Mike McNamee

The Miners were able to halt two streaks Sunday and set a school record, but couldn't quite end the game in the win column.

Mike McNamee broke the UMR career record for shutouts, posting his 15th as he kept Truman State off the scoreboard for 110 minutes. However, the Miners weren't able to record a tally of their own as the teams played to a 0-0 tie at the UMR Soccer Field.

The tie did end UMR's seven-game losing streak and also ended Truman State's seven-game winning streak. But by shutting out the Miners, Truman has now kept its last eight opponents off the scoreboard.

UMR finished the game with the advantage in shots at 17-13 and had three great scoring chances in the latter stages of the contest. Ted Nelson had a shot from the top of the penalty area that was stopped by Truman goalkeeper Kyle Talbot but then went off the crossbar; the Miners couldn't get to the rebound afterwards.

In the second overtime, Sam Shaffer attempted a diving head ball and put it just wide of the net, then Andy Held missed a chance in front on a ball that just went above the crossbar.

McNamee was credited with five saves on the afternoon for the Miners, who will return to the field Friday when it play at Quincy in a 7:30 p.m. game.

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Ashton Gronewold put up the best all-purpose yardage numbers in a game in school history. Steve Watson had the third-highest passing yardage total ever for a Miner quarterback in his debut.

But the numbers put up by the duo -- the 329 all-purpose yards by Gronewold and the 363 passing yards by Watson -- weren't enough to push the Miners to a victory Saturday night as Arkansas-Monticello rolled up 322 yards on the ground and 31 first downs on its way to a 45-28 win at Allgood-Bailey Stadium.

The Boll Weevils, who were coming off the best offensive showing by a team in NCAA Division II this season of 812 yards against Harding last week, came out firing from the start. Scott Buisson connected with Clarence Denmark for a 53-yard pass play, setting up a 13-yard scoring run by John Williams to put UAM up just three minutes into the contest.

UAM extended its lead on another scoring run by Williams of two yards to cap off a 13-play drive with just over five minutes to play in the half, but the Miners nearly wiped out that lead before the intermission.

First, Watson hit a wide open tight end Bryan Crider in the flat and Crider took it 59 yards for a score to cut the lead to 14-6. The Miners then got a three-and-out on defense, which was followed by a high snap on the punt from which punter Anthony Stanford couldn't get away from the onrushing Miners.

Stanford was tackled at the five, then a play after Watson was sacked for a six-yard loss, he threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Gronewold to make it 14-12 after the two-point conversion try failed.

The Boll Weevils, however, busted the game open in the third quarter by scoring 17 unanswered points. A 42-yard field goal by Nate Green on UAM's initial possession of the second half started the scoring, then a poor pooch kick by Watson allowed the guests to set up shop at UMR's 46.

Eight plays later, Williams ran 11 yards for his third touchdown of the night to give UAM a 12-point advantage at 24-12. The Boll Weevils followed that with their longest scoring drive of the night, an 81-yard march that ended with a 13-yard scoring pass from Buisson to Ike Knighten.

UMR got a break moments later when Cornelius Blount mishandled a punt and the Miners' Kirk Stilwell fell on the loose ball at the UAM 38. Watson then hit Gronewold down the middle of the field on the next play for a touchdown, followed by a two-point conversion pass to Mike Greaving to cut the lead to 31-20.

The Miners were moving down the field again and reached the Boll Weevil 24 after a pass completion to Gronewold. But on a third-and-13 play, Watson had the ball knocked loose on a sack by Solomon Edwards and Jerome Perez took the recovered fumble 54 yards for a touchdown.

UMR got to within 10 again when Watson threw a 30-yard scoring pass to Gronewold with 2:41 to play, but the Boll Weevils' defense created the final margin when Lavar Wyatt picked off a Watson pass and took it 54 yards for a score in the final minute.

Watson completed 22 of his 48 pass attempts for the 363 yards and four scores. Gronewold caught 11 of the throws for 181 yards and three touchdowns, while also compiling 153 yards in returns. His 329 all-purpose yards in the game was higher than all but two performances in Division II heading into the weekend.

Crider also went over the 100-yard mark in receptions with 110 on his five catches.

The Miners finished the night, however, with no net yards rushing; David Shields had 19 yards to lead the Miners on the ground. UMR had 363 yards of total offense to UAM's 496.

UMR, now 1-4 on the season, will open its Great Lakes Football Conference schedule next Saturday against Saint Joseph's (1-4) in Rensselaer, Ind. The Pumas picked up their first win of the year Saturday with a 33-20 win at Kentucky State.

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OWENSBORO, Ky. -- The Lady Miners went the distance Saturday -- and were rewarded for it.

After Kentucky Wesleyan pulled out a 30-27 win in game four of their match, the Lady Miners had a sensational fifth game and took a 15-9 victory for their first road win in their inaugural season, a 3-2 decision over the Panthers at Jones Gymnasium.

UMR dropped the opening game of the match by a 30-27 count as well, but won game two 30-25 and the third game 32-30. Kentucky Wesleyan came back to win the fourth game after UMR had a lead, but the Lady Miners took a quick lead in the final game and never surrendered it to pick up their third win of the season.

The Lady Miners had a 27-26 lead in the first game after a kill by Leandra Pelae, but the Panthers scored the final four points to take the lead in the match. UMR took the advantage for good in the second game at 16-15 on a setting error by KWC, then got a kill from Pelae to wrap that game up.

In the third game, UMR made an 8-1 run in the early stages to take a 16-14 lead, only to see the Panthers take the lead back by scoring four straight to go up 23-22. UMR rallied to reclaim the advantage at 30-29 to give it game point, but after missing that chance, got another at 31-30 and won the game on a kill by Samantha Klump.

