Volleyball season opener

Head Volleyball Coach Jody Butera discusses her team's performance after the first day of the season-opening UIndy Invitational and previews day two.

Men's Soccer Opener

Interim Head Men's Soccer Coach John Higgins shares his thoughts following his team's season opener against Ohio Dominican.

Women's Soccer Opener

Head Coach Geoff VanDeusen's post-match remarks after the season opener against Ohio Dominican.

2010 Fall Desktop Wallpapers Now Available!

Enjoy your favorite Greyhound athletic team everyday by downloading your favorite UIndy athletic team's desktop background. Backgrounds featuring football, volleyball, men's and women's soccer and cross country are now available on athletics.uindy.edu, or by clicking here.

All desktop backgrounds feature Greyhound athletes and the respective team's schedule for the 2010-11 seasons. Watch for the next release of desktop backgrounds in a couple of months!

2009-10 Year In Review

It was another successful year for the University of Indianapolis athletics department. Take a peek at the numbers below for a glimpse at the highlights of the 2009-10 campaign. Here's to looking ahead already to 2010-11 to see how it can be topped!

662 School-record career pitching strikeouts for Megan Russell
.651 Overall UIndy team winning percentage (208-111-2)*
141 Academic All-Conference honorees (GLIAC and GLVC)
68 Course-record-tying round shot by Seth Fair at Sagamore Golf Club in the final round of the NCAA Division II Championships
28 League Players of the Week/Month (GLIAC/GLVC)
28 All-America honors earned by UIndy athletes
24 School-record winning streaks pieced together by both volleyball and women's basketball teams this season
17 National finish in the NACDA DII Director’s Cup
14 GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award honorees
12 Teams qualified for NCAA postseason play
11 Consecutive 20-win seasons for the volleyball team
11 Consecutive seasons finishing in the top 20 nationally for women's swimming
6 Teams finished year ranked in the Top 25 nationally
6 GLVC Players of the Year (Allen, Fair, Helm, McBride, Meissel, Russell)
5 GLVC team championships (VB, WG, MITF, MOTF, WOTF)
4 GLVC Scholar-Athletes of the Year (Canary, Fair, McBride, Turner)
3.07 Combined cumulative GPA of UIndy student-athletes
3 GLVC Coaches of the Year (Freeland, Frost, Fangman)
2 "Elite 88" winners (Turner, Tyler)
1 National Coach of the Year (Butera- AVCA)

Day 2 of NCAA Midwest Softball

Follow coverage of UIndy's run in NCAA softball tournament

Close race for GLVC All-Sports trophy

UIndy is among five schools within 20 points of each other going into the stretch run competing for the 2009-10 Great Lakes Valley Conference's All-Sports trophy. The Greyhounds (117 pts.) currently sit in third place, 12 points behind leader Drury (129), who vaulted into the top spot thanks to winning both men's and women's conference tennis titles last weekend and strong showings in both golf championships.

Northern Kentucky is in second place with 119.5 points while Bellarmine (112) and Southern Indiana (109.5) are both in striking distance heading into the final four league titles up for grabs (baseball, softball, men's and women's outdoor track & field). The Hounds are among the leaders in all four of those sports, so it will be a fun ride to see who comes out on top (note: outdoor and indoor track points are averaged).

Indianapolis is attempting to claim its third all-sports trophy and first since 2002-03. UIndy has finished in the top two four times this decade.

The Big DANCE

With the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Final Four being held in Indianapolis this weekend, all eyes were on Lucas Oil Stadium Friday for the start of the festivities surrounding one of the biggest championship events. And, with cross-town qualifier Butler advancing to the Final Four, it made for a festive day as all four teams held open practices at the stadium-- but more importantly, for our Greyhound friends, it was also the "Mascot Dance-Off", pitting mascots from local schools and companies in a competition of footwork frenzy.

Among those invited to the Dance Off were the Jaguar from IUPUI (Jaws), the Bulldog from Butler (Blue), Purdue Pete and a Hershey's bar among many others. The Top Dog, and WINNER turned out to be Indy the Greyhound, a proud supporter of UIndy Athletics, donning his home white uniform (#42) and an infectious attitude that had the fans rolling with laughter.

While we "grappled" with dilvulging just who was inside the costume doing all the dancing, we decided to keep it under wraps. After all, we wouldn't want to "pin" this individual into having to perform on command if his/her cover was blown. "Wrestling" with this decision, we thought it best to "escape" any pain delivered from the individual inside and let you come to your own conclusions.

