College Notes: Perfection for Glass

It just seems that way with the defending national champion Penn State University volleyball team.

The top-ranked Nittany Lions beat No. 20 Illinois (25-16, 25-19, 25-12) on Saturday and No. 19 Purdue (25-12, 25-15, 25-21) on Friday to increase their record to 14-0. Penn State has yet to lose a set in any match this season.

Leading the Nittany Lions is junior setter Alisha Glass (Leland). Glass had 36 assists, two kills, two digs and one block while helping PSU hit .453 against Illinois and had 34 assists, two kills, four digs and two blocks against Purdue.

Before Friday's match, Penn State raised the banner from its national championship last season.

-- In a showdown between the top two-ranked men's soccer teams, freshman forward Casey Townsend (TC West) had one of Maryland's two goals in a 4-2 loss to No. 1 Wake Forest on Friday.

Townsend's goal, which gave No. 2 Maryland (6-2) a 2-1 lead in the first half, was his fifth of the season.

In a 4-0 victory over American on Tuesday, Townsend scored the first two goals of the contest for the Terrapins.

-- University of Detroit-Mercy freshman Alyssa Korson (Lake Leelanau St. Mary's) picked a good time for her first collegiate soccer goal.

Korson scored with 3:35 remaining as the Titans snapped a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 triumph over Youngstown State on Friday.

-- BYU senior Stephan Shay (Central Lake) was the top runner for the Cougars at the Roy Griak Invitational in Minnesota. Shay finished fourth overall in the 8K race (24:13) to lead BYU to a third-place finish in the nation's largest cross-country meet.

In the Division II race, Lake Superior State freshman Meghan Thomas (East Jordan) was 102nd among 257 runners with a time of 25:34 for the 6K. In the men's Division II event, Michigan Tech sophomore Ian Connick (TC Central) was 58th among the 256 runners in 27:10 while LSSU senior Luke Allen (Onekama) was 110th in 28:21.

-- The combination of freshman Kari Buckel (TC Central) and senior Casey Wilcox (Petoskey) helped the Northern Michigan women's soccer team to a pair of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference road wins last weekend.

Buckel had a goal on an assist from Wilcox to help the Wildcats (6-5, 2-3 GLIAC) beat Northwood 2-1 in overtime on Sunday. Buckel had two goals and Wilcox a goal and an assist in a 3-2 triumph over Saginaw Valley State on Friday.

-- Middlebury senior Andrew Wagner (TC Christian), a three-time NCAA All-American, was named the Vermont Alpine Racing Association (VARA) Collegiate Skier of the Year.

-- Michigan State sophomore linebacker Eric Gordon (TC West) had six solo tackles and one forced fumble as the Spartans improved to 4-1 by beating Indiana 42-29 in their Big Ten football opener on Saturday.

-- Senior John Hall (TC West) was the top finisher for the Colby College cross country team. Hall was 61st on the 8K course at the Williams Purple Valley Classic with a time of 28:11.

-- For the second straight race, Michigan State sophomore Spencer Beatty (Harbor Springs) led the Spartans' men's cross country team at the Colonial Inter-Regional. Beatty finished fifth overall in the 8K race with a time of 25:10.7.

-- Saginaw Valley State senior golfer Kasey Hocquard (Cheboygan) tied for third overall with a 138 (68-70) at the Great Lakes Fall Regional, which concluded on Tuesday. Hocquard was named co-GLIAC Player of the Week.

-- The Wisconsin-Parkside soccer team bounced back from a 5-0 loss to beat Quincey 3-1 on Sunday. Sophomore Matt Gloshen (TC West) had a goal for the Rangers (4-4-1), who also had junior Ben Krepple (TC West) in the starting lineup.

-- Senior Karl Trost (Cheboygan) picked up an assist as the Michigan State men's soccer team blanked Western Michigan 6-0 in a non-conference soccer match on Wednesday.

-- Freshman inside linebacker Nathan Schott (Cheboygan) had seven tackles, five of which were solo, in Olivet Nazarene's 43-3 loss to Malone.

-- Saginaw Valley State senior defensive tackle Brad Bush (Gaylord) had eight total tackles in the Cardinals' 14-11 loss to Indianapolis. One of Bush's tackles was a 6-yard sack.

-- Ohio Wesleyan freshman midfielder Becca Madison (Charlevoix) headed in a goal during a 2-1 victory over Thomas More on Friday.

-- The Ferris State men's basketball team has added four transfer students, including swingman Austin Randel (McBain), who joins the Bulldogs from North Greenville in South Carolina.