UMR had the score in its favor for much of game four before the Panthers went in front at 21-20. UMR tied the game up at 22 on a kill by Pelae, but three straight points by the Panthers put them back in the lead and they went on to force a fifth game.

The Lady Miners, however, got kils from Maddie Owak and Pelae and a service ace from Lauren Summerville to open a 4-0 lead to begin the final game, then built the lead to 11-2 on a block by Lynsey Jorgensen. Kentucky Wesleyan was able to hold off game point three times, but setter Ashlyn Balensiefer tapped a ball over the net to get the final point and the victory for UMR.

Pelae finished with a season-high 26 kills and a .392 hitting percentage in the game for the Lady Miners, while Owak recorded 11 kills and Jorgensen nine. Balensiefer had 51 assists in the match while Bridget Williams was one of four Lady Miner with double figures in digs with a team-high 23. Balensiefer had 14 digs while Pelae and Owak had 11 each.

UMR will open a three-game homestand Thursday when it hosts Saint Joseph's in a GLVC match at 7 p.m. at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The 20th-ranked University of Missouri-Rolla men's cross country team continued its strong showing in the 2007 season with a 14th place finish overall -- and third among the NCAA Division II schools -- Saturday at the Greater Louisville Classic.

UMR finished behind only No. 10 Southern Indiana and No. 11 Edinboro, while finishing ahead of No. 24 Wayne State (Mich.) in the final standings.

Joffroi Holcombe had the top finish among the Miners as he came in 33rd place overall with a time of 24:50 over eight kilometers. Chris Murray finished 63rd overall in 25:21 while Kurt Schawecker was 78th in 25:33.

UMR's top five was rounded out by Brendan Smith in 83rd place in a time of 25:39 and Chris Thielker in 156th place in 26:22.

A total of36 teams, including several from the Division I ranks, and 310 runners took part in the meet that was won by the host school, Louisville.

UMR will return to the course next Saturday when it participates in the Rhodes Twilight meet with the Lady Miners in Memphis, Tenn.

Complete results

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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- A trip outside the Great Lakes Valley Conference didn't change the Lady Miners' luck, as Saginaw Valley State handed UMR a 3-0 loss Saturday afternoon.

The Cardinals scored 33 seconds into the game to take a lead that it would carry into halftime, then got goals early and late in the second half to get the victory.

Saginaw Valley's Stephanie Roy scored the first goal, then Tammie Edmunds got a goal on a breakaway a little over 10 minutes into the second half to extend the lead. Kim Oberski's goal on a head ball with just under three minutes left wrapped up the scoring.

The Lady Miners were outshot 21-11 in the game but had nine shots on goal. Catherine Swift started the game in goal for UMR and was credited with five saves, while Kelsey Kurilla had one save in her 35 minutes of action. UMR also had three corner kick chances in the contest.

UMR (3-7-1) will return to action Friday when it faces Quincy in a 5 p.m. game in Quincy, Ill.

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MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Without question, the Miners have to be tired of looking at the scoreboard at the end of games and seeing the same 1-0 result.

For the fifth time in the last seven games, UMR lost a game by that very 1-0 score, this time to a good Christian Brothers team Friday night.

Usman Hussain's goal in the 71st minute off an assist from Ryan Peel -- after a corner kick by the Buccaneers -- turned out to be the only goal Christian Brothers would need.

UMR had a couple of late chances to tie the contest, including a chance on a corner kick where shots by Nick Landon and Daniel Stokes in the final seconds of the game were turned back by CBU goalkeeper Dex Norman.

The Buccaneers dominated the statistics, outshooting the Miners 15-5 in the game and having nine corner kicks to UMR's five. Matt Wilson was credited with six saves in goal while Brian Tucker, Andy Held and Sam Shaffer had the other three shots for the Miners.

UMR (3-7) will play host to Truman State Sunday in a 2 p.m. game at the UMR Soccer Field. The Bulldogs won their seventh straight game -- all by shutout -- when they beat Missouri-St. Louis 2-0 Friday in Kirksville.

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Three nights after ending a seven-match losing streak, the Lady Miners were unable to halt their skid in Great Lakes Valley Conference play as they dropped a 3-0 decision at Bellarmine.

The Knights took a 30-26 decision in the first game, then extended the margin in each of the last two games with wins of 30-20 and 30-14.

The first game was tight for much of the way, but the Lady Miners were playing catchup nearly the entire time. Bellarmine built a 10-4 lead, only to see UMR knock the advantage down. The Lady Miners eventually caught up and got a lead of 26-24. However, a kill by Bellarmine's Kelli Krucki started a 6-0 run that gave the Knights the first game.

Game two saw the Knights lead virtually from start to finish. After the teams split the first two points, Bellarmine scored the next three to take the lead for good. UMR got a kill from Maddie Owak and a service ace from Bridget Williams to close to within one at 4-3, but that was as close as it would get in the middle game.

A 9-2 BU run gave it a 19-9 lead and it was able to keep the Lady Miners at bay from there.

The final game saw the Lady Miners lead in the early stages, but the Knights were able to put together another big run -- this one of 9-1 -- to grasp control of the game and the match.

Leandra Pelae led the Lady Miners with 12 kills while Owak finished with six, but the Lady Miners were only able to post a hitting percentage of .096 for the night compared to Bellarmine's .352.

Ashlyn Balensiefer had 28 assists and Williams recorded 17 digs for the Lady Miners (2-17, 1-6 GLVC), who will play at Kentucky Wesleyan Saturday afternoon.

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The University of Missouri-Rolla cross country team remained in the 20th position this week in the new NCAA Division II rankings released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners were idle last weekend and will compete in the Greater Louisville Classic Saturday, where over 40 teams are expected to take part. UMR has finished third or higher in each of its meets this season, taking third at Kansas and second in its home meet as well to open the 2007 campaign.