A "heavyweight bout" of dance commenced on the Lucas Oil Stadium floor and the fans were treated to a great time. If you're still wondering whom this masked performer might be, picture Nicoson Hall, a headband and a group of followers at UIndy basketball games.
If you happened to be at the event and have photos or stories to share, post them to Indy the Greyhound's facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/IndyGreyhound

We're Going Streaking!

Greyhound sports have benefited from lengthy winning streaks this season en route to successful seasons. Three teams have etched the longest winning streaks in their program's history and others have posted impressive runs as well.

School records
(24) *Head coach Jody Butera's volleyball squad, after winning its first 14 matches of the season, lost to arch-rival Lewis at home on Sep. 18. From there, UIndy would win 24 straight matches, including a pair of 3-0 victories over Lewis to win both the Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament and the NCAA Midwest Regional tourney. The Hounds would finish the season ranked sixth in the national coaches poll with a school-record 38-2 mark after a loss to the eventual-national champion (Concordia-St. Paul) in the NCAA Elite Eight.

(24) *Head coach LeAnn Freeland and her women's basketball squad rattled-off 24 consecutive wins to start the season. The team qualified for the NCAA tournament for the third straight season and finished with a 26-4 mark and a No. 5 national ranking in the last regular season coaches poll.

(13) *Melissa Frost-Fisher, head coach of the UIndy softball team, guided her team to 13 straight wins to combat a sluggish 3-7 start. The Hounds have used the wins to sit near the top of the GLVC standings while compiling a hefty 14-4 in-region record.

Other streaks:
*Head coach Gary Vaught's baseball team recently snapped a nine-gamer. The Hounds have won 15 of their last 18 games heading into this weekend.

*Head coach Geoff VanDeusen's women's soccer team got off to a 6-0 start in the 2009 campaign. The Greyhounds rose that momentum all the way to another NCAA tournament appearance (the second in school history) and a 15-6 overall mark.

*The UIndy women's tennis team, led by head coach John Venter, boasted a modest five-match winning streak as it headed into conference play and now sports an 8-2 overall mark.

Camp information available on UIndy athletics site

Basketball Camps

Football Camps

Soccer Camps

Volleyball Camps

If you are looking to send your son/daughter to a summer camp, think about the sports camps being offered by the University of Indianapolis. Currently, campers can choose from basketball, football, soccer and volleyball sessions. To find out more info on any of these camps or to download a brochure, visit: athletics.uindy.edu/camps

Spring Break!

It's Spring Break and that means plenty of time to relax and revive for the final weeks of the semester. Well, not if you are a student-athlete. The time away from class means a chance to travel. There are 10 Greyhound teams competing this week, including four in NCAA postseason action. You'd have to be able to stretch six states and Puerto Rico to be able to catch them all in action at the same time. Here is a brief guide to staying in touch with UIndy Athletics over the Spring Break.

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
The fifth-ranked Greyhounds are in the NCAA tournament and will begin their quest for a regional title Friday at 2:30 p.m. against Northern Michigan. Follow the links below to stay in touch or catch the action LIVE at McQ's Pub on the Southside of Indianapolis for a viewing party, hosted by the Greyhound Club. Call 788-3359 for more details.
Live Audio | Live Video | Live Stats

SWIMMING AND DIVING
Twelve UIndy swimmers are competing in the four-day NCAA Division II Championships in Canton, Ohio. Follow their progress below as they attempt to finish in the top 20 in the nation for the 11th straight year.
Live Video | Live Results

WRESTLING
Three Greyhound grapplers strap-on the head gear this weekend to compete in the NCAA Division II Championships in Omaha, Nebraska. Keep up with Bryce Givens, Alex Johns and Lynn Panko here: Live Video

SOFTBALL
UIndy will play eight games in Florida in the Rebel Spring Games in the Kissimmee, Fla. area. Following the week in the Sunshine State. Catch the updates and scores here.

BASEBALL
The Greyhounds travel to Southern Indiana in the first conference games of the season. UIndy will battle the Screaming Eagles on Friday and Saturday before taking on Maryville Sunday. Live stats at USI and at Maryville.

WOMEN'S GOLF
Two different tournaments are on tap for the women's golf team. After already posting a second-place finish last Friday and Saturday at the Lewis Shootout, the Greyhounds will remain in Arizona to play in the Desert Invite. The tournament is a preview of the 2010 NCAA D-II National Championship, featuring seven of the eight competing teams ranking in the top 20 in the Golf World /NGCA Women's Division II Coaches' Poll. More here.

