Courtside

Your Guide to GW sports

Saturday, April 27, 2013 11:35 p.m.

Colonials, Martin sweep Dayton in softball doubleheader

by The GW Hatchet

Corrections appended

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Alex Kist.

For the first time in her career, junior Courtney Martin pitched a shut out, going all seven innings against the Dayton Flyers and holding them to just three hits.

Martin would immediately continue that shut out into the second game of the series, leading the way to a doubleheader sweep for the Colonials.

Junior Courtney Martin winds up and prepares to let a pitch loose earlier in the year against Drexel. Martin was phenomenal for the Colonials in their doubleheader against Dayton. Hatchet File Photo by Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

“Oh my God, [Martin] did outstanding. She did so well the first game. She just kept the hitters off balance,” head coach Stacey Schramm said.

After splitting with La Salle (15-27, 3-15 A-10) in a doubleheader on Wednesday, GW (25-18, 12-4 A-10) took the field to compete in a quick two-game series against the Flyers (20-22, 10-9 A-10).

In the series opener, GW used strong offensive and defensive play to put away the Flyers, capturing a 4-0 victory. Martin’s fast pitches and fixed concentration threatened any chance the Flyers had of making it on the scoreboard.

A homerun and all four RBIs from senior Autumn Taylor was enough on the offensive side to support Martin.

“It’s [Taylor's] senior year, so she’s trying to go out with a bang,” Schramm said. “She only has a few games left left and she’s just working hard like everyone else.”

In the second game of the doubleheader, a first inning single to left field by sophomore Samantha Dos Santos with the bases loaded helped the Colonials get out to an early 1-0 lead against Dayton.

But in the next two innings, GW could not bring any runs across. The Flyers easily handled line drives, and with the additional strikeouts coming from Dayton freshman Emily Froment, the Colonials failed to make it on base.

“Their pitcher did a good job.  She had a decent number of walks, and the players did a good job of shutting our hitters down,” Schramm said. “We were having good at-bats and we were making her throw a lot of pitches, but we just couldn’t get anything going offensively in the game as far as stringing some hits along.”

Shaky pitching at the onset of the fourth inning finally allowed the Colonials on base. Freshman Carlee Gray scored off a walk from senior Amanda Zakeri, and senior Tara Fogarty singled to right field, leading to a second Dos Santos run, and a 4-0 lead.

The Colonials then came out in the fifth inning and protected their lead with some strong defense and insurance runs.

“Defensively we played really well. They had a lot of fly outs and a lot of pop-ups off of Courtney [Martin], so our kids were ready for it. They executed everything we worked on in practice everyday”, said Schramm. “There was really no stress and no worry today because I always know defense can make the next play”.

Martin again started for the Colonials during the second game, throwing five solid innings before she was relieved by freshman Meghan Rico, who allowed only one hit in the final two innings to record the victory.  Martin pitched a total of 12 shut out innings over the doubleheader.

The Colonials will take on non-conference rival Georgetown on Tuesday, which Schramm said could be practice for future A-10 match-ups.

“I don’t want to say we’re looking beyond Georgetown, but we’re just shooting Georgetown as a way to prepare for next weekend in our big conference games against Temple and St. Joe’s,” Schramm said.

This post was updated April 28, 2013 to reflect the following:

The Hatchet reported that this was Courtney Martin’s first three-hitter, but it was her first shutout. The Hatchet also reported that the first game was stopped after five innings, but it went the full seven innings. We regret these errors.

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Saturday, April 27, 2013 11:17 p.m.

Men’s tennis advances to fourth straight A-10 finals

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Jake Deitcher.

It appeared almost too easy Saturday for the men’s tennis team.

The Colonials beat Charlotte 4-0 – the second match in a row in which they has failed to lose a point – setting the stage for a fourth straight appearance in the Atlantic 10 title game.

But if you look more closely at the sweep, head coach Greg Munoz said, GW gritted out a win.