UMR, which entered the national rankings at No. 20 last week, is the second-highest ranked team from the Great Lakes Valley Conference behind No. 10 Southern Indiana.

Defending national champion Abilene Christian continues to head the rankings this week, followed by Adams State and Western State. Grand Valley State, the top-ranked team in the most recent Great Lakes regional rankings, is fourth on the national list this week.

USTFCCCA Division II Men's Cross Country Rankings (Sept. 26, 2007)
1. Abilene Christian
2. Adams State
3. Western State
4. Grand Valley State
5. Chico State
6. Colorado School of Mines
7. Stonehill
8. Slippery Rock
9. Minnesota State
10. Southern Indiana
11. Edinboro
12. Western Washington
13. Massachusetts-Lowell
14. Missouri Southern
15. Saginaw Valley State
16. Lock Haven
17. New Mexico Highlands
18. Augustana
19. Alaska-Anchorage
20. Missouri-Rolla
21. Southern Connecticut State
22. Metropolitan State
23. Ashland
24. Wayne State (Mich.)
25. Hillsdale

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The University of Missouri-Rolla will host a college prep camp on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

The camp is open to all players in grades 9-12 and will allow players to work on developing technical and tactical skills through the speed of play as well as in small-sided games before college coaches.

In addition, the camp participants will take part in sessions explaining the recruiting process, player development and the demands and expectations of student-athletes at the collegiate level.

The cost of the camp is $40 and all participants will receive a camp shirt. Those taking part will need to bring indoor and outdoor shoes, shin guards, a water bottle and appropriate attire for the weather.

For more information, contact UMR men's soccer coach Joe Ahearn at (573) 341-4102.

Click here for camp information

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Bridget Williams

The Lady Miners had not swept all three games of a match all season -- until Tuesday night when they routed Missouri Valley by a 3-0 count at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

UMR won the first two games by identical 30-24 scores, then got off to a fast start in the third game and went on to post a 30-17 victory to wrap up its second victory of the season.

The Lady Miners spent most of the night in the lead, opening up an early 11-5 lead in game one on a block by Samantha Klump. Missouri Valley was able to rally and knotted the game at 17, but starting with a kill by Maddie Owak, UMR scored five of the next six points to take control of the game for good.

Lauren Summerville, who finished the night with five of UMR's 10 service aces, had two during a late run before the Lady Miners wrapped up the win.

After falling behind 5-1 to open game two, UMR scored five straight points to take a 6-5 lead. The game remained tight until UMR scored six out of eight points after it was tied at 14. UMR led 24-19 before the Vikings closed to within two, but a kill by Leandra Pelae and one moments later by Katie Herington allowed UMR to extend its lead.

Pelae finished off the Vikings in game two with one of her team-high 12 kills on the night.

UMR spotted the Vikings the first point of game three, then put together its longest continuous scoring run in any game this season by scoring 11 straight points with Summerville serving. She had three aces during that stretch and Owak had three kills as well to allow UMR to build an early 11-1 lead.

The lead grew to 18-3 on a kill by Pelae before the Vikings tried the make the score respectable. Missouri Valley got to within nine at 24-15, but a Pelae kill sparked a 6-2 game-closing run that ended with a block by Klump and Ashlyn Balensiefer.

UMR had a .333 hitting percentage in the final game and finished the night at .207, while holding the Vikings to a .061 attack mark. Besides Pelae's 12 kills, Owak finished with eight and Klump with six; she also had a hand in four of UMR's seven blocks on the night.

Balensiefer had 32 assists while Bridget Williams led UMR with 19 digs.

UMR will head to the road for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference matches this weekend, starting Friday night against Bellarmine in Louisvlle, Ky.

(Photo by Anna Whelan)

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The UMR volleyball team will host Missouri Valley College Tuesday night at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building and is encouraging all fans to come to the 7 p.m. game dressed in black as part of "Black-Out Night" at UMR.

The Lady Miners are hoping to top the highest attendance mark in NCAA Division II this season of 1,436 established on Sept. 5 when Nebraska-Omaha hosted Wayne State (Neb.). UMR currently has the fourth-highest single-game mark this year of 1,200 for its opening night match against Drury and also drew 1,021 for its Sept. 14 game against Southern Indiana which is the 12th-best figure in 2007.

All fans who attend the match and wear at least a black shirt will receive $1 off a regular admission price to the game.

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Morgan Lockowitz

The Lady Miners didn't come up with a goal Sunday against Bellarmine, but didn't allow the Knights to score either and got their first result in Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a 0-0 tie in double overtime at the UMR Soccer Field.

Bellarmine outshot the Lady Miners 18-13 for the game, but it was UMR that had the best scoring opportunity with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation time.

The Lady Miners were awarded a penalty kick when Morgan Lockowitz's crossing pass was knocked down by a hand ball. However, Erin Rouse's attempt went off the goal post and Lockowitz's attempt to score on the rebound was stopped by goalkeeper Alison Von Hoene.

UMR goalkeepers Kelsey Kurilla and Catherine Swift, who ended up playing nearly one-half of the game apiece, combined for seven saves.

The Lady Miners (3-6-1, 0-5-1 GLVC), who ended their five-game losing streak with the tie, will step outside the conference schedule for a week and will face Saginaw Valley State in Indianapolis on Saturday.

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Nick Mentesana

A free kick goal just over 12 minutes into play was all that Bellarmine needed Sunday to record a 1-0 victory over the Miners at the UMR Soccer Field.

The Miners were charged with a foul just outside the box nearly 12 minutes into play and Bellarmine's Ross Hopkins drilled the ensuing free kick past MIner goalkeeper Mike McNamee for what turned out to be the only goal of the contest.

