by Ashlan Williams | Apr 20, 2010 | News Slider, Sports
A crowd gathered on the roof of the new Allen Arena west parking garage Saturday, April 17, for the dedication of the Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center. The beautiful 2,200-square-foot facility, which promises to be one of the nicest in the Atlantic Sun Conference, offers six state of the art tennis courts, a pro shop, common area, restrooms, and soon to be completed locker rooms for the men’s and women’s tennis teams. The facility also provides two stadium courts located at ground level on the south end. The Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center is the new home of the men’s and women’s tennis teams. In addition to hosting many collegiate tennis matches, the facility also houses the Lipscomb Racquet Club. The Racquet Club offers annual memberships for unlimited use of the courts, a pay-as-you-play option for walk-ins, and junior and adult instructional programs. The Lipscomb Racquet Club has also established a partnership with the Green Hills YMCA, offering special membership discounts for YMCA members. This long-awaited tennis center was generously funded by lead donors, Bill and Myra Huston. Bill Huston, CFO of Southern Care Inc., was a member of the men’s tennis team during his time at Lipscomb. Huston’s hope for the facility is that it would expand Lipscomb’s NCAA tennis program, bringing more competition to the school and adding a new sense of pride in the program. As the dedication ceremony began, Joe Ivey, Senior Vice President of Advancement, gave a welcome to the guests. Everyone was then lead in prayer by Bennie Harris, Vice President of Development. Scott McDowell, Vice President of Student Development, and Phillip Hutcheson, Director of Athletics, offered...
by Ashlan Williams | Apr 7, 2010 | Sports
Returning home after a streak of away games, the Lady Bisons faced off against Tennessee State University on Wednesday, April 7 at Lipscomb’s Draper Diamond. Overpowering TSU in both games with scores of 11-2 and 3-0, the double victory advances the Lady Bison’s overall record to 31-7. Game 1: The Lady Bisons opened game one with a dominant first inning. Sophomore all-star pitcher, Whitney Kiihnl, put the pressure on TSU early, backing up her title as No. 1 ranked pitcher in the NCAA in hits allowed per seven innings (2.04). When the Lady Bisons got up to bat, they put a string of hits together, earning over half of their total runs in the first inning alone. Senior Abby Keese sent her first of two home runs for the night sailing into the parking lot, bringing in junior Mackenzie Tucker, who got on base with a double, to put the Lady Bisons on the board 2-0. Keese leads the Atlantic Sun conference in batting with an average of .400. Sophomore Courtney Billington followed up Keese’s home run with a single. Shortly after Billington’s single, senior Christen Campbell smashed another home run for the Lady Bisons, bringing in Billington and upping Lipscomb’s lead to 4-0. However, with only two outs,the Lady Bisons were not finished yet. After being walked by TSU’s pitcher, Sophomore Mollie Mitchell stole home to add another run to the Lady Bisons lead. Freshman Breanna Thurman also scored on an RBI by Kiihnl. The Lady Bisons entered the second inning with a 6-0 lead over TSU. The score remained the same during the second inning and into...
by Ashlan Williams | Apr 7, 2010 | Sports
The Lady Bisons suffered a tough loss against Atlantic Sun rival, Belmont University, in the infamous Battle of the Boulevard on Tuesday, April 6. Although the final score says 5-2, the score does not accurately depict the match. The air is always thick when Lipscomb and Belmont compete head to head. Tuesday was no exception when both teams stepped onto the courts at Belmont’s Davis Tennis Complex. At the start of the match, both teams held 0-9 conference records. Needless to say, the teams were equally matched. As doubles play began, the Lady Bisons made a strong statement by taking an early lead over Belmont. Lipscomb secured wins at both No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, allowing them to clinch the doubles point and capture a 1-0 lead over the Bruins. Freshman Mackenzie Bishop and sophomore Elizabeth Keevil downed Abby Leatherwood and Laura Stack by a score of 8-4 at the No. 1 spot. At the No. 2 position, junior Kara Jackson and sophomore Danielle Hansen overpowered Belmont’s Abigail Hogan and Natalia Nunes 8-2. Lipscomb’s lone doubles loss came at No. 3. Junior Julianne McMeen and freshman Carlina Jow were defeated by Lindsay Bennett and Lauren Irick 8-1. With a confident 1-0 lead, the Lady Bisons entered into singles play. Evening the score to 1-1, Bishop came off court first for the Bisons at No. 1. Facing Belmont’s A-Sun honoree for the 2008-2009 season, Bishop played a tight first set. After taking a 3-0 lead, Bishop fell to 6-6. Bishop lost in the first set tiebreaker 7-5. Leatherwood upped her game in the second set, giving the Bruins the...
by Ashlan Williams | Apr 7, 2010 | Sports
The Bisons faced Atlantic Sun rival, Belmont University, in the heated Battle of the Boulevard on Tuesday, April 6 at Belmont’s Davis Tennis Complex. As always, the tension rose as the two teams began the face off. The Bisons took an early lead when they clinched the doubles point, winning No. 1 and No. 3 doubles. Daniel Hangstefer and Joe McArdle secured a win at No. 1, defeating Renato Antun and Rafael Matos 8-6. The Bisons lost their only doubles match at the No. 2 spot. Chad Pierron and Tanner Brown were defeated by Joao Paolielli and Filipe Cirne Lima 8-6. Mario Hernandez and Colby Shaw picked up another win at No. 3 to give the Bisons the doubles point. The duo beat Belmont’s Bruno Silva and Jonathan Murrell in a close tiebreaker, prevailing 9-8. With the doubles point under their belt, the Bisons took a 1-0 over the Bruins. Hangstefer earned another win for the Bisons with his victory at No. 1 singles. Hangstefer defeated Paolielli 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 in a three set battle. The Bruins fought back with a win at No. 2. Pierron was defeated by the Belmont’s Antun 6-2, 6-3, bringing the match score to 2-1. The score was evened at 2-2 when Lipscomb fell at the No. 3 spot. Hernandez fell to Amaral in a close three set match, losing 6-1, 4-6, 6-3. The Bisons battled back to take the lead once again, securing their third win at No. 4. Shaw easily glided past Lima, defeating him 6-2, 6-4. Once again, Belmont matched Lipscomb, taking a win at No. 5 to even the match...