Then-freshman Francisco Dias, shown here during the 2011 A-10 tournament. The Colonials will appear tomorrow in their fourth straight A-10 finals. | Hatchet File Photo

“It really wasn’t dominance. Several of the matches that were suspended after we clinched the victory could’ve gone either way and then it could have been a four to three match,” Munoz said. “You go through the tournament and there are different emotions and conditions on each day. You can’t look at the day before. Today we were the stronger and better team.”

The Colonials last defeated the 49ers two weeks ago, 5-1, showing similar strength as they did in today’s semifinal victory.

 The Colonials secured the doubles point after winning matches from the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles position. Junior Nikita Fomin and freshman Danil Zelenkov continued their winning streak from the No. 2 doubles position, winning 7-3 after their opponents elected to retire from the match.

Senior Leo Lapentti and sophomore Francisco Dias earned a quick 8-2 victory from the No. 3 doubles position, giving GW the early 1-0 lead.

The Colonials’ top two singles players set the tone early with their strong and aggressive play. Fomin won in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, from the No. 1 singles position, while Dias also convincingly beat his No. 2 singles opponent in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3.

Junior Ulrik Thomsen would be the one to clinch the finals berth for GW, defeating his No. 5 singles opponent, 6-3, 6-4.

The win set ups a dramatic rematch Sunday against the only team in the conference to beat the Colonials: VCU.

Munoz said he sees the Rams as a more than formidable opponent, and acknowledged that VCU likely has similar views of GW.

“They are the number one seed and they earned it,” Munoz said. “I think we played at their level last time and it was very close. They probably underestimated us that time but they won’t now and they are going to be ready.  We will bring our best energy and bring our best on the court.”

 

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Saturday, April 27, 2013 10:19 a.m.

Women’s lacrosse falls in A-10 semifinals

by The GW Hatchet

Correction appended

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sophia Omuemu.

The last time GW faced nationally ranked Massachusetts, the Colonials lost 10-9 in a hard-fought match that came down to the final minutes.

On Friday, the Colonials eyed victory again, down only 5-4 at the half. But a barrage of UMass goals after the break halted any GW momentum and took the Atlantic 10 semifinals, 13-5.

Sophomore Allie Rash looks for an open teammate in a game earlier this season. Rash scored a goal for the Colonials in their semifinals loss Friday. Hatchet File Photo

“Overall, I thought the defense played well but we didn’t capitalize on our offensive opportunities,” head coach Tara Hannaford said.

Sophomore Rachel Mia got it going early for GW, netting the first goal of the game at the 2:44 mark of the opening half.

The Minutewoman quickly replied with a goal of their own though, and it wasn’t until eight minutes later that junior Lindsey DiAntonio could put the Colonials back on top, 2-1.

“Our team did great in the first half,” Hannaford said. “We played great team defense and we were going hard to goal.”

UMass proceeded to go on a 3-0 run over a span of eight minutes, taking a 4-2 lead with just over four minutes left in the first. Once again, Mia got the offense back on track, netting her second and final goal of the game off an assist from sophomore Jamie Bumgardner.

“On attack, we emphasized moving the ball quickly and driving hard to goal. Defensively, we were focused on good helping team defense,” Hannaford said.

GW closed the second half with high energy, after another assist from Bumgardner led to a goal by sophomore Allie Rash. Rash increased the Colonials’ total to four goals, leaving them down by only one point.

At the half, the Colonials had won six draw controls compared to the Minutewomen’s four, but it was clear that seven GW turnovers had helped UMass garner a 5-4 lead by the break.

“At the half, we just wanted to keep attacking and take care of the ball,” Hannaford said. “Unfortunately, we struggled getting the draw in the second half.”

While the Colonials struggled in the second half, the Minutewomen were clicking on all cylinders, solidifying their lead and victory early. Within the first 13 minutes of play in the half, UMass went  on a 6-0 run.

The Colonials were not able to score until senior Nicole Lacey scored with just over five minutes left to play.  That would be it though.

The Minutewomen netted two more goals to solidify a 13-5 lead and put an end to the Colonials’ season.

The A-10 All-Conference Second Team goalkeeper, Jess Hicks, put away seven shots against the Minutewomen. She finished her four-year career in third on GW’s all-time saves list with 250.

