Sports - The Daily Tar Heel

`Midnight With Matt' Kicks Off New Era for UNC

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

The official beginning of a new era in North Carolina men's basketball is less than 24 hours away. But the present will touch the past when UNC takes the floor at midnight tonight for its first practice under Matt Doherty. The event, dubbed "Midnight with Matt and the Tar Heels," will take place in Carmichael Auditorium. Doherty has been looking forward to the event for days. He wants Carmichael to look like it did when he played there from 1980-84 - a sea of blue. "I know the players are excited, and I think the students are, too," Doherty said.

UNC Looks to Continue ACC Success

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

The North Carolina volleyball team doesn't have the one star player that strikes terror in its opponent. Rather, the Tar Heels rely on strong team play and consistent hitting from everyone. UNC lost six players from last year. Three of those players were starters who helped carry North Carolina to an ACC championship. But this year's Tar Heels haven't let their teammates' departure get them down. They're 16-3 and undefeated in ACC play. "It's a concern all the time when you're filling three spaces," UNC coach Joe Sagula said.

SportsSaturday - A Dream Come True

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Jeff Reed couldn't have expected his dream to unfold so perfectly. Not after getting such a late start. Not after spending his first few years at North Carolina watching games on television that his teammates were playing in hundreds of miles from Chapel Hill. Reed rarely told people about his dream - the chances of it coming true were slim. But that's what makes Reed's patient ascent from a little-known walk-on to one of the ACC's best kickers so special. "I had a dream, but I wouldn't ever say it." Reed said.

SportsSaturday - Bomars Bond Over Football

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Gayle Bomar didn't realize it was his son at first. Somebody on the North Carolina defense had stopped N.C. State wideout Chris Coleman just shy of the end zone. But from his seat in the stands last Nov. 11, Bomar wasn't quite sure who made the play. He had no clue that his son, David - a one-time walk-on starting the third game of his career at safety - was the one who had swooped in and tackled Coleman six inches short of a touchdown with 1:28 left in the game. "To be honest about it, it was at the other end of the field where I was sitting," he said.

SportsSaturday - Sidebottom Perseveres Through Injuries, Thesis

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Picture this: you're rehabilitating your right knee after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament.

SportsSaturday - Robinson's Making It Happen

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

It was bound to happen. After all, N.C. State wide receiver Koren Robinson set a conference record for freshman receiving yardage last season. Factor in new coach Chuck Amato's pass-oriented attack and the arrival of strong-armed freshman quarterback Philip Rivers, and one would assume big numbers from Robinson this year. But no one knew exactly how big those numbers would be. Robinson has terrorized opposing secondaries this season, averaging a gaudy 120.2 receiving yards per game, good for second in the nation.

SportsSaturday - Pondering Prognostication

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Virginia Tech will go undefeated again. Purdue's Drew Brees will win the Heisman Trophy. Dilliard's won't offer any more ridiculous discounts to Florida State players. Predictions such as these account for half the fun in college football and make for interesting conversation. We make our own predictions every week at the DTH, proving exactly how much this prognostication is really worth. Jaded by the glut of upsets in college football, a colleague of mine decided to throw his set of picks last week.

SportsSaturday - A View From The Other Side

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Mike O'Cain wants this weekend to be just like any other. But it won't be. It can't be. And he knows it. O'Cain, North Carolina's offensive coordinator, figured that out early in the week when he was watching film of N.C. State, UNC's opponent today. The players he saw running around on the field were his guys. He was the one responsible for bringing them to Raleigh. He had celebrated with them after great wins against the likes of Syracuse and Florida State and suffered with them after bad losses to Baylor and Wake Forest. He was their coach, and they were his players.

UNC, 'Pack Set for Offensive Battle

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Game and time: N.C. State at North Carolina. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. Site: Kenan Stadium. TV/radio: The game will be televised regionally by ABC. The Tar Heel Sports Network will provide live radio coverage; its flagship station is WCHL 1360-AM. Records: N.C. State is 4-1, 1-1 in the ACC. North Carolina is 3-2, 1-2. Series: UNC leads 59-24-6. Personnel update: N.C. State - No injuries reported. UNC - LB Merceda Perry (right ankle) is out for the season. WR Kory Bailey (right hamstring) and CB Anthony Anderson (left shoulder) are doubtful.

Cross Country Teams Split Up for Weekend

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

North Carolina's cross country teams will split up this weekend as the women head to Ames, Iowa, and the men travel to Cullowhee. The Tar Heels were off last weekend after sweeping the UNC Challenge at Finley Field on Sept. 30. The women are competing in the NCAA Preview at Iowa State. Race time is 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. UNC will face stiff competition, as 16 of the top-25 ranked schools will be in attendance. Some of the teams include Stanford (No. 1), Colorado (2), BYU (3) Kansas State (5) and local rivals N.C.