MEN'S GOLF
The 11th-ranked UIndy men’s golf team put together a solid second round to vault to seventh place at the Division-I-heavy Palmas Del Mar Intercollegiate in Humacao, Puerto Rico. The Greyhounds rebounded from a 309 Monday to card a 292 on Tuesday to jump to the middle of the pack at the talent-rich 14-team event. They'll finish on Wednesday and we'll have a recap here.

TENNIS
The Greyhound tennis teams are in the midst of a wek-long trek through Florida in some of the final competition before starting the bulk of the Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule. As of late Wednesday, the Greyhound women are 7-1 on the season and the men sport a 6-5 overall record. Catch boxscores as they become available women and men.

UIndy leads GLVC All-Sports trophy standings

With the Greyhounds' men's track & field team picking-up its first-ever Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championship last weekend, the University of Indianapolis moved into the lead for the league's All-Sports Trophy. The award recognizes the conference school that is successful across the board among all of its varsity sports.

UIndy boasts 63.0 points (as of Mar. 3) and leads Bellarmine by two points. Lewis is third with 59 while Northern Kentucky has 58 points heading into the weekend. Conference championships will be contested in both women's and men's basketball, determining points breakdowns for those sports. Those will be the final updates until the spring season commences with golf, tennis, baseball, softball and outdoor track & field.

Indianapolis is gunning for its third All-Sports trophy and first since the 2002-03 campaign. This season's fall success was lynch-pinned by the volleyball team's league title and a GLVC semifinals showing for the women's soccer team.

Making sense of GLVC tournament

Since the addition of two new teams (Maryville and Illinois-Springfield) this season, the Great Lakes Valley Conference has gone to a 5-team, 3-division format for basketball. The postseason tournament format also changed with 12 teams advancing to the championships. With just Monday's make-up games between Quincy and Southern Indiana left, here is a look at the tournament for both Greyhound teams.

Women's
UIndy earned the right to host first round and quarterfinal round games by grabbing the top seed in the GLVC East division. Missouri-St. Louis and Saint Joseph's will meet in the first round game Saturday with the winner advancing to play UIndy in the quarterfinals on Sunday. Game times are set for 1:00 p.m. EST both days. The winner of Sunday's game will advance to the semifinal round in Springfield, Ill. Mar. 6-7.

2010 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE/RESULTS FIRST ROUND (on campus sites)* SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 G1 1:00 PM #4N St. Joseph's vs. #3W Missouri-St. Louis (held at #1E Indianapolis)
G2 1:00 PM #4W Ky. Wesleyan vs. #3E (USI or NKU) (held at #1N UW-Parkside)
G3 12:00 PM #4E Bellarmine vs. #3N Quincy (held at #1W Drury)
G4 1:00 PM #2W Missouri S&T vs. #2N Lewis (held at #2E (NKU or USI)

QUARTERFINALS (on campus sites)* SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 G5 1:00 PM Winner G1 at #1E Indianapolis
G6 1:00 PM Winner G2 at #1N UW-Parkside
G7 12:00 PM Winner G3 at #1W Drury
G8 1:00 PM Winner G4 at #2E (NKU or USI)

SEMIFINALS (Springfield, Ill.) SATURDAY, MARCH 6 G9 NOON Winner G5 vs. Winner G6
G10 2:30 PM Winner G7 vs. Winner G8

CHAMPIONSHIP (Springfield, Ill.) SUNDAY, MARCH 7 G11 1:00 PM Winner G9 vs. Winner G10

Men's
The Greyhounds grabbed the four-seed in the GLVC East, meaning they will be shipped to the top seed in the GLVC West (Drury). UIndy will face Lewis on Saturday (4:00 p.m. EST) with the winner playing the Panthers at the same time Sunday. UIndy is making its first league tournament appearance since the 2004-05 campaign.

2010 MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE/RESULTS FIRST ROUND (on campus sites)
*All Game Times Local SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 G1 1:00 PM #4N UW-Parkside vs. #3W Missouri-St. Louis (held at #1E Ky. Wesleyan)
G2 1:00 PM #4W Missouri S&T vs. #3E Northern Kentucky (held at #1N QU or SJC )
G3 3:00 PM #4E Indianapolis vs. #3N Lewis (held at #1W Drury)
G4 1:00 PM #2N (SJC or QU) vs. #2W Rockhurst (held at #2E Bellarmine)

QUARTERFINALS (on campus sites) SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 G5 2:00 PM Winner G1 at #1E Kentucky Wesleyan
G6 1:00 PM Winner G2 at #1N (QU or SJC)
G7 3:00 PM Winner G3 at #1W Drury
G8 1:00 PM Winner G4 at #2E Bellarmine

SEMIFINALS (Springfield, Ill.) SATURDAY, MARCH 6 G9 6:00 PM Winner G5 vs. Winner G6
G10 8:30 PM Winner G7 vs. Winner G8

CHAMPIONSHIP (Springfield, Ill.) SUNDAY, MARCH 7 G11 3:30 PM Winner G9 vs. Winner G10

Stretch drive...

