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Sports | Hockey

ICE HOCKEY

Thou shall kill: Icers nix power plays

James Jahnke
November 29, 2001

In addition to sitting atop the CCHA standings, MSU also leads many of the league’s team statistical categories.Through 13 games, the Spartans have scored more goals (3.62 per game) while giving up fewer (1.69) and have also killed off a greater percentage of opponents’ power plays (.894) than any other team.MSU head coach Ron Mason particularly enjoys that third statistic.“Our penalty kill’s been phenomenal,” MSU head coach Ron Mason said of the unit that is ranked eighth nationally.

SPORTS

Titans shoot, turnover like U

Aaron Johnson
November 28, 2001

The statistics haven’t been pretty, but the MSU women’s basketball team has put together a winning record early in its season. The Spartans (4-1) look to continue their success as they take on Detroit (1-1) at 7 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL

Hartley says goodbye with win

Dan Woike
November 27, 2001

When junior middle blocker Angela Morley stepped behind the service line with the score 29-24 Saturday night against Indiana at Jenison Field House, fellow Spartan volleyball player senior outside hitter Erin Hartley took a look around.And she didn’t look specifically at anything, she looked at what would soon be just a memory.“There were certain times out on the court, like when it was 29-24, when I said to myself, ‘this is the last point before I’m done here,’” Hartley said.

FOOTBALL

Thornhill rewarded for abilities

Justin A. Rice
November 27, 2001

MSU senior linebacker Josh Thornhill was selected Monday as the recipient of the John S. Pingel Award by the Michigan Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame. The Pingel award, based on academic and athletic performance, is named in honor of the former Spartan All-America halfback and National Football Foundation Hall of Famer.

SOCCER

Hoosiers end soccer teams NCAA hopes

Aaron Johnson
November 26, 2001

Bloomington, Ind. - The MSU men’s soccer team met Indiana for the third time this season Sunday and the outcome was the same. Indiana (15-3-1 overall) defeated MSU 1-0 in the second round of the CAA Tournament on Sunday at Bill Armstrong Stadium. With the loss, the Spartans’ first tournament season in 32 years is over, and fourth-seeded Indiana advances to the third round to play Rutgers. “I thought we were a little nervous early,” head coach Joe Baum said.

VOLLEYBALL

Team topples No. 21 Illinois, Indiana

Dan Woike
November 26, 2001

For the MSU volleyball team, the present is much sweeter than the past.A little more than a month ago, the Spartans had just finished off the first half of their Big Ten schedule with a paltry 4-6 conference record.But after a 3-0 sweep over No.

SPORTS

Team goes 1-1 over holiday break

Dan Woike
November 26, 2001

After toppling Monmouth on Wednesday night, the Spartan women’s basketball team fell Saturday to host Florida International in the championship game of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic.FIU upended the Spartans 69-56. Poor shooting in the first half slowed the Spartans (4-1) and resulted in a Golden Panthers (4-1) lead as big as 20 early on.The Spartans went to the locker room trailing 38-20.But MSU improved on its 31 percent first-half field-goal percentage to shoot 50 percent in the second half.MSU cut the FIU lead to 13 on a three-point basket by junior guard Vnemina Reese, but with the basket coming with only two minutes remaining, the Golden Panthers’ lead was safe.Reese, who had 20 points and five rebounds, represented the Spartans on the FIU Thanksgiving Classic All-Tournament team.On Wednesday, the Spartans got off to another slow start against Monmouth (2-2) and trailed for the game’s first eight and a half minutes.But after sophomore forward Julie Pagel knotted the score on two free throws, the Spartans grabbed their first lead of the night on a hoop from junior forward Syreeta Bromfield.Another Bromfield basket increased the Spartan lead to four at 16-12.

FOOTBALL

Spartans crumble in third quarter

Justin A. Rice
November 26, 2001

The MSU football team scored on every possession in the first half, except its last when sophomore quarterback Jeff Smoker took a knee.Then it put up a doughnut in the third quarter.Even though Penn State allowed the most points in a half Saturday since MSU scored 35 in the second half in 1997, MSU turned complacent in the third quarter, sophomore linebacker Mike Labinjo said.“We came out in the third quarter and a different team showed up,” Labinjo said.

SPORTS

Reception set for Van Pelt

Paul Day
November 21, 2001

Former MSU two-time All-American defensive back Brad Van Pelt will be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame at the National Football Foundation’s 44th annual banquet in New York City next month. Van Pelt was on campus Monday to talk about his latest honor. “Besides (former MSU head coach) Duffy Daugherty sliding that piece of paper in front of me and the New York Giants giving me the phone call, this has got to be the most exciting moment for me in my sports career,” the Owosso native said. A reception honoring the 1973 second-round NFL draft pick will be held from 6 to 8 p.m.