MOC sports roundup

Published in Sports on October 1, 2004 1:56 PM

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All of the Mount Olive College fall sports teams take to the road this weekend as the soccer teams go west, the cross country teams head north and the volleyball team heads way up north.

The Mount Olive men's and women's cross country teams head to Richmond, Va., today to compete in the Ukrop's X-Country Festival at Maymont. The women's 5k race begins at 4:30 p.m., followed by the men's 8k race at 5 p.m.

Mount Olive is one of seven colleges competing in the race, which features Division I, Division II and Division III schools. Tim Insley has been the top men's finisher in the Trojans' first two races this season, while Becky Garrod has been the Trojans' top women's finisher.

The Trojan volleyball team is in Clarion, Pa., this weekend to compete in the Holiday Inn Classic, hosted by Clarion University. They play three matches in pool play, taking on Alderson-Broaddus and Slippery Rock this afternoon; then taking on Marietta Saturday morning. Playoffs in the eight-team tournament get underway Saturday at noon. Mount Olive (12-5) is coming off a 3-0 loss against Lees-McRae Tuesday.

Mount Olive will likely be without the services of Anna Luft, who suffered an ankle injury in Tuesday's match.

An eight-match winning streak and sole possession of first place in the NCAA Division II Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference women's soccer standings are on the line as Mount Olive travels to Belmont to face Belmont Abbey on Saturday. Mount Olive (9-1-0, 4-1-0 CVAC) and Belmont Abbey (4-7-0, 4-0-0) are currently tied for first place in the CVAC standings.

The Trojans have won four consecutive CVAC matches since losing their conference opener at Pfeiffer on Sept. 1.

The Mount Olive men's soccer team hopes to get back on the winning track and gain sole possession of second place in the CVAC standings as the Trojans face Belmont Abbey in the second half of a soccer doubleheader. Mount Olive (8-2, 4-0-0 CVAC) is tied with Belmont Abbey (4-2-2, 4-0-0) for second place in the conference standings.

Ranked No. 5 in the NSCAA/Adidas Southeast Region Division II rankings, the Trojans are coming off a physical 2-0 loss Wednesday against regionally top-ranked and nationally seventh-ranked UNC Pembroke. Mount Olive has outscored its first four conference opponents 21-5.

Along with the fall sports, members of the men's and women's tennis teams will be in Wilson this weekend to compete in the Division II Wilson/ITA Mid-Atlantic Regional Championships, administered by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association. The tournament will help determine preseason national and regional singles and doubles rankings.

Worrell ranked nationally

MOUNT OLIVE -- Cory Worrell is ranked among the nation's top five men's soccer scoring leaders and Melanie Cobb is ranked among the top 10 women's soccer scoring leaders as Mount Olive College is ranked in several team and individual categories in this week's NCAA Division II men's and women's soccer statistics reports.

Worrell is ranked fourth nationally in goals per game with 13 goals in nine matches for a 1.44 average. He is also ranked fifth in points per game with 29 points (13 goals, three assists) for a 3.22 average.

Reid Clewis ranks 18th in both categories with 2.56 points and 1.00 goals per contest. Warren Atkins is tied for second in the nation in assists per game with a 1.11 average. He has 10 assists in nine matches.

Goalkeeper Chris Roush is ranked at No. 30 with a 0.93 goals against average.

As a team, Mount Olive has the second-highest scoring average with 5.00 goals per game. The Trojans' .889 winning percentage is tied for the 10th-highest in the nation.

On the women's side, Cobb is tied for fifth in goals per game with 15 goals in nine matches for a 1.67 average. She ranks seventh in points per game with 32 points (15 goals, two assists) for a 3.22 average.

Heidi Philip is tied for second in assists per game with nine assists in nine matches for a 1.00 average. Her five assists against Converse (S.C.) College remains the highest single-game total of the season and is one shy of the all-time Division II record.

Goalkeeper Heather Ressler ranks 26th in the nation with a 0.66 goals against average.

As a team, Mount Olive is tied for fourth in goals per game with a 4.78 scoring average. The Trojans' 0.66 goals against average comes in at No. 27 in the nation. Mount Olive's .889 winning percentage is tied for the 14th-highest in the nation.

All statistics are through games of Sept. 26. Statistics do not include Tuesday's women's soccer match against Methodist or Wednesday's men's soccer match against UNC Pembroke.

MOC Sports Information