by Gracie Simpson | Sep 9, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
With top-ranked senior Kate Popova utilizing her extra year of eligibility, a few new faces, and a renewed energy, Lipscomb’s women’s tennis team is set to grind out a tough fall season. “We have two new girls and we have only just gotten started, so they are still getting acclimated with everything.” said senior Maddox Bandy, who hopes the team is able to improve on last spring’s 10-9 record. “A big thing on our team is energy, so [newcomers] are having to adjust going from junior tennis to college tennis and learning how big of an impact energy can have on our practices and on each other,” she said. The team’s number one player, Popova decided to come back for her COVID year, meaning she took advantage of an NCAA rule that allowed athletes hurt by virus cancellations to come back for an extra season. “I want it to be fun,” said Popova of her goals for the season. “I feel like the last two years with COVID …we were restricted to do a lot of stuff.” “I know it’s not gonna be full blown normal, but I want it to be something like it was my freshman and sophomore year.” said Popova. Tennis is a spring sport and its conference and national championships are held in April, but the season officially starts in the fall. This year, the team will only play four tournaments before Christmas, but despite the lesser workload, the fall becomes more of a grind than the spring season does, says head coach Jamie Aid. “[Coach Aid] has the mentality that fall should be harder,”...
by Allie Greenhaw | Sep 9, 2021 | News Slider, Opinion, Sports, Student Spotlight
Fifteen years ago in a churchyard in southern Bogotá, an energetic, dark-haired little boy kicked around a soccer ball as the youth minister droned on during his Sunday lessons. The minister’s pleas for him to stay still were in vain—this boy’s heart was taken by soccer. In some ways, the young man so many at Lipscomb have come to know is reminiscent of that boy, but there is a light in his eyes that says something changed. To say that junior Colombia native David Silva has stories to tell would be an understatement. The key to understanding Silva is his love for the game of soccer. For him, this game is woven into who he is. “The ball was my best friend, like Wilson in that Tom Hanks movie. It’s funny because that’s my name too!” Growing up on the southern side of Bogotá brought its own challenges. Although soccer runs in the veins of Colombian culture, not everyone in his neighborhood owned a soccer ball. Sometimes, a plastic water bottle was the next best thing. Silva played constantly, with whatever bottle or ball was around, and he got really good. By the time he was 13 years old, Silva had caught the eye of the academy team of 15-time Colombian champions Millonarios FC. They trained on the north side of Bogotá, so he traveled four hours round-trip every day on a bus to train in the afternoons. He woke up each day at 5 a.m., attended school, stood on the bus for a couple of hours, trained, took the bus home, and returned at 8 or 9 p.m. to his homework and family. Silva kept up this grueling schedule for two...
by CJ Arndt | Sep 6, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
The Lipscomb Bisons volleyball team lost 3-1 against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons on Sunday. The Bisons fall to 1-4 on the season after a winless showing at the LUV Invitational. In the first set, Lipscomb got the opening 2 points over the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest responded with a three-point run early in the set. Wake Forest and Lipscomb had tied for the largest lead of the set at 1 point until Lipscomb put up a two-point lead at 8-6. Lipscomb put up a five-point run after falling behind to take a 18-16 lead. Wake Forest worked back to 18-18 and an even score in the set. Both teams fought to keep the score even, getting to 21-21 A 3 point run put the Bisons on top with a 24-21 first set score. The second set started with Wake Forest’s two-point run. The Bisons responded with a five-point run before a Wake Forest timeout. Wake Forest challenged the Bisons with a five-point run of their own to bring the score to 6-8. Both teams fought with Wake Forest gaining a 15-10 lead over the Bisons. Wake Forest was able to put a considerable lead up after a three-point run and a five-point run split up by only one Lipscomb point. With a 24-14 score in favor of the Demon Deacons, the Bisons posted a four-point run. The second set ended 17-25 with Wake Forest, which allowed the Demon Deacons to even the set score at 1-1. In the third set a back and forth battle ensued as each team tried to gain a lead over the other. The...
