2008 Woodie Awards
ISU Club Volleyball brings home third place
Elizabeth Olson
Issue date: 4/27/05 Section: Sports
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The team traveled to Kansas City, Missouri April 14th-16th to battle ten other division two teams in the National tournament. The seven players who participated include: Shaun Pohlman, Club Volleyball President, Cody Wright, who acts as club Vice President, Blaise Burns, Darren Clark, Sid Blackmore, and cousins Mike and Allen Harper.
It took the Bengals awhile to warm up. After losing to University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, and Eastern University on Thursday, Idaho finally got into the swing of things, conquering Plymouth State (out of New Hampshire) 18-25, 25-15, and 15-12.
The spikers repeated their 1-2 play on Friday, giving wins to Xavier, and Eastern Illinois before picking up a whomping 25-9, 25-17 victory over Southern Illinois.
"Before the tournament, we hadn't had a chance to practice together very much," Blackmore, a 1st year libero explained. "It took a few games to get the rotation down."
Finishing pool play with a 2-4 record, ISU was placed in the bronze bracket for Saturday's matches. "We've struggled all year with commitment from players. The six o'clock a.m. practices, and fundraising aren't always easy to deal with," stated 2nd year setter Shaun Pohlman. "Our efforts were worthwhile though. By the third day, we had all of the bugs worked out- we played awesome!"
Idaho began their last day of competition with a bang, beating out UMass Lowell 25-14, 25-23 before stomping Ithaca in the quarter finals 25-14, 25-18. The intensity grew when ISU took on the University of Maryland Baltimore College in the semifinals. of Maryland Baltimore College in the semifinals. Fighting to the end, Idaho picked up another win with scores of 27-25, and 29-27 in the overtime match. Wrapping up the tournament, the Bengals out-played Southern Utah University 17-25, 25-14, 15-6, and bettered 15 other teams for the championship.
"I'm proud of what we accomplished, but I can't say we did as well as we could have," quoted Pohlman. "We didn't play our best until the last day when we really came together as a team."
Burns, who fills the right-side hitter position, was quite pleased with the outcome, adding, "Anytime you end your season with a win, it leaves a good taste in your mouth."
The club would like to thank Prestige Auto Body, Harper Dental Clinic, Natosha Holmes, and friends and family for support and sponsorship. They also wish to express gratitude to Mark and Tonya Terry for their generous donation. "We're very appreciative," expressed Pohlman. "Without the support of the community, we couldn't have gone to Nationals."
ISU club volleyball placed 19th last year when they competed at nationals in Charlotte, North Carolina. The club volleyball team plans on doing well next year when the national tournament is scheduled to take place in Salt Lake City. The team will have around four players returning for next season, and invites anyone interested in playing to call Sid at (208) 251-6771 or Blaise at (208) 760-9683.