UMR, which finished even with Bellarmine in the shots department with 11 apiece, had its share of opportunities in the second half when it had the wind at its backs. UMR got two corner kick chances and had three shots on net, but all of those chances were turned away by goalkeeper Justin Welply.

The Miners played the final 32 minutes of the game down a man after a red card was issued.

McNamee finished with three saves on the afternoon for the Miners, who fell to 3-6 overall and 0-6 in GLVC play. Bellarmine improved to 8-3 and 4-1 in conference play.

UMR will play at Christian Brothers Friday night before returning home for a Sunday afternoon contest against longtime rival Truman State.

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Antonio Williams

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. -- Late was the operative word Saturday -- and for the Miner football team, late ended up being the word that spelled doom.

UMR lost starting quarterback Brad Guidry to a broken leg when he took a late hit in the closing moments of the first half and Butler was able to mount a fourth quarter rally against a worn-down Miner defense to force overtime and win the game in the extra period 28-21 at Butler Bowl.

Guidry suffered the injury on a play when he threw a touchdown pass to Ashton Gronewold with 33 seconds to go in the half to give UMR a 21-7 lead it would take to the half. But without Guidry at the controls, the Miner offense bogged down after the intermission and left the defense to try to hold off the Bulldogs.

Butler had the ball for 35:42 in regulation time and mounted scoring drives of 69 and 52 yards to tie the game with under three minutes to play. The Bulldogs then scored on their second play in overtime and stopped UMR on downs on its possession to end the game.

The Miners opened the scoring with an impressive 11-play, 78-yard drive that was capped off by a three-yard scoring run by Antonio Williams midway through the first period. Guidry completed all seven of his pass attempts on the drive and his 21-yard strike to Chad Shockley put UMR on the Butler 10. Williams carried the ball on the next two plays and eventually scored from the three.

Butler came back to tie the game halfway through the second quarter. A 30-yard pass from T.J. Brown to Derek North moved the ball to the Miner one, then Scott Gray finally got into the end zone after being stopped short twice by the UMR defense to tie the game at seven.

The special teams unit got the lead back for the Miners six minutes later. Steve Edwards broke through and blocked Mike Morgan's punt, then Matt Loula scooped up the loose ball and went five yards for the go-ahead score.

Then the UMR defense jumped into the act, recovering Ricky Trujillo's fumble in Butler territory to give the Miner offense a chance to extend the lead before halftime. Five plays after moving the ball to the Bulldog 18, Guidry hit a diving Gronewold in the end zone to make it 21-7, but also suffered the game-ending injury when he was hit after releasing the pass.

UMR used reserve quarterback Matt Sachtleben and wide receiver Mike Greaving at quarterback throughout the second half, but the offensive unit managed to pick up only 65 yards of total offense after the break. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were kept in check by the defense until a key moment in the fourth quarter.

Facing fourth-and-seven from the Miner 22, Brown took off and ran 14 yards for a first down to keep the drive going. On the next play, he connected with Tom Mulvihill to cut the lead in half.

UMR got a three-and-out on Butler's next possession, but picked up only one yard when it got the ball back and gave it back to the Bulldogs at their own 48 with 5:33 to go. A 22-yard run by Gray and an 18-yard pass from Brown to Kyle Bush put Butler at the Miner 10, then Gray carried three times and scored on the third run from a yard away. Jordan Quiroz's extra point tied the game at 21.

The Miners were able to get a first down when they got the ball back, but ended up losing it on downs and gave Butler a last chance to win it. The Bulldogs drove to the UMR 35, but Quiroz came up short on a 52-yard field goal effort to win the game.

However, the Bulldogs got the ball first in overtime and got in the end zone on their second play as Brown hit Dan Bohrer with a 19-yard scoring pass. UMR had a botched handoff that resulted in a five-yard loss on the initial play of its overtime possession, then three straight incompletions ended it.

Guidry was 16-of-23 for 131 yards while he was in the game, while the replacements were able to complete only two of their 11 attempts. Gronewold had seven catches on the afternoon for 56 yards while Shockley caught five passes for 55 yards. David Shields ran for 59 yards to lead the UMR rushing attack.

The Miners had only 249 yards of total offense to Butler's 332 in the game.

UMR, now 1-3 on the season, will host Arkansas-Monticello in a 6:30 p.m. game Saturday at Allgood-Bailey Stadium. It will be Family Weekend at UMR and the game will also be "Responsibility Matters Night" which will be sponsored by Mullally Distributing.

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Lauren Summerville

QUINCY, Ill. -- The Lady Miners were able to end one streak Saturday, but couldn't halt the other as they dropped a 3-1 decision to Quincy in Great Lakes Valley Conference volleyball action Saturday.

The Lady Miners had not won a game in a match since posting their victory over Drury on Sept. 7, but won a hotly-contested second game 33-31 to draw even in the match. However, the Hawks, who won game one 30-26, won 30-18 and 30-26 in the next two games to take the contest.

Quincy, who won its first conference match of the season Friday over Missouri-St. Louis, jumped out to a 7-1 lead to open the afternoon, but UMR fought back and drew even at 20. The Lady Miners got their first lead at 24-23 on a block by Maddie Owak and Lynsey Jorgenson, but the Hawks scored the next six points and eventually came away with the game.

UMR took an early lead in game two, but Quincy took the advantage at 14-13 and maintained the lead until UMR drew even at 27 on a kill by Leandra Pelae. The game was tied at 28 when Katie Herington's service ace gave UMR a game point opportunity, but it would be on the fourth chance that the Lady Miners would finally claim the game. Kills by Samantha Klump and Lauren Summerville after the game was tied at 31 allowed UMR to even up the match.

