The position of setter in volleyball is similar to a quarterback in football. It takes a special individual to direct things on the court, set up the plays in a way that they can be executed efficiently and promptly. There is not a lot of time to react, as you turn from a defensive player into an offensive player within a matter of seconds. It takes someone who is not shy, who does not panic, who is composed, and can provide direction. Suzy Barbaritz (Clarence, NY/Clarence) is on the cutting edge when it comes to setters, and keeps thing composed in hair-raising situations.
Head Coach Sandy Collins knows full well that Barbaritz really “digs” her role.
“Suzy works extremely hard every day, and demands perfection of herself and teammates,” said Collins. “She has high expectations for her performance on the volleyball court.”
The volleyball record book has the name “Barbaritz” all over it at Union. She is now only the second player in Union history to amass more then 2,000 assists, with 2,611. Sarah Pontius had 4,212, in 2000-04. Barbaritz is 15th in career aces (114) and 18th in career digs (535). She was a Liberty League Second Team All-Star last year.
The performance of the last weekend earned Barbaritz Union Invitational All-Tournament honors along with teammate Erin Shumaker (Saratoga Springs, NY/Saratoga Springs). Barbaritz, who was also on the tourney team for the first Union Invitational earlier this season, posted 39 assists each in matches against St. Lawrence and Fredonia, 36 assists against New Paltz and 30 assists vs. Skidmore during the weekend. On the season, she has 728 assists and also a team best 58 service aces. Schumaker had 12 kills and three blocks vs. New Paltz, and another highlight included 10 kills in the win over St. Lawrence.
“Suzy has done a very good job getting two key freshmen (Shumaker and Julie La Spina of Roslyn Heights, NY/Roslyn) involved in our offense,” continued Collins.
Barbaritz and her teammates will compete at Skidmore this weekend for the SUNY/Liberty League tournament, the tourney that features a challenge between two Division III conferences. You can count on her to be “set” to play in her final home match of her career, November 1 vs. Oneonta.
Barbaritz and Shumaker had plenty of company on campus with honors for the past week. Players from football, men's soccer and women's soccer received league, regional and national awards. These three teams have combined for an eye-opening 23-3-3 record.
In men's soccer, the Dutchmen have gone undefeated in 12 of the last 13 games. This is the second straight season that Union has won 10 games, and with five games remaining in the regular season, the Dutchmen could eclipse the record of 13 victories set in 1986. A familiar name has helped lead this amazing streak for Union, which entered the week ranked fifth in the Northeast Region. Sophomore forward Chris Poey (Amherst, MA/Amherst Regional) was named the Liberty League Co-Offensive Performer of the Week. He scored three goals to help Union pick up a pair of Liberty League wins, as the Dutchmen remained undefeated in league play with a 4-0 record. In the first game he scored Union's first unassisted goal of the game in a 3-1 win over Hamilton. He followed that up with a two-goal effort against Hobart, including a game-winner in the 82nd minute to give the Dutchmen a 3-2 victory. Poey, who is also this week's ECAC Division III Northwest Men's Player of the Week, leads the team with 12 goals on the season and 27 points. He also tops the league in goals and points.
“Chris Poey has had a great run so far this season,” said Head Coach Jeff Guinn. “He is always the man in the right place at the right time, and he seems to have a magnet on his feet, attracting the ball in the box. His composure around the goal is outstanding, and his finishing is clinical. I am very happy for him and his teammates who provide great service to him.”
Poey and company will close out the regular season with home dates in four of the final five games, starting Saturday night at 6 p.m. against Skidmore.
Junior Erika Eisenhut (Mohawk, NY/Mohawk) has had a great fall. The 2005 ECAC Robbins Scholar-Athlete Award winner has helped lead the women's soccer team to another superb season. Union is 8-1-2 entering Wednesday's game at Skidmore. Eisenhut is this week's Liberty League Co-Offensive Performer of he Week. She had a hand in every one of Union's goals this past weekend, registering one goal and three assists in a pair of Liberty League matches. Friday vs. Hamilton she assisted on all three of the Dutchwomen goals as the team scored a 3-0 win. In the second game Eisenhut scored an early second half goal to bring Union from behind in an eventual 1-1 draw against #4 William Smith. She became the first player this season to score on the Herons. Two of her five goals have been game-winners, and she has 14 points. She also copped the ECAC Division III Northwest Women's Player of the Week.
