WVU Tennis to Host Martha Thorn Invitational
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (September 11, 2008)- The West Virginia University
women’s tennis team will continue its 2008 fall season by hosting the
Martha Thorn Invitational on Sept.13-14 at the Mountaineer Tennis
Complex in Morgantown, W.Va.
“I feel pretty confident that we will compete well this weekend,” says
Head Coach Marc Walters. “Its pretty wide open, we could easy go in this
tournament and not win a flight. Hopefully the girls that played last
weekend will compete well.”
Other teams competing this weekend will be Presbyterian, Morehead
State, Duquesne and Wright State.
The Mountaineers finished the Brevard Invite last weekend with a great
showing in both singles and doubles play. In her first tournament as a
Mountaineer, junior Olga Elkin took the Flight ‘B’ title after defeating
Ali Beavers from Georgia Southern, 6-4, 7-6.
In the doubles events, the Mountaineers took two of three titles. The
Flight ‘B’ championship was captured by Stephanie LaFortune and Elkin as
they downed Gardner-Webb, 8-6. The Mountaineer team of Veronica Cardenas
and Catie Wickline then took the championship in Flight ‘C’ as they
defeated teammates Gabriela Blaskovicova and Milica Pantovic (
http://msnsportsnet.com/profile.cfm?id=101745 ) 8-2.
“Elkin had a great showing last weekend at the Brevard Invite and our
doubles did well,” says Walters. “The team has a long way to go and
everything is open as far as positions. It’s anyone’s game right now.”
Formerly known as the WVU Fall Classic, the tournament was renamed the
Martha Thorn Invitational after long-time women's tennis coach Martha
Thorn retired prior to the 2001 season. Thorn led the WVU women's tennis
program for its first 27 years of existence and was only the fourth
Mountaineer coach to accumulate more than 300 wins in any sport.
Mountaineers Begin Home Season This Weekend
MORGANTOWN, W.Va.(September 11, 2008) - The West Virginia University
volleyball team will open its home season with a match against in-state
rival Marshall on Friday, Sept. 12, at 7 p.m. The Mountaineers will then
play Youngstown State on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m.
“We are excited to play at home for the first time this season,” says
Head Coach Veronica Hammersmith. “We definitely feel challenged and
motivated to play Marshall and Youngstown State, and hopefully we will
play well against them.”
The Mountaineers (2-4) are coming off a 2-1 showing at the Hilton
Garden Inn Classic last weekend in Rock Hill, S.C. Freshman Kylie
Armbruster led the Mountaineers as she posted 29 kills and 39 digs in
the tournament. Armbruster was named as the BIG EAST Freshman of the
Week for her efforts.
Marshallis coming of a loss to Morehead State which puts them at 4-3 on
the season. Last year the Herd defeated the Mountaineers 3-1 in
Charleston, W.Va. WVU currently holds a 24-17 record over the Herd, in
the all-time series.
The Penguins are now 4-2 on the season after going 3-0 at the Comfort
Suites 49er Tournament in Charlotte, N.C., last weekend. Last year the
Mountaineers fell to the Penguins 2-3, in Youngstown, Ohio. WVU owns a
14-3 record in the series.
Mountaineers Set for Swimming & Diving Celebration
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (Sept. 11, 2008) - The West Virginia
University men’s and women’s swimming and diving team, along with
the WVU Varsity Club, will be holding a WVU Swimming & Diving
Celebration Weekend Oct. 3-4.
“This is going to be a great opportunity for all of the fans of
Mountaineer swimming and diving to come together and support the
program,” Head Coach Vic Riggs says. “We’ll be acknowledging the
individuals from last season and introducing the 2008-09 team.”
The events will start Friday, Oct. 3, at 5 p.m., with an alumni reunion
in the club level of the WVU Coliseum that will feature appetizers and
refreshments sponsored by the Mountaineer Athletic Club.
A banquet will then be held at the new Alumni Center from 7-10 p.m. and
will celebrate the accomplishments of the 2007-08 team and preview the
2008-09 season.
Guest speaker Kaitlin Sandeno will also be attending the banquet.
Sandeno is a two-time United States Olympian who participated in the
2000 Sydney and the 2004 Athens Olympics. She participated in the
freestyle, butterfly and IM events and won the gold medal in 2004 as
part of the 800 freestyle relay.
“We are very fortunate to have a two-time Olympian come in and be our
keynote speaker,” Riggs says. “She is a four-time Olympic medalist
and she will be talking about her experiences as a swimmer and giving us
the opportunity to hear what it’s like to be an Olympian.”
The following morning the annual Blue & Gold Swim Meet will open the
season at 9:00 a.m. in the WVU Natatorium.
For more information and to RSVP, please visit the WVU Varsity Club
website by going to http://www.wvuvarsityclub.com or contact the West
Virginia swimming and diving office at (304) 293-2289.
