Early risers volley

Six a.m on Monday morning, while most of the campus snores, the Oberlin MenÕs Volleyball Club is up and at practice. This unsightly ritual took place all week before the big tournament. This was it: the final tournament of the season and the stakes were high.

The team had practiced regularly before Spring Break. However, after the break practices were poorly organized and, therefore, largely unattended. However, the week before the Ohio Wesleyan University tournament, everyone had to be there, yet attendance was scarce. Although the team is stacked with individual talent, it had not played too much together, lacking the critical cohesion neccesary to win big games. Finally, as the coach had almost given up, the team came together and began playing as champions.

At 6 a.m., on Saturday morning, the team assembled in various vehicles and embarked on the journey to Ohio Wesleyan. Awaiting them were all conference opponents: Kenyon College, College of Wooster, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio Wesleyan, Earlham College, and Wittenberg University.

The tournament started with the Yeomen playing Earlham. After losing the first game, they fiercely rallied back to win the second game, splitting victory with Earlham.

In the next game, the Yeomen encountered Kenyon and once again, lost the first game. By this point in the tournament, though, team cohesion and spirit started building. The Yeomen emerged victorious in the second game, again splitting with Kenyon.

The determination was apparent on the faces of every individual on that team: they were going to win every game from this point on. The next match faced the Yeomen against Wittenberg. Reaching deep into the bag of tricks, Oberlin crushed Wittenberg and took both games.

Pool play was over. The playoffs began. Oberlin, rated fourth, was once again matched to play Wittenberg. This was to be no easy match as time would tell. The Yeomen lead the first game and succeeded in driving the first nails into the Wittenberg coffin. Outside hitter senior Matt Groza was on fire, driving balls to the ground with an unstoppable grunt. The middles, seniors BJ Johnson and Steve Papavasilopoulos formed an unpenetrable wall, and allowed the Yeomen to emerge victorious.

In the middle of the second game, however, Johnson, while diving for a ball, split his chin wide open, and had to be removed from the game. With the loss of momentum, and JohnsonÕs powerful hitting and blocking, the Yeomen fell to Wittenberg, driving the match to the third and final game that was to be scored rally point.

Never has a game of this emotional magnitude showed its head to the menÕs club team. The Yeomen, still running on a cold start due to JohnsonÕs chin, dropped to a score of 14-7. This score in a rally point game writes off victory. If any mistake is made, whether on a serve, pass, hit or set, the ball and the point go to Wittenberg.

Wittenberg served the ball. The Yeomen returned it and gained possession of the serve. Steve ŌSophoclesĶ then continued to serve the ball until the score had been tied at 14. Then a crucial error occurred in the Oberlin offense awarding the serve and the point to Wittenberg. Again, one error on the OberlinÕs part and the game is over.

The Yeomen did not give up heart though. They rallied back, gained the serve and after exchanging game points with Wittenberg, won the game by on astounding score of 22-20.

Finally they went to play OWU, the leader of the conference and lost both matches.

Matt Groza is a member of the volleyball team.