12 I FRIDAY, AUG. 27, 2010 Niness From Page 10 The first time the two met, Niness had no clue she was even being scouted. "Someone had mentioned before the Penn State soccer coach was in the bleachers watch ing us play and I didn't realize it was for me and I wasn't even thinking about it," Niness said. 'After the game; someone said. 'She wants to talk to you,' and I said, 'Wait, me?' I was really surprised but we went out to a diner and talked it over and I decided it would be awesome Crowd From Page 10 State, but also for her entire career. Niness added it would be a great way to psych out the Cavaliers and show the fans how well the team works together. Sophomore Lexi Marton com pared the effort to another big sporting event at Penn State. "It's kind of like Whiteouts for football, just having a lot of people Spikes From Page 10 one run in the fourth inning, State College tallied two runs in the sixth. Maggi walked and advanced to second on a groundout. The shortstop stole third and then scored on a throwing error. The next batter, left fielder Adalberto Santos smacked his third home run of the season to give the Spikes a 4-1 margin, which would he increased to 10-1 after the eighth stanza. Colton Cain gave the Spikes another solid start from the bump, earning his first professional win. The left-han der threw five innings and gave up just one run on one hit, both of which came in the bottom of the first inning. Cain struck out six and walked just two. - He looked great," said White, who had two RBI Thursday night. "He controlled the game from the very get go. As hitters you can build off of that. Our pitching staff once again kept us in the ballgame and finally our hitting kind of came around. This is what the ballclub is capable of doing when we combine our pitching and hit ting." . C'asey Sadler and Ryan Beckman pitched two innings each and held the Scrappers scoreless to finish off the game. White said having a win like this helps the team bounce back in all aspects of the game. The Spikes return home to start a two-game set against the Batavia Muckdogs, the short-season Class A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, at 7:05 tonight. The Spikes hope to carry over Thursday night's performance into their final 10 games of the season. think it's exactly what we needed for these last 10 games," White said. "It kind of re-energized everyone on the field tonight. I think we're going to take this game right in stride to the next one and just keep building." ti'so.*A•oo. 4001.0ttiikoitts • , , Ile i . ' . . 10 Year/100,00 Mile Limited Powertrain Warranty if I could play for this team In her first two seasons with the Lions, Niness played as a forward and in the midfield, scoring one goal, which came as a freshman. However, last spring, with the defensive depth depleted by the departure of seniors Tara Davies and Maura Ryan, the coaches moved Niness to the back line. One of the most athletic players on the team, Niness can play either outside back or centre back, but Walsh and Niness said her height, athleticism and ability to fight for balls in the air fits better at centre back. Through the spring and the pre season, Niness said she was ask there, knowing they're supporting you," Marton said. Assistant coach Ann Cook said the team has been out in the com munity spreading the word during clinics and camps to get as many fans to come out and watch Penn State play what she called the "hated Wahoos of UVA.- On top of the team's quest to break the crowd record, the matchup against Virginia is one of Penn State's toughest games on the schedule. To e-mail reporter: jyksl42@psu.edu D . A CK TO , ing questions of her linemates and the other defenders have been impressed at how quickly Niness picked up defending. She's done an amazing job coming in and playing a new posi tion, she's learning every single day. - sophomore Lexi Marton said. I think having me beside her helps her as well because I'm a big talker on the field. I like to organ ize and talking in her ear telling her where to go and what to do, she listens. And she's so athletic that she's a natural back there." Niness credited her communi cation with Marton as being a huge help on the field as she con The Cavaliers come in with a 2- record and a track record against the Nittany Lions that includes last year's 6-2 win in the 'CAA Tournament. And with this being such a big game. a larger than normal crowd would give the players something to feed off of on the field. ••It's absolutely amazing playing in front of fans... Schaefer said. In my eyes. pressure to me intensifies everything and makes me play better. This is the first Rose has an abundance of talented excited to return home and play but freshmen to add to the equation. also to see how the young players The coach said Deja McClendon handle their first match. has shown the most consistency "Everyone knows Penn State for However, the Lions aren't without among the newcomers during prac- their volleyball program so we want to every major player from last year's tice. go show everybody what we have with offense. However, after evaluating his play- these nine new people." Kabbes said. Volleyball I From Page 10 Senior middle hitter Arielle Wilson ers in practice for the past two weeks. "It's going to be exciting. It's always returns after leading the nation in hit- Rose said he's excited to see the fun to see coach sub in the new people ting percentage last season, and her Lions play the Tar Heels tonight -- and see how they handle it the first 489 career hitting percentage is the and the players agree best in Penn State women's volleyball history PUCA 107326 Ta Tara Xi (Taxi By Handy Delivery 814-355-5555 PUT THIS NUMBER IN YOUR PHONE NOW!. inAB - , L.-. PSVCOLLEGIAN c 0 1,7 tinues to learn. She said the hard est thing for her is staying in line with the other defenders and pre venting attackers from staying onside. Walsh believes Niness is simply a natural athlete who played a number of sports, but never at the AAU, Olympic Development Program (ODP) and similar lev els, which led to her not being heavily recruited. Niness said she picked soccer because she just loved the sport and the chance to play at Penn State was too good to pass. After two years in State College. Niness said she definitely made the right choice in choosing soc- home game, it's against Virginia. it's with so many fans and it really means a substantial amount to our season in general so there's a lot of big things going on Friday. It's going to be fun." This is the second year in a row the team has played its home opener against Virginia with a campaign to break the previous school record. Last season the mission fell short by 110 fans. As much as head coach Erica Walsh would love to fill the stands Junior outside hitter Katie Kabbes, a native of Raleigh, N.C., said she's To e-mail reporter: rmlsl3B@psu.edu Morning Prayer & Worship Service All are welcome! 10 am Sunday mornings Eisenhower Chapel at Pasquerilla Spiritual Center Prayer Singing Scripture - Reflection Finding Christian Community - Living out our F,iith on Campus Sponsored by the Episcopal, Lutheran, and Pr: :arnpl!s Ministries Grab the opportunity to share 1/1000th of a second of your Photo Department The Daily Collegian Photography Department is looking for a few photographers to join its award winning staff. Collegian photographers cover everything Penn State related, from Nittany Lion sports to concerts at the Bryce Jordan Center, and we want you to apply to our staff this semester. Come meet us at 7:001.m. on Wed. Se it. 1 James Buildin! 123 South Burrowes Street (If you have a portfolio or prints, please print thew at this time) A handful of candidates will he selected and von must be ,totti!ohic on Wednesday evenivs) Collehegian If you are interested in applying for the Collegian's other staffs, watch for upcoming advertisements college career. THE DAILY COLLEGIAN cer. Aside from her continued growth as a player, the junior's attitude and personality have endeared her to her coaches and teammates and left a lasting mark on the Lions. "She's an enormous piece for this program right now. In all ways, I cant imagine Penn State soccer without Carly Niness," Walsh said. - She makes us all laugh, but she's serious, she trains hard, she's always fit, she's a good stu dent. she was dean's list. We're getting everything out of her right now... To e-mail reporter: adrso79@psu.edu with as many fans as possible and fulfill the program's goal, she is a little more hesitant than some of the players. "Gosh, I'm hopeful," she said, citing all the hard work Penn State's marketing and sports information offices has put in. I don't think it's from a lack of trying. I just think it takes a while to create that type of interest. I think we're getting pretty close." To e mail reporter: adal47@psu.edu Collegian Photo/Mike Ghourdjian Any Questions? Call Photo Editor Steph Witt or Photo Adviser Pat Little