Sports

Bluefield University’s women’s volleyball team battled to take the third set but could not complete the comeback, falling 3-1 to Johnson University on Friday, October 30, at the Dome.

Johnson took the opening two sets, 25-15 and 25-21, putting the Rams in an early 2-0 hole. Bluefield responded in the third set, finding its rhythm offensively to earn a 25-22 victory and extend the match.

However, the Royals regained control in the fourth set, closing out the match with a 25-16 win.

Bluefield University’s women’s volleyball team got off to a strong start on the morning of Halloween but was unable to maintain its momentum, falling 3-1 to Union Commonwealth University at the Dome on Saturday, October 31.

The Rams opened the match with a competitive first set, earning a 25-23 victory behind a balanced offensive effort. Bluefield recorded 12 kills in the opening set while limiting the Bulldogs to a .065 hitting percentage.

Union Commonwealth responded in the second set, overcoming Bluefield 25-22 to even the match at one set apiece. The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the third set, taking another 25-22 decision to move within one set of closing out the match.

Bluefield University’s men’s soccer team concluded its 2026 season with a hard-fought 2-2 draw against Tennessee Wesleyan on Halloween, Saturday, October 31, at East River Soccer Complex. The Rams rallied twice, with Oli Gudjonsson finding the equalizer in the final minutes to finish the season on a positive note.

Tennessee Wesleyan struck first just 1:54 into the match when Francesco Conti scored off an assist from Jake Fisher. Bluefield responded in the 21st minute as Sebastian Armijos found the back of the net at 20:38 to even the score 1-1. The teams remained tied heading into halftime.

The Bulldogs regained the lead in the 56th minute when Fisher scored at 55:09, putting Tennessee Wesleyan ahead 2-1. Bluefield continued to battle despite facing a significant advantage in shots from the Bulldogs.

Bluefield University’s football Senior Night ended in a close 34-24 loss to Kentucky Christian on Halloween night, Saturday, October 31, at Mitchell Stadium. The Rams held a second-half lead but could not maintain their momentum as the Knights scored 22 points in the final two quarters to secure the victory.

The game began with an early Kentucky Christian score after the Knights took advantage of a Bluefield turnover on downs, starting their drive at the Rams’ 26-yard line. Running back Jamareon Dale capped the two-play possession with a 26-yard touchdown run at the 10:01 mark. The extra point was unsuccessful, leaving Kentucky Christian ahead 6-0.

Bluefield answered in dramatic fashion on the final play of the first quarter. Defensive back Jamari Williams intercepted a pass and returned it 82 yards for a touchdown, giving the Rams a 7-6 lead after Isaiah Bandy’s successful point-after-try.

Bluefield University’s men’s golf wrapped up its fall schedule at the Appalachian Athletic Conference Fall Preview, finishing 11th out of 13 teams with a three-round team total of 106 over par on October 26 and October 27.

The Rams posted team scores of 29 over par in the opening round and 28 over par in the second round before finishing 49 over par in the final round. Reinhardt captured the team title at 24 over par, while Pikeville finished second at 45 over par.

Rocky Frye led Bluefield individually, finishing 19 over par with a three-round total of 235. Frye opened with a 78 before improving to a 74 in the second round. He closed with an 83 in the final round to finish as the Rams’ top golfer.

Bluefield University’s women’s basketball team suffered a 64-44 loss to Clinton College on Tuesday, November 3, at the Dome, as the Golden Bears pulled away in the second half to hand the Rams their second loss of the season.

Bluefield opened the contest with an impressive first quarter, taking a 17-16 lead into the second period. However, Clinton responded by outscoring the Rams 14-9 in the second quarter to take a 30-26 advantage into halftime.

The Golden Bears continued to build momentum after the break, scoring 17 points in the third quarter while limiting Bluefield to just eight. Clinton added another 17 points in the final period to secure the 20-point victory.

Bluefield University’s men’s basketball team came up short against WVU Tech, falling 83-74 at the Dome on November 3. Despite staying within striking distance for much of the contest, the Rams were unable to overcome the Golden Bears down the stretch.

The matchup featured a competitive first half, with Bluefield trailing just 40-35 at halftime. The Rams continued to battle after the break, keeping the game within reach before WVU Tech used its advantage at the free-throw line to create separation late. The Golden Bears finished 25-for-35 from the charity stripe, helping them maintain their lead in the closing minutes.

Bluefield had several players contribute offensively throughout the contest. Tyler Suber led the Rams with 12 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field and going 3-for-3 at the free-throw line. William O’Shields added 11 points, including three 3-pointers. Pharoah Fields also contributed 11 points off the bench.

Bluefield University’s women’s basketball team faced a difficult matchup against Division-1 opponent Radford University, one of the top predicted teams in the Big South Conference, on November 4 at the Dedmon Center in a 128-24 loss. The margin was the largest victory in Radford’s history and a Dedmon Center record.

