Herschel Walker set to speak for Athens chamber and other sports news

Friday, November 15, 2013

Georgia football legend Herschel Walker will be the speaker next June 23 at the eighth annual Athens (Tenn.) Chamber of Commerce benefit dinner, and tickets already are on sale. They cost $50. The Heisman Trophy winner and leader of the Athens (Ga.)-based Bulldogs' 1980 national championship team follows national-champion coach Nick Saban as the event's special guest. The 2013 dinner with Saban drew a record sellout crowd of 1,500 to the event that previously featured Steve Spurrier, Bruce Pearl, Pete Rose, Kirk Cameron, Lou Ferrigno and the University of Tennessee football trio of Phillip Fulmer, Al Wilson and Peerless Price. Tickets to the 2014 dinner are available at www.athenschamber.org and 423-745-0334.

Soccer

• Joel Glover scored three goals as the top-seeded Bryan College men's soccer team whipped fifth-seeded Point University 6-1 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference semifinals Thursday evening in Dayton. They will host sixth seed Virginia Intermont (8-8-3), which edged St. Andrews 1-0, at 7 p.m. Saturday for the championship. Ryan Griswald had two goals, Daniel Branley had a goal and three assists and Alan da Costa had two assists for Bryan, who trailed 1-0 1:47 into the match. Glover's first goal -- from a Branley assist -- tied the score at 8:09, and Branley made it 2-1 from a da Costa assist just before halftime. Da Costa set up Glover for a 3-1 lead four minutes into the second half. Jorge Gonzalez Giron assisted on Glover's third goal, between two Griswold scores from Branley assists.

Volleyball

• Top-seeded Bryan College beat eighth seed St. Andrews 3-0 in the AAC volleyball tournament Thursday in Kingsport, Tenn., and faces fifth-seeded Reinhardt in the first semifinal at 10 this morning. The championship match is set for 4 p.m. Union College and Columbia, the second and third seeds, play at noon. Caroline Evans had 12 kills and Kara Stamper and Meghan Lowry added eight and seven in Bryan's 25-16, 27-25, 25-13 win Thursday, and Taylor Fink had 27 assists while Corrie Walker made 18 digs. The Lady Lions are 31-3.