Quincy made a 12-1 run in the middle of game three to take a decisive lead to win that game, then rallied from a six-point deficit in the fourth game to take the match.

The Lady Miners took a 20-14 lead on a kill by Pelae and forced Quincy into a timeout. UMR was able to keep its lead in that neighborhood and went up by five at 24-19 on a block by Klump and Ashlyn Balensiefer. But from there, the Hawks were able to string together eight consecutive points and eventually won the match.

Pelae finished with 18 kills to lead UMR, while Summerville had 11 kills and Klump 10 in the contest. Balensiefer had 55 assists in the contest while Bridget Williams led UMR with 23 digs.

UMR finished the day with a .208 hitting percentage, buoyed by a .488 mark in game two when it had 23 kills and only two attack errors.

The Lady Miners will host Missouri Valley Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building. Fans are encouraged to wear black apparel to the game as part of "Black-Out Night" at UMR.

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Dana Narconis

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -- Competing with a full squad for the first time this season, the UMR women's cross country team came away with a fifth place finish in the Arkansas-Little Rock Invitational Saturday.

UMR posted a total of 124 points in a meet where the top four teams came from the Division I ranks. The host school won the meet, followed by Central Arkansas, Memphis and Arkansas State, which finished just 10 points ahead of the Lady Miners.

Dana Narconis was UMR's top finisher with a 23rd place showing, covering the five-kilometer course in 21:44. Rebecca McNally was right behind her in 21:47, while Kierra Handley was 29th in 22:44.

UMR's contingent was rounded out by Teresa Conley in 30th place in 22:58 and Samantha Schussele in 32nd in 23:10.

The Lady Miners will be idle next week and will compete in the Rhodes Twilight Invitational Oct. 6 in Memphis, Tenn.

Complete results

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Beth Babb

After stunning Northern Kentucky in the first half by taking a two-goal lead into the intermission, the Lady Miners were unable to hold off the Norse's second half rally as NKU escaped from the UMR Soccer Field with a 3-2 win Friday night.

Northern Kentucky, ranked ninth in NCAA Division II, scored three times in the second half and got the game-winner with nearly 16 minutes to play to stay unbeaten on the season and prevent the Lady Miners from getting their first win in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

UMR got the early advantage when Beth Babb made a steal outside the penalty area and blasted a shot past NKU goalkeeper Jenna Kramer at the 15:49 mark.

The Lady Miners outshot the Norse 10-5 in the opening half and extended their lead with under eight minutes to go before halftime when Rachel Wille got to a ball in the box and put a ball by Kramer to give UMR its 2-0 lead that it would carry to halftime.

UMR had an opportunity to add to that lead early in the second half when Janine Einhellig headed a ball on a corner kick off the crossbar. Shortly after that missed chance, NKU got on the scoreboard when Megan Smith took a crossing pass and beat Kelsey Kurilla at the 56:39 mark.

The Lady Miners were able to hold onto that one-goal lead for just over 15 minutes, but in a span of just over two minutes, the lead changed hands.

First, Morgan Price headed in Amy Martini's corner kick to tie the game with 18:09 to go, then 2:08 after the tying goal, the Norse got what proved to be the game-winner when Ashley Warndorf knocked in a rebound.

NKU outshot the Lady Miners 18-16 in the game; UMR had six shots on goal in the contest. Kurilla was credited with eight saves on the night before Catherine Swift played the final eight-plus minutes.

UMR will return to action Sunday when it hosts Bellarmine in a noon game at the UMR Soccer Field.

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Nick Landon

The Miners' difficulty with defending corner kicks early in the game proved to be their downfall Friday night, as Northern Kentucky converted two of them into goals and went on to record a 3-0 win over the Miners at the UMR Soccer Field.

The second-ranked Norse, who kept their perfect record intact at 9-0 with the victory, scored twice off corner kicks in the first 16 minutes of play. The first goal came at the 10:52 mark, when Eric Ashworth got a head on Chris Thompson's serve and put it past Tom Lawton to put the Norse on top.

Then at the 16:30 mark, NKU converted its second corner kick of the night into a goal as well, this time when Chad Cook headed in Seth Eckerlin's serve to put the Norse up 2-0.

The Miners played pretty solid defense for much of the game otherwise, as only five other shots by the Norse made it on net. NKU did add to its lead midway through the second half on a give-and-go play that Braden Bishop scored on to complete the scoring.

Northern Kentucky outshot the Miners 14-10 for the game as UMR had three shots on goal. Norse goalkeeper Michael Lavric stopped all three that made it on goal, including good saves on scoring chances by Daniel Stokes and Andy Held.

UMR, which lost for the fifth straight time, will play host to Bellarmine at 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

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EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. -- The Lady Miner volleyball team had a tough time with 14th-ranked Southern Illinois Edwardsville Friday night as the Cougars beat the Lady Miners in a 3-0 decision.

SIUE finished the night hitting at .412 clip and won the three games by scores of 30-18, 30-20 and 30-16 to send UMR to its sixth straight loss.

While the Cougars were hitting at a high percentage all night, the Lady Miners ended up with an .043 hitting percentage in the contest. They did get seven kills from Lauren Summerville, six from Samantha Klump and five from Maddie Owak and Katie Herington.

Ashlyn Balensiefer had 22 assists on the night and Bridget Williams led the way with 10 kills. UMR did record seven service aces in the match.

The Lady Miners will look to get back in the win column Saturday when they face Quincy in a 3 p.m. match in Quincy, Ill.

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The University of Missouri-Rolla cross country team has started the season well and was rewarded today with a spot in the Top 25 for NCAA Division II in the poll released by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association.