GW wraps the season with a 9-8 overall record, good enough for a fourth seed in this year’s conference tournament.  It was the first time in program history that the Colonials secured a conference tournament bid in consecutive seasons.

“I’m very proud of this team,” Hannaford said. “They fought to the end and worked hard all season.”

This post was updated Saturday, April 27, 2013 to reflect the following:
The Hatchet incorrectly referred to the Colonials as the sixth seed in the Atlantic 10 tournament. They were the fourth seed.

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Friday, April 26, 2013 7:41 p.m.

Men’s tennis dominates in A-10 quarterfinals

by Nick Ong

The Colonials dominated from start to finish Friday, beating Richmond 5-0 to advance to the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship.

Senior Alexander van Gils prepared to return a serve on Senior Day earlier this month. He won his No. 1 doubles match with junior Ulrik Thomsen on Friday to help the Colonials advance to the Atlantic 10 semifinals. Hatchet File Photo

Second-seeded GW, which earned a first-round bye in the tournament, had faced off against the Spiders earlier this season, winning 5-2. But the Colonials saved their best tennis for their second match, winning each of their singles matches in straight sets.

“It felt good today. We are focused and we feel like we are playing our best tennis of the spring,” head coach Greg Munoz said. “It’s tough playing as the higher seed when you are facing a team that you’ve played already this season. They have nothing to lose and will play aggressively. We stayed focused though.”

The Colonials easily secured the first point of the day – the doubles point – after winning all three matches. Junior Nikita Fomin and freshman Danil Zelenkov dominated from the No. 2 doubles position, winning 8-3.

Senior Alex van Gils and junior Ulrik Thomsen prevailed 8-4 in No. 1 doubles, while senior Leo Lapentti and sophomore Francisco Dias earned an 8-4 victory at No. 3 doubles.

“This is the best team we’ve ever put out. Every team we are potentially going to play is a team we’ve faced already,” Munoz said. “Those teams want a shot at us but we are a tough team to defeat. This is a mental game and we need to be prepared to give out best.”

The Colonials continued to dominate in singles. Dias won quickly from the No. 2 singles position, dominating in straight sets, 6-0, 6-2. Zelenkov also finished off his No. 3 singles opponent early in his first ever conference tournament, winning in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. Fomin earned the victory in No. 1 singles, winning, 6-3, 6-2, while junior Viktor Svensson closed out the match for the Colonials by winning, 6-4, 6-1, from the No. 6 position.

The Colonials will play third-seeded Charlotte in the semifinals as they continue to play for their third-straight A-10 title.

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Friday, April 26, 2013 8:49 a.m.

Two women’s water polo players grab all-division honors

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Sean Hurd.

Junior Meghan Brolley shot past a VMI defender in a game earlier this season. Brolley, along with teammate Rachael Bentley, were named to the CWPA All-Southern Division teams. | Hatchet File Photo

As the women’s water polo team makes adjustments in the pool to prepare for this weekend’s College Water Polo Association Eastern Championship, two Colonials will enter the tournament as all-division team players.

Junior attacker Rachael Bentley was named to the CWPA All-Southern Division First Team, and junior Megan Brolley received CWPA All-Southern Division Second Team honors.

The all-division teams are selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches and were announced at the CWPA Eastern Championship Hall of Fame banquet held Thursday evening.

A consistent offensive leader for the Colonials all season, Bentley leads the Colonials (15-14) with 96 points on 42 goals, and a school record 54 assists recorded. The native of Riverside, Calif. became GW’s all-time scoring and assists leader this season with 257 career points and 134 career assists. In addition, her 96 points on the year are just three shy of her own single-season program mark of 99, which she recorded in 2012. Bentley also set a pair of single-game records this season with six assists and 11 points against Iona on March 15.

In addition to her all-division team nod, Bentley has been named Southern Division Player of the Week three times this season, making her just the second Colonial ever to be recognized three times in one year. With Thursday’s recognition, Bentley becomes the 11th First-Team All-South selection in program history and gives GW a first-team honoree for the fifth straight season.

