81 Thursday, Sept. 23,2010
Daniel Bott/Collegian
Matt Smallwood (22) battles for a ball against Hartwick in August. Smallwood has shifted from central midfield to the starting
right back on defense. Off the field, Smallwood keeps the team loose and has been video taping moments from the season.
Junior lifts
By Andrew Robinson
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Matt Smallwood is an interesting guy.
The junior’s off-field demeanor is
relaxed and keeps his teammates loose.
Put him in a game atmosphere, or more
specifically on the field, _
and Smallwood is a
totally different person,
one with an edge and a
competitive fire.
It was that edge and
toughness Smallwood plays with that
prompted his new coach, Bob Warming,
Wilson staying steady
By Jake Kaplan
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
She’s had to deal with a new set
ter distributing the ball to her and
a new hitter playing to her side,
but not much has
changed in Arielle
Wilson’s perform- WOMEN'S
VOLLEYBALL
ance this season,
The senior mid
die hitter is still
one of the best in the nation
Wilson leads the No. 2 Penn
State women’s volleyball team (10-
1) with a .456 hitting percentage
the next highest is .392. The
Broadview, 111. native is the sev
enth-most efficient attacker in the
nation.
D-I move
By Anthony Barton
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
With Penn State announcing
the addition of NCAA Division I
hockey programs, many ques
tions have been
raised about the
uncertain future ICERS
oi the cu:
men’s club team, the leers
One of those questions is how
the move will affect recruiting for
the team’s last two seasons.
Pittsburgh vs. St. Louis
12:35 p.m., FSN
NCAA FOOTBALL
Pittsburgh vs. Miami (FI.)
7:30 p.m., ESPN
TRIVIA
Q: What is Buster Posey’s first name?
Wednesday’s Answer Temple, 12-0
team on and off field
to make Smallwood his starting right
back on defense.
“Matty’s a pretty tough guy and he
brought a little hard edge with him,”
Warming said. “He likes communicating
to the players in front of him and I just
felt he could add some leadership to the
back line and he’s done a great job.”
Smallwood has started every game
for the Nittany Lions this season and
has come up with several key tackles,
including one early in the season opener
against Buffalo that prevented a
potentially game-changing scoring
chance.
MEN’S
SOCCER
Her efficiency doesn't stop with
hitting. The 6-foot-3 Wilson has 44
blocks and only three blocking
errors.
Wilson is doing all of that with
out two teammates she was
accustomed to playing alongside
in her first three seasons in Happy
Valley setter Alisha Glass and
outside hitter Megan Hodge. The
three years that trio played
together, the Lions amassed a
record of 110-2, including 102-
straight wins and three national
titles.
Last season, Wilson’s .540 hit
ting percentage led the nation. It
also shattered the Big Ten record
formerly .492 set by her
See WILSON, Page 10.
could lead to recruiting boon
Head coach Scott Balboni said
he believes the move can only
help the leers’
cause during the
recruiting pro
cess
“As far as
recruiting goes, I
think it’s a situa
tion where it is
going to change,"
Balboni said.
“There’s going to
be a lot of potential student ath
NFL Pick ’Em contest
Every week, the Collegian’s sports edi
tors go up against some of the biggest
names on Penn State’s campus in an NFL
picking contest.
Included in the pool each week is a Penn
State student selected by the editors. Want
to be that student this week?
Then listen closely.
Fbr the chance to be included in the pick
’em, e-mail the answers to today’s trivia
question (to the left) to Collegian Sports
Chief Paul Casella.
Paul’s e-mail address
plcso32@psu.edu.
Send your answers to Paul, first one to
correctly answer the question gets brag
ging rights and the chance to make picks.
Arielle Wilson (7) goes for a kill in a match earlier this season against
Seton Hall. Despite having soe new teammates, Wilson has maintained
her level of success and has been a key contributor for the Lions.
letes who are now going to be
coming to us and want to be
involved in the program that
weren’t potentially wanting to be
involved with the program
before.”
Balboni said the volume of calls
the team has received about
recruiting since the announce
ment has increased tenfold from
this time in past years.
Assistant coach Josh Hand
agreed with Balboni.