“The statistics may not back it up, but Erika is having her best year,” said Brian Speck, the women's soccer coach at Union. “She is so coachable, she tries everything that you suggest.”
The Dutchwomen host Hartwick Saturday at 2 p.m., and will entertain Williams on October 18 at 4 p.m. in the final home game of the regular season.
Another player who is no stranger to weekly honors is running back Tom Arcidiacono (Castleton, NY/Columbia). He received Liberty League Football Offensive Player honors for the second time this season, and was also the ECAC Div. III Northwest Player of the Week. He received a spot on the D3Football National Team of the Week. Union improved to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Liberty League.
In the 31-3 win vs. WPI, the Union defense was led by lineman Dylan Walton-Yedlin (Seattle, WA/Lakeside), who had seven tackles, two pass deflections and a forced fumble. He led a Dutchmen defense that held the Engineers to eight first downs and 132 yards in total offense. He received the Liberty League Defensive Performer honor for the second straight week.
“Our defense played consistently well last week, and Dylan played very well against the run,” said Head Coach John Audino, as the Engineers had 29 net yards rushing. “Dylan is exciting to watch, he is quick and has a fine nose for the football. He has had a great three weeks.”
Arcidiacono rushed for a career-high 251 yards and a touchdown in the triumph. Arcidiacono, who entered the game ranked #2 in rushing in NCAA Division III with an average of 199 yards per game, tied his career high that he set earlier this season at Rochester. He had a four-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, and now is averaging 209.4 yards per game through five games. He has now taken over the NCAA Div. III rushing lead over Maine Maritime's Don Thibodeau, who is averaging 209.0 per game in five games.
“Thomas continues to be very consistent and is doing a great job so far,” stated Audino. “We are hopeful that he and the offensive line can continue their stellar seasons and provide us with enough firepower to contribute to our team and, hopefully, a win each week during the second half of our season.
“Tom is on a special ride,” continued Audino, “and I hope that he is having fun with it as the team certainly is thankful he is on our side.”
Interestingly enough, Arcidiacono is the nation's #1 back in more ways then one. He has the highest per game average in the country, including NCAA Division I (DeAngelo Williams of Memphis averages 177.0), I-AA (Joe Rubin of Portland State stands at 167.5), and II (Jamar Brittingham of Bloomsburg has a 183.6 mark). Toss in the NFL (Seattle's Shaun Alexander is averaging 114.8) and indeed, Union can chant “We have a #1” on the campus this week.
Finally, they are home. After five straight games on the road, the Union field hockey team will be home Friday for the first time since September 24, as the Dutchwomen host Elmira at 4 p.m. Union will look to snap a two-game losing streak and will try to even the season record to 7-7 Friday in this non-league contest. Senior forward Kristin Murphy (Branford, CT/Branford) is now at 25 points, including 11 goals, with 65 shots on the season. Jessica Trotter (St. Louis, MO/John Burroughs) has eight tallies this fall.
After losing to St. Lawrence in the Liberty League Championships last weekend, the Union women's tennis team faces Russell Sage Wednesday on the road as a final tuneup for the NYSWCAA Tournament beginning Friday at Cornell. Freshman Brittany Miller (Scituate, MA/Scituate) has had a very nice first season on the courts, posting four singles wins to tie for the team lead. Union qualified for this weekend's tournament with last week's 5-4 win at RPI.
The women's and men's cross country teams are idle this weekend, but will be back in action on October 22 for the Saratoga Invitational hosted by RPI. Last week, the Dutchwomen had a strong 12th place finish in a 20-team field at the Westfield State Invitational. Akousa Dwumfour (Shrewsbury, MA/Shrewsbury) led the Union cause with a 50th place finish, clocking at 20:52.52, as she ran a great race in a field of 223 competitors. Jane Wolkowitz (Mendota Heights, MN) placed 62nd with a time of 21:22.87. The men were 16th out of 23 teams at Westfield, as Martin Owens led the Dutchmen with a 42nd place finish at 28:59.04.