In the pool attacking by Bentley’s side, has been junior attacker Megan Brolley. The reigning Southern Division Player of the Week, Brolley currently boasts the highest career shooting percentage in program history (.522). Her team leading .547 shooting percentage is on pace to be the second-highest single-season mark in program history.

Brolley’s aggressive play leads the Colonials with 39 steals, 35 ejections drawn and six penalties drawn. A native of Delray Beach, Fla., Brolley also ranks second on the team in points (68), third in assists (27) and fourth in goals (41).

Her inclusion on the All-South Second Team gives the Colonials two postseason honorees for the first time since 2011.

The Colonials will return to the pool as the seventh seed this weekend at the University of Michigan, where they are set to play the 10th-seeded Gannon Golden Knights.

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Thursday, April 25, 2013 8:14 a.m.

McCarthy pushes Colonials to victory with arm and bat

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Brennan Murray.

When one player dominates a game from both the pitcher’s mound and the batter’s box, the recognition typically gravitates towards him.

Then-sophomore Owen Beightol slides safely into third base last season. Beightol currently holds a nine game hit streak.  Hatchet File Photo

For senior Tyler McCarthy and the Colonials (15-26, 7-8 A-10) on Wednesday night, the storyline was no different.

McCarthy hurled eight strong innings from the hill, allowing four runs and fanning four UMBC batters.  Then from the plate, he knocked in three, almost single-handedly making up for the blemishes he allowed on the other side.

But there was another factor that helped GW’s non-conference ousting of UMBC. Senior Justin Albright and junior Owen Beightol extended their hitting streaks to seven and nine games, respectively.

If Beightol’s three RBIs paved the way for a Colonials victory, then Albright’s hot streak, during which he has gone 19-31 for a scalding .631 average, indicates that GW’s bats have awoken, and at a crucial time.

The Colonials are sitting in the middle of the pack in the A-10, a spot that will likely advance them to the conference tournament barring a fast downfall. With only three more A-10 series left in the season, the Colonials have a chance to buy themselves a more favorable tournament seeding if they continue to put runs together.

Only two Colonials in the starting lineup failed to reach base on Wednesday.  GW established a lead early and built on it often. With two in the first, third, and fourth innings, the Colonials headed into the bottom of the fourth with a commanding 6-0 lead.

Though McCarthy yielded a pair in the home half of the inning, GW poured on the offense again in the sixth and ninth innings. After coming into a tough spot in the bottom of the ninth, junior Craig LeJeune eventually shut the door on the Retrievers.

On the scoreboard, the Colonials’ offensive success showed: 12-5 GW.

Head coach Gregg Ritchie declined to offer a phone interview on his team’s win.

On Saturday, the Colonials will host non-conference foe James Madison for a doubleheader at Barcroft Park.

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013 12:50 a.m.

Zelenkov again named top A-10 rookie

by Nick Ong

Freshman Danil Zelenkov earned Atlantic 10 Co-Rookie of the Week honors this past week, after winning in both singles and doubles matches against conference rival VCU.

Courtesy of GW Athletics Communicationsa

Zelenkov prevailed in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2, at the No. 3 singles position, giving GW their only singles victory in a 4-2 loss against VCU. Zelenkov, while paired with junior Nikita Fomin at No. 2 doubles, won 8-5 to help GW earn the doubles point.

The award marks the fifth straight week now that the rookie has earned the honors, and sets a conference record as his seventh time this season. Zelenkov will enter the A-10 Championship this weekend with an eight-match winning streak in singles and a six-match winning streak at doubles.

The Colonials will try to win the A-10 for the third straight season.

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Wednesday, April 24, 2013 12:37 a.m.

Colonials’ bats go quiet, fall to UMES

by Nick Ong

Before the Colonials put a run on the scoreboard, they were already in a hole their offense would not be able to lift them out of.

Senior Justin Albright manned shortstop for the Colonials during a game earlier this season against Richmond. Albright has a six-game hitting streak. Hatchet File Photo by Cameron Lancaster | Hatchet Photographer

The reigning Atlantic 10 player of the week, senior Justin Albright extended his hitting streak to six straight, but only recorded one hit. Meanwhile, junior Owen Beightol also extended his hitting streak to eight straight games.