“I think we’re going to see a lot
During his first two years at Penn
State, Smallwood played as a central
midfielder but his move to defense has
been relatively seamless, junior centre
back Mark Fetrow said. Fetrow said see
ing Smallwood make a good tackle lifts
the energy of the other defenders and
he likes the physical play Smallwood has
brought to the right side.
“Whether it be a big slide tackle in
front of him or a big tackle standing up
where he knocks somebody on their
[back] or he wins a good head ball, it just
makes the defense excited,” Fetrow
See SMALLWOOD. Page 10.
K-Rod released on bail
Mets closer Francisco Rodriguez was
charged Wednesday with seven counts of
criminal contempt for sending his girlfriend
dozens of text messages begging for for
giveness, violating a restraining order
issued after he was accused of attacking
her father at Citi Field.
Rodriguez, who wore a studded T-shirt
and a gold chain, did not enter a plea at his
arraignment. He posted the $7,500 bail
almost immediately and left Queens court
without speaking. A new protection order
was issued barring him from contacting
Daian Pena and her family.
Rodriguez was told to keep away from
Carlos Pena and his daughter. But a week
after he appeared in court, he sent her two
text messagess and kept going, sending 56.
provides
Daniel Bott/Collegian
of interest nationally from guys,
and I think it’s only going to help
our efforts to bring in very good
athletes and good students as
well,” Hand said.
Hand also said the leers would
include the possibility of playing
See RECRUITING, Page 10.
For up-to-date coverage of
the Penn State leers, follow
w the leers’ twitter at:
TWITTER twitter.com/Collegian_lcers
Temple
ast tune-up
By Audrey Snyder
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
Sitting at the front of the media room with a seri
ous stare, Graham Zug insisted
he and his teammates are not
overlooking Temple.
It doesn't matter that Penn
State leads the all-time series 35-
3-1 or that the Owls have never beaten Joe
Patemo, who holds a 26-0 record against Temple.
Simply put, Zug said, ’ the past is the past.”
Aside from, the Nittany Lions’ historic domi
nance against the Owls, the game still gives each
side plenty to play for. With it being the Lions’ final
game before opening Big Ten play at lowa next
week, it’s the last chance for the team to make
sure it’s prepared for the task ahead.
“We definitely want to come in this weekend
and perform well," left guard Johnnie Troutman
said. “We could really know what we could do as a
team. We can scale ourselves and know what we
have to do coming into the Big Ten."
Defensive tackle Devon Still said the Lions
believe they can contend for a Big Ten title and the
confidence that could come from a win against an
improved Temple team that's off to a 3-0 start is
something they want to take with them to lowa
City.
With Temple having a big-time running back in
See FOOTBALL Page 10.
More coverage on the Penn State football team. |
SPORTS, Page 12.
Graham Zug (5) carries the ball during last week’s
game against Kent State. Zug in the Lions will face
Temple in their final nonconference game Saturday.
Coaches
discuss
Big Ten
It would be easy to look at
Penn State's 2-6-1 nonconfer
ence record and think the
Nittany Lions
women's soccer
team's run of 12-
straight Big Ten
titles is close to
over.
Michigan
State coach Tom
Saxton knows
better.
"I don't know
how much you
can read into
that,” Saxton
said. “But Penn
State has played
a very demanding schedule so
I’m sure as heck not shortchang
ing them or my opinion of them
going into the Big Ten.”
• There’s no question the
Nittany Lions have dominated
the conference over the last 12
See CONFERENCE, Page 10.
More coverage on the women’s
soccer. | SPORTS, Page 14.
Overrated: Pitt or Miami?
Miami will face Pittsburgh tonight at
Heinz Field in a battle of two teams fight
ing to avoid the dreaded “overrated” tag.
The Panthers opened the season at No.
15 in both polls, but lost to Utah in over
time on the season’s opening night and are
currently unranked.
The Hurricanes started ranked No. 13 in
both polls but lost to Ohio State in week
two and have fallen to No. 19.
Stars for each team have struggled,
Dion Lewis for Pitt and Jacory Harris for
Miami. The two players will be seeking to
prove that they not to mention their teams,
were worth the big offseason hype they
received all along.
The Daily Collegian
FOOTBALL
By Andrew Robinson
COLLEGIAN STAFF WRITER
WOMEN'S
SOCCER