Sidelines

Volleyball

UB Head Coach Sally Kus has announced the early signing of three recruits, Tara DeMage (Red Bud, IL/Red Bud), Nikki Morzenti (Safety Harbor, FL/Clearwater) and Wendy Haskell (Clarence Center, NY/Clarence), to National Letters of Intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Buffalo in 2003.

DeMage is a 6'0" outside hitter who is a two-time All-Area selection and led her team to a third-place finish in the Illinois Class A State Tournament in 2002. She also plays for the St. Louis Elite club team.

"Tara is a total player," said Kus. "She's an outside hitter who has excellent ball control and a variety of shots. Her vast club and high school experience should be a contributing force to our program."

Morzenti, a middle and outside hitter, also stands 6'0" and recently led Clearwater High School to the Pinellas County Athletic Conference Championship title and an appearance in the regional finals in 2002. Morzenti was also named to the Tampa Prep Invitational All-Tournament Team and has been selected to play in the Pinellas County Senior All-Star game.

"Nikki has an 'eye of the tiger' attitude that will help spark our team's fire on the court," said Kus. "She is a strong hitter and will be formidable at the net."

Haskell is a local product who was Clarence High School's Most Valuable Player as well as a first-team All-ECIC and All-Western New York selection in 2001. Haskell, a 5'11" outside hitter, plays for the Cheetah Volleyball club program and is coached by Robin Bock Shifflet, who played for Kus at Sweet Home High School in the mid 1980s.

"Wendy is a very intense and aggressive player," said Kus. "Her agility and unbelievable vertical jump should help us both blocking and attacking."

Men's Soccer

Mike Peplinski and Geoff Thompson were named to the All-Mid-American Conference Men's Soccer Team on Nov. 17 in Bowling Green, Ohio. Peplinski was named to the first team while Thompson earned second-team honors.

Peplinski, a senior midfielder, was named to the All-MAC First Team for the second straight season. A team captain, Peplinski finished the 2002 campaign with four goals and two assists. He ranked second on the team in goals, assists and points.

Thompson, a senior forward, had a career year for the Bulls in 2002. After scoring a total of three goals in his first three seasons, Thompson exploded for a team-best seven goals this year. His goal total was the most goals scored in a season since Tim Songer and Steve Butcher scored 11 and 14, respectively, in 1999.

Stories compiled from press releases by the UB Athletic Communications Dept.