In most cases, it takes a great deal of time for a young athlete to develop into their own at the collegiate level. For budding sophomore star Valeria Tipiana, time was apparently unnecessary.

After finishing second on the team in digs (208) and third in kills (192) last year as only a freshman, Tipiana is already on pace to surpass both of those plateaus, as well as a few others, by season’s end.

Besides currently leading her team (prior to Wednesday night’s game) in attack percentage (.347), she is also second in kills (134), third in digs (92), and fourth in blocks (23). It is more than obvious that all of her hard work during the off-season has paid off.

“I did a lot more weight training during the summer than ever before,” said Tipiana, an outside hitter originally from Lima, Peru. “I believe it is something that has helped me most in improving my game overall this year.”

Tipiana’s smooth skills make things look easy out on the volleyball court, but there were some bumps in the road on the way to instant success. Moving to the United States straight from Peru was not an easy adjustment.

“During my freshman year, I felt uncomfortable at times because I didn’t speak English very well,” said Tipiana. “I felt like I wasn’t being very clear when I spoke it.”

Just as she did with her game, Tipiana quickly improved on her English and is now more comfortable with herself both on and off the court. Success in both of those areas has resulted in a leadership role on the team and higher expectations from her coach, Nicole Welch.

“The team now sees her as another leader,” said Welch. “She has vastly improved, and I think she has the potential and athletic ability to earn such awards as All-conference and All-region while she’s here.”

As for now, Tipiana has already been named the Big East Player of the Week for her performance at the Wichita State Tournament (August 30-31), where she also won tournament MVP. Her determination and hard work has definitely paid off on the court, but Tipiana hopes that she can also carry her success off the court as she intends to pursue a career in medicine.

“I study as much as I can when I’m not playing volleyball. I want to be a doctor of some sort when I’m all done with school,” said Tipiana.

Whether it’s academics, volleyball, or life in general, Tipiana is showing to be triumphant in every aspect. The sky is the limit for this young athlete.

Right now, Tipiana continues to be a key component on the 11-0 women’s volleyball team as it drives towards a Big East Championship. The future is uncertain for everyone, but you could be sure about one thing for this star-in-the-making: She’s the real deal.

You can reach Kevan Melchiorre at Kmm102683@aol.com.

With Isidore safely out in the Gulf and Lili heading for Haiti, the only Hurricanes threatening our area Wednesday night were on the volleyball court. Remaining undefeated, the UM women’s volleyball team took the Hatters of Stetson University by storm, winning the match 3-0.

The ‘Canes were coming off a 3-0 sweep of Florida Atlantic University last Friday, in which Marcela Gamarra led the team with 12 kills and 13 digs.

In the first game, the ‘Canes seemed to be having slight communication problems. After a much-needed time out, things still didn’t seemed to be picking up for them. Balls were getting hung up in the rafters, and routine plays were being missed. The attitude that has kept this team with the nation’s longest winning streak (23 in a row) pulled through once again, however, and the errors were quickly mended. The ‘Canes rolled right back, making even the most technical digs seems easy.

“There was some confusion in the beginning but then we got together and worked it out,” said sophomore outside hitter Valeria Tipiana.

Tipiana led the team in kills, with fourteen on the night.

Stetson started off the second game answering back to the loss they’d been handed. The ‘Canes seemed a little frazzled but got back on their feet. After an ace courtesy of freshman Karla Johnson, their groove held out for a 30-18 victory.

“We knew we had the talent to beat them,” said UM head coach Nicole Welch, “It’s just a matter of fighting harder.”

And fight harder they did, coming back from an eight point deficit in the third game. At the start, UM seemed determined to finish Stetson off, but it would not be so easy. More communication problems led to a very slow-moving score increase.

In a near minute-long volley, Stetson had the last word and the gym went silent. The shift in momentum didn’t last long, however.

The Hatters had surged ahead 24-16, but Miami outside hitter Elizabeth Tyson would have none of it, delivering a key block followed by a kill to start the ‘Canes’ comeback streak.

“After being down so many points, we had to focus and say ‘this is our game and we have to win it,'” said Tipiana. “Every team has their momentum and I think they lost theirs and we were able to come back.”

A fourth game seemed inevitable when Stetson readied for a game-point serve. The UM frontline blocking talent, however, prevented it. At 30-30, the electrified crowd increased the wind speed of the storm, and the Hurricanes left the necessary two unanswered points for a win in their path.