The Miners, fresh off a third place finish out of 36 teams at the Southern Stampede over the weekend at Missouri Southern, are ranked 20th this week. UMR has finished third or higher in each of its meets this season, taking third at Kansas and second in its home meet as well to open the 2007 campaign.

UMR is the second-highest ranked team from the Great Lakes Valley Conference behind No. 10 Southern Indiana.

Defending national champion Abilene Christian heads the rankings this week, followed by Adams State and Western State. Grand Valley State, the top-ranked team in the most recent Great Lakes regional rankings, is fourth on the national list this week.

UMR is idle from competition this week and will return to the course Sept. 29 at the Greater Louisville Classic.

USTFCCCA Division II Men's Cross Country Rankings (Sept. 19, 2007)
1. Abilene Chrisitan
2. Adams State
3. Western State
4. Grand Valley State
5. Chico State
6. Stonehill
7. Colorado School of Mines
8. Slippery Rock
9. Minnesota State
10. Southern Indiana
11. Edinboro
12. Massachusetts-Lowell
13. Western Washington
14. Missouri Southern
15. Saginaw Valley State
16. Lock Haven
17. New Mexico Highlands
18. Augustana
19. Alaska-Anchorage
20. Missouri-Rolla
21. Metropolitan State
22. Ashland
23. Southern Connecticut State
24. Wayne State (Mich.)
25. Hillsdale

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ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- The Miner soccer team had designs on snapping its three-game losing streak Sunday and had a halftime lead over Lewis after scoring for the first time since the streak began.

However, the Flyers scored twice in a span of seven minutes early in the second half and held on for a 2-1 win that sent UMR to its fourth straight loss.

UMR (3-4, 0-4 GLVC) took the lead with just eight seconds remaining in the opening half when Daniel Stokes headed in Afif Najjar's free kick. But the momentum the Miners gained from the goal right before halftime and the lead evaporated in the opening minutes of the second half.

Mardoche Beva got to a loose ball and got a shot past UMR goalkeeper Mike McNamee 3:10 into the second half to knot the score, then the Flyers got the game winner 7:10 after that when Kipp Cartwright scored an unassisted goal off a corner kick.

Cartwright's goal marked the first time that the Miners have allowed more than one goal in a game this season.

UMR was outshot 14-8 in the game, but had two golden opportunities in the waning moments to tie the score. Brandon Moore hit a shot wide of the goal with just over two minutes remaining, then Andy Held hit a shot off the post with a minute and a half to go.

The Miners will return home to face second-ranked Northern Kentucky Friday at 7:30 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

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ROMEOVILLE, Ill. -- The Lady Miner soccer team has certainly shown that it can play on the level with teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. It just hasn't been able to squeeze out a victory since conference play started.

UMR dropped its fourth straight league game Sunday by a 2-1 score at Lewis, as the Flyers won the game on Courtney Kettel's penalty kick with just over 16 minutes to play.

After a scoreless first half, the Flyers grabbed the lead at the 52:55 mark on Amy Foran's unassisted goal.

UMR came back and tied the score a little more than 14 minutes later, as Brooke Ryan got to a loose ball at the top of the penalty area and blasted a shot past Andrea Iossi for her first goal of the year.

The Lady Miners outshot the Flyers by a 13-11 margin for the game, but it was Lewis that got the break to give it the lead. A foul by the Lady Miners in the box at 73:45 gave Lewis a penalty kick which Kettel converted to make it 2-1.

Kelsey Kurilla was credited with three saves in goal for UMR (3-5, 0-4 GLVC), which will return to action Friday when it hosts 12th-ranked Northern Kentucky at 5 p.m. at the UMR Soccer Field.

Posted by John Kean at 09:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Leandra Pelae

The Lady Miners couldn't quite get over the hump in game one of Saturday night's match against Southwest Baptist and after dropping game one to the Bearcats by a 33-31 score, fell in the next two games and for the fifth straight time.

SBU won game two 30-19 and wrapped up the 3-0 win with a 30-28 victory in the third game.

The Lady Miners held the lead for much of the first game, building a six-point lead of 15-9 on a kill by Hope Mooberry. UMR was able to retain that lead until SBU scored four straight points to tie the game at 20.

After a kill by Maddie Owak put UMR back in front, the Bearcats scored the next two points to take their first lead since the early minutes of the game. The teams then swapped the lead for the next several points and each team was serving on game point.

Lauren Summerville's kill prevented the Bearcats from winning the game first and knotted the score at 30, then a kill by Owak gave UMR a game point opportunity. SBU's Brittni Jessen kept the game going with a kill of her own, then SBU scored the next points to take the opener.

UMR fell behind early in game two, then got the game even at nine. The Bearcats then proceeded to score six of the next eight points to go up by six and then made a run of six straight to push their lead to nine en route to capturing that game.

SBU took the lead in game three early on, but the Lady Miners were able to stay on the Bearcats' heels for the entire game. UMR got a four-point SBU lead down to one at 28-27 on an assisted block by Katie Herington and Summerville, then again at 29-28 after a Bearcat service error. However, a error by the Lady Miners allowed the Bearcats to win the match on the next point.

Leandra Pelae led UMR with 13 kills in the game, while Summerville finished with seven and Samantha Klump with six in 13 attempts without an error. Ashlyn Balensiefer recorded 35 assists for the Lady MIners while Bridget Williams finished with 14 digs and Owak with 12.

Lady Miners knocked off by No. 12 Pittsburg State

For the third time in 11 days, the UMR volleyball team fell victim to a nationally-ranked team as it dropped a 3-0 decision Saturday afternoon to 12th-ranked Pittsburg State in the front end of a day-night doubleheader at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

UMR hung in there with the Gorillas for much of the first game, as it was tied at 14 after a service ace and another point on a kill by Ashlyn Balensiefer. UMR was able to tie the game again at 19 on Leandra Pelae's service ace, but the Gorillas rattled off the next five points and were able to finish the game off.

