Pioneers Wrap Up 2010 Season With Loss to JBC

Playing its third match in three days, the Wesleyan College soccer team did not have enough left in the tank to overcome Johnson Bible College, dropping the match by a score of 2-0.

Senior Emily Epperson added nine saves to her record-setting career total, wrapping up her four years at Wesleyan with 1, 127 saves.  Midfielder Amber Campbell also played her final collegiate match for the Pioneers.

The match concluded the Pioneers 2010 campaign.

Equestrian Team Competes in First Show of Season

The Wesleyan College Equestrian Team competed this past weekend (Oct. 23-24) at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro, GA. Sophomore Stephanie Jamison competed in Advanced Walk/Trot/Canter earning a sixth place ribbon. Junior Lorikim Morris earned reserve place in Beginner Walk/Trot/Canter and freshmen Aaron South and Beth Hurst earned reserve in Advanced Walk/Trot/Canter.


The team competes again this weekend at Savannah College of Art and Design.

Epperson Sets NCAA Career Saves Record

Wesleyan College goalkeeper Emily Epperson broke the NCAA all divisions career saves record on Sunday evening. Tallying 23 saves in her final home game against Great South Athletic Conference power Salem College, her career total currently stands at 1,118 saves. The previous record of 1,114 saves was set by Amanda Cobb of New Jersey City College in 2000.

“I didn’t think that I would make it before the season ended, so it was a surprise to say the least,” remarked Epperson. “It’s a bittersweet record, but it’s a personal accomplishment so it’s something that I’ll always have with me. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t back it up with a couple of winning seasons, but I can’t be anything but ecstatic about it and I’m happy with how I’ve performed over the past four years.”

The record breaking save occurred in the 85th minute of play when Epperson blocked a shot in the box by Salem’s Alana Carroll.

“She’s a great goalie,” stated Amber Campbell, the only other senior on Wesleyan’s roster. “I’ve never seen a better player or someone who puts so much into it and she really deserves this recognition. From the moment we came in as freshman, she was a go getter. She wanted the team to do as well as it could and she knew what she had to do to contribute. She’s made to lead a team.”

President Ruth Knox presented the senior with a ball signed by the team at the first dead ball following the save. It gave her teammates and the campus community an opportunity to celebrate alongside her.

“We’re excited for her,” stated Wesleyan head coach Michael Spivey. “Her work ethic represents everything you want to see in a student-athlete as far as her balance between her studies and soccer. To me, the leadership she shows off the field is just as important as how she leads on the field. She’s been voted as a captain for two years now, and I think people look to her for her strength in leadership. She has a lot of strong character traits, including a personality that’s open and hard working, and she has a lot of goals and she strives to work hard to accomplish them, which she did tonight.”

The leader now finds herself atop the NCAA record books, separating herself from great players all the way from Division I powerhouse North Carolina to Wesleyan’s rivals in the Great South Athletic Conference.

“It’s kind of surreal - I never even thought it was possible or that there was record for it or that it was that important, so it’s kind of cool that it’s mine now.”

Mark another goal off the list for this driven student-athlete after tonight.

Volleyball Drops Two in Final GSAC Weekend

The trip to LaGrange College for the team's final Great South Athletic Conference tri-match did not treat Wesleyan volleyball well as the host Panthers and Agnes Scott College swept the Pioneers.

Brittany Sheely racked up five kills in each match to pace Wesleyan. With the losses, the Pioneers will miss the GSAC Championship this year.

Wesleyan hosts Southern Wesleyan University in their season finale on Oct. 30. First serve is set for 1:00pm at Porter Gymnasium.

Epperson on Pace to Break NCAA Record

In a match against league leader Maryville College, the Wesleyan soccer team could not generate an offensive rhythm against a dominant Scots team, dropping the match by a score of 12-0.

Senior goalkeeper Emily Epperson closed to within 20 saves of the NCAA all divisions career record, tallying 25 saves against the Scots.  She currently stands at 1095 saves, second only to Amanda Cobb's 1114.  Epperson will have a chance to break the record tomorrow evening when the Pioneers host Salem College at the Mathews Athletic Complex at 6:00pm.
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NCAA Division III Career Saves Leaders (Name / School / Years / Games / Saves)

1. Amanda Cobb, New Jersey City 1997-00 66 1,114
2. Emily Epperson, Wesleyan 2007- 64 1095
3. Sara Jesuit, Marian (WI) 1999-02 72 973
4. Tracy Dolence, Lake Erie 1998-01 78 954
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Volleyball Packs Porter in Pink against Brewton-Parker

Wesleyan College participated in Breast Cancer Awareness Month by "Packing Porter in Pink" for the volleyball team's match with Brewton-Parker College. The Department of Athletics honored during the match and collected donations to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

The Pioneers fell to the Barons 3-1 (25-13, 24-26, 25-16, 25-8). Brittany Sheely led Wesleyan (1-14) with 10 kills and a .240 hitting percentage while Alaina Avera finished with a season-best 18 digs. Emily Wood pounded out 21 kills for Brewton-Parker (15-7) in the win.