“I’m really proud of how we played in the third game,” said Welch. “I thought we had a lot of character and poise to come back…Stetson played with a tremendous amount of heart and that’s something we’ve learned from them and hopefully can put to use in our future matches.”

As for the performance of the team: “you’re never satisfied with yourself so you’re always working harder,” said Tipiana.

The entire squad seemed to echo these sentiments Wednesday night.

Sophomores Elizabeth Tyson and Jamie Grass led the Hurricanes in digs, each with 13.

The ‘Canes begin Big East play on the road this weekend when they battle Boston College tomorrow and Providence College Sunday.

The Miami men’s cross country team, coming off a victory in their first meet of the season at the UCF Invitational earlier this month, will compete today in The Great American Classic in Charlotte, N C.

The 8K race is the largest regular season invite the Miami cross-country team has ever received and probably the most competitive meet the Hurricanes have ever endured.

“It’s a national class meet that gives us a great opportunity to run against some of the top teams in the country,” head coach Mike Ward said. “It allows us to see where our individuals are, and most importantly, it will prepare us for our Big East competition this season. Our goal is to be competitive and finish better than the teams we know we are capable of defeating.”

The competition includes local rivals Florida and Florida State and six teams ranked in the top-25 – No. 5 Northern Arizona University, No. 7 North Carolina State, No. 8 Georgetown, No. 16 Colorado State, No. 19 Duke, and No. 23 Butler. Miami understands it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to defeat the ranked teams, but they feel, at the very least, it will prepare them for their challenging league play this season.

“Competing against top caliber teams will pull you towards a faster time,” said senior Dan Boniface, Miami’s No. 1 runner. “It will be a good test for our team to measure up against better competition. We want to beat the teams we have competed against before, most notably our state rivals UF and FSU.”

Both Ward and Boniface don’t expect to defeat the top teams in the nation, but they do want to leave the meet a better team than they entered.

“The teams competing are traditionally very good teams who year after year perform well at nationals,” Boniface said. “A lot of All-Americans come out of this meet, and it’s a goal of mine to become one.”

The Great American Classis is held at the Ballantyne Resort, a former hunting preserve nestled in the foothills of the southern Piedmont.

The 8K cross-country course weaves through wooded sections adjacent to an 18-hole golf course, over lush grass lawns on the golf course fairways, around lakes and ponds, and over ridges with vast panoramic views of the Piedmont.

The course will be extremely challenging and is one of the only southern courses with an all grass running surface.

“This course will have more hills than any course we run on down here,” Boniface said. “We been practicing on the Key Biscayne Bridge and doing heavy weight lifting with our legs. We should be alright.”

Boniface is fresh off his first career meet victory at the UCF Invitational on Sept. 6, which helped Miami capture a team championship at the meet in Orlando, Fl.

“He (Boniface) is our clear team leader,” Ward said. “Guys follow his examples and he has a great work ethic. He has given a great shot in the arm for this program.”

Boniface’s time of 20:26.20 was good for first place in the four-mile course.

“It was very satisfying to reward all the hard work and training I put in this summer,” said Boniface, who spent this past summer training in Colorado. “In addition to it being my first individual victory, it was even more gratifying to win Miami’s first team meet in my time here.”

Following Boniface at the No. 2 position is junior Matt Mulvaney, who finished just behind Boniface at the UCF Invitational with a time of 20:38.80, which was good for second place. Mulvaney will be counted on to perform well in long distance races this year for Miami.

“He (Mulvaney) is a really tough long distance runner and has pushed me to be better,” Boniface said. “He will beat me if I have a bad day. It’s great to have a teammate that is so good to train with and race against.”

Other top finishers for Miami at the UCF Invitational included freshmen Alex Brutvan, who finished seventh (21:13.70) and James Mullaly, who finished 14th (21:34.70). Both Brutvan and Mullaly show a lot of promise. Ward said the team must get consistent results from Brutvan and Mullaly at the No. 3 and No. 4 spot.

In order for the Hurricanes to be successful, Ward and Boniface stressed the need for Miami to establish a strong No. 5 runner. Right now, Matt “The Moose” Maloney and Billy Bludgus are competing to become the successful No. 5 runner Miami so desperately covets.

“It’s nice to have a great 1-2 punch in Boniface and Mulvaney, but in order to be competitive in the Big East this season, we will need strong play from our freshmen and someone to establish himself as good No. 5 runner,” Ward said.

