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The Panther
By Marcus Thompson
Staff Writer
The Clark Atlanta volleyball
team is on a tear! The Panther women
have jumped out to a 13-4 start and have
their sights set on the SIAC
Championships.
The season opener was against
Tuskegee. The Panthers overpowered
them three matches to none and won
easily. The next opponent was Albany
State who beat Clark Atlanta in the
SIAC Championships last year. The
Panthers got behind early in the game
and couldn’t comeback and lost three
matches to one.
Paine College was the team to
follow. They came to Clark Atlanta for
one reason...to lose. Clark Atlanta’s
disciplined and productive style of play
was too much for Paine and they were
blown out the gym. The next Panther
casualty was Fort Valley State. They
proved to be another easy victory and
were swept three matches to none, one
of which was 15 to zero!
Opponent number five was
AUC rival Morris Brown on their court.
prowl is on!
The Panthers dominated once again with
their big front line and won easily. Clark
Atlanta was now 4-1 and feeling good
about their playing.
“We are playing great right
now. We st’ll have work to do and
improving to do but we have a good shot
at winning it all,” senior Tenesha Smith
declared.
Next was the Spike It
Tournament hosted by Clark Atlanta.
The tournament included Morris Brown,
Savannah State, and Fort Valley State.
The Panthers were easily crowned
tournament champs, sweeping all three
tournament opponents. Junior Angela
Miller won All tourney and Smith won
Outstanding Player of tournament.
The Panthers faced Tuskegee
again and again the same results. Clark
Atlanta served, set, and spiked their way
to an 8-1 record. The challenge was still
awaiting.
The Panthers took part in a
Division I Spikefest tournament, hosted
by South Carolina State. This tourney
featured Division I schools Hampton and
Bethune-Cookman, as well as the host.
Clark Atlanta stood tall in the
tournament and earned some respect,
but unfortunately respect doesn’t count
as a win and the Panthers suffered three
defeats. Junior Sherell Carter won All
Tournament.
The rebouund game was
against Miles College. The Panthers did
just that...rebound. They pounded on
the undermatched (and late) Miles
College and swept them three matches
to none. The win streak was started
back up. Fort Valley State was the next
opponent. After three matches, the win
streak was up to two and the Panthers
were on their way to play Savannah
State.
Clark Atlanta, playing
Savannah State for the second time,
duplicated the first outcome. The
powerful front line was too much and
the win streak was pushed up to three.
Albany State was after Savannah State.
After beating the Panthers in the first
meeting, Albany had to feel the wrath.
The Panthers went in the game
determined to get revenge and they did.
beating Albany State and moving to 12-
4. Game three against Morris Brown
was next. The Panthers belittled the
Wolverines again and they won three
straight.
The season looks extremely
promising for Clark Atlanta. The team
has six freshmen, four returning players,
and three new players. They are headed
by SIAC coach of the year Larry
Nolley, who is extremely confident in
his team.
Continued on P15
File Photo
Tenesha Smith (#10) blasts one
over defender.
too!
By Lakisha Moore and Marcus
Thompson
Sports Writers
The Panther Cheerleaders proved they
were the best when they won the 1996
Black College Cheerleading Competition
and returned to Clark Atlanta as collegiate,
athletic champions.
The Panther girls swept the Black
College Cheerleading Competition, held
in Atlanta on April 20 of last year, by
winning both divisions - the all girls
competition and the all around (co-ed and
all girl squads) competition. Their
competition included Jackson State,
Savannah State and Bowie State.
The Panther Cheerleaders, under the
direction of Coach Michael Johnson, plan
to compete in next year’s competition.
Their goals tor this year include enhancing
their creativity and expanding the squad.
This year there are 17 cheerleaders, instead
of the normal 12. They alternate each
game, due to the increase in members, to
ensure all squad members get a chance to
perform.
This years squad has good
jumpers, exceptional dancers, and
commendable technique. They also have
the label of CHAMPIONS stamped to
them. Senior Dianna Dumas, captain of
the team, definitely gets something out of
being the best.
“Being champs causes people to
look at you as champs. People set high
expectations of you so you have to always
act and perform like champions. It is a
good challenge for us to uphold that image.
We have to take a step up, train harder,
and keep on trying,” Dumas confessed.
Dumas also agrees to notice one
of the most common misconceptions,
amongst the students of Clark Atlanta,
about the sport of cheerleading.
“People always say cheerleading
is easy and it doesn’t require skill, but it’s
just the opposite,” stressed Ms. Dumas,
“We’re athletes like everyone else and we
work hard to perfect our cheers and stunts.”
The cheerleaders want to be
recognized as athletes as well.
Cheerleading is not just pretty girls, smiling
and hoping around. It is a lot of hard work
and dedication behind the scenes just as in
any other sports. They also stand at risk of
breaks, sprains, and other injuries just like
other athletes. There is a lot of practice
involved in order to perfect timing,
technique, and togetherness.
These cheerleaders have even
overcome obstacles (limited practice space
and minimal equipment) in order to be the
best. They recognize that it will take
plenty to repeat as champions, however,
like athletes, they accept the challenge for
the love of the sport and because their
pride in wearing red, black, and gray.
They work extremely hard, they dedicate
a lot of their time, as well as face barriers
in their upward battle for success just to
entertain fans. The drive, the talent, and
the heart cheerleading takes can be
undercut by no other sport. Indeed, they
are athletes too.