by Danny Kotula | Sep 6, 2021 | News Slider, Sports, Student Spotlight
After a whirlwind of a summer ended on a Paralympic podium in Japan, freshman distance runner Liza Corso is only now giving herself time to reflect. “When I crossed the finish line and realized I came in second with a time that was 13 seconds better than my personal best, I was in a little bit of disbelief,” Corso said in an email conversation. Corso, diagnosed with albinism that makes her legally blind, finished second in the T13-class women’s 1500-meter final race in Tokyo on Aug. 28 after being ranked eighth in the field. “Once I had time for it to really sink in, I was just filled with joy and gratitude that God gave me the ability to not only run in the final but also get the silver medal,” Corso said. As a freshman in college, Corso was one of the youngest to compete in track and field at this year’s Paralympics in any event. She said her expectations were modest and that the result really did come as a surprise. “I was definitely not expecting to medal at my first Paralympic Games!” said the Newmarket, New Hampshire, native. “I had thoughts about how amazing it would be to medal, but I wasn’t focusing on it because I just wanted to have a good race.” In an email with Lumination before her race, she said her overarching goal was to inspire others rather than to secure a result. After her performance, she feels she’s been able to do both. “This race taught me to never count yourself out and that God has greater things in store for...
by CJ Arndt | Sep 4, 2021 | News Slider, Sports
Lipscomb women’s volleyball lost 3-1 to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Friday night, moving to 1-4 on the season. After a loss to start the Lipscomb University Invitational, the Bisons matched up against the nationally-ranked Hilltoppers. Western Kentucky was ranked #15 on the Week 1 American Volleyball Coaches poll. Lipscomb also entered 1-9 in the all-time series against WKU. The Bisons started off hot on a 4-0 run with momentum in their favor in the first set. The Hilltoppers were able to push it back to a 3-9 lead after a few quick back-and-forth points. WKU took a 5-point run to tie the set back up at 9-9. The Bisons responded with a quick 5-point run of their own to take a 14-9 advantage. After a few 3-point runs by both teams the Bisons finished the first set, winning 25-21. With the first 9 points split 4-5, the second set was always going to be tight. A double block at the net by senior Garrett Joiner and sophomore Meg Mersman brought the set back to 10-10. A slow but substantial lead was grown by the Hilltoppers as they led 15-22 after a back-and-forth battle. The second set finished 17-25 which brought the sets to an even 1-1. The third set was a hard-fought loss for the Bisons. After a pair of points by Lipscomb to bring the set to 4-5, WKU put together a momentum-swinging 5-point run. Lipscomb put up a point to break the streak and the Hilltoppers responded with 4 of their own. The set worked to 10-17 as the Hilltoppers put up another huge run of...
by Danny Kotula | Aug 31, 2021 | Sports
The Lipscomb men’s soccer team was ranked #23 in the United Soccer Coaches Division I National Poll in the first rankings release of the season Tuesday. The poll ranks the top 25 soccer teams in NCAA Division I men’s soccer every week. After being unranked in the preseason poll a week ago, the Bisons won 2-1 in a marquee match against the UCLA Bruins in Los Angeles followed by a 4-0 thrashing of the San Diego Toreros in San Diego. “We had a great first weekend and I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of how good this team can be,” said head coach Charles Morrow. “It’s a little early to get too excited about national rankings [since] there is still a lot of work to be done by this group.” “If we can stay healthy and continue the work that we have just begun with the hunger and attitude to get better every day, I think this group could do some really special things,” said Morrow. The in-form Bisons squad was also given the top spot in the Atlantic Region of the ranking, finishing just ahead of second-place UNC Wilmington and fellow ASUN Conference members Bellarmine and Central Arkansas, who are ranked third and fourth respectively. The Indiana Hoosiers lead the national ranking after Week 1. Aside from ranking college soccer teams, United Soccer Coaches provides materials like education, job forums, and a membership program for soccer coaches at a variety of levels. According to their website, the ranking is an “indicator of week-to-week status of qualified programs”. The ranking does not have any effect on qualification...