Coming into the stretch drive for winter sports and an exciting couple of weeks in store. Snapshots of where we sit heading into the final few weeks of the winter campaigns:

Women's Basketball: Team is ranked #4 in the nation, No. 2 in the Midwest Region heading into Saturday's regular season finale at Northern Kentucky. UIndy (24-2) will host a Great Lakes Valley Conference tournament first round and quarterfinal round game. Missouri St. Louis and Saint Joseph's will play Saturday, Feb. 27 at Nicoson Hall with the winner playing UIndy the following day at 1:00 p.m. in the GLVC quarterfinals. Winner heads to Springfield, Ill. for the semifinal/final rounds.

Men's Basketball: Can clinch GLVC East No. 3 seed with a win in the regular season finale at Northern Kentucky. The No. 3 seed travels to the top seed in the GLVC North, which will be either Quincy or Saint Joseph's and will play Missouri S&T in the first round. The East's No. 4 seed has to travel to Drury and will battle Lewis in the opening round game.

Swimming and Diving: Nine athletes are currently qualified to head to the NCAA Division II Championships in Canton, Ohio in March. Andrew Loshnowsky, Austin Biefnes, Guy Kogel, Justin Klopp, Meghan Donahue, Jaclyn Luscomb, Erica Smith, Maura Donahue and Alex Norris are the Greyhounds that have already punched their ticket to the national meet.

Wrestling: The Greyhounds head to Central Missouri to compete in the NCAA Super Regionals. There, they will wrestle for the right to advance to the NCAA Division II Championships set for Mar. 12-13 in Omaha, Neb. Two UIndy wrestlers are currently nationally-ranked in their respective weight class: Lynn Panko (285) and Alex Johns (125).

Track and Field: The track teams are gearing up for the Great Lakes Valley Conference Indoor Championships set for Frank Petretti Fieldhouse on the campus of Wisconsin-Parkside Feb. 26-27. The Greyhound women are the defending champions while the men finished second in the indoor meet in 2009.

Pink Zone Monday

The University of Indianapolis will be helping raise breast cancer awareness when it hosts a "Pink Zone" game in the regular season home finale Feb. 15. The UIndy women's basketball team will be decked-out in pink uniforms and fans wearing the most pink will be eligible for prizes. Donations will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

Come out to Nicoson Hall Monday night to watch some great basketball and show your support!

Find more information on this event here.

He saw his shadow. So what?

Another busy week in UIndy athletics with winter sports hitting the home stretch in their seasons and yes, even SPRING SPORTS starting this weekend! Punxsutawney Phil (the groundhog) may have seen his shadow--meaning six more weeks of winter--but spring starts this week for athletics programs.

*UIndy softball travels to Arkansas Tech to open its season. The fifth-ranked Greyhounds will play four nationally-ranked teams in February despite not having the opportunity to play outside yet.

*The men's golf team will open Sunday at the GolfWeek Spring Invitational, a tournament which will feature a verytough field of top Division II programs.

*Hall of Fame festivities will take place Saturday on campus. Five individuals and two teams will be enshrined at a ceremony following the basketball doubleheader with Drury.

*Wednesday, Feb. 3 is "National Signing Day". It's the first official day of a signing period for the sports of football, soccer and track & field. Check athletics.uindy.edu for updates on signees Wednesday afternoon as they become available.

Rankings file

#2- The UIndy women's basketball team moved-up a spot to No. 2 in the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Top 25 poll, released Tuesday. The Hounds are one of just four undefeated teams left in NCAA Division II.

#1(?)- The Hounds hope to land the top spot in the NCAA Regional Rankings released Wednesday. With a 19-0 resume, the Greyhounds will be in the hunt along with nationally-ranked Michigan Tech (#4).

On the horizon...

As the week starts, the spotlight continues to shine on the UIndy women's basketball team, who improved to 19-0 Saturday with a 30-point win over Kentucky Wesleyan. Saturday's win was the 17th win by double-digits for UIndy. Of those, nine have come by 20+ and six wins are of 30 points or more.

