The men’s tennis team has been waiting for its chance to get back on the court since inclement weather disrupted the end of the Big East Tournament last year.
Newly appointed Head Coach Bryan Getz was given the job this summer after serving as the interim coach last season. Getz led the Hurricanes to a No. 33 rank in the nation and a No.1 seed going into the Big East Tournament.
“Our guys are as hungry as ever going into the season, especially after not being able to finish the deal last year,” Getz said.
Last year’s leader Todd Widom will be missed as he has decided to turn pro. Widom was a key part in the team’s successful campaign last season. Getz feels the team can still be as good or even better without Widom.
“There have been some personnel changes, but as for attitude and work ethic it is just as good as it was [last year],” Getz said.
The injury bug bit the Hurricanes more times than they would have liked last season. The team has five lettermen returning this season, which is one reason why Getz has his goals set high.
“Our main goal is to win the Big East again,” Getz said. “We’d also like to do well in the NCAA Tournament, but we have to concentrate on the Big East first.”
The ‘Canes will be looking to make their eighth consecutive appearance at the NCAA Tournament after posting a 13-8 record a year ago.
UM will have one senior, one junior, five sophomores, and one freshman seeing action this season. Two leaders returning from last year are sophomores Eric Hechtman and Colin Purcell. Hechtman posted 22 wins as a freshman and Purcell recorded a 10-4 record in singles play.
The lone freshman on the team is Josh Cohen out of Weston, Florida. Also in the ‘Canes lineup are senior Luis Fernando Manrique and junior Jonathan Ounjian. Rounding out the group of five sophomores are Tim Krebs, John Hoyes II, and Jeremiah Fuller.
“Even though the rankings have not come out yet for this season, after last year, we should definitely be ranked,” Getz said.
Although Getz knows that in any sport a team has to look at one match at a time, there are some match-ups that stick out on the schedule.
“Anytime we play our rivals like Florida State or Florida it’s a big deal,” Getz said. “Any match against a Big East team is also very important, but we know not to look ahead.”
The Hurricanes will open up the season this weekend at the UM Fall Classic. Alabama, University of Central Florida, and NC State will be involved in the all-weekend event at the Neil Schiff Tennis Center.
Miami is set to play Friday at 2PM against NC State, Saturday at 2PM against Alabama, and will close out play on Sunday against UCF at 1PM.

For most people during this time of the year, football is a religion. But in Manhattan Beach, California, the hometown of junior libero Jamie Grass, volleyball, not football, is away of life.
From a young age Grass was submersed in a beach town where volleyball was everywhere. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that Grass began competitive volleyball at age 12.
Grass didn’t take long to excel when arriving at Mira Costa High School, where she was a four-letter winner in volleyball. She led the Mustangs to three straight Bay League Championships, and in her senior year won the CIF Division 1-A Championship as well. Grass clearly illustrates you can take her out of California but you can’t take California out of her.
Her love affair with Manhattan Beach had to be put on hold, as she moved over 3,000 miles away to the University of Miami. Grass chose UM because of the promising future of the program led by Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch.
Grass apparently isn’t very bad at decision-making, considering that in Lantagne Welch’s first two years as head coach the team has amassed a record of 44-12, including winning the first 15 games of the season in 2002. In her sophomore season with the ‘Canes, Grass made the transition to starting libero, the most defensively oriented position on the floor. In 2002, Grass averaged 4.23 digs per game, including a career high 40 digs in a dramatic five game win over Virginia Tech.
During the off-season Grass was involved with the Spoilers club team and played in beach leagues. In 2000, Grass was the winner of the Junior National Beach Championship and qualified as a member of the U.S. Junior National Beach Squad.
Grass continued beach volleyball in 2001, where she received a silver medal at the Junior Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia and her team represented the United States at the World Championships in Nice, France.
Grass certainly has a volleyball player’s mentality, finding no major differences between the beach and indoor formats.
“[There are] minor details, instead of a hardwood floor it’s sand, and instead of six players it’s two,” Grass said.
The outlook for the 2003 season is a promising one, thanks to the veteran experience Grass brings to the libero position.
“I see everything on the floor, especially from the back [of the court],” Grass said.
The ‘Canes have started the 2003 season 7-3; recently suffering a tough loss to Northwestern.
“We shouldn’t worry about the loss because we have bigger things to worry about,” Grass said.
Grass has her eyes on the Big East Tournament after losing to Notre Dame in the conference finals last year. Grass also intends to be in contention for the Big East Libero of the Year Award.
“I can break down the game and look for other players on the court,” Grass said.
The volleyball team will participate in the Florida State Tournament beginning today. After being asked how excited she was for the upcoming tournament.
“I’m stoked,” she said.
Spencer Weinkle can be reached at Fontier34@aol.com.

