Briefs: Indoor Football / College Football / Soccer / Volleyball

>> Indoor Football: IFL adds teams for 2009 season: Indoor Football League officials have announced that four existing teams one expansion franchise will begin play in the 2009 season.

Offers have been made to the Lehigh Valley Outlaws, the Muskegon Thunder, the Rochester Raiders and the Saginaw Sting, a league stated in a press release.

The league also said that the unnamed expansion franchise will be based in Upper Marlboro, Md.

Lehigh Valley, based in Bethlehem, Pa.; Rochester, in Rochester, N.Y.; and Muskegon, in Muskegon, Mich., played the past two seasons in the Contintental Indoor Football League. Saginaw, based in Saginaw, Mich., played last season in the CIFL.

The league, which includes the Odessa Roughnecks, has 24 teams, according to the web site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indoor_Football_League.

>> College Football: Sul Ross kicker gets honor: Sul Ross State kicker Michael Van Wagner was named the American Southwest Conference's special teams player of the week for his efforts in a 30-14 victory against Southwestern Assemblies of God in a nonconference game Saturday.

Wagner, a junior from Bandera, made field goals of 26, 25 and 27 yards and made three extra-point attempts.

Hardin-Simmons senior slotback Mychal Carrillo was named the ASC's offensive player of the week, while Louisiana College cornerback Kendale Rayford was named the ASC's defensive player of the week.

Sul Ross State (1-1 overall, 0-0 conference) will play at East Texas Baptist in Marshall in an ASC game at 11 a.m. Saturday. The game's broadcast will be available on www.bigbendradio.com.

>> College Soccer: UTPB returns to action: The UTPB men's soccer team will see a regionally ranked team for the third consecutive game when it visits Eastern New Mexico at 4:30 p.m. today in a nonconference game.

The Greyhounds (1-1) are ranked No. 8 in the Division II South Central Region. They last played Sunday, defeating Colorado Christian 3-0.

The Falcons (5-2, 1-1), ranked No. 6 in the region, lost 2-0 against Texas A&M International on Sunday.
Falcons senior Luis Paiva, last year's leading scorer, will be sidelined today because he received a red card and was ejected Sunday.

UTPB was undefeated before its last two games, including a 1-0 loss Thursday against West Texas A&M, ranked No. 2 in the region.

>> College Volleyball: UTPB heads to Abilene: The UTPB volleyball team will play Abilene Christian at 7 p.m. tonight in the Lady Falcons' final tune-up before their Heartland Conference opener against Texas A&M International at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Falcon Dome.

Abilene Christian (9-1) picked up its first loss of the season on Friday against Incarnate Word, but the Lady Wildcats will be a tough challenge for UTPB.

"They play a quick offense and hit powerfully," Lady Falcons head coach Steve Aicinena said.

UTPB is coming off a 2-2 weekend against tough competition at the Tarleton State tournament, but Aicinena thinks his team is playing well behind the leadership of Amithy Henry, with 194 kills, and Brianna Ausdenmoore, with 493 assists.

"We played very well during a very competitive weekend," Aicinena said. "We need to continue to progress in terms of individual performance at the net."