Club volleyball team claims title

The men’s club volleyball A-team finished as champions this weekend, not losing a single set in the 10th Annual Hoosier Fall Classic.

With the strength of the upperclassmen, the expectations were high for the Hoosiers. Saturday, IU said it wanted to make sure its first game set the tone for the rest of their season.  

The Hoosiers defeated Purdue’s B-team 23-17, 25-23, for their first victory.  

“It’s like the first game as a more mature team,” senior defensive specialist Jon Grzesik said. “It was nice to get the first game under our belt.”

After aced serves and strong spikes, the bench, along with all the players on the court, erupted with cheers and the occasional flexing of the muscles or posing for imaginary pictures.  

Decisive blocking and setting at the net, along with a fast-paced game helped the Hoosiers to defeat Illinois State’s B-team 25-23, 25-21.

Communication was one of the key concepts for IU. When the team wasn’t talking, the energy slowed on the court and it became less productive. This caused errors that cost the Hoosiers points against Illinois State.

The team focused on setting in practice and it was one of the key assets in the close win against ISU. Freshman libero Jake Goldberg said the team would be nowhere without their powerful setting.  

“We definitely have one of the best setters in the country,” he said. “We just have to clean some other things up, but we’re getting there.”

This game put two quick wins under IU’s belt and the team was beginning to play with the confidence they were looking for.  

IU defeated Loyola-Chicago 25-13, 25-18, to finish out pool play at the top of their bracket.  

In the first game of the gold playoff bracket, the Hoosiers defeated Purdue’s A-team 25-17, 25-23, to set up a game against powerhouse Illinois.  

No one on the team’s roster had ever beaten Illinois in any match. At the end of last year Illinois was ranked No. 6.
IU displayed blocking that Illinois could not combat. The Hoosiers made a run on them keeping up their intensity to defeat the Illini 25-23, 25-17.

Senior outside hitter Scott Anerino said that their effort this year and during the last four years has finally paid off.

“I haven’t beaten them in my career and neither has anyone on our team,” he said. “Our hard-work paid dividends today.”

The Hoosiers moved on to the championship where both teams were competing in their sixth match of the day.  

The team struggled in the first set, but pulled it together with some big kills and momentum shifts to give them their final victory of the day.  

Sophomore middle hitter Matt Ahlberg said he hopes the performances of Saturday will bode well for the rest of the season.

“It really puts us off to a great start and puts a lot of confidence in us for the rest of our season,” he said.