In Tuesday volleyball action, the intensity and level of play has increased since the fall semester, with many women’s volleyball players competing on teams. Last semester’s champion, Moo Knucks, is still one of the teams to watch, even though they do not have anyone from the volleyball team.
“We don’t need any,” junior Josh Keim said. “We’ll see you in the playoffs.”
However, Moo Knucks dropped their first match of the session 0-3 to the young and talented Notorious D.I.G. team. With the majority of their team having played in high school, undefeated D.I.G. is the clear favorite to win the championship.
That said, the team’s success may come from another characteristic shared by team members.
“More than half of our team is from Lancaster,” first-year Brandon Kopp said. “Lancaster creates the best children.”
First-year Maria Horning of D.I.G. said that the team’s closest game thus far was with Rule #76, who came from behind in each game to challenge D.I.G.
“That team was pretty talented,” Horning said. “They had some really nice serves.”
Men’s Basketball:
Perhaps the most attended intramural this semester is the Thursday 5 vs. 5 men’s basketball league, with spectators lining the court’s boundaries each week.
Those fans got a treat on April 2, when Purple Merkels and The Justice League faced off in a match-up of the season’s undefeated teams.
After a long, physical game, The Justice League pulled away late to win 21 -13, maintaining its perfect record.
“We talk and play as a team,” senior Remi Adeleye said of The Justice League. “We stay on defense and attack when we get chances. We don’t do any fancy stuff.”
The Justice League, which, under a different name, lost in the finals a year ago, is keeping the April 24 championship match in the back of their minds as motivation, since many of the players will be graduating this spring.
“Most of us have played on the same team for a couple years,” Adeleye said. “It’s go big or go home.”
While each team dreams of winning the champion t-shirts, some teams come out just for the love of the game. For example, the Gough 2nd team has yet to win its first game, but its excitement to play has not dwindled.
“Intramural basketball is where champions are made,” sophomore Rob Jones said.
As the RA of Gough 2nd, Jones said that playing intramurals is a way he is encouraging hall camaraderie.
“We never really hung out as a hall before, but now we all play on the team,” Jones said.
Chelsea Post
Sports Editor
Co-ed Soccer:
The main gym came alive with shouts and calls on March 25 as the familiar yellow soccer ball bounced wildly across the floor.
Sophomore Edem Appeah had the utmost confidence in his team: “The Bender Brigade is going to pull the W tonight,” he declared last Wednesday before beating 123 Not It!
Twelve different co-ed teams signed up for intramural soccer this spring and were split into two six-team brackets for Monday and Wednesday nights. All of the teams came up with vivid and creative names, including Scotties Don’t Know, Philthies and Anti-Spo.
The Bender Brigade was actually named by intramurals Assistant Director Ryan “Moe” Matteucci. Co-captains senior Courtney Bender and junior Mike Wilson did not seem to mind.
Monday night’s games were no less exciting than Wednesday’s. F.G. