Time for offense to live up to defensive standards

Women’s soccer recorded a commendable 0–0 tie at No. 14 Carnegie Mellon last Saturday. They followed that result with a tie at home against No. 1 Wheaton. Next, they face No. 8 Emory. The Maroons are in the middle of what is arguably their most difficult run of games all season. Though they have performed well so far, they hope that their upcoming game will be less one-sided than their previous two. Against Wheaton and Carnegie, the Maroons were outshot 38–11. That number will have to improve against Emory, or another tie may be in the cards. With the UAA Conference finely poised after the first round of games, a win for Chicago would send a serious statement of intent to the UAA.

Tang off to good start at Small College Championship

Third-year Megan Tang qualified as the first seed for the ITA National Small College Championship with her winning performance at the ITA Regional Championship last month. She played her first round game against Megan Humphreys of UW–Whitewater yesterday winning in straight sets, 6–1, 6–0. It was a comfortable win for the top seed, but things will only get harder, starting this morning in her semi final match against Emory’s Michelle Satterfield. Tang has already improved on her fifth-place finish in the same tournament last year, but expectations are much higher this time around.

Payback time for men’s soccer against Emory

Last season, the Maroons opened UAA play with a heartbreaking 4–3 loss to Emory on the road. Having come back from three goals down to tie the score at 3–3 and send the game into overtime, Chicago conceded with less than a minute remaining in the second period of OT to lose the game. Fast forward a year and the Maroons prepare to face the Eagles again, this time at home, with a UAA win (against Carnegie Mellon) under their belts already. Emory has enjoyed a solid start to its season as well, but only managed a tie at Wash U last weekend. It’s time, Chicago hopes, for payback.

Volleyball sets sights on No. 1 Calvin

Ranked 15th in the nation with a record of 14–5, and having swept the UAA Round Robin last weekend, Chicago is in a strong position to qualify for this year’s NCAA tournament. But qualifying for the NCAA tournament is one thing—competing in it successfully is another. And there are few better opportunities to test your NCAA pedigree than playing the undefeated, No. 1 ranked team in the country at its own court. That’s what the Maroons will do this weekend when they face Calvin tomorrow afternoon. A win may be too much to ask, but it’s a valuable opportunity for the Maroons to see how they stack up against the very best before UAA competition resumes next weekend.

Catt Young hopes to maintain dominant form

Women’s cross country travels to Kenosha, WI, this weekend to compete at the Lucian Rose Invitational. The team enters the Invitational ranked sixth. Second-year Catt Young has been the Maroons standout performer so far this year, winning all three of the races she has competed in. Young hasn’t just been coming in first though: She’s been dominating races. All three of her victories have been by margins greater than 10 seconds. True, she hasn’t faced any other elite teams this season, but this weekend’s invitational will present a bigger challenge, as teams from all three NCAA divisions will compete.