The Lady Demon volleyball team was probably the only group of NSU fans rooting FOR overtime as the fourth quarter played out Saturday night at the Northwestern-Central Arkansas football game in Turpin Stadium.
Coach Brittany Uffelman and her players were on a bus returning from a five-game win over Louisiana-Monroe in a tournament at Stephen F. Austin. They wanted to catch the end of the game. Most of all, they wanted the Demons to prevail, but they were hoping to see some football for the first time this season (they were at Arkansas State on Labor Day weekend and missed the romp over Henderson State).
You have to understand, they will be on the road at UCA and will miss the Oct. 13 home game. They will get to watch the Oct. 27 homecoming game and hopefully will be busy for the regular-season finale Nov. 17 against Stephen F. Austin, while the SLC Volleyball Tournament semifinals are being played in San Antonio.
Instead, coming out of Nacogdoches Saturday evening, Uffelman and players were dialing and texting friends to get updates. As soon as they could pick up the Demon Sports Network's affiliate in Many, 99.9 KTEZ, they were able to hear the exciting second half comeback. But they were still a few minutes away, listening to 100.7 KZBL FM by then, when Robert Weeks' field goal roared through the uprights to hand the Demons a 31-28 win.
No, the Lady Demons weren't disappointed! When NSU got its hands on the ball with under two minutes to go, you can imagine the atmosphere on the team bus. Even the Brazilian players, who are still a bit cloudy on American football, were pumped up, said Uffelman.
Traditionally, the football team has been a big part of the Lady Demons' homecourt advantage, providing vocal support. I would expect to see some of that tradition Tuesday night as ULM visits for the first home volleyball match of the season.
Doug Ireland, SID
No comments:
Post a Comment