Hopefully, Miami will get solid performances from their freshmen and find that No. 5 runner today in Charlotte.

You can reach Brian Poliakoff at b.poliakoff@umiami.edu.

1. The University of Miami
2. Texas
3. Oklahoma
4. Florida State
5. Virginia Tech
6. Ohio State
7. Oregon
8. Florida
9. Georgia
10. Notre Dame
11. Penn State
12. Tennessee
13. Washington
14. NC State
15. Wisconsin
16. Michigan
17. Washington State
18. Kansas State
19. LSU
20. USC
21. Nebraska
22. Oregon State
23. Texas A&M
24. Colorado State
25. Clemson

Intramural Reminders
Homecoming Hoops Fest is just around the corner! Sign up today for the September 29th Tournament!

UM Soccer Club
This past weekend the University of Miami Soccer Club traveled to Gainesville for a soccer invitational tournament. The team performed admirably against highly talented competition, managing one win, one loss, and a draw. Given the point system format of the tournament, the team narrowly missed a semi-final berth by one point. Other university teams represented in the tournament were Auburn, Southern Polytechnic, Clemson, FSU, Georgia Tech, and the two University of Florida hosts teams.
A truly international effort, the UM 20-man squad was composed of players from Barbados, Brazil, CuraAao, England, Germany, Grenada, Kenya, Lebanon, Mexico, Portugal, and the United States.
The UM Soccer Club holds its official practices Mondays and Wednesdays from 5 – 6:30 PM, and Fridays from 6:30 to 9PM. All skill levels are welcome.

Flag Football

Gomez’s Girls – 12
Come On Wit It – 0
Smaller Unit – 24
College Republicans – 18
Biohazard – 24
A K Psi – 6

Gomez’s Girls – 17
College Republicans – 0

Come On Wit It – 33
Biohazard – 0

Smaller Unit – 19
A K Psi – 0

Punters From the Red Zone – 14
The Midwest Kids – 6

The Agency – 19
Funky Bunch – 0

Whooping Cough – 20
Frosh Sensations – 18

The Agency – 18
The Midwest Kids – 12

Punters From the Red Zone – 27
Whooping Cough – 0

Funky Bunch – 13
Frosh Sensations – 6

Cream Team – 25
Southside All-Stars – 0

RT 9ers – 19
Miami Law – 0

RT 9ers – 14
Spider 6 – 13

With the No. 1 Hurricanes not playing this weekend, it gives us a chance to look at Miami’s competitors in regards to the National Championship picture.

Second ranked Texas, who is bothered by injuries, heads to Tulane this weekend for a non-conference game. Because of the injuries, most notably to that of star wideout Roy Williams (listed as questionable), the Longhorns will have to utilize a few reserves this game. However, head coach Mack Brown said that he will not rest his starters for more time than necessary over the next few weeks.

This match up calls attention to a few family feuds that might occur. Texas guard Beau Baker will get the chance to block his younger brother Blake, the Green Wave’s starting middle linebacker. In addition, there will be family opposition between Tulane running backs coach Greg Davis Jr., and his father Greg Davis, the Longhorns offensive coordinator.

Nate Hybl, starting quarterback for No. 3 Oklahoma, is finally doing what the Sooners recruited him for. Hybl ranks ninth in the nation in pass efficiency, and he hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 54 attempts this year. Hybl has become more comfortable throwing the ball deep, and that is something the Sooners have tried to accomplish with their offense. Oklahoma’s head coach Bob Stoops, will host his good friend Jim Leavitt and South Florida, who he was a co-defensive coordinator with at Kansas State.

Big East foe Virginia Tech will travel to Western Michigan for a noon game tomorrow. The Hokies hold a 4-0 record and hope that their starting quarterback, Bryan Randall, will be healthy enough to play and keep them undefeated. An injury to starting linebacker Mikal Baqee will also hinder Virginia Tech this weekend. The Holies, who are playing for the first time in Kalamazoo, Michigan, beat the Broncos 31-0 last year in the first meeting between the teams. Western Michigan was 1-for-13 on third-down conversions and had only one first down rushing.

Last weekend against Tennessee, the Gators found the motivation to capsize their ranking with a 30-13 stomping over the Vols. Over the loud speaker at Tennessee before the game, coach Ron Zook, successor to former coach Steve Spurrier, was called a “fluke”. Florida used their annoyance of the situation to attain a victory.