Wesleyan heads to LaGrange College on Saturday to compete in the team's final Great South Athletic Conference tri-match of the year, joining the host Panthers and Agnes Scott College.

Pioneers Soccer Falls to Agnes Scott, 4-0

Facing a barrage of shots, Wesleyan goalkeeper Emily Epperson inched closer to taking over the top spot in NCAA career saves in a 4-0 loss to GSAC rival Agnes Scott College.  She finished the match with 23 saves on 45 shots taken by the Scotties and is now only 45 saves from owning the record.

The Pioneers wrap up their season with three games in three days, beginning with a conference match on Saturday at Maryville College.  Wesleyan will return home for their final match at the Mathews Athletic Complex on Sunday against Salem College before taking on Johnson Bible College on Monday.

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NCAA Division III Career Saves Leaders (Name / School / Years / Games / Saves)

1. Amanda Cobb, New Jersey City 1997-00 66 1,114
2. Emily Epperson, Wesleyan 2007- 63 1070
3. Sara Jesuit, Marian (WI) 1999-02 72 973
4. Tracy Dolence, Lake Erie 1998-01 78 954
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Thomas Leads Cross Country in Final Tune-Up

In the team's final tune-up before the Great South Athletic Conference Championship, Belle Thomas led a steadily improving Wesleyan squad at the Oglethorpe Classic.

The two-time GSAC Runner of the Week continued her consistent season with an 11th place showing. She completed the course in 21:42.67 against a field stacked with Division I and II competitors.

Wesleyan finished seventh in the nine-team field, but seemed to close the gap on one of the top GSAC contenders, Spelman College.

Miriam Oakes (42nd), Kaitlyn Rentz (44th), Amanda Holliday (58th), Taylor Lyle (69th) and Aditi Dey (73rd) rounded out the Wesleyan side.

Volleyball Hosts Four-Team Festival

Wesleyan College welcomed GSAC rivals Spelman College and Covenant College along with non-conference foe St. Thomas University in a five-match volleyball festival at Porter Gymnasium.

Records:
Covenant College - 12-11
Spelman College - 4-17, 1-4 GSAC
St. Thomas University - 18-4
Wesleyan College - 1-12, 0-5 GSAC

Spelman College d. Wesleyan College, 3-2 (25-27, 26-24, 25-14, 21-25, 15-6)
In the first five-set match since Wesleyan re-introduced the program, Spelman outlasted the Pioneers. A rally in the fourth set kept the Pioneers alive. Alaina Avera racked up 11 kills and six digs to pace Wesleyan while Loni Young piled up 13 kills including five in the decisive fifth set.

Covenant College d. Spelman College, 3-0 (25-17, 25-4, 25-12)
Covenant limited Spelman to a negative hitting percentage in all three sets to cruise to a 3-0 sweep. Erica Adams finiished 10 kills to pace the Scots.

Covenant College d. Wesleyan College, 3-0 (25-8, 25-11, 25-4)

Covenant's defense dominated again, limiting Wesleyan to just seven kills in a 3-0 sweep. Estes Carlson garnered 10 kills in 13 swings while setter Lisa Solis racked up a double-double (19 assists/10 aces). Alania Avera had three kills and three digs to pace the Pioneers.

St. Thomas University d. Spelman College, 3-0 (25-13, 25-8, 25-21)
NAIA foe St. Thomas used an efficiently executed offense to sweep Spelman 3-0. The Bobcats hit .233 for the match including an impressive 11 kills on 17 swings in set two. Slavica Stefanovic finished with 10 kills. Loni Young added another five kills for the Jaguars.

St. Thomas University d. Wesleyan College, 3-0 (25-12, 25-7, 25-10) 
Slavica Stefanovic dominated the match with 17 kills in 24 attempts while the Bobcats hit a whopping .478 in a 3-0 sweep of the host Pioneers. Alaina Avera led Wesleyan with four kills while Adrianne Woodward added five digs.

Wesleyan returns to action on Thursday when they go for the season sweep of Atlanta Christian College on the road.

Wesleyan College Athletics Photography

Johnny Mullis of JOMIII Photography took photos of the volleyball and soccer teams that can be viewed on his website and are available for purchase.

In order to view the photos, go to http://www.jomiii.com/ and click on "Proofing."
For volleyball photos, the user code is WCV0922 and the password is 5850-096.
For soccer photos, the user code is WCS0930 and the password is 5850-97.

Follow the prompts on the website if you are interested in purchasing photos.
Thank you to Johnny Mullis for his wonderful photography!

