Four Bulldogs Receive Big South Conference Honors

Four UNC Asheville women’s soccer players were honored on Wednesday night at the Big South annual awards banquet. Freshman forward Chloe McCleary-Small and sophomore defender Mary Kate Tucker were both named second team all-conference. McCleary-Small, a homegrown talent who was a standout at Asheville High, led the Bulldogs in points (9), goals (4), and game-winning goals (3) in the first season of her UNC Asheville career. Tucker anchored a back line that allowed the fewest goals this season (16) of any team in the Big South. Tucker was also credited with an assist on a game-winning goal from McCleary-Small in the Bulldogs’ September 13^th victory over Tennessee Tech. This is the second consecutive season Tucker has been named second team all-conference.

Freshman Hannah Jeske, who started every match this season as the lone freshman in Asheville’s strong midfield, was chosen for the Big South’s all-freshman team. Jeske had a strong season on both ends of the pitch, supporting the defensive line and taking 12 shots.

Asheville’s senior goalkeeper, Veronica Lazar, was named to the conference’s all-academic squad for the second consecutive year. Lazar capped off an outstanding career this season by posting a 0.84 goals against average and a .855 save percentage – both marks were second best in the conference. In her final match as a Bulldog, Lazar made nine saves on Sunday against High Point to earn the victory and her 13^th career shutout. Lazar, a Health and Wellness major, has a 3.70 GPA.

The 2009 Big South conference honorees:

Chloe McCleary-Small

Second Team All-Conference

Mary Kate Tucker

Second Team All-Conference

Hannah Jeske

All-Freshman Team

Veronica Lazar

All-Academic Team

Women's Basketball Tips Off Friday

Women’s basketball will take the court for the first time this season on Friday night when they host Mars Hill College in an exhibition match at the Justice Center. This will be a challenging season for the Bulldogs. The team is in a transitional period and must find its identity and leadership. If Asheville is able to do so, however, the Big South race is wide open.

UNC Asheville finished the 2008-2009 campaign with a 10-20 overall record, and a 7-9 mark in conference play. Although that placed the Bulldogs seventh in the conference, they were only three games out of second place. Asheville loses two starters from last season – guard Ana Baker and forward Jessica Monroe. Baker will be particularly difficult to replace. As a senior captain, she led the Bulldogs in scoring, assists, and steals, and was named first team all-conference. The starters that return were all productive last season, but will have to carry a much greater scoring load without Baker. Junior guard Chioma Okoli is the leading returning scorer at 8.7 points per game. Junior forward Lindsey Montgomery averaged 7.6 points and 6 rebounds, and led last year’s squad in blocks. Kendall Shepard, the final returning starter, averaged 6.6 points per game and is the likely choice to replace Baker at the point this season. Forward Linda Aughburns can expect to play a much bigger role in this year’s edition. The sophomore led the team with 6.4 rebounds per game last year, despite coming off the bench most of the season. Aughburns was named to the Big South all-rookie team.

With no double-digit scorer returning and no seniors on the roster, newcomers and inexperienced players will have the opportunity to prove themselves and earn big minutes for the Bulldogs. UNC Asheville has five freshmen on the roster who hope to make an immediate impact. Another key newcomer is junior guard Dana Wagner. Wagner is a transfer from junior college, where she was named first team All-American last season after leading her team in scoring, three-point percentage, free throws made, and free throw percentage. Wagner has already demonstrated her shooting touch here in Asheville – she was crowned champion of the three-point contest during Jammin’ at the Justice.

Mars Hill finished up last season with a 12-16 mark (5-11 South Atlantic Conference). The Lions return three starters from last season, including junior guard Brittini Young. Young was named second team all-conference last season after leading the South Atlantic in points per game (16.6) and free throw percentage (.865). At media day, the Lions were picked to finish eighth in the nine-team conference.

Tip-off will be at 7:00 on Friday. Come out to the Justice Center for an early look at the Bulldogs.

Benorden Reaches Milestone in Volleyball Win

UNC Asheville came away with a critical road victory against Gardner-Webb last night, taking the match in four sets (25-23, 25-16, 21-25, 25-18). The Bulldogs (21-8, 10-2) were able to get back on track after their loss to Charleston Southern on Saturday, while Gardner-Webb (11-17, 3-8) lost ground in the Big South race with a second consecutive conference loss.

The victory was especially significant for outside hitter Kelsey Benorden, who contributed 16 kills, 15 digs, and a .341 hitting percentage to the effort. The junior became only the 10^th player in the history of the UNC Asheville volleyball program to total both 1,000 career kills and 1,000 career digs. Tuesday’s match was also the 14^th double-double of the season for Benorden.

Two other Bulldogs also reached statistical landmarks in the win. Senior Raquel Miotto, whose conquest of the UNC Asheville and Big South career digs records this season has been more publicized, is on the verge of eclipsing a school record in an entirely different statistical category. Miotto had three service aces on Tuesday, bringing her total this year to 58. That single-season mark is good enough to place Miotto in a tie for third, just four aces behind Frida Sigurdardottir’s school record, posted in 2002.

Fellow senior Lauren Ficker also had a red-letter night with 12 kills and a .476 hitting percentage. Thanks to that showing, Ficker now leads the Big South in conference play hitting percentage.

The Bulldogs came out on top of a see-saw battle in the first set, then pulled away in the second on a 12-3 run highlighted by three kills from sophomore Cindi Miller. A 13-1 run by Gardner-Webb in the third prolonged the match, but UNC Asheville took an early lead in the fourth set and held on for the victory which came, appropriately, on a service ace from Miotto.

The victory moves the Bulldogs into a tie atop the Big South with Liberty, setting up a showdown on Friday night in Lynchburg with sole possession of first place at stake. UNC Asheville defeated Liberty in four sets at the Justice Center on October 10, but the Flames are a formidable foe. Liberty (15-10, 10-2) has won its last five conference matches and is undefeated at home in regular season play.

Women's Soccer Wraps Up Season on a High Note

UNC Asheville capped off the 2009 season with a 1-0 victory of the High Point Panthers on Sunday at Greenwood Field. The senior class was recognized before the match and proceeded to excel on the playing field. McKenna Stockhausen recorded her 12th goal in Bulldog blue in the 12th minute of the match, and Veronica Lazar made nine saves for her 13th career shutout.

The Bulldogs came out on the offensive in the first half, firing several shots on goal, including near misses by Stockhausen and fellow senior Lauren Turnburke. In the 12th minute, Stockhausen beat a High Point defender but was taken out with a dangerous tackle inside the box. The Asheville striker was awarded a penalty kick, which she drove home to the bottom right corner of the net.

High Point responded with a relentless attack for the final 15 minutes of the period, but a strong effort by the Asheville back line and several quality saves by Lazar combined to preserve the lead. Following intermission, the Panthers again came out on the offensive, but the Asheville defense resisted. After a barrage of about 10 minutes, the Bulldog midfielders succeeded in slowing the tempo of the match and keeping the pressure off of the Lazar the rest of the way.

UNC Asheville wraps up with season with a 5-10-1 overall record and a 2-7-0 mark in conference play. The Bulldogs did not qualify for the Big South postseason tournament. As this was the final match for the seven seniors on this year’s squad, I’m including photos of those players – each of whom made significant contributions to Sunday’s victory.

Lauren Turnburke

McKenna Stockhausen

Keri Skelton

Kristina Montuori

Veronica Lazar

Sara Marie Holland

Meagan Bradham