Kentucky will visit the Swamp this weekend riding high at 4-0 . The Gators have come out triumphant in 21 of the last 22 meetings between these teams. Florida has averaged 53.4 points in its last eight meetings.

For Miami, they still have an extremely tough schedule left his season that includes games against Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Tennessee. After this week off, Miami will take on UConn at the Orange Bowl next weekend to continue towards its ultimate goal of the season – to end up in Tempe, Arizona for the National Championship.

You can reach Dana Strokovsky at Hoopg1rl6@aol.com.

Most of the names you will hear associated synonymously with the Miami Hurricanes 4-0 start this season are those of returning starters. There is Ken Dorsey, arguably the favorite for the Heisman Trophy, Brett Romberg, college football’s best center and the anchor of a talented offensive line, the combination of Jerome McDougle and William Joseph, two fixtures on the ‘Canes deadly D-Line.

However, a further investigation into the nucleus of the 2002 Hurricanes discovers 11 players whose names were not in the Hurricanes starting lineup on a regular basis last year. Some of these names were immediately recognizable before the season began, others took a while before people like you and I recognized them as solid players. All of these players share one thing in common, though: They all should count themselves as major reasons for the continuance of Miami’s success.

Let’s begin with the most recognizable name of the bunch, sophomore sensation Willis McGahee. Inheriting a tailback slot originally slated for Frank Gore before he went down with an ACL injury, McGahee has silenced critics, myself included, and then some. Numbers like 7.8 yards a carry, and 662 all-purpose yards are the sign of a talented tailback, but it’s McGahee’s vision and ability to read defenses and make last second improvisations that vault him into Heisman contender territory.

Of course, let’s give a lot of credit to the men opening up the gigantic holes for McGahee to enter through. The player normally in front of McGahee, freshman fullback Quadtrine Hill, doesn’t see the football on a regular basis. That’s because he’s busy putting his 213-pound frame to the test against much bigger linebackers and defensive lineman, and succeeding.

Thanks to the immediate work of Hill, McGahee is able to exploit his best asset, an opportunity to run between the tackles. This is where the work of offensive tackles Carlos Joseph and Vernon Carey come in. Both have punished any defensive lineman looking to get to No. 2 before he heads up field. Lets not leave out the biggest question mark on the offensive line, right guard Chris Myers, who has performed so well that the coaching staff has not missed the services of last year’s starter Ed Wilkins, currently working with the second-team unit.

Sophomore tight end Kellen Winslow, the final piece to the high-powered offense, stepped right into the great tight end tradition of Bubba Franks and Jeremy Shockey over the past couple years. Not only is he as good of a blocker, but more importantly has stepped out of Shockey and Franks’s shadow as a pass catcher with his size, quickness, and stunning agility.

But folks, we haven’t gotten to the defense yet. Let’s begin with the supposed problem area everyone brought up before the season started, the “young and inexperienced secondary.” Boy, do we look bad now. I’ll be the first to apologize for making the aforementioned statement; I guess I never recognized the talent and willingness to learn from this bunch. Cornerbacks Kelly Jennings and Antrel Rolle have quickly formed into two of the best cover men in the nation, shutting down the likes of Taylor Jacobs and Jamal Burke. Safeties Maurice Sikes and Sean Taylor are built more of the risk-taking, playmaking mold, but their uncanny ability to read defenses allows them the ability to take risks.

Six of the front seven return from last year’s national champions. However, don’t underestimate the new blood at the strong side linebacker spot. The coaching staff has called Howard Clark one of the hardest working members of the team, and freshman Rocky McIntosh, who got the start against Boston College, outshined his fellow linebackers with an immediate jump to the ball.

Of course, credit must be given to the veterans as well. While Dorsey’s numbers haven’t been Heisman-like, the senior quarterback continues to make the big throws, especially with a sometimes-depleted receiving corps. Andre Johnson has lived up to his hype, the defensive line is scarier than ever, and Todd Sievers and Freddie Capshaw give the Hurricanes every advantage possible on special teams.

At the same time, let’s imagine where this team would be without the 11 new starters. Who would have run all over the Gator defense for 204 yards? Who would have shut down Taylor Jacobs one week after a near 250-yard game? Who would have stepped into the spotlight when Andre Johnson went down? And most importantly, would the Hurricanes still be looking at a Fiesta Bowl berth at this point?

Thankfully, the 11 new starters have erased any concerns to these questions out of our minds.

You can reach Jeremy Marks-Peltz at jmp310@hotmail.com.