Neither upperclassmen though could help GW (14-26, 7-8) scrape more than one run in their 4-1 home loss to University of Maryland – Eastern Shore (7-36), a game that was originally scheduled for March 6 but was postponed until Tuesday.

Following a weekend series win against A-10 foe Fordham, the Colonials could not find the offensive output needed to support their starting pitcher, freshman  Danny O’Donnell, who yielded three runs on eight hits in five innings of work.

The first two runs he gave up came in the second and fourth innings, as O’Donnell gave up a double that led to one run and then an RBI single.

GW threatened to come back in the bottom of the fourth with back-to-back singles to lead off the bottom half of the inning. But then a double play quickly turned the tempered rally, as the Colonials would only put one run on the scoreboard with an RBI double down the right field line by freshman Eric Kalman.

But that would be it – GW would not score again.

UMES only added to their lead in the fifth, scoring a third run off O’Donnell by way of a two-out single. The fifth inning would be O’Donnell’s final inning of work. Freshman Luke Olsen came in for relief in the sixth to finish the rest of the game, holding the Eagles to one more run.

Albright extended his hitting streak in the right with a lead off single. A pop up, strike out and then a fly out quickly ended any potential late inning threat.

The Colonials are set for road action again tomorrow against UMBC.

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013 8:18 p.m.

David Pellom to transfer to Memphis

by Nick Ong

Almost a month after David Pellom was granted a release from the men’s basketball team, the senior forward will officially leave the Colonials to head to the University of Memphis.

Then-junior forward David Pellom drives to the basket during the 2011-2012 season. He’ll head to Memphis and be able to play immediately. Hatchet File Photo

The news was first reported by The Commercial Appeal, a Tennessee newspaper, Tuesday night.

His official transfer marks an offseason in which head coach Mike Lonergan has seen two other players – sophomore Jonathan Davis and senior Lasan Kromah – leave the program. Former recruit Nigel Johnson also decommitted to head to Kansas State, another sour note in the Colonials’ offseason.

Following his release on March 26, Pellom still had the opportunity to return to GW for his final season of eligibility, though that was always an unlikely scenario. With Memphis, Pellom will be able to play right away as a graduate student transfer.

Pellom’s departure leaves junior forward Nemaja Mikic as the final player on the roster who was recruited by former Colonials’ head coach Karl Hobbs.

The news officially opens up another roster and scholarship slot for next year’s team, even after the offseason additions of Nick Griffin, Skyler White and Miguel Cartagena.

Pellom did not play a single game for the Colonials this past season, sidelined by a series of surgeries in the offseason, as well as a lingering left wrist issue.  During his junior season, Pellom led GW in rebounds, averaging 6.1 a game over 27 games. On the offensive side, he set a single-season shooting record on 68.5 percent shooting.

 

 

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Tuesday, April 23, 2013 6:22 p.m.

Women’s water polo players sweep Southern Division awards

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Nora Princiotti.

Junior Megan Brolley shoots past a VMI defender in Saturday’s game against the Keydets. Brolley had three goals in the game. Hatchet File Photo by Jordan Leon | Hatchet Photographer

GW took home all three of the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Southern Division awards this past week.

Junior Megan Brolley earned her first career Player of the Week honors, while sophomore goalkeeper Chandler Vilander notched her second Defensive Player of the Week award of the season. Freshman Erin Donoghue was awarded her third Rookie of the Week title this year.

Brolley was critical in GW’s final game of the regular season, a 12-10 victory over VMI Saturday.  She led the team with three goals in that contest and drew both an ejection and a penalty. This season she has scored a career-high and team-second 68 points.

In between the pipes, Vilander posted 10 saves, three steals and an assist in the VMI contest, good for a .500 save percentage. The win helped propel her to a career-high 171 blocked shots this season.

Also against the Keydets, Donoghue contributed two goals, three steals and three ejections. Her 43 goals this year rank second on the team.

The Colonials (15-14) begin postseason play this weekend at the CWPA Eastern Championship in Ann Arbor, Mich. GW is seeded seventh and begins the three-day tournament Friday against No. 10 seed Gannon University.

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