The Rams struggled to find their offense from the opening tip, scoring just three points in the first quarter as the Highlanders built a commanding 36-3 advantage. Bluefield continued to have difficulty against Radford’s pressure in the second quarter, entering halftime trailing 69-10.

The offensive struggles continued after the break, as the Rams managed just 14 points in the second half. Bluefield finished the contest shooting 16.3% (8-of-49) from the field. They committed 41 turnovers and 31 personal fouls. Radford capitalized on those mistakes, recording 58 points off turnovers and making 26 free throws, while also outrebounding the Rams 55-22.

The BU men’s basketball team is looking forward to a fresh start in their 2026-2027 season. After some hard losses last season, the team and the coaches are excited to start anew. With returning players and a large group of promising new players, the team wants this to be their best season yet.

The team’s moto for this year is “Change the Narrative.” Their goal is to be better on the court and in the classroom, and they hope to hold a team GPA of 3.0 or higher.

“’Change the Narrative’ has nothing to do with basketball and everything to do with Bluefield as a community,” says Coach Joseph Cooper. “If we are able to create an environment around our program that welcomes people, then we have done our job.”

As the leaves at BU change colors, our Lady Rams basketball team don the red and navy that represent Bluefield University. Last season, the Lady Rams won 3 games and lost 26, averaging 51.9 points per game while their opponents averaged 71.6. This season, the team may rise again, with top scorer and defensive player Ashanti Northcross – averaging 8.3 points scored and 2.1 steals a game – on the roster for the 2026-2027 season. Head Coach Jake Wright is now aided by Assistant Men’s and Women’s Coach Ethan Rainwater. Wright began coaching the Lady Rams in 2023, while Rainwater was recently added to the coaching staff.

Wright is looking forward to the upcoming season, saying, “I’m very excited about the future; it’s going to be valleys, peaks and valleys… I’m excited to ride those peaks and valleys.”

Senior player Lauren Bragg states her hopes for the team in this upcoming season as well, acknowledging the need for “aggressive defense.”

Bluefield University’s women’s soccer team has forfeited the rest of the 2026 season due to injuries, which include ACL tears, knee injuries, and ankle injuries. Athletics Director Corey Mullins explained the decision.

“Through the course of the preseason and into the first couple of matches of the season, we had some injuries and some other issues that we felt like it was not gonna be physically safe for our team to continue to play,” Corey Mullins said. “We just could not field a team . . . that was gonna be able to go out there every day and play for ninety minutes.”

The team played its first game against Reinhardt on September 14. Although the roster included 15 players, multiple girls were coming back from last year’s injuries and were not cleared to play. The team’s single sub was allowed to play only a short time because she also was coming back from an injury.

Bluefield University’s women’s basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with a 63-39 loss to Morris College on Wednesday, October 28, as the Hornets pulled away in the middle quarters to secure the victory.

The Rams started slowly offensively, trailing 11-7 after the first quarter. Morris extended its advantage in the second period, outscoring Bluefield 18-7 to take a 29-14 lead into halftime.

The Rams continued to struggle to find their rhythm after the break, managing just six points in the third quarter. The Hornets added 13 points to increase their lead to 42-20 heading into the final period.

Bluefield University’s men’s basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with a 72-61 loss to Morris College on Wednesday, October 28, as the Hornets used a strong second half to pull away from the Rams in Sumter, South Carolina.

The Rams kept the game competitive in the opening half, trailing Morris 30-24 at halftime. However, the Hornets increased their offensive production after the break, scoring 42 points in the second half to maintain their lead and secure the 11-point victory.

Micah Steely led Bluefield with 16 points off the bench, shooting 6-for-9 from the field and connecting on three 3-pointers. AJ Armstrong added 10 points, while Pharoah Fields contributed nine after suffering a season-ending injury last season. Tyler Suber finished with eight points, including two 3-pointers.

Bluefield University’s football team was unable to keep pace with the University of Pikeville on Saturday, October 24, falling 52-10 in an Appalachian Athletic Conference matchup in Pikeville, Kentucky. Despite the loss, running back Kyree Edwards reached 1,000 rushing yards for the season, while freshman quarterback Brock Stomps made his collegiate debut after making a speedy recovery from a torn ACL during spring ball.

The Rams opened the game with a promising drive, moving 51 yards over 12 plays before kicker Isaiah Bandy connected on a 26-yard field goal with 7:46 remaining in the first quarter. Bluefield controlled the opening possession and took an early 3-0 lead.

Pikeville responded with a 12-play, 79-yard drive that ended with running back Amon Williams scoring on a seven-yard run. The Bears took a 7-3 lead with just over three minutes remaining in the opening quarter.