This week in Wolverine sports: Aggies come to town, winter teams get started
Non-conference rivalry?
Despite having just a week and a half left in the regular season, the Wolverines volleyball team will host a rare non-conference game tonight against the Utah State Aggies.
This will be the first game in any sport against USU since Utah Valley was denied admission to the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) in the summer. UVU director of athletics Michael Jacobsen has maintained that the Wolverines would have been admitted had they received active support from Utah State reps during the time of consideration.
Instead, the WAC opted to invite Seattle University despite an enrollment disparity of nearly 25,000 in UVU’s favor.
Last season saw the Wolverines hand the Aggies’ their first loss of the season thanks to a double-double of 16 kills and 13 digs from then-junior Chelsey Heaps. The victory occurred at Logan after USU had reeled off 11 straight wins.
Tonight’s game will be held in the Activities Center with a start time of 7:00p.m.
M. Basketball holds intrasquad scrimmage
Fans got their first look of last year’s Great West Conference champion basketball team last night, albeit a watered-down version. Returning All-American Honorable Mention and starting shooting guard Isiah Williams sat out while resting a sore back, while last year’s leading rebounder Geddes Robinson (9.4rpg) missed the exhibition while attending class.
In their absence sophomore guard Holton Hunsaker and senior forward Keith Thompson carried the offensive load for the Green Team, which ran away with a 24-14 victory in the first of two 10-minute scrimmages. Hunsaker nailed two 3-pointers while Thompson showcased his driving and shooting game in several iso situations within the offense.
True freshman center and Australia native Will Sinclair anchored the White Team in the second scrimmage, providing several defensive stops as they held on for a 19-16 win. Seven straight points from starting center Ben Aird pulled the Green Team within three, but Kevin Woods’ 3-pointer was off at the buzzer.
The Wolverines play their season opener at home on Nov. 11 against Simpson University.
W. Basketball downs W. New Mexico in exhibition
Sammie Jensen picked up right where she left off last season, notching a double-double of 15 points and 14 rebounds as the Wolverines went on to beat the Mustangs 73-57.
Perhaps the biggest surprise of the night came from the point guard position, where junior guard Cydne Mason provided a box-filling line of six points, five steals, five assists and four rebounds.
Head coach Cathy Nixon said Mason, who averaged just 6.8 minutes per game last year, had earned the starting point guard spot after a stellar offseason’s worth of work.
Wrestling intrasquad dual draws crowd
Despite competing on the same night as both basketball teams, the wrestling team drew the biggest crowd of the night thanks in large part to this year’s freshman class of 20-plus. The recruiting class was ranked No. 11 in the country, boasting several grapplers who won multiple state titles in their prep careers.
The high-profile recruits were greeted by the harsh master of experience, however, as many of them would lose to the few returners from last year’s squad.
Montona native and four-time state champion Jade Rouser lost his first match to sophomore Colby Christensen in a matchup of 125-pounders. Rouser credited the eight-point loss to Christensen’s experience, stating, “Just that one year at the college level, it’s a huge leap.”
The Wolverines will participate in several invitationals over the next two months, but won’t play competitively at home until January.
By Matt Petersen – Sports Editor
Photo by Shane Maryott