Sports - The Daily Tar Heel

Parker Quiets Rumors With Emergence

Nov. 8, 2000

Fall Break came at a perfect time for Willie Parker. Parker, North Carolina's starting tailback coming out of spring practice, had dropped to third on the depth chart. He was still attempting to overcome a back injury that had hampered him through the Tar Heels' first five games. The Tar Heels had a bye week, and Parker went to his hometown of Clinton to relax from the pressures of an already frustrating season. But the scene that Parker returned to was anything but therapeutic. People flocked to Parker's house to ask him why he wasn't playing.

Mejia Advances to ITA Nationals

By Staff Editor | Nov. 7, 2000

North Carolina sophomore Marlene Mejia defeated Maren Haus of Wake Forest 6-0, 6-4 in the semifinal round of the ITA Southeast Regional Championships at Wake Forest to advance to the ITA National Championships in Dallas. "Marlene had a fantastic tournament," UNC coach Roland Thornqvist said. "Her game has matured. She knows where to go on offense and when to change it up, and that has made her a better player." The ITA National Championships will be the first weekend in February at the Brookhaven Country Club.

Tar Heels' Outlook Helps to Keep Bowl Hopes Alive

Nov. 7, 2000

PITTSBURGH - Carl Torbush didn't want to accentuate the negatives. Sure, if his North Carolina football team would have picked up its sixth loss of the season against Pittsburgh, its bowl hopes would have been dashed. But Torbush wanted to focus on what the Tar Heels could still accomplish with a victory. A win would elevate the UNC's record to 4-5 with two games remaining.

UNC Gives Doherty 1st Win

Nov. 7, 2000

The game won't count in the final standings, but Matt Doherty will take it. Doherty picked up a victory in his first game as North Carolina men's basketball coach as the Tar Heels defeated the CBA's Yakima Sun Kings 96-87 at the Smith Center on Monday night. "It's a relief," Doherty said. "I felt like my lungs were going to explode this afternoon - I was just anxious to get on the sidelines and coach a game.

Swimming Pays Back Minnesota

Nov. 6, 2000

Call it a blend of progress and timing. Last season, a young and inexperienced North Carolina men's swimming and diving team traveled to Minneapolis, Minn., to participate in a meet against Minnesota and Nebraska. The results were mixed. Then-No. 22 UNC squeaked by the Cornhuskers but was blown out of the water by the Golden Gophers, losing 234-135. This season, the Tar Heels were again ranked 22nd in the nation entering the weekend's dual meet with Minnesota.

Defense Shuts Down ACC Opponents

By James Giza | Nov. 6, 2000

DURHAM - If the North Carolina women's soccer team and its fans were elated following the Tar Heels' dominating performance in the ACC tournament this weekend, just think how the groundskeepers must feel. Surely, the men and women who tend the field at Koskinen Stadium were off somewhere toasting the beauty of the rule that teams must switch sides after halftime. Had that rule not been in effect, the side of the field that UNC attacked would have gotten awfully chewed up - and the other side would have been in near-mint condition. Applying an overwhelming amount of defensive pressure,

Tar Heels Beat Michigan in Battle of No. 9s

Nov. 6, 2000

The North Carolina women's swimming team faced a tough early season challenge when it hosted Michigan over the weekend. The Tar Heels stepped up to the challenge as they defeated the Wolverines, a team they shared a No. 9 ranking with, by a score of 207-163. Freshman sensation Jessi Perruquet and junior Katie Hathaway led the Tar Heels.

Field Hockey Falters in Semifinals Against Virginia

By Rachel Carter | Nov. 6, 2000

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - It wasn't supposed to be like this. The two teams didn't expect it. The media certainly didn't, and the fans in the stands of Maryland's Artificial Turf Stadium didn't even know the rules. But as North Carolina sweeper Abby Martin would fittingly say after the Tar Heels lost 2-1 to ninth-ranked Virginia in the ACC field hockey tournament semifinals, "Anything can happen. And it did." Anything in this case was a Virginia team that had barely made it to the semifinals, needing overtime to beat fifth-seeded Duke.

Panthers Pay for Underestimating Peppers, D-Line

Nov. 6, 2000

PITTSBURGH - Julius Peppers received all the motivation he needed from a photocopied article from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Pittsburgh left tackle Mark Browne criticized Peppers during the week leading up to Saturday's contest between the Panthers and North Carolina, and the comments soon became the framework for a story detailing just what the Panther senior thought about the UNC sophomore. The trash talk didn't go unnoticed by some of Peppers' teammates, who delivered two copies of the story to him.

