August 30, 2001-Vol33n1: Sports Recap

Football

There will be plenty going on besides great football at UB's home opener against Rutgers University tonight in UB Stadium. Rutgers' visit will be the first-ever Buffalo appearance by a Big East football team.

A number of great promotions will make the night one to remember as the Bulls kick off the 2001 season under new head coach Jim Hofher.

Before the game starts, UB's newest mascot—Victoria S. Bull, a.k.a Vicki, the sister of the ever-popular Victor E. Bull—will be introduced. It will be Vicki's first game appearance, although she officially was introduced at the Rockin' Rally 2001 on Friday.

At halftime, fans will get a chance to relive the 1970s during the "Retro Halftime Spectacular" presented by Adelphia and New Tostitos Scoops. The halftime performance will be headlined by national recording artists Village People, who will perform some of their greatest hits, including long-time stadium favorite "YMCA." They will be joined on the field by a group of more than 300 local children who participated in YMCA camps around the Western New York area this summer.

In addition, throughout the game there will be special appearances by the Zooperstars, sponsored by WNSA and the Empire Sports Network.

As usual at home football games, children will be entertained before the game at the 22-foot giant slide and a bounce house, and the UB marching band will perform before the contest. It is also Western New York High School Football Night and a giant fireworks show will conclude the evening.

Single game tickets are available for $12 and $10 by calling the UB Ticket Office at 645-6666.

Soccer

Men's

The Bulls will take to the road to open the 2001 season with a pair of weekend contests at the Lehigh Tournament in Bethlehem, Pa. Coach John Astudillo's booters will meet the host Mountain Hawks on Saturday and Army on Sunday.

Women's

The defending Mid-American Conference regular season champion Bulls, led by head coach Jean-A. Tassy, will open the 2001 season with a pair of home contests over the Labor Day weekend. UB will take on local rival Niagara in the season opener at 7 p.m. tomorrow. The Bulls will face Syracuse on Monday, beginning at 1 p.m. Both matches will be played at Alumni Arena's RAC Field.

Volleyball

Head coach Nadine Lilavois will begin her third season this weekend as the Bulls host the annual UB Morgan Classic Volleyball Invitational in Alumni Arena. UB will open the 2001 campaign against Stony Brook at 7 p.m. tomorrow, with Canisius meeting St. John's in the day's first match at 5 p.m.

The tournament will conclude on Saturday with four matches. Canisius will face Stony Brook at 11 a.m., followed by UB hosting St. John's at 1 p.m. St. John's will take on Stony Brook at 3 p.m., with the final match featuring UB and Canisius at 5 p.m.

Basketball

Women's

Coach Cheryl Dozier has announced that Stephanie Schueler has joined the Bulls' coaching staff as an assistant coach, where she will be primarily responsible for on-the-floor coaching with the Bulls' perimeter players, individual workouts, the scouting of opponents and film exchange. Schueler replaces former assistant Deborah Perry, who left in June to take an assistant coaching position at Pittsburgh.

"We're obviously excited to bring in somebody of Stephanie's caliber," said Dozier. "Her credentials and background are second to none, and she has both played and coached at the highest level of basketball. She brings a tremendous amount of knowledge, enthusiasm and new ideas to our program."

Schueler has been an assistant coach at Western Illinois University of the Mid-Continent Conference for the past three seasons, where she was responsible for handling the Westerwinds' travel, scheduling, scouting reports and academics, as well as assisting with recruiting and on-the-floor coaching with the team's guards. Prior to joining the Western Illinois staff, Schueler was an assistant coach at the University of Missouri during the 1997-98 season after returning from overseas, where she played professionally for three years. Schueler began her coaching career as a volunteer assistant coach at her alma mater, the University of Iowa, in 1991.

Schueler enjoyed a stellar career at Iowa—where she earned a bachelor's degree in physical education in 1992—playing for current Rutgers head coach C. Vivian Stringer. As a point guard, she guided the Hawkeyes to a 100-22 record during her four-year career, including three Big Ten Championships and four NCAA Tournament appearances. Schueler was a first-team All-Big Ten selection as a senior and a second-team All-Big Ten selection as a junior, and she finished her career ranked third in both assists and steals on Iowa's all-time career lists.

Beginning in 1993, Schueler played professional basketball for Team Palma Ahn of Luxembourg and Team Flemalle and Centrumblad of Belgium. While overseas, she also served as head coach for the Cadet Belgian National Team in Flemalle, Belgium.