Wesleyan Soccer Drops Match to LaGrange

On Senior Night, Wesleyan College goalkeeper Emily Epperson added another 21 saves to her career total (1034) in an 8-0 loss to LaGrange College, putting her 80 saves away from tying the NCAA all division record.  Midfielder Amber Campbell was also honored at half time.

The Pioneers failed to take a single shot in the match. 

The Panthers were paced by a four goal performance by Shelby Stanfield with Chelsea Totaro, Mary Robertson, Brittany Gray and Rachael Stevenson each adding one.

The Pioneers return to action on Saturday, October 16 at Huntingdon College.
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NCAA Division III Career Saves Leaders (Name / School / Years / Games / Saves)
1. Amanda Cobb, New Jersey City 1997-00 66 1,114
2. Emily Epperson, Wesleyan 2007- 61 1034
3. Sara Jesuit, Marian (WI) 1999-02 72 973
4. Tracy Dolence, Lake Erie 1998-01 78 954
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Epperson Moves to 2nd on Career Saves List in Wesleyan Soccer Loss

The Wesleyan College soccer team battled a full 90 minutes against Toccoa Falls College this evening, dropping the match 1-0 on a goal scored by the Eagles in the last five minutes of the game.

Due to injuries, the Pioneers were forced to start and play the entire match a man down.  "We only played with 10 players and they played great the entire match," stated Wesleyan's head coach Michael Spivey.  "They left it all on the field and I think we played much better tonight than we have in recent matches.  I'm really pleased with our effort."

Senior goalkeeper Emily Epperson added 30 saves to her career total, bringing it up to 1013.  She currently stands second in Division III in career saves and needs just nine more to pass Heather Ross (UMass-Lowell, 1995-98 - 1022) to move into second place in all NCAA divisions.

The Pioneers will host LaGrange College on Saturday, October 9 at 7:00pm and will recognize seniors Emily Epperson and Amber Campbell at half time.

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NCAA Division III Career Saves Leaders (Name / School / Years / Games / Saves)

1. Amanda Cobb, New Jersey City 1997-00 66 1,114
2. *Emily Epperson, Wesleyan 2007- 60 1013
3. Sara Jesuit, Marian (WI) 1999-02 72 973
4. Tracy Dolence, Lake Erie 1998-01 78 954

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Volleyball Drops Match with Reinhardt

Brittany Reid nearly posted a double-double while directing the Wesleyan offense in the team's 3-0 (25-9, 25-14, 25-11) loss to Reinhardt at Porter Gym.

The Eagles (10-7) swept the season series from the Pioneers (1-9) in front of a rowdy crowd. Four different Reinhardt players posted seven or more kills with Jasmine Leigh coming off the bench to finish with eight. Alaina Avera and Brittanie Steele each finished with four kills for Wesleyan.

The Pioneers will take nearly two weeks off before hosting a full day of volleyball on October 16. Wesleyan welcomes Covenant College, Spelman College and St. Thomas University to Porter Gym for a round-robin regular season match starting at 10:00am.

Volleyball Hosts GSAC Tri-Match with Huntingdon & Salem

Wesleyan College hosted its first Great South Athletic Conference tri-match of the season with Huntingdon College and Salem College.

Salem d. Wesleyan, 3-0 (25-14, 25-11, 25-16)
Huntingdon d. Salem, 3-1 (25-15, 22-25, 25-20, 25-16)
Huntingdon d. Wesleyan, 3-0 (25-16, 25-8, 25-9)

Records:
Huntingdon College: 9-11, 3-0 GSAC
Salem College: 6-9, 3-1 GSAC
Wesleyan College: 1-8, 0-4 GSAC

Salem College 3, Wesleyan College 0
Christine Tillman collected 10 kills on 12 swing to help Salem extend its GSAC winning streak to three matches to open the 2010 season. The Spirits racked up 15 aces and five blocks to fly past the host Pioneers. Four different Wesleyan players recorded kills while Rebecca Navarre and Ceclia Cortez each finished with seven digs.

Huntingdon College 3, Salem College 1
After splitting the first two sets, Huntingdon hit .207 in both the third and fourth sets to claim a 3-1 victory over Salem in the day's second match. Setter Alyssa Eason finished with a double-double (31 assists / 13 digs) while Clare Shannon and Abby Carter each had 12 kills for the Hawks. Randi Roppolo led the Spirits with 11 kills while Tillman posted nine kills, nine digs and five blocks.

Huntingdon College 3, Wesleyan College 0
A dominant service game carried Huntingdon to a 3-0 win over host Wesleyan in the day's final match. Seventeen Hawks saw action as they improved to 3-0 in GSAC play. Alaina Avera and Adrianne Woodward finished with three kills each while Rebecca Navarre added a team-leading eight digs. Settter Alyssa Eason racked up 19 assists and seven aces to pace the Hawks.

The Pioneers host in-state rival Reinhardt University in Porter Gym on Monday night. First serve is set for 7:00pm.