Randel led North Greenville in scoring (20.7) while shooting 78.9 percent from the free-throw line and 42.1 percent from 3-point range. Randel averaged 11.1 points and 3.4 rebounds as a freshman.

-- Calvin College dominated the first Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association cross-country jamboree.

The Knights had the first 10 runners in the men's race. Alma College junior Wade Peacock (Benzie Central) was 12th in 27:07, Calvin junior Ben Van Wyk (Elk Rapids) 13th in 27:09 and Hope senior Daniel Sultz (Benzie Central) 46th in 28:30 at the 8K race.

In the women's 5K, Hope junior Emma Lucas (Cadillac) was 33rd in 20:44 while Adrian freshman Breanna Korson (Lake Leelanau St. Mary's) was 36th in 20:51.

-- Concordia-St. Paul senior goalie Keyton Wheelock (TC West) made 11 saves in a 2-0 loss to Minnesota State on Sunday and eight in a 1-0 triumph over Southwest Minnesota on Saturday.

-- Saint Mary's College freshman Natalie Matuszak (TC Central) tied for 19th overall with an 87 at the third MIAA women's golf jamboree on Wednesday. The Belles were second as a team.

-- Sophomore defensive lineman Alex Gilde (McBain) had three assisted tackles -- one of which was a sack -- as Grand Valley State improved to 4-0 with a 52-6 romp over Michigan Tech.

-- Sophomore setter Hannah Hewitt (Harbor Light Christian) had 57 assists, three kills, 18 digs and two aces to lead Alma College to a 3-2 MIAA volleyball victory over Adrian.

Senior Katie Porter (Cheboygan) added 30 digs and senior Jennifer Bassett-Payne (TC St. Francis) added 11 digs for the Scots (13-5, 5-1 MIAA).

-- Aquinas College easily won the third Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference men's golf jamboree with a 307.

Three former Cadillac golfers teed it up for the Saints. Junior Brad Hall led the way with a 74 while sophomore Alex Smith added a 79 and freshman Andrew Kish an 80.

-- Calvin College went 2-1 in MIAA volleyball matches last week to improve to 11-4 overall and 5-2 in the league.

Junior Kelsey Sears (TC West) had 62 digs and five aces in the three matches. Freshman hitter Erin Vander Plas (McBain Northern Christian) added 23 kills, three blocks and three assists.

-- Sophomore free safety Andy Strobel (Petoskey) had two tackles in Northern Michigan's 31-24 loss to Ferris State.

-- Kalamazoo College lost a pair of MIAA volleyball matches last week despite getting 19 kills, three assists, three aces, six digs and five blocks from sophomore Anna Lau (Leland).

-- Junior Jennifer Hecht (Leland) leads the Glenville State volleyball team in digs per game (1.42) and is third on the team in service aces (18).

-- Hope College senior captain Don Kring (TC St. Francis) shot a 76 at Saturday's MIAA men's golf jamboree. Albion junior Mason Husby (TC Central) shot a 78.

-- Lake Superior State junior outside hitter Holly Orban (Suttons Bay) had four kills, 11 digs and a block in a 3-0 loss to Ferris State on Friday.

-- Aquinas sophomore Sean McGlothlin (Suttons Bay) was 34th in the men's 5K at the Loyola Lakefront Invitational. Saginaw Valley State sophomore Jesse Evans (Cheboygan) was 94th.

-- Sophomore Dan Kellogg (TC West) had the assist in Kalamazoo's 1-0 soccer victory over Adrian on Saturday.

-- Army's football team fell to 0-4 after a 21-17 road loss to Texas A&M. Senior linebacker John Plumstead (Benzie Central) had two assisted tackles for the Knights.

-- Northwood senior Syrenna Rexroat (Lake Leelanau St. Mary's) finished 22nd in 20:03 in the women's 5K cross-country race at the Lansing Invitational.

In the same race, Kirtland Community College sophomore Barbara Counsil (Gaylord) broke her own school record, taking 56th in 21:38.

-- Playing as an individual, Olivet sophomore golfer Abby Wheeler (Grayling) had rounds of 90 and 86 at the two-day DePauw Small College Classic.

-- Freshman halfback Jeff Langley (Inland Lakes) had 15 carries for 50 yards and caught one pass in Trine State's 30-27 victory over Franklin (Ind).

-- Freshman Aubrey Way (Charlevoix) had five service aces in a pair of WHAC volleyball victories last week.

Photos

Alisha Glass and her Penn State teammates whipped No. 19 Purdue and No. 20 Illinois over the weekend. Special to the Record-Eagle