Big Sandy's Zach Massingill is turning the Gulf South Conference Special Teams Player of the Week honor into his personal award.
Massingill picked up his second honor after averaging 44.3 yards on five punts, placing two inside the Incarnate Word 20-yard line and booming a career-best 66-yarder in a 24-22 Southern Arkansas win.
* * *
As always, Southern Arkansas got ample help from the Texas athletes. Longview's Travarus Brown caught six passes for 79 yards and a touchdown. Former Lobo LaMarcus Howard was a force on the special teams and the defense. Howard finished with five punt returns for 75 yards and two kickoff returns of 23 yards.
Defensively, West Rusk's Devin Alexander had six tackles (three solos) for SAU. Alexander had one sack for a loss of four yards. Longview's Jon Writt also terrorized Incarnate Word skill players during the contest. Writt finished with an interception return of 17 yards, one sack for 10 yards of loss and five tackles.
Hallsville graduate A.J. Jones, a SAU freshman running back, had eight rushing yards on five carries.
* * *
Vanderbilt University golfer Hudson Johnson, a Longview product, finished 15th at the Hummingbird Intercollegiate, which was held at Country Club of Sapphire Valley in Sapphire, North Carolina. Western Carolina was the host. Johnson finished 36-hole tournament with a 142. Johnson closed with a low round of 70.
* * *
University of North Texas volleyball player Brittany Youman (Tatum) had 13 kills in North Texas' 3-1 win over University of Arkansas-Little Rock. Youman, who hit .500 in the contest, also had two assisted blocks. In a 3-2 loss to Arkansas State University, Youman had 14 kills and three blocks (one solo).
* * *
Longview's Shaun Williams and Erin Fondel helped Prairie View A&M University's volleyball team win their last three games. On Oct. 27, Fondel finished with a double-double in PVAMU's 3-1 win over Huston-Tillotson University. Fondel finished with 35 assists, 11 digs and three blocks (one solo). Williams had her best game of the final week of October against Texas Southern University. In the 3-1 PVAMU triumph, Williams had 10 kills and four digs. She finished with a .219 hitting percentage in the contest.
* * *
Gilmer graduate Kiara Jordan had 29 digs and three aces as her college team, Midwestern State University, defeated Texas Woman's University 3-2. Midwestern State is 10-22 overall and 6-5 in the Lone Star Conference.
* * *
Pine Tree grad Jessica Crow, a Texas Woman's volleyball player, competed in the contest with MSU, but she had her best match in TWU's 3-0 loss to Cameron University. Crow finished the contest with 34 assists, 12 digs and two kills. Crow, a TWU senior, also received an academic honor during the last week. She was named to ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District VI College Division Volleyball Team. The senior currently carries a 3.96 grade point average, while majoring in elementary education.
* * *
Tatum's Adriana Gonzalez earned Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference setter of the week honors for the second week in a row. Gonzalez, now at Sterling College, played in 11 games (3 matches) and had 123 assists, six kills and 33 digs.
* * *
Lee Munn (Paul Pewitt) and University of Mary Hardin-Baylor football player, had three tackles (two solos) as Mary Hardin-Baylor defeated East Texas Baptist University 52-10.
(E-mail Dan Chamness at dan62801@aol.com).
