Malone College Sports This Week
Oct. 30 (Tue.) - Volleyball at Ursuline College; 7:00 p.m.
Nov. 3 (Sat.) - Men's and Women's Cross Country at AMC Championships (hosted by Walsh University, North Canton, OH); women's race - 10:15 a.m., men's race - 11:00 a.m.
- Volleyball hosts tri-match
11:00 a.m. - Point Park (PA) University vs. Malone
1:00 p.m. - Point Park vs. Daemen (NY)
3:00 p.m. - Malone vs. Daemen
- Football home against University of St. Francis (IN); 4:00 p.m. (RADIO - WNPQ 95.9 FM)
Volleyball - Malone defeats:
Notre Dame (OH) College 30-27, 31-29, 30-23
Houghton (NY) College 30-17, 30-21, 33-31
Malone loses to:
Mt. Vernon Nazarene University 14-30, 19-30, 22-30
CURRENT RECORD: 18-16 (8-3 AMC North)
Football - Malone loses to:
St. Xavier (IL) University 36-20
CURRENT RECORD: 7-2 (4-1 MSFA Mideast)
Men’s Soccer – Malone ties:
Walsh University 1-1 (2OT)
Malone loses to:
Notre Dame (OH) College 4-0
FINAL RECORD: 6-10-2 (2-3-0 AMC North)
Volleyball Tallies 2-1 Record On The Week
The Malone College volleyball team won two of its three matches last week beginning with a 30-27, 31-29, 30-23 home victory over Notre Dame (Ohio) College on Tuesday evening. The squad then hosted a tri-match on Saturday with contests against NAIA #15 Mount Vernon Nazarene University and American Mideast Conference North Division foe Houghton (NY) College. The Cougars entered Saturday’s contests having won 20 consecutive matches and neither the Pioneers nor the Highlanders were able to halt this winning steak as Mount Vernon Nazarene picked up a 30-14, 30-19, 30-22 victory over Malone and a 30-20, 30-14, 30-26 triumph over Houghton in the first two competitions of the day. The Pioneers then bounced back in Saturday’s final match to tally a 30-17, 30-21, 33-31 win over Houghton. With the 2-1 week, Malone’s overall record improved to 18-16 with an 8-3 mark in AMC North Division play.
Notre Dame and Malone had squared off just one week prior to Tuesday’s contest as the Falcons had rallied for a 3-2 American Mideast Conference North Division win in South Euclid, Ohio on October 16th. Just like in the previous meeting between the two squads, the Pioneers won the first two games of Tuesday’s contest. However, this time Malone was able to put the division-leading Falcons away with a seven-point victory in game three. Jennifer Gahagan (Fr., Ravenna Southeast H.S.) paced the Pioneers on Tuesday evening with 15 kills and 21 digs. Kristen Schoolcraft (So., McKinley H.S.) followed with 10 kills and four blocks (two solo), Lori Ickes (Fr., Smithville H.S.) tallied nine kills and 15 digs, while Erica Gann (So., Meadowbrook H.S.) recorded eight kills and four blocks (two solo). Other important contributors in the three-game victory included Alyssa Dibell (So., Fairless H.S.) with 43 assists, Bethany Thompson (Jr., Tuscarawas Central Catholic H.S.) with five service aces and Emily Beiting (Fr., Ft. Thomas, KY) with eight kills.
Against Mount Vernon Nazarene, Gann and Beiting led the way with seven kills apiece as Gann added four blocks and Beiting scooped up 11 digs. Gahagan and Schoolcraft both notched five kills in the three-game loss while Ickes tallied 13 digs and Dibell dished out 17 assists.
In the finale against Houghton, Gahagan and Gann each ripped 11 kills to lead Malone to the three-game victory. Gahagan also tallied nine digs and four blocks (one solo) in the contest while Beiting and Ickes each contributed ten kills. Schoolcraft chipped in with eight kills and four blocks (two solo), Kristi Beun (Jr., Kidron Central Christian H.S.) posted team-highs with 11 digs and two service aces, and Dibell tallied 46 assists.