Men’s Cross-Country
Hurricane sophomore Alex Brutvan finished first for the second consecutive meet to lead the University of Miami to a sweep of the top seven spots at the FIU/Lourdes Cross Country Invitational at Tamiami Park in Miami, FL.
The win for Miami (15 points) is its second in as many meets this season. The Hurricanes also swept the Palm Beach Atlantic Sailfish Invitational on August 30th. St. Thomas took second (61 points) with host Florida International finishing third (65 points).
Brutvan completed the 8,000-meter course in a time of 25:20.62 for his second collegiate victory of the season. Freshman Tom Berry was also impressive finishing second in a time of 26:02.42.
UM sophomore James Mullaly was third (26:25.51), freshman Zach Castiglione finished fourth (26:34.69) while junior Bill Bludgus closed out the Hurricane scoring with a fifth-place finish (26:41.75).
Other Hurricane finishers included freshmen Seth Kampf who took sixth (26:51.48) and Jon Scheiner who finished seventh (26:56.76).
The team will look to continue their winning ways September 26 at the Great American Cross Country Festival in Cary, NC.

Women’s Basketball
The 2003-2004 Miami women’s basketball schedule features 13 games against teams that advanced to postseason play last season, including three Sweet 16 teams and defending NCAA Champion Connecticut.
Miami’s schedule consists of 14 home games played in the new home of Hurricane basketball, the Convocation Center. This will be the first season UM plays its entire home schedule in the newly constructed arena. Miami also has a total of 13 road games.
Miami opens up its tough schedule with five straight non-conference road games in just eight days. The Hurricanes travel to the Morehead State Tournament on November 22nd before heading to Tampa to face South Florida then out to California to close out the month and participate in the Saint Mary’s tournament
Miami opens the home portion of its schedule with a six-game home stand beginning Dec. 2 with cross-town rival Florida International.
UM then faces rival Florida on Dec. 12 before hosting Dartmouth and Richmond. The Hurricanes round out non-conference play hosting the Gatorade Holiday Classic on December 28th with Vanderbilt, Toledo and Rhode Island participating in the tournament.
The Hurricanes open their Big East schedule in January on a three-game road swing traveling to face St. John’s, Villanova, and Boston College.
Highlighting the Hurricanes home Big East schedule is NCAA Sweet Sixteen qualifier Notre Dame and Rutgers who advanced to the second round of the NCAA tourney.
UM will have Big East road clashes with postseason teams Villanova, BC, defending national champion Connecticut, Virginia Tech and ND.
The Hurricanes will play two exhibition games on Nov. 3 and Nov. 17.

Volleyball
The University of Miami’s Robin Lewullis and Jill Robinson earned Big East honors on Monday, Sept. 15 as Lewullis was selected as the Big East Co-Player of the Week and Robinson was named the Big East Rookie of the Week for their performances at last weekend’s Orange and Green Challenge.
Lewullis, a sophomore from Allentown, Pa., established herself as one of the Hurricanes best all-around players at the tournament posting a .548 hitting percentage in 10 games. Lewullis also collected 42 kills along with 14 blocking assists to lead the Hurricanes to victories over George Mason and Columbia at the tournament and was named to the Orange and Green’s All-Tournament Team. St. John’s Jackie Ahlers joined Lewullis as Co-Player of the Week.
In her first start as a Hurricane, Jill Robinson totaled 48 assists and led four Hurricanes to double figures in kills in a 3-0 win over George Mason. The freshman from Merced, Calif. followed that performance with two straight double-double matches against Columbia and Northwestern, posting 41 assists and 11 digs over Columbia while collecting 39 assists and 12 digs over Northwestern.
The Hurricanes will return to action on Friday, traveling to Tallahassee, Fla. to take part in the Florida State Tournament on Sept. 19-20. Miami will face Eastern Kentucky at 2 p.m. to kick off the weekend before taking on FSU at 8 p.m. UM’s match with FSU will be broadcast live on the Sunshine Network.

