Three Pennsylvania College of Technology fall sports team already have begun their seasons and, this week, two more step into action. On Wednesday, the golf team opens its season in the Penn State Fayette Invitational at the Mystic Rocks course in Farmington and the women's soccer team plays at NCAA Division III Albright College.
Golf This is coach Matt Haile's third edition and, after placing second in the Penn State University Athletic Conference and fifth in the United States Collegiate Athletic Association last season, he thinks a return to the top clearly is possible.
Five of the team's six returning players were starters last year Chad Vuocolo, of Lock Haven; Kurt Linhart, of Zionsville; Alex Howe, of Lake Ariel; Dan Kramer, of Avon, Conn.; and Joe Peters, of Harrisburg. Also on the squad are returnee Tom Sonderegger Jr., of Westford, Mass., and newcomers Corey Teeple, of Lake Ariel, and Nick Krupka, of Allentown.
"Chad has been playing hard over the summer. He's really been working on his game along with Alex and Kurt," Haile said.
Commenting on freshmen Teeple and Krupka, the coach said, "They really have some potential. They're going to be right there (shooting) in the upper 70s, lower 80s."
"This year, with the guys we have returning and the two guys we picked up, I think we have a shot at another conference title," Haile said. "I have high hopes for this year."
Penn College plays a four-match season during September before the conference and national championships in mid-October, so there is little room for error.
"I told the guys coming in that we've got to work on being more consistent, adapt more quickly to the courses and just play smarter golf," Haile said. "We're trying to teach them to hit smarter shots, especially when they get into trouble. Don't try to be a hero and hit an impossible shot out of the woods, just get it back in play. "¦ You've got to keep the big numbers off the scorecard."
Women's SoccerCoach Markus Rybak returns for his second season with just three returnees, yet he is optimistic.
"I have a lot of new girls, but, overall, we are a lot better than last year," said Rybak, whose team finished 6-7 a year ago. "The schedule is the toughest that the women's team has ever had, but I'm hopeful that we have a winning record and also qualify for the national (United States Collegiate Athletic Association) tournament."
Returning starters are co-captains Kierstin Steer, of South Williamsport, and Brandy Krause, of Pine Grove.
"They bring experience and a good leadership core, which I need to have because we are young," Rybak said. He looks for Steer to start at center-midfield and Krause at a defender position.
Also returning is Abigayle MacDonald, of Red Lion.
In addition to Steer and Krause, other projected starters are Stephanie Koleno, of Moshannon, in goal; defenders Haley Richter, of Selkirk, N.Y., Samantha Stutz, of New Philadelphia, and Emily Yoder, of Catawissa; midfielders MacDonald, Shelby Straub, of South Williamsport, and Tiffany Turgeon, of Hooversville; and forwards Valeria Passalacqua, of McAlisterville, and Elizabeth Greis, of Pottsville.
Also on the roster are Lauren Hammer, of Centre Valley; Jessica Hershberger, of Woolrich; Jocelyn Moyer, of Tower City; Cortney Swinehart, of South Williamsport; Jessica Uslin, of Bloomsburg; Kerry Weber, of Saylorsburg; and Catherine Wise, of Mechanicsburg.
"We need to work as a team. We have been practicing really well. If we can bring that into the game and do the small things that really matter correctly, we should be competitive with just about everyone we play," Rybak said.
"There are still a couple of things that need to be worked on (offensively), like the transition play from back to forward; it's a work in progress because so many of the girls are new. Defensively we look really great. They're playing physical and with their brains smartness. It's probably the best defensive core I've had," the coach said.
"Overall, it's going to be an extremely exciting season and I'm looking forward to it," added Rybak, who is assisted by Bob Engleman.
Flashback Men's Soccer Freshman keeper Aaron Volz, of West Chester, was perfect in goal and five Wildcats players found the back of the net as Penn College opened its season with a 5-0 victory Tuesday over Davis College. At home on Saturday, Penn College out-shot Penn State Brandywine, 36-10, but managed only goals by Chris Brennan, of New Hope, and Sterling Weikel, of Dewart, while settling for a 2-2 draw in its Penn State University Athletic Conference opener.
Women's Volleyball The Wildcats dropped two matches on Thursday, falling to Lycoming College, 26-28, 21-25, 18-25, and losing to Baptist Bible, 25-13, 21-25, 25-15, 16-25, 8-15.
Against Lycoming, Lindsey Moyer, of Canton, had 11 kills; Tara Powell, of Burgettstown, added 10 kills and Lyndsey Smith, of Mechanicsburg, had 25 assists.
Against Baptist Bible, Melissa Lake, of Winburne, had 11 kills, while Smith added 23 assists and 11 digs and Kasey Smith, of New Park, had 13 digs.
On Saturday at Penn State Harrisburg, Penn College lost to Mount Aloysius College, 17-25, 23-25, 18-25, before beating the host team 25-21, 25-23, 25-18, to go to 2-5 on the season. Against Mount Aloysius, Powell had seven kills and five digs, while Kelly Hebert, of Wellsboro, added seven kills and four blocks. Lyndsey Smith had 22 assists.
Against Penn State Harrisburg, Moyer had five kills and seven digs, Hebert had seven blocks and Lyndsey Smith added 19 assists.
Cross-Country The Penn College men finished fifth in a seven-team field that included four NCAA Division III schools that placed ahead of it in its season opener at King's College. Individually for the Wildcats, Travis Cain, of Bloomsburg, placed 19th in 21 minutes, 25 seconds over the 6K course. Corvin Oberholtzer, of Wellsboro, was 39th in 21:52.
Schedule/Results Women's Volleyball Overall record: 2-5Thursday, Sept. 1 at Lycoming College, L, 26-28, 21-25, 18-25 Thursday, Sept. 1 vs. Baptist Bible at Lycoming College, L, 25-13, 21-25, 25-15, 16-25, 8-15 Saturday, Sept. 3 vs. Mount Aloysius College at Penn State Harrisburg, L, 17-25, 23-25, 18-25 Saturday, Sept. 3 at Penn State Harrisburg, W, 25-21, 25-23, 25-18 Wednesday, Sept. 7 host Penn State Scranton, 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8 host Mount Aloysius College, 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 at Alfred (N.Y.) University, noon Saturday, Sept. 10 vs. Morrisville State at Alfred University, 2 p.m.
Men's Soccer Overall record: 1-0-1 PSUAC record: 0-0-1 Tuesday, Aug. 30 host Davis College, W, 5-0 Saturday, Sept. 3 host Penn State Brandywine, T, 2-2 Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Albright College, 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 vs. York College, N.Y., in Centenary College/Holiday Inn Classic, 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 11 vs. Lebanon Valley College in Centenary College/Holiday Inn Classic, noon
Cross-CountryThursday, Sept. 1 NEPA Classic at King's College, Wilkes-Barre, men finished fifth in a seven-team field Saturday, Sept. 10 Albright Invitational at Reading, 10:30 a.m.
GolfWednesday, Sept. 7 Penn State Fayette Invitational at Mystic Rock, 11 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 15 Mont Alto Invitational at Penn National, 11 a.m.
Women's Soccer Wednesday, Sept. 7 at Albright College, 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 10 host Cedar Crest College, 1 p.m.
Team TennisWednesday, Sept. 14 at Penn State Hazleton, 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17 at Penn State Lehigh, noon
(Complete rosters and season schedules are available on the college's Athletics Web site . For more information on the PSUAC, visit on the Web; more about the USCAA also is available online.)
Vol. 10, No. 3