This week, Malone (18-16, 8-3 AMC North) will wrap up its regular season schedule with three AMC North Division matches beginning with a 7:00 p.m. contest at Ursuline College (18-16, 8-4 AMC North) on Tuesday evening. The Pioneers will then host another tri-match on Saturday afternoon with Point Park (PA) University (25-10, 9-3 AMC North) and Daemen (NY) College (10-23, 4-8 AMC North). Malone will open competition with an 11:00 a.m. contest against Point Park. Daemen and Point Park will then face off in a 1:00 p.m. match before Malone and Daemen conclude the afternoon’s action with a 3:00 p.m. contest.
Football Team Falls 36-20 At Saint Xavier
The Malone College football team’s six-game winning streak came to an end on Saturday afternoon in Chicago, Illinois as the squad suffered a 36-20 loss to NAIA #6 Saint Xavier University. The Pioneers, ranked 11th in the latest NAIA national poll, racked up 514 total yards of offense in the contest (129 rushing, 385 passing) but also surrendered three costly fumbles and two interceptions. Running back Bernard Payton (Sr., Pomona, CA) had put Malone in front 13-10 early in the second quarter with a two-yard touchdown plunge before the Cougars rattled off 23 unanswered points to take a commanding 33-13 lead late in the third quarter. Saint Xavier posted 164 yards rushing and 358 yards passing in the contest for a total of 522 offensive yards. With the 16-point victory, the Cougars improved to 8-1(4-1 MSFA Mideast) on the year while Malone fell to 7-2 (4-1 MSFA Mideast).
Quarterback Billy Bob Orsagh (Jr., Eastland, TX) gave Malone a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter after connecting with wide receiver Josh Settlemire (Jr., Howland H.S.) on a 55-yard touchdown pass. Saint Xavier answered right back minutes later, though, as kicker Shane Longest nailed a 43-yard field goal to cut the Pioneers’ lead to 7-3. After forcing a quick three-and-out on Malone’s ensuing possession, the Cougars then took the lead with a five-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that ended with a 57-yard scoring strike from quarterback Billy Yeo to wide receiver Jim Doherty. Payton put Malone back on top with his rushing TD at the 11:29 mark of the second stanza before Longest capped off each of Saint Xavier’s three second quarter possessions with field goals of 32, 27, and 45 yards, giving his squad a 19-13 halftime advantage.
An Orsagh fumble on the Pioneers’ opening drive of the third quarter then set the Cougars up with a first-and-ten on the Malone 13-yard line. Saint Xavier quickly took advantage of this opportunity as running back Juaquin Rodriguez scored from two yards out to stretch the Cougars’ lead to 26-13. The Pioneers had an opportunity to get back into the game later in the third stanza after a muffed Saint Xavier punt return but the Cougars were able to keep Malone out of the endzone after stopping four straight rushing plays inside the Saint Xavier six yard line. Then, on the first play from scrimmage following the goal line stand and turnover on downs, Yeo delivered a back-breaking 99-yard touchdown pass to Doherty to give the Cougars a substantial 33-13 advantage.
Malone cut into the deficit early in the fourth quarter as Orsagh hit wide out Mike Clapham (Sr., Elyria Catholic H.S.) on a 24-yard touchdown pass but the Pioneers were unable to close the gap any further as Longest nailed his fifth field goal of the game (32 yards) with 1:47 remaining to seal the 36-20 win.
Payton ended the day with 26 carries for 101 yards and one touchdown. With his second-quarter score, the 6’1” senior running back established a new Malone single-season record with 20 total touchdowns (15 rushing, five receiving), breaking the previous mark of 19 TD’s set by running back Norris Petty during the 1998 season. Also, with his 101 yards, Payton has now rushed for over 100 yards in five straight games and has gained 100 or more yards in seven of Malone’s nine contests this season. Both of these accomplishments, the five consecutive 100-yard games and the total of seven 100-yard performances in a single season, tie Pioneer records (Dan DeGeorge posted five straight 100-yard games in 1994 and Joel Peterson gained 100 or more yards on seven different occasions during the 2001 season).