The second game saw UMR hold an early advantage, as Lauren Summerville's kill gave it a 7-5 lead. PSU went up for good at 9-8, but the Lady Miners hung around for a good portion of the middle game as well before the Gorillas put some distance between the teams in the latter stages.

Pitt State then grabbed an early lead in the final game and was able to hold off any rally efforts the Lady Miners made until it scored six straight points to take a 10-point lead.

UMR finished the game with a .186 hitting percentage with gradual improvement in each game. Pelae led the Lady Miners with 15 kills while Summerville ended up with nine. Balensiefer had 34 assists and eight digs in the game while Bridget Williams finished with 15 digs.

The Lady Miners (1-14) will return to action Friday when they face No. 15-ranked Southern Illinois Edwardsville in a 7 p.m. game at SIUE.

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Joffroi Holcombe (right) and Chris Murray

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The UMR men's cross country team posted perhaps its highest finish ever at the Southern Stampede meet Saturday as it came in third place among the 36 teams entered.

The Miners finished behind only the University of Arkansas, which had four of the top five finishers in the meet and host Missouri Southern. UMR had two of the top 20 finishers overall and ended up with 193 points to finish a solid third in the team standings; Northern Kentucky was fourth with 230 points.

Joffroi Holcombe led the UMR contingent with a 17th-place finish in a time of 25:03 over eight kilometers, while Chris Murray was two spots behind Holcombe in 25:05.

Kurt Schauwecker finished 51st overall in 25:51, while freshmen Brandon Etzold and Brandon Smith rounded out the Miners' top five. Etzold was 52nd in 25:51 and Smith was 54th in 25:52.

Chris Thielker was sixth among the UMR runners in 26:19 and Brett Agee rounded out the Miners' top seven in 26:28. A total of 313 runners finished the race Saturday at the site of this year's NCAA Division II Championships.

UMR will be idle next week before heading to Louisville on Sept. 29 to take part in the Greater Louisville Classic.

Complete results from Southern Stampede

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Ashlyn Balensiefer

The Lady Miners created more attack opportunities than Southern Indiana Friday nght at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building, but the visiting Screaming Eagles were more effective with their attempts and came away with a 3-0 sweep over UMR.

Southern Indiana had just 10 attack errors on the night and finished with a hitting percentage near 30 percent, while the Lady Miners were guilty of 28 errors in the three games which they lost by scores of 30-25, 30-15 and 30-19.

The teams played a nip-and-tuck first game, with neither team holding a lead of more than four points until late in the game. UMR took a 13-9 lead on a service ace by Lauren Summerville and built two more leads of four points, the last at 18-14 on a kill by Ashlyn Balensiefer.

USI clawed back in the game and took its first lead since the early stages at 25-24 in the midst of a decisive 7-0 run. UMR staved off one game point before the Eagles took the opening game.

The Lady Miners fell behind 6-0 to start game two and never got closer than two points; the Eagles gradually extended their lead throughout game two until it won 30-15. UMR and USI were tied at four early in game three before the Eagles took the lead for good to win the match.

Leandra Pelae led the Lady Miners (1-12, 1-3 GLVC) with nine kills while Katie Herington finished with six. Balensiefer had 27 assists, while Annie Smith and Maddie Owak had nine digs apiece.

UMR will host a day-night doubleheader Saturday, facing No. 12-ranked Pittsburg State at 1 p.m. and Southwest Baptist at 6 p.m. at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

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KENOSHA, Wis. -- The Miner soccer team suffered its third straight loss by a 1-0 score -- and Friday's setback at Wisconsin-Parkside may have been the toughest of all.

Just a minute and 28 seconds away from coming away with at least a scoreless tie, the Miners were called for a hand ball in the penalty area. UW-Parkside's Bojan Jovicic converted the ensuing penalty kick to give the Rangers the double overtime victory.

UMR had only four shots in the game to the Rangers' 10 and just two of those attempts made it on goal. The Miners were equally stingy on the defensive end, as just two shots taken by the hosts made it on goal prior to the penalty kick and were turned away by goalkeeper Tom Lawton.

The Miners (3-3, 0-3 GLVC) will look to get back into the win column Sunday when they travel to Romeoville, Ill. to face Lewis; the Flyers also posted a victory in double overtime Friday over Missouri-St. Louis.

Posted by John Kean at 10:04 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

KENOSHA, Wis. -- For the third straight game, the UMR women's soccer team held down a top team from the Great Lakes Valley Conference, but couldn't generate enough offense to get a result.

Meredith Novak's goal with just under 20 minutes to play was enough to give Wisconsin-Parkside a 1-0 victory over the Lady Miners Friday, sending UMR to its third straight one-goal defeat in league play.

The Lady Miners had the only shot on goal in the first half and finished the game with five overall to the Rangers' nine. They were able to thwart most of UW-Parkside's offensive chances, forcing it into nine corner kicks and drawing it offsides six times.

However, Novak got free in front of the goal and took Kelly Teeters' pass for the game-winning goal at the 70:44 mark. It was the second straight time that the Rangers have scored the only goal of the game in the latter stages of the game to beat UMR.

Kelsey Kurilla was credited with two saves in goal for UMR (3-4, 0-3 GLVC), who will play at Lewis Sunday at noon.

Posted by John Kean at 09:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The University of Missouri-Rolla men's soccer team is ranked ninth in the latest Great Lakes regional rankings that are conducted by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.

UMR moved into the ninth spot despite its 1-0 loss to Rockhurst -- who is ranked second in the region this week -- on Sunday. The Miners opened their season with three straight shutout wins before the loss to Rockhurst.