*The Hounds are currently ranked #3 in the nation, but will more than likely move up with Saturday's loss by #2 Delta State.

*Check out the replays of Saturday's basketball games (vs. Kentucky Wesleyan) Monday night on HomeTownSports Indiana. Comcast and Brighthouse digital customers can pick it up on channel 81. Check their website for local listings. The games are scheduled to air at 6:00 (women) and 8:00 p.m. (men).

*In the "Really?" category (but still worth mentioning): UIndy has already secured a spot in the upcoming Great Lakes Valley Conference women's basketball tournament. The 12-team tourney begins on Feb. 27 on campus sites. The Hounds, who are the first to clinch a spot, will be vying for one of the top four seeds to host that opening round then the quarterfinals. With the tourney expanding to 12 teams, the Greyhound men's team is also assured of advancing to the tournament. 12 men's teams are eligible for the postseason this year and currently UIndy is just two games back of what essentially would be the #2 seed in the East, since Southern Indiana is ineligible for the postseason.

Greyhounds football to play in GLVC

The University of Indianapolis football team will play in the newly-formed GLVC football conference beginning in the 2012 season. UIndy plays in the GLVC in 17 varsity sports already and will leave the GLIAC in football following the 2011 season.

Here's the statement regarding the formation of the new GLVC football league.

Current GLVC members playing football include: Quincy, Kentucky Wesleyan, Saint Joseph's, Missouri S&T and newcomer William Jewell.

News and notes

*UIndy placed 22 on the All-Academic GLIAC football team! Read more about it here.

*Junior Samantha Meissel nabbed her third Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week award Monday. She is leading the league in scoring at 21 points per game and has helped the Hounds to a 16-0 start and No. 3 national ranking.

Condolences

To our friends at the University of Southern Indiana for the passing of men's basketball player Jeron Lewis, who fell to the floor Thursday at Kentucky Wesleyan. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Lewis family, the USI team and the entire Eagle community.

Catch Saturday basketball LIVE on Internet!

OK, now you have no excuse NOT to watch UIndy basketball Saturday night. If you can't make it down to Nicoson Hall for the 50th Anniversary festivities or the annual "Chili Supper" as part of Pack the House night, then we have another alternative for you.

For those stuck with playoff tickets to the Colts downtown, you can watch both UIndy basketball games via Livestream on the Internet. Wait, it gets better. Livestream can be accessed on your mobile device FREE. Yeah, pretty cool.

So, if you are headed down to Lucas Oil Stadium, catch up with the Greyhounds at http://www.livestream.com/uindyhounds or iphone.livestream.com/uindyhounds for iPhone viewers.

This service will also be offered for the Jan. 21 games against Southern Indiana! Log in and chat as well on the livestream site. Send us your feedback.

Watercooler Wednesdays

Some rumors from around the Athletic Offices...

*GLVC Baseball Preseason Coaches Poll will likely be released Thursday. UIndy ranked #15 in the nation in the preseason poll and were one out from being regional champs. Good chance they join the Greyhound softball team as favorites? We'll find out...

*Adrian Moss has transferred in to the UIndy men's basketball team from IUPUI. He will redshirt this season but will have two seasons of eligibility remaining for Coach Gouard beginning in '10-11. Lightning quick 5-foot-9 guard--fun to watch.

*NCAA Convention is happening in Atlanta, Ga. this weekend. Among the hot-button topics will be the proposal to shrink seasons in select Division II sports. Read more about it here on the official page of the NCAA.

3....2....1....

Tidbits about some news coming out this week...

#3- UIndy women's basketball's national ranking is #3 as of Jan. 11. The Greyhounds are 14-0 and are outscoring opponents by over 27 points per game this season.

#2- Junior Samantha Meissel won her second Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Week award Monday. She leads the league with a 21.1 ppg average and is fifth in all of NCAA Division II in scoring.

#1- UIndy softball was picked the unanimous choice among GLVC coaches in the preseason poll. The Greyhounds were the top choice after compiling a 37-21 mark last year, winning the Midwest Regional and advancing to the D-II World Series.

Doesn't get much better than that...

Sorry for the long layoff

Well, the sports season hit in the fall and has not slowed down since. The Greyhounds enjoyed a phenomenal fall season and are already deep into the winter scene. We'll use the next few blog posts over the coming days to recap some of the highlights.

Also, in the new year expect this blog to updated more frequently with tidbits about UIndy sports that reach beyond the typical game story that you'd find on the main website (http:\\athletics.uindy.edu).

Thanks for all the positive messages about Greyhound sports, it truly is a "great time to be a Greyhound!"