East Carolina opened its football season by surviving a scare from Football Championship Subdivision (Division I-AA) powerhouse Appalachian State and getting a 29-24 win on Saturday in Greenville, N.C.

Sophomore wide receiver Darryl Freeney (Nansemond River) had three receptions for 20 yards for the Pirates.

ECU goes on the road to play West Virginia on Saturday afternoon. The Mountaineers beat Liberty 33-20 in their opening week.

Hampden-Sydney (1-0) routed North Carolina Wesleyan, going out to a 41-3 halftime lead over the Battling Bishops in a 55-23 victory at HSC on Saturday.

Senior wide receiver Adam Gillette (Nansemond-Suffolk) had four catches for 55 yards for the Tigers, who were the preseason favorite to win the Old Dominion Athletic Conference.

Quarterback Josh Meeks (Lakeland) is a reserve for N.C. Wesleyan (0-1).

Randolph-Macon lost 16-10 at King’s College on Saturday in Ashland. RMC is the defending ODAC champion and reached the NCAA Div. III playoffs in 2008.

Junior Mark Jackson (Nansemond River) started at cornerback for the Yellow Jackets at led the team with seven solo tackles.

RMC (0-1, 0-0) plays at Johns Hopkins on Saturday.

No. 2-ranked Wake Forest defeated No. 12 James Madison 3-1 on Saturday in Harrisonburg to give JMU’s field hockey squad its first loss of the season. Through the last 31 matches, the Dukes have lost only five, but all five have come against ACC teams. Wake Forest opened a 3-0 lead in the first 30 minutes of the match.

Senior Kelsey Cutchins (Lakeland) made nine saves for JMU. Sophomore Lindsay Cutchins (Lakeland) started at back for the Dukes.

JMU (2-1, 0-0 Colonial) travels to face Massachusetts and Albany this weekend.

Virginia Commonwealth’s field hockey squad is off to a 3-0 start after back-to-back 4-1 wins at St. Joseph’s and at Pennsylvania this past weekend in Philadelphia.

Senior defender Ashley Aston (Nansemond River) has started all three matches so far for the Rams.

VCU was 5-14 overall and 1-7 in the CAA last season.

Lynchburg College’s women’s volleyball team opened its season with four straight wins on Friday and Saturday at the Eastern Mennonite University Invitational in Harrisonburg, beating Mary Baldwin, Howard Payne, North Carolina Wesleyan and Catholic.

Junior outside hitter/middle hitter Michelle Boucher (Nansemond-Suffolk) totaled 30 kills and four blocks for the Hornets in the four matches.

Randolph-Macon’s women’s volleyball team is off to a 6-0 start after winning four straight matches on Friday and Saturday in Gettysburg, Pa. The Yellow Jackets have yet to lose a set in their six wins.

Senior April Hines (Nansemond River) has 38 kills, 19 total blocks and five aces for the season. RMC was 24-8 last season and Hines was an All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference player.

Averett University’s volleyball team went 3-1 this past weekend during its own Cougar Classic in Danville, beating Guilford twice and Greensboro once while losing to Maryville.

Junior right-side hitter Shannon Andy (Nansemond River) has 31 kills and five blocks for Averett through five matches (4-1) so far this season.