Orsagh completed 29 of his 45 pass attempts on the afternoon for 385 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Clapham hauled in seven catches for 114 yards and one score. Tight end LaRoi Johnson (Sr., Pittsburgh, PA) tallied six receptions for 65 yards while Settlemire caught five passes for 118 yards and one touchdown.
Linebacker Justin Murphy (Sr., Minerva H.S.) paced the defense with 11 tackles (nine solo). Defensive back Chris Cruise (Sr., Field H.S.) followed with nine tackles (five solo, 0.5 TFL) and linebacker Jamal Gambrell (Sr., Maple Heights H.S.) recorded eight stops (six solo).
On special teams, Tyler Parry (Jr., North Loxahatchee, FL) punted four times for 144 yards (36.0 average) and defensive back James Dowling (Sr., Tuslaw H.S.) recovered the fumbled punt in the third quarter.
This week, NAIA #11 Malone (7-2, 4-1 MSFA Mideast) will face another highly-ranked opponent as NAIA #5 University of Saint Francis (IN) (7-1, 4-1 MSFA Mideast) travels to Fawcett Stadium on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. for the Pioneers’ final home game of the regular season. The Cougars hold an 8-1 advantage in the all-time series, including a 34-13 win in Fort Wayne, Indiana last season. Saint Francis has won the last eight meetings between the schools.
Pioneer Notes: Malone broke three team records in Saturday’s contest as the squad established new single-season marks for passing yards (2771), first downs passing (129), and total first downs (235)…Payton eclipsed 1000 yards rushing on Saturday and has now gained 1094 yards on the ground this season…He joins Joel Peterson (1165 in 2001), Eric Smith (1012 in 2004), and Dan DeGeorge (1003 in 1994) as the only Pioneers to pile up 1000 or more rushing yards in a single season…Orsagh needs just 70 passing yards and 95 yards of total offense to establish new Malone single-season records in each of those two categories.
Men’s Soccer Ties Walsh, Falls To Notre Dame To Conclude Season
The Malone College men’s soccer team concluded its season last week with a pair of home matches against Walsh University and American Mideast Conference North Division foe Notre Dame (Ohio) College. The Pioneers opened the week’s competition on Wednesday afternoon by playing to a 1-1 overtime draw with the visiting Cavaliers. Then on Saturday, Malone lost 4-0 to the NAIA #25 Falcons. The tie and the loss dropped the Pioneers’ record to 6-10-2 (2-3-0 AMC North) on the season and eliminated Malone from NAIA postseason contention (a victory over division-leading Notre Dame would have vaulted the Pioneers ahead of Roberts Wesleyan (NY) College for the third and final AMC North playoff spot).
In Wednesday’s match with local rival Walsh, both teams registered goals in the opening minutes of the second half as Francisco Espinosa (Fr., Mexico City, Mexico) gave the Pioneers a 1-0 lead after scoring off a pass from Marcos Batchelor (So., London, England) in the 48th minute. This one-goal advantage lasted just 53 seconds, though, as Aaron Davis quickly answered back for the Cavaliers, knotting the match at 1-1 with 41:54 remaining in the contest. Each team had opportunities to pull ahead over the remainder of regulation and in both overtime periods but neither squad could find the back of the net, resulting in the 1-1 tie. The Cavaliers enjoyed a 7-4 advantage in total shots on goal during the contest. Malone goal keeper Mike Porter (Sr., Highland H.S.) posted six saves, including two clutch stops in overtime. Walsh keeper Ben Pflum registered three saves.
Against Notre Dame on Saturday, the Falcons jumped out to an early 2-0 lead with a pair of goals in the first ten minutes of play. The visitors then maintained this advantage until midway through the second half when they added scores in the 63rd and 76th minutes to secure the 4-0 win. Malone registered three shots on goal during the match compared to eights shots on goal for Notre Dame. Porter notched four saves while Falcon keeper Craig Pickering stopped all three shots on goal that he faced.
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