match against Plattsburgh State later on tonight. Against Sage, sophomore Kaitlyn Coon (Poestenkill, N.Y.) had 13 digs in the match, while fellow sophomore Kristen Perrotta (Hudson, N.H.) led the team with 21 assists. The Panthers really didn’t have much of an issue in any of their three sets, as the held Sage from getting 20 points (the amount needed to win is 25 points). In the third and final set, Sage was held to only nine points. First year player Mikki Taffe (Sandown, N.H.) also had quite a match for PSU, as she had a team-high seven kills for Plymouth. Both Taffe and Coon combined for half of the Panther’s total in kills in the contest. The Field Hockey team lost a tough one against Castleton this past Wednesday, as Castleton scored a goal with no time on the clock to clinch the 7-6 victory. This brings the Panthers’ record to 0-3 on their 2013 campaign. PSU seemed bound for the win, as they had a 2-0 lead within the first nine minutes of the game behind goals from senior Jackie Morin (Scarborough, ME) and junior Nikki Garvey (Canaan, N.H.). Going into halftime, Plymouth held a 2-1 lead, but had momentum with them on an extremely warm afternoon. Castleton and Plymouth exchanged goals to start off the second period, as both Garvey and Morin added their second goals, respectively, of the game. Sam Carberry’s (Shrewsbury, PA) pass set up the second goal for Morin. Upon Castleton scoring to tie the game at four, Panther goalie Hilary Lemelin (Milan, N.H.) was taken off the field with what appeared to be a leg injury. Lemelin had 18 saves on 21 shots up to that point of the game, and seemed poised to get the win. With the injury to Lemelin, junior Kaitlyn Warren (Boscawen, N.H.) was put into the game to finish the job for Plymouth. While Warren had six saves in the later stages of the game, Castleton was ultimately victorious in the end despite another goal from Garvey, and a goal from first year player Masha Lange (Danville, N.H.). The next contest for PSU is against Worcester State tomorrow morning, as they travel down to Massachusetts for their first Little East Conference game of the 2013 season. If Lemelin can bounce back from her injury, look for the Panthers to come back to New Hampshire with their first win on the season. Women’s Tennis lost a tough match to Colby-Sawyer, as Colby-Sawyer was able to win eight of the nine singles/doubles competitions this past Wednesday. Getting the win for the Panthers was Rachel Gustafson (Belchertown, MA), as she defeated her opponent 6-1, 6-0 to win the necessary two sets. The loss is coming off an impressive win against the University of Southern Maine, as PSU was able to win five of the nine matches. Leading the way for the Panthers (this meet took place last Saturday, September 7th) was first year player Nikki Lund (Hingham, MA) and senior Chelsea Thibeault (Manchester, N.H.). Not only did both of them combine to win their doubles match, but both were able to win their individual matches in
CLOCK PHOTO / ERIC BRILL
straight sets. Thibeault defeated her opponent 6-2, 7-5, while Lund completely swept her opponent, as she won her sets 6-0, 6-0. The tennis team has a small break until their next match, as their next game will be against Castleton this Wednesday. A new team to Plymouth State’s athletic department is the Men’s and Women’s cross country teams. Both teams have their first meets tomorrow morning, as they will compete in the University of New England Invitational. The Head Coach for the team is Dave Severance, and he brings a lot of experience up to PSU to help lead the Panthers to victory. Severance
coached both the boys and girls cross country teams at Moultonborough Academy for the past ten years. Severance has some experience at Plymouth State specifically, as he was part of the cross-country team that was here over 30 years ago. Leading the charge for the men’s team is junior captain Evan Gaudette (Nashua, N.H.), while fellow junior Caroline Forgiel (Bradford, N.H.) will lead the charge for the women’s team. Watch for The Clock to give you the results of the upcoming meets for both teams upon completeion!