The rankings do not reflect the Miners' 1-0 loss Tuesday to Drury, who is ranked fourth in the region this week. UMR plays Friday at Wisconsin-Parkside, then plays its next three games against teams that are ranked within the region.

NSCAA Great Lakes Regional Rankings
1. Northern Kentucky
2. Rockhurst
3. SIU Edwardsville
4. Drury
5. Gannon
6. Quincy
7. (tie) Bellarmine
7. (tie) Indianapolis
9. Missouri-Rolla
10. Lewis

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Joffroi Holcombe

UMR senior Joffroi Holcombe has been named as the Great Lakes Valley Conference's "Runner of the Week" in men's cross country following his winning performance Saturday in the Miner Invitational.

Holcombe navigated a very wet five-kilometer course in a time of 15:19 to help lead the Miners to a second-place finish in the seven-team event. He outpaced second-place finisher Jaime Villa Zapatero of Drury by nine seconds to repeat as the individual champion in the annual event.

It is the second time in Holcombe's career that he has earned a weekly award from the GLVC, as he was also a recipient during the 2006 season.

UMR will compete at the Missouri Southern Stampede in Joplin Saturday.

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Nick Landon

The Miners caught an unfortunate break in more ways than one Tuesday night and the end result was their second straight loss in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

UMR and Drury were in a scoreless dual late in the first half when the Miners' Dan Gravlin went down with an injury at a time when the Miners had control of play at the Drury end. After the game was delayed for several minutes, the Panthers regrouped and got the only goal of the game about a minute later to come away with a 1-0 win over UMR.

Marco Cherisma, who entered the week as NCAA Division II's second-leading scorer, took a pass from Adam Peterson and got a shot past Mike McNamee with 2:36 to go in the first half to give the Panthers the lead, then Drury was able to hold off the Miners in the final 45 minutes.

UMR's best chance to score after the Panthers moved in front came in the latter stages of the contest when Nick Landon got free behind the Drury defense. However, his scoring chance got stopped by Logan Hoffman and an ensuing corner kick was cleared out.

It was the second straight 1-0 loss for the Miners, who lost by that score Sunday to 25th-ranked Rockhurst.

The Miners (3-2, 0-2 GLVC) will play on the road this weekend starting with a Friday game at Wisconsin-Parkside.

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Jaime Pierce

Time after time Tuesday night, the Lady Miner soccer team had chances to score. But a foot here, a foot there...

UMR's missed scoring opportunities came back to haunt it as it suffered its second straight one-goal loss, a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Drury in a make-up contest at the UMR Soccer Complex.

The Lady Miners outshot the Panthers 19-12 in the game and had eight shots on goal to Drury's five. However, a shot by DU's Aly Reynolds just over 10 minutes into the game made it into the net and held up for the lone goal of the game.

Reynolds scored after the Lady Miners had cleared a ball out from in front of the net, but right to her and her return shot got past goalkeeper Kelsey Kurilla.

UMR had a 12-7 edge in shots in the opening half. Its best scoring chance in the first half came when Tabitha Ausman got loose on a breakaway, but was stopped by goalkeeper Jessie Sanderson.

The Lady Miners had a chance to tie in the second half as well, but had that attempt stopped by a defender at the goal line.

Kurilla finished with four saves in the contest for UMR (3-3, 0-2 GLVC), who will head to the road for a pair of conference tilts this weekend starting Friday afternoon at Wisconsin-Parkside.

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Ashlyn Balensiefer

ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- The UMR volleyball team dropped its second straight Great Lakes Valley Conference match Tuesday night when Missouri-St. Louis handed the Lady Miners a 3-0 loss.

The Lady Miners got closer in every game Tuesday night, but fell by scores of 30-17, 30-21 and 30-28.

Thanks to a .375 hitting percentage in the opening game, the Tritons were able to get past the Lady Miners rather easily. UMR improved its hitting in game two, but the Tritons were still over the 30 percent mark and had just five hitting errors in the first two games of the match.

UMR had its best hitting mark in game three of .189 and hung in the match until the very end before UMSL came away with the two-point victory and the match.

Leandra Pelae led the Lady Miners with nine kills on the night, while Ashlyn Balensiefer had 30 assists and nine digs. Bridget Williams paced UMR with 16 digs on the evening.

UMR (1-11, 1-2 GLVC) will host three matches over the weekend starting with Friday's 7 p.m. GLVC tilt against Southern Indiana at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

Posted by John Kean at 10:43 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Brad Guidry

University of Missouri-Rolla junior quarterback Brad Guidry has earned his second weekly award of the 2007 season, as he was named as the Great Lakes Football Conference's "Offensive Player of the Week" for his showing in UMR's 28-10 victory over Wisconsin-Stout Saturday.

Guidry started the game by completing his first 11 passes and finished the night 22-of-34 for 304 yards and two touchdowns. Guidry also ran for a score in the game as well.

He was five-of-five on the Miners' opening drive and completed it with a 28-yard scoring pass to Mike Greaving. Guidry scored the Miners' second touchdown on the ground, breaking a tackle from a blitzing linebacker and running around the end for the score. His third touchdown pass covered 15 yards to Ashton Gronewold; Guidry and Gronewold combined later in the game for a 62-yard completion to set up the Miners' final score that put the game away.

Earlier this season, Guidry was named as the top offensive player of the week for the NCAA Division II independents by D2Football.com. It is the fourth weekly award won by a Miner this season; Ashton Gronewold was the GLFC's offensive recipient after the opening week of the season and running back Antonio Williams was D2Football.com's top special teams player for the independents after the Miners' August 30 game at Missouri State.

A native of Rusk, Texas, Guidry transferred to UMR from Blinn Junior College.

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