MC pitcher makes memorable catch

Photo by Travis L. Brown/ESPN.com

"Mike Napoli’s three-run home run in the sixth inning of Game 4 [of the World Series] might be on its way to Canada," Travis L. Brown suggests in a post on his Texas Rangers Report blog for ESPN. "No, it’s not currently orbiting the earth with plans for a fiery re-entry into the land of the maple leaf."

CLICK HERE to read the rest of Brown's post, and to learn the role of MC's Jeremy Filipek in all of this.

MC Lady Chaps, Chaparral Cagers Open 2011 with #3 NJCAA Rankings

By Forrest Allen
MC Athletic Director

Both Midland College basketball teams open the 2011-12 campaign with #3 national rankings according the NJCAA Division I Basketball polls. The preseason rankings, released on Thursday, can be found on http://www.njcaa.org/ 

Lady Chaparrals

The MC Lady Chaps, who lost to Grayson County CC in the 2011 NJCAA Region V Championship game, finished last season ranked #11 nationally and with a 27-6 overall record. Coach Ron Jones (18th year) returns a talented core of sophomores including 2011 NJCAA Honorable Mention All-American Danesha Long.

CLICK HERE to view the NJCAA Women's Basketball rankings

In addition to Long, a 5'9" guard from Long Beach CA, Midland College return 6'1" Forward Lindsay Ansley (Marble Falls, TX), 6'2" Post Morgan Schwartz (Garden City, TX), 6'2" Post Ornela Bacchini (Buenos Aires, Argentina) and 6'1" Post Nety Sousa (Sao Paulo, Brazil) will bring experience and leadership to the floor.

Tyler Junior College at #10 is the only other team from Texas in the preseason poll.

Chaparrals

The Chaparrals now under the leadership of head coach Chris Craig return only two players from 2010-2011. Chap sophomore Majok Majok (Perth Western Australia) a 6'9" post and 6'2" redshirt guard Colan Weasby (Houston, TX) are the only holdovers from last year's NJCAA National Runner-up team. However several sophomore transfers will add maturity to the squad as they enter the regular season as well as through the WJCAC gauntlet.

CLICK HERE to view the NJCAA Men's Basketball rankings

Trinity Valley CC (Athens, TX) comes in at #6 while Howard College and South Plains College of the WJCAC debuts at #8 and #18 nationally.

You're Invited to 'Pack the Chap'

By Forrest Allen
MC Athletic Director

On Wednesday, October 19, at 7:00 pm, he Lady Chap Volleyball team will be taking on Odessa College at the Chap Center. The Athletic Department is asking everyone to come out and "Pack the Chap Center" for the game.

Tickets will be $1.00 admission for the general public. It is FREE for kids under the age of 15 (age 14 and under) who play on their junior high school team or if they play volleyball in a church league, Y league or club volleyball, but they must wear their team uniform to the match.

Midland College employees and students are FREE with their MC ID card.

Barrage at Your College ... Join Us?

We are no longer accepting online requests for free tickets to see/hear Barrage, Thursday night at MC ... but you can STILL pick-up FREE tickets in-person. Call the MC Foundation office at (432) 685-4526, or visit them in the Pevehouse Administration Bldg, MC Main Campus. CLICK HERE for more on Thursday night's show at MC.

RELATED STORY: High school orchestras to perform with internationally-acclaimed group

A preview of Barrage at the link below.

---

Barrage is performing in Midland as part of the Phyllis & Bob Cowan Performing Arts Series at Midland College. Twice each year, the series presents FREE cultural and artistic performances of international interest and scope to stimulate and inspire the Midland arts community, which prides itself on a rich tradition of excellence in the performing arts.

Think Pink

From Michael Fields, Director
MC Cosmetology Program

For a $5 donation to the American Cancer Society, the MC Cosmetology Department is offering temporary pink hair extensions. The process takes about 10 minutes; however, appointments should be scheduled through Carolyn Sutton, 685-6721.

MC Volleyball Seizes First Place in WJCAC with Win Over WTC

From Forrest Allen
Midland College Athletic Director

In what may be one of the best talent match-ups of the 2011 season, the Midland College volleyball team remained undefeated in conference play with a thrilling five-set match against Western Texas College last night in Snyder.

MC kept two important win streaks alive with the win. The Lady Chaps are concurrently riding a 10-win consecutive match streak and also a five match conference win streak. Midland College in "Phoenix-like" fashion has risen from a 3-10 record early this season to 13-10 overall record and 5-0 in the WJCAC. Western Texas fell to 17-9 and 4-1 as the first half of conference play came to an end.

The contest featured two talented teams, neither of which wanted to cede an inch. After falling behind early in the first set Midland College fought back to draw to within three points at 21-18. Western Texas responded by going on a 4-0 run to win game one 25-18.

In the second and third set, Midland College again fell behind early, but refused to stay down. MC received a much-needed shot in the arm in the form of sophomore DS Addision Zaya. Zaya's hot service game, including four aces, confused the Lady Westerners and allowed the Lady Chaps to mount comebacks on several occasions during the match. MC took games two and three, 25-22 and 25-19 to take control of the match two games to one.

Set four belonged to WTC with Midland College unable claw their way to less than a five point margin. The Lady Westerners took set four 25-17, thus setting the stage for a final game showdown. The final sets are played to 15 points, however the winning team must lead by two to secure the match.

MC jumped to the early lead, however WTC responded tying the match at 2-2. MC moved to a 8-6 lead to force the switch. The Lady Chaps managed to stay two points ahead until the Lady Westerners made a run to tie the contest at 13-13. Midland College relinquished the lead 16-15, but tied the contest at 16-16 on a kill by sophomore Sarah Sawyer. MC scored again to move ahead 17-16.

The final flurry of activity included a heroic dig by sophomore Brittany Serrano which kept the ball alive and seemingly surprised the Western Texas team. Eventually it was an attack error by a WTC that provided the final margin of victory for MC 18-16 in the five-set test of wills.
In addition to Zaya's contribution, freshman standout Dragana Cvoric recorded 15 kills to lead Midland College while Serrano picked up 23 digs.

Lady Chap Individual Statistics:
Kills: Cvoric 15, Serrano 11, Sawyer 9, Victoria Smith 6, Trinity Walker 3, Breanna Ruble 2
Assists: Ruble 38, Sawyer 1, Zaya 1
Digs: Serrano 23, Keli-Key Wilson 22, Cvoric 16, Ruble 13, Zaya 12, Sawyer 8, T. Walker 2, Smith 1
Blocks: T. Walker 3, Sawyer 2, Serrano 1, Smith 1, Ruble 1
Aces: Zaya 4, Ruble 2, Serrano 1

WJCAC Standings (as of 10/13/11):
Midland College 5-0
Western Texas College 4-1
New Mexico Military Institute 2-3
Frank Phillips College 2-3
Clarendon College 1-4
Odessa College 1-4

Next Match:
Saturday, October 15 @ 2:00 p.m. in Borger, TX against Frank Phillips College.