Make or Break: North Greenville athletes compete for key victories during fall break 2022
Brayden Allen, Sports Editor
Break out the sweatshirts and jackets as the temperatures plunge on campus, marking the arrival of the long anticipated fall break.
This time of year marks a milestone in the semester for students, as the majority of work is behind them. However, challenges have only reached their height for athletes competing on and off campus.
After a quiet Thursday night, the North Greenville women’s volleyball team capped off the long weekend with a Friday night test against out of conference opponent, Young Harris. The Lady Crusaders earned the 3-1 victory over the Mountain Lions, but it didn’t come easy.
The matchup brought out struggles, ones that have plagued the team all season. This included early onset negative attack percentages, leading to a 1-1 tie going into the third set.
The challenge brought out the perseverance as the Lady Crusaders would storm back, dominating in sets three and four, earning the 3-1 victory.
Fall break pressed on with a Saturday slate loaded with key matchups for NGU athletic teams.
The men’s and women’s cross country teams started off the day as they wrapped up their regular season on the road to compete in the Huntsville Invitational at the University of Alabama-Huntsville. The competition saw the Crusaders finish in the top 25 out of 40 teams, including over 400 runners, some of the best in the nation.
Junior Hayden Goode led the way for NGU with a 112th finish, concluding the race with a time of 25:13, a career best. The hard fought finish was also the second best in program history for an 8k race.
The day continued as the men’s and women’s soccer teams both traveled to Wilson, North Carolina for a key matchup with Barton to wrap up regular seasons for both teams.
The women got things going first with a 3-1 victory over the Bulldogs. Players including freshman Aleshia Lamb, sophomore Alexah Fite and senior Dani Avelar each scored a goal a piece to give NGU the win.
The victory earned the Lady Crusaders a share of the Conference Carolinas regular season title. The team now awaits their next opponent in the Tournament Semifinals, taking place on November 4th in Browns Summit, North Carolina.
The men faced a tough test as they ended their regular season in a 1-1 tie. Junior Renan Macgulia added to his season goal total with a lone goal for the Crusaders, finishing with an overall record of 6-2-3.
With the draw, the Crusaders earned the number three seed in the upcoming Conference Carolinas tournament.
Once again, the women’s volleyball team was back in action on Saturday as the Lady Crusaders faced the toughest challenge of the season in their conference rivals of Mount Olive. After a strong start, winning the first two sets, NGU would drop the three remaining sets, falling 3-2.
With the loss the Lady Crusaders record stands at 13-2 in conference, falling to second place in the Conference Carolinas, West Division standings.
“Something I think we can take from our 5 set loss to Mount Olive is learning how to finish, Junior Ashlyn Conner said. “Moving forward we have to come out stronger in the third set especially as we face more tough teams and head into the tournament.”
The team is back in action on October 28th as they travel to Francis Marion.
Fall break’s big time action concluded on Saturday night as the football team traveled to Livingston, Alabama for a must win contest against the West Alabama Tigers.
After a series of early defensive stops, the Crusaders found success on offense. However, red zone struggles were a challenge as the team would rely on sophomore kicker Colin Karhu, who tacked on four field goals in the first half, leading to a total of five on the day.
“This is what I have trained my whole career to do. It is my job to provide the winning edge for my team,” Karhu said. “Whenever I’m needed I’m there, and I will give it my all to keep us in the game.”
After two consecutive touchdowns by the Tigers, the Crusaders would begin to rally with a touchdown from freshman Dylan Ramirez to sophomore AJ Tolbert, the first of Tolbert’s career.
The Tigers responded with a 99 punt return touchdown before the Crusaders went on their longest drive of the game. Junior Corey Watkins ensured the victory for NGU with the one yard touchdown as the team won by a final score of 34-33.
NGU football now sits at 3-5 on the season and is back in action on October 29th for the homecoming matchup with Valdosta State.