Every season, the football team has star players emerge out of nowhere. This year, Ryan Moore has blossomed into one of the country’s best young talents.
Moore, a red-shirt freshman, was one of the top players in the nation and a First Team All-American in high school. He was also considered the best two-sport recruit in Florida, playing both football and basketball.
“Ryan Moore is an outstanding player and a great athlete,” Head Coach Larry Coker said. “He could probably play college basketball, he has great hands and I think you will see him get better and better as his career progresses.”
Moore’s transition to the University of Miami was not easy because the wide receiver was in a new role his first year. He had to play the waiting game by sitting out as a red shirt, something Moore was not used to doing.
“I learned a lot as a red shirt. I took a ton of mental reps and I learned from Andre Johnson, Kevin Beard, and those guys,” Moore said. “It was really hard to sit out because I wasn’t used to doing that. It hurt me a little bit. I didn’t even care what I did, I just wanted to play but I wasn’t able to.”
However, being on the scout team was definitely the right decision in Moore’s mind. He was able to practice with Brock Berlin, and the two have a strong chemistry as a result. Plus, he learned from his teammates and became a better all-around player.
“Being on the scout team for a year made him a better player because he had Brock Berlin throwing the ball to him and he got to sit and watch,” Coker said. “Another year of maturity really helped him.”
Moore’s progress has been fun for ‘Canes fans to watch. He came into the season as a backup who would see some playing time, but his early season performance has earned him a spot with the starting squad.
“Coming into the season, my goal was to earn a spot in the rotation and to just get better,” Moore said. “I’ve done that and now I have an opportunity to start, so I’m just trying to take advantage of that.”
Last season, when Moore was trying to deal with not playing, the person who kept him in a positive frame of mind was his mother. When Moore got frustrated, his mother was the voice of reason.
“My mom inspires me because she helped me go through all the stuff that happened last year and she made me realize that everything happens for a reason,” Moore said. “She always looked at everything in a positive light.”
Along with the support of his mother, Moore has his grandmother, his great grandmother, and his 16-year old sister to cheer him on. When things are not going well, it is the support of his family that really helps him stay focused and determined.
“When things aren’t going very well, I really try to focus so that I don’t get off of my game,” Moore said. “I am very lucky to have a lot of people that care for me. Everybody around me is looking out for what is best for me and that really helps.”
Despite his success, Moore remains modest, trying to get along with everybody. Most importantly, he will do whatever it takes to win games.
“I’m a competitor and I don’t like to lose,” Moore said. “If I do lose, you can expect that I will have an attitude about it and come back everyday and try to win. I just want to win.”

Intramural Reminders

Cane Craze is just around the corner and it is an ALL-NIGHTER this year! Be sure to sign up for this co-rec event by Wednesday, September 24 at the Wellness Center.

Flag Football
Preseason games
Bite Me – 44
Suck It – 0

Team Law – 39
Suck It – 6

The Boozers – 37
Chi Alpha – 0

The Boozers – 32
Dem Cats – 13
Misfits – 36
Krusty – 10

Regulators – 35
Windward Wildcats – 7

RT 8 Balls – 19
Ballin Boyz – 14

Windward Wildcats – 23
Ballin Boyz – 18
Regulators – 32
RT 8 Balls – 14

Scrubs – Women – 12
Tenacity – 6

Scrubs – Women – 19
Get Lucky – 13

Surgeons – Women – 14
Tenacity – 0
Juvenile – 49
Liquid Courage – 0

Juvenile – 41
Scrubs – Men – 6

Macro-orchidism – 44
Liquid Courage – 0

Zeta Beta Tau – 18
Pi Kappa Alpha – 13
Sigma Phi Epsilon – 14
Alpha Sigma Phi – 13

