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Volume CXXXII, Number 13 |
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The men in mullets do battle at M.I.T.
PHIL FRIEDRICH
STAFF WRITER
Ripe after months of cultivation, the mullets of the Bowdoin Men's Volleyball Team made their first public appearance at the annual Marty Avedisian Open, which was held on the campus of M.I.T. during the weekend of January 25. Unfortunately, the mystical effects thought to be held within the infamous haircut proved to be of little benefit to the Polar Bears as the team went 0-8 in pool play.
Paired in what was clearly the most competitive pool of the tournament (pool five), the Polar Bears faced teams from Columbia University, Northeastern University, Providence College, and M.I.T. Of those five teams, three would represent pool five in the semifinals of the twenty-five team tournament. M.I.T., Providence, and Columbia all advanced to the semifinal round of eight.
"Never again will we face the number of high-caliber teams we faced today," said co-captain Nick Hiebert '03.
Bowdoin opened pool play with a hard-fought loss to tournament host and runner-up M.I.T., falling 12-25 in the first game and 17-25 in second.
Staying true to the mullet motto of business in the front, party in the back," the Polar Bears entered their second match of the day against Northeastern all business, and left with the satisfaction of taking the number five ranked team in the New England College Volleyball League East Division to the brink of defeat, only to fall to Northeastern 20-25, and 22-25.
Strong passing from Matt Leach '05 to setter Ben Needham '05 keyed a quick start as Bowdoin was able to effectively utilize outside-hitter Jake Brill '04 and middle-hitter Marco Brown '05 in game two of the match. The Polar Bears would hold their biggest lead at 14-7 and lead until the 20-point mark, only to lose 22-25.
In their other matches of the day, Bowdoin fell victim to Columbia 15-25, 16-25, and to Providence 14-25, 17-25. Bowdoin will enter this weekend's Maine State Championship ranked sixth in the NECVL's North Division. The tournament, held at the University of New England on Sunday, will gather together the finest of Maine's collegiate volleyball scene, including UNE and the University of Maine, which are ranked fourth and fifth respectively.
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