Club volleyball opens season at HPER on Saturday

Don’t call the men’s club volleyball team young anymore.

As the team prepares for its first tournament of the season, it finally has the leadership it has been looking for.

“We’ve kind of been regarded as a very young team the last couple of years,” senior setter and team president Andy McClure said. “Finally, these guys are all juniors and seniors.”

With one of the most talented teams in the last few years, the Hoosiers look to capitalize on their newfound experience to make a big showing in the 10th Annual Hoosier Fall Classic.  

After a less-than-satisfactory finish at nationals last year, senior defensive specialist Jon Grzesik said he is focused on getting the team off to a good start in fall play.  

“We’re trying to use what we’ve learned and move forward from it in a positive way,” he said.  

This tournament brings teams from the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association’s top teams to Bloomington.  

University of Illinois finished No. 6 in the nation and Illinois State received an honorable mention for a ranking last year. Both will participate in this weekend’s tournament. Other tough competitors include Michigan, Purdue and Ball State.  

Depending on outside hitting will help the Hoosiers in play this weekend. This is one of the team’s strongest assets.  

“We’re going to rely on them to get blocks and kills when we need them,” McClure said.  

The Hoosiers will play four games starting at 8:30 Saturday, all in the HPER, and possibly two additional games if the team makes it out of pool play. The finals will be at 6:30 p.m.

All three levels of the club’s program will be competing this weekend.

Sophomore setter Tyler McClure hopes that the team will make it to gold pool play later Saturday night.  

“We got talent just about everywhere,” he said. “It is a matter of playing together for the first time and seeing how that works out.”