SportsSaturday - Rating the Rivalry

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

My father has always liked to cause trouble. He is an Auburn fan. It doesn't seem like it's a big deal, but his entire family worships former Alabama coach Bear Bryant. You know how North Carolina fans idolize Dean Smith? It doesn't compare. According to certain members of the family, besides my dad's evil alliance, he had the further bad taste to infect one of his two daughters (me) with the Auburn fever. Thank god. Alabama's nothing but a bunch of cheaters.

SportsSaturday - Victor Dashes to Forefront of UNC Runners

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

The word dash is associated more with the sprints of track and field than the courses of cross country. But at North Carolina, things are different. Sophomore Dash Victor has emerged as one of the men's cross country team's top runners this season. He opened the season with a sixth-place finish at the Wake Forest Invitational and placed ninth in his next race at William & Mary. Although Victor came up short at the UNC Challenge on Sept.

Seniors Hope Home Game Won't Be Last

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Abby Martin burst into a sprint and worked her way up the left side of Henry Stadium's field. "You're gonna miss," yelled North Carolina field hockey manager Sam Trogdon. Martin's weapon of choice was a soccer ball, not something usually found at the stadium. Martin neared the goal and kicked without slowing her run. She missed wide by 10 feet. "That would have been in if it was a soccer goal," Martin called back to Trogdon.

SportsSaturday - DePlatchett Fills In Admirably

By Staff Editor | Oct. 13, 2000

Regardless of the size of Jenni Branam's feet, Kristin DePlatchett had large shoes to fill. Branam, a freshman All-American last season, left for Australia on Sept. 10 as an alternate goalkeeper for the U.S. Olympic soccer team.

'Pack's Rivers Floods Defenses With Yardage, TDs

By Staff Editor | Oct. 12, 2000

College football analysts and experts love to speculate about postseason individual awards during the season. They debate who is most deserving of the Heisman Trophy. They rank their candidates for the Butkus Award, with each expert trying to impress the others with a great sleeper pick. But there's not much talk about this season's ACC Rookie of the Year contest. Because there is none. Philip Rivers is the man.

Women's Soccer Holds Off Feisty Wolfpack

By Staff Editor | Oct. 12, 2000

RALEIGH - It's not all that surprising that the North Carolina women's soccer team beat N.C. State on Wednesday. It is perhaps a little surprising how close the Wolfpack kept the game. UNC, leading the nation with an average of five goals per game, had to settle for three in a 3-0 shutout at the WRAL Soccer Center. The Tar Heels (12-1, 3-1 in the ACC) hadn't played since Sept.

New Weapons Firing Deep for UNC

By Staff Editor | Oct. 11, 2000

Former North Carolina wide receiver Na Brown was affectionately known as "Spot" during his UNC career. Brown, a great possession receiver who now plays in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles, developed a reputation for not being able to outrun defenders and make big plays. But last year's Tar Heels made "Spot," who left in 1998, look like a speed demon. UNC's longest play of the season was 45 yards, coming on a pass thrown from Domonique Williams to Kory Bailey. Things are a little different in 2000.

Field Hockey Survives Overtime at Wake

By Staff Editor | Oct. 11, 2000

WINSTON-SALEM - North Carolina senior forward Kristen McCann scored her third goal of Tuesday evening's game with 11:04 remaining in the first overtime period to give the Tar Heels a 4-3 win against fourth-ranked Wake Forest. UNC, ranked third, improved to 13-1 on the season and will host No. 5 Michigan on Friday at 2 p.m. Wake's Jenny Everett scored first, with 27:17 remaining in the first half, but McCann tied the game with an unassisted goal less than two minutes later.

UNC Prepares for Wake With Similar Approach

By Staff Editor | Oct. 10, 2000

Revenge has become a factor every time North Carolina and Wake Forest have met in a field hockey match in the last two years. UNC (12-1, 2-0 in the ACC) gained the upper hand the last time the two teams met, defeating Wake Forest 3-2 at Henry Stadium on Sept. 30. The win knocked Wake (11-1, 2-1) from third in the nation to fourth and restored the Tar Heels to No. 3 in the rankings. The victory was also good for bragging rights in the ACC because tonight's 7 p.m. game at Wake's Kentner Stadium will not count toward ACC totals.

Bye Week Allows Tar Heels to Focus

By Staff Editor | Oct. 10, 2000

The North Carolina football team's bye week couldn't have come at a more opportune time. The Tar Heels used last week to get over their 42-28 loss to Georgia Tech on Sept. 30 - a game they should have won. The team got back to basics, working on blocking schemes and line assignments for the majority of last week's practices. UNC focused more on improving its game than worrying about N.C. State, its opponent on Saturday.