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Volume CXXXII, Number 14 |
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Vball: best in Maine
PHIL FRIEDRICH
STAFF WRITER
Maybe the mullets weren't the best idea after all. A week after finishing 0-8 at the annual Marty Open, a newly mullet-less Bowdoin Men's Club Volleyball Team entered last weekend's Maine State Collegiate Volleyball Championships at the University of New England with a fresh new look. They proceeded to capture this year's Maine State Championship, defeating UNE in the finals 25-20, 25-14.
"This victory was the biggest moment of the past five years for Bowdoin men's volleyball," said co-captain Jake Brill '04.
The Polar Bears breezed through pool play, finishing 7-1 and earning a spot in the championship match. Bowdoin's victims in pool play included Bates, University of Maine Orono, Southern Maine Technical College, and host UNE.
Bowdoin got a preview of what was to be its opposition in the championship, as the Polar Bears faced UNE in the final match of pool play. Using a quick start, Bowdoin was able to gain an early advantage in both games, never to look back, winning 25-20, 25-23.
It was during the opening first game of the match that, off of a money pass from Matt Leach '05, Marco Brown '05 laid down the only "sonic boom" of the tournament. The thunderous spike set the tone for the first of four games, and four victories against UNE.
"A sonic boom can be attempted only once throughout the whole tournament day. I mean, it's kind of like if you're going to call the sonic boom, you'd better bring it. So, when Marco ended up getting that nasty sonic boom, it all just made sense," said Ben Needham '05.
In their second go-round with UNE, this time for the Maine State Championship, Bowdoin continued the strong play that had got them into the championship match.
After the Polar Bears jumped out to a seven point advantage, UNE regained the lead early in the match. Following a time-out, the Polar Bears regrouped, reclaimed the serve, and dominated play.
"The setting this tournament was vastly improved," said middle hitter Henry Brennan '06.
He added, "The passing, particularly from Matt Leach '05, allowed us to run three hitter, instead of just two on the wings....At a certain point, they got the opposing team's blockers so confused that they had absolutely no idea where the set was going to go. That unpredictability made us virtually unstoppable."
In what turned out to be a rout, the Polar Bears claimed the Maine State Championship with a 25-14 victory over UNE. "Being mullet-less definitely improved the quickness of the whole," said Pete Stranges '05.
While Stranges was quick to point of the benefits of a freshly-shaven head, co-captain Nick Hiebert said, "We won today because we did all of the little things well. Our passing was sharp, our setting was solid, and we finished consistently. People say we won today because we cut the mullets. I say we won because the whole team played smart volleyball."
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