Hot Shooting Paces UNC

Nov. 6, 2000

North Carolina's LaQuanda Barksdale led the ACC in scoring and rebounding last year. If Sunday's exhibition game against Athletes in Action is any indication, Barksdale intends to repeat at least one of those accomplishments. Barksdale, a senior forward, hit 11-of-13 shots from the field, netting 27 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Tar Heels to a 90-66 victory against AIA at Carmichael Auditorium. Joining Barksdale in a seemingly effortless shooting day was senior guard Juana Brown, who went 10-for-12 and scored 24 points.

UNC Finishes Off Pitt, Losing Streak

Nov. 6, 2000

PITTSBURGH - It seemed the North Carolina football team found a new way to lose in each of its past four games. Blocked punts. Fumbles. Stupid penalties. Not being able to score in the red zone. The Tar Heels looked to be headed down the same road Saturday against Pittsburgh. UNC held a 13-10 halftime lead but turned the ball over inside the Panther 30 twice in the second half and botched a field-goal attempt.

Tar Heels Dominate Duke to Capture 13th ACC Title

Nov. 6, 2000

DURHAM - In an ACC women's soccer season wrought with upsets and surprises, one thing remained constant. North Carolina, which lost a team-record three regular-season conference games, captured its 13th conference championship in the 14 years of ACC women's soccer competition. The third-seeded Tar Heels beat an overmatched Duke squad 4-0 in the ACC tournament final Sunday in front of 5,273 fans at Koskinen Stadium. UNC has earned a first-round bye in the NCAA Women's College Cup.

UNC Cornerbacks Face Test Against Panther Wideouts

Nov. 3, 2000

Game and time: North Carolina at Pittsburgh. Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. Site: Three Rivers Stadium. TV/radio: The game will be televised on ESPN2. The Tar Heel Sports Network will provide live radio coverage; its flagship station is WCHL 1360-AM. Records: UNC is 3-5 overall, 1-5 in the ACC.

Trio Bounced From Qualifying

Nov. 3, 2000

Sam Paul would love to have eight months to prepare his men's tennis players instead of eight weeks. Yet that's the downside to playing tennis in the fall. There's simply no time. And the North Carolina coach knows it. "One thing about fall tennis is that we have some guys trying to make certain adjustments on their games, so they're not playing well," Paul said. Working to make those adjustments wasn't easy for North Carolina's Greg Archer, Max Hilkey and Nicholas Monroe on Thursday.

McCann, Shelton Earn ACC Honors

Nov. 3, 2000

North Carolina senior forward Kristen McCann was chosen the ACC field hockey player of the year by the league's five coaches Thursday.

Tar Heels Avoid Upset, Advance in ACC Tourney

Nov. 3, 2000

Assistant SportSaturday Editor DURHAM - In the 12 years of the ACC women's soccer tournament, the only team besides North Carolina to capture the title was N.C.

Field Hockey Awaits Opponent

Nov. 2, 2000

North Carolina field hockey coach Karen Shelton has a saying she drills into the heads of her players. "(Shelton) always says, `Our most important game is our next game,'" sophomore goalkeeper Amy Tran said. That means UNC's most important game is Friday at 7 p.m., when the team plays in the first round of the ACC tournament. After going undefeated in league play, UNC earned the No. 1 seed and a game against either Duke or ninth-ranked Virginia. UNC won't find out who its semifinal opponent is until the Blue Devils and the Cavaliers battle at 2 p.m.

UNC Men Stay Alive In Singles

Nov. 2, 2000

Nicholas Monroe knows he has no choice but to play aggressive tennis. And that's just to qualify. Knowing he may log overtime on the court didn't stop the North Carolina freshman from posting an impressive 6-3, 6-2 win Wednesday afternoon against East Tennessee State's Juan Yannuzzi. Monroe will now move on in the qualifying rounds of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association South Atlantic Regional Indoor Championships at UNC's Cone-Kenfield Tennis Center. Tournament play begins at 8 a.m. today.

Tar Heels Head to ACCs Looking for Redemption

By Staff Editor | Nov. 2, 2000

Following its worst ACC regular season showing in history, the North Carolina women's soccer team has been handed a clean slate for the conference tournament this weekend. But the third-seeded Tar Heels (13-3, 4-3 in the ACC) will have to take advantage of their fresh start without their third-leading scorer. Sophomore forward Susan Bush was lost for the remainder of the season when she tore the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee during practice on Oct.

UNC Faces Uphill Battle At ITA Championships

Nov. 1, 2000

It won't be all strawberries and cream for the North Carolina men's tennis team this week. Even with the home-court advantage. UNC heads into this week's Intercollegiate Tennis Association's South Atlantic Regional Indoor Championships without a Tar Heel seeded in either the singles or doubles brackets. But this isn't a cause for concern for UNC coach Sam Paul. "I don't put much stock into seeds," Paul said.