NEWS » ffs.Colorado (15-6-12,

Sometimes a player waits until senior year to savor the moment. BYUs Mary Lake is two weeks into her collegiate career and already reveling in every game.The freshman libero, the espnW player of the week, earned MVP honors last weekend at the Sports Imports D.C. Koehl Classic at Ohio State. The No. 10 Cougars (6-0) dispatched Wyoming, LIU-Brooklyn and host Ohio State, ranked 11th nationally at the time, to win the event.The 5-foot-7 Lake had 61 digs in the three matches, including 38 against the Buckeyes -- the most ever by a BYU player in a match in the rally-scoring era -- in a five-set thriller.Mary was phenomenal, Cougars coach Heather Olmstead said. She was fearless. She sees the game really well and with that, has good instincts, so she was seeing the court well and was talking and communicating. Shes such a leader in the backcourt that it calms our team down.Lakes fast start as a collegian is even more impressive given a pair of knee injuries. Coming into her final year at Californias Palm Springs High, the senior captain couldnt wait to defend the CIF Southern Section Division 2A title -- the equivalent of a state championship in the desert of Coachella Valley where she grew up.Her Indians had never won state and werent projected to do it her junior year. But a magical run propelled the No. 8 seeds to defeat the top two teams.The only word that comes to mind is surreal, she said.Then an ACL tear to her right knee ended her last high school season before it began. The first two weeks were rough, but after that, she refused to give in to the negativity.Positivity is a major part of recovery, she said. I called BYU as soon as it happened and I was afraid it would affect my scholarship, but they were super nice to me and gave me the confidence I needed so I could bounce back from it.Lake came to Provo early to finish her rehab and traveled with the Cougars on their two-week tour of China in May that included six games. She was an integral part of the lineup then. But six weeks ago, she tore the meniscus in her right knee.I was grateful it wasnt my ACL again, said Lake, who will wear a brace for the remainder of the season.The knee issues give her perspective about volleyball she didnt always have. At 5 years old, the youngest of six knew the game would be in her future. She was determined to follow her sister Melissa, a libero for the Cougars from 2008-09, into the college game.I knew I loved volleyball, but Im more grateful for it now, Lake said. The days I have tough practices I remember I could be injured and not playing at all. Its made me stronger for sure and mentally tough.One of the things I love about Mary is shes already been through a lot of adversity with that knee, Olmstead said. She found a new love for the game because it was taken away from her. Yet not even Lake could forecast this kind of beginning to her college career. The Cougars started the season in their own BYU Invitational in front of a record crowd of 4,672 and swept Utah Valley. Lake, with 12 digs in that one, has 112 to lead the team.Playing at the site of this years final four over the weekend, BYU didnt get rattled despite dropping the first two sets to the Buckeyes. The Cougars soared to a 21-2 lead in the third set, dominated the fourth and never trailed in the fifth.It was nerve-racking, said Lake, also the West Coast Conference player of the week. We didnt come out as confident as we could have been, but our confidence came and we realized we could play with them. It was crazy that we came back and won.In addition to enjoying her team, Lake also has fallen in love with BYU, where the admitted calculus junkie is majoring in math with plans to teach.I chose my school not only for the amazing volleyball program but for the school itself, she said. Im Mormon, its a great volleyball program with good people here. I visited other schools, but I knew I belonged at BYU. Terry OReilly Jersey . Klitschkos management company says the bout will be the Ukrainian fighters 25th world championship fight. The 1.83-meter (6-foot) Leapai defeated the previously unbeaten Denis Boytsov in November to become the WBOs mandatory challenger. Ray Bourque Jersey .J. -- Josh Cribbs was in the Pro Bowl in February and out of a job six months later. http://www.thebostonbruinshockey.com/charlie-coyle-hockey-jersey/ . It was just business as usual for the Thunder at home. Durant scored 32 points and the Thunder beat the Bulls 107-95 on Thursday night for their eighth straight win. Milan Lucic Bruins Jersey . LeBron James and Chris Bosh didnt need any more. Williams scored 11 points in 10 minutes, Alan Anderson scored 17 points, and the Brooklyn Nets finished the exhibition season with a 108-87 win over the Miami Heat on Friday night. Ray Bourque Bruins Jersey . Belfort (24-10) needed just 77 seconds to down Henderson in the headlining bout of Saturdays "UFC Fight Night: Belfort vs. Henderson" event at Goiania Arena in Goiania, Brazil. The fight served as a rematch of the pairs 2006 meeting, which Henderson won by decision. A week ago, the Colorado Rapids controlled their own fate in the race for the Supporters Shield and the home-pitch advantage that comes with earning MLSs best overall record.But a 1-0 loss at Portland combined with a 2-1 win by FC Dallas on Oct. 16 put the Rapids behind the proverbial eight-ball: even if they beat Houston on Sunday afternoon in the two teams regular season finale at Dicks Sporting Goods Field in the Denver suburb of Commerce City, Colorado needs FC Dallas to lose to gain the leagues top record.The Rapids are unbeaten at home this year, winning 11 times and drawing five matches. Colorado is attempting to be just the fifth team in MLS history to go through the season without a home loss.Weve made sure weve had a good week of practice and well need to bring a lot of good energy into the game, Rapids coach Pablo Mastroeni said. We respect Houston and we have to approach this game with 100 percent focus. We will put our best foot forward and we will do everything we can to win this game and then think about the playoffs.Colorado (15-6-12, 57 points) had its three-match winning streak come to an end with its loss on Oct. 16 while the Dynamo had their winless streak extended to four matches with a third defeat in that time when they suffered a second consecutive shutout in a 1-0 home loss to the LA Galaaxy on Oct.dddddddddddd16.The Rapids have claimed 38 of 57 possible points at Dicks Sporting Goods Park, which is the most they have ever won on home soil. A win on Sunday would take them to 41 points at home, equaling the league high for a season (LA Galaxy, 2011 and FC Dallas, last year).The teams are meeting for the second time this season and the second time in the past three weeks. Colorado beat Houston 3-2 on Oct. 8, when Dominique Badji scored twice and Shkelzen Gashi hit for a late winner for the Rapids, who overcame a pair of goals from the Dynamos Mauro Manotas.The Dynamo havent won at Dicks Sporting Goods Park since 2008, with the Rapids winning the last three meetings in Commerce City.Houston (7-14-12) is on course to have its worst regular season in franchise history. The Dynamo own just 33 points, which equals their lowest total in their 11 seasons in MLS. That previous low season came in 2010, when the league employed a 30-match regular season schedule, four less than this season.The Dynamo failed to qualify for the playoffs for a third straight season and will register their fewest-ever wins in season. Houstons previous low was in 2010, when it managed a 9-15-6 record. ' ' '