UD Sports Teams will have to navigate a busy fall (October Sports Preview)
TJ Thompson | Sports Editor
October is a jam-packed month for UD athletics featuring busy schedules for volleyball, golf, cross-country, soccer, and tennis.
Volleyball is off to a hot start with a 7-1 record and a No. 24 ranking in the AP poll as of this report. With 10 more games slated for the month, the Flyers have a chance to cement themselves as one of the nation’s best leading up to the Atlantic 10 tournament in November. Out-of-conference games have ended, leaving only conference foes standing between Dayton and a 17th A-10 title.
Despite issues with the playing surface at Baujan Field, soccer season is off to a great start, with the men earning a national ranking and the women posting wins in September against Louisville and Wright State. The men tied against No. 9-ranked Western Michigan, at the Historic Columbus Crew Stadium. They will have a six-game stretch in October, with a pivotal match against No. 5–ranked West Virginia at Baujan on Oct. 15.
The women’s team also will play six games in October leading up to the A-10 tournament. Their biggest game during that stretch will be against No. 19-ranked St. Louis, also at Baujan on Oct. 27. With two critical games at home for the Flyers, October is shaping up to be an important month for the UD soccer programs.
Men’s and women’s golf is in full swing, as both teams will take the course twice this month. Seniors Jenna Harter and Megan Yoder will lead the women when they travel to Libertyville, Illinois, on Oct. 7 and 8, to compete in the Parkinson Family Invitational against Loyola Chicago. On Oct. 21 and 22, the Flyers will return home to compete in the Flyer Invitational at NCR Country Club.
The men will begin their October campaign on the 14th and 15th in Pittsburgh, where they will compete in the Redhawk Intercollegiate, led by senior Ben Cors who is coming off tying his career-low round of 67 in early September. The men will also end their month and make their homecoming to compete in the Flyer Invitational.
The cross-country season is out of the starting blocks as well. Three races are on the schedule for both teams this month, at the Joe Piane Invitational at the University of Notre Dame on Oct. 4 at the Bradley Pink Invitational in Peoria, Illinois, on Oct. 18. The Flyers will finish the month when they come back to where their seasons began — at the Wild Bill Invite at Wright State University.
The women are led by sophomore Olivia Kindbom, who started her season with a personal record. The men are led by graduate student Sam Duncan, who started his season with a third-place finish.
In tennis, both the men’s and women’s programs will take the court in October at the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Regionals on Oct. 10 through 14. This will be their final tournament before the A-10 Individual Championships starting Oct. 25. UD will be led by reigning A-10 Rookie of the Year and sophomore Kyle McNally, who won two matches in singles and doubles at the Flyers opening tournament, the Ball State Invitational.
The women will also compete in the ITA Regionals and the A-10 Individual Championships in October. The Flyers’ first tournament this season in Nashville was canceled because of weather. The women’s team will send four players to both tournaments this month.