Sigma Phi Epsilon – 14
Zeta Beta Tau – 13

Alpha Sigma Phi – 12
Lambda Chi Alpha – 6

Sigma Alpha Mu – 13
Sigma Alpha Epsilon – 12

DPT 1 – 19
Animal House – 12

Sizzle this Dizzle – 24
$$ – 12

$$ – 18
Animal House – 8

Sizzle this Dizzle – 25
Springs Boys – 21

Wahine – 19
PT Players – 2006 – 0

PT Players – 2006 – 15
Walsh 9’ers – 13

Wahine – 13
Pigskin Pussycats – 0

Dawson’s Cheeks – 8
Tea Bags – 0

Camel Toes – 30
Cunning Linguists – 0

Dawson’s Cheeks – 24
Cunning Linguists – 0

Camel Toes – 13
Surgeons – Men – 6

Disasters – 19
Scented Tony Danzas – 7

R.D.’s – 19
Booty Jackers – 6

Disasters – 12
Booty Jackers – 7

R.D.’s – 27
Scented Tony Danzas – 0

Bozak – 18 (OT)
Miami Hurrigangsters – 12

3L Scrubs – 20
GBSA – 0

3L Scrubs – 2
Bozak – 0

Soo Tough – 30
GBSA – 0

Kappa Kappa Gamma – 7
Delta Delta Delta – 0

Spirals – 7
Da Kine – 0

Dirty – 14
Legal Beagles – 6

Team Highlight – 21
Air Show – 0

Legal Beagles – 13
Air Show – 12

Wasps – 21
Dirty – 12

Shock & Aww – 21
The Agents – 0

Old School – 19
The Department – 0

Old School – 33
Shock & Aww – 27

The Department – 32
The Agents – 7

Eagles not scared of Hurricanes

In 1984 Boston College defeated Miami in one of the greatest college football games ever played. The game, coined “Hail Flutie” after BC quarterback Doug Flutie completed a 60-yard, last-second pass to beat the ‘Canes, would end up being the last time that UM lost to BC.
Miami has won the last 13 meetings between these two teams, but it seems that every time the ‘Canes head up to Chestnut Hill almost anything can happen. When the two teams meet this Saturday at 7:45, expect nothing less than another thriller.
“Up there it’s just been a crazy game,” Head Coach Larry Coker said.
“Crazy” might be an understatement regarding what has happened when the ‘Canes visit Bean Town.
During the Hurricanes’ 2001 national championship season, their biggest scare came against a scrappy BC team that almost played the role of David to UM’s Goliath. Due to the heroics of Mike Rumph’s knee, which deflected a goal-line pass into Matt Walter’s arms, which Ed Reed then stole and returned for a touchdown, UM eked out a heart-stopping 18-7 win.
The three trips to BC prior to the 2001 game ended with margins of three points or less each time. In ’99 UM staged their largest comeback ever and in ’97 the ‘Canes prevailed in the Big East’s first ever overtime game.
If a trip to BC doesn’t seem exciting enough then add in the fact that the Hurricanes may never go back. This game marks the beginning of Miami’s Big East farewell tour since they will join the ACC along with Virginia Tech next season.
“I hope it’s the victory tour. I really haven’t thought about it being a final tour. It’s going to be a tough tour. We’ve just got to play well and get started at Boston College,” Coker said.
By the way, BC fans probably aren’t too happy about the ‘Canes leaving the Big East and, along with it, the Eagles’ football future hanging in the balance. But UM doesn’t seem concerned about fans.
“Fans are going to be fans,” offensive lineman Vernon Carey said. “We’ve got to take them out of the game and then they won’t have anything to say.”
The hostile environment combined with a team looking to beat the ‘Canes for the first time in 19 years could spell disaster if UM doesn’t bring everything they have. The upset bug has already spread to many of the top teams and BC could have the right recipe to upset UM in their last league meeting.
Boston College features a dangerous running attack led by a huge offensive line and shifty running back Derrick Knight, who leads the Big East in rushing.
“We know we have a tremendous challenge at BC,” Coker said. “They’re very physical and they have very large offensive and defensive linemen and they run well on defense. Derrick Knight, their running back, speaks for himself.”
Knight’s stats are impressive, having rushed for 2,480 yards in his career and 157 yards per game this season. If Boston College comes out on top after Saturday, Knight could use this game as a stepping-stone to the Heisman, the way Flutie used the “Hail Mary” to vault himself into the lead for the coveted trophy.
After losing the season opener to an upstart Wake Forest squad, the Eagles went into hostile Happy Valley and manhandled Penn State. Last week they beat a much-improved Connecticut team.
If BC wins this game it would send them well into the top 25 rankings and give them a good chance at winning the Big East and earning a BCS Bowl birth. However, Miami is not just traveling to Boston for the seafood. They need this win just as much as BC.
“I don’t think it’s just another road game. It’s a very important road game for us because it is a league game,” Coker said. “If we’re going to be a good football team we have to handle it.”

Nate Johnson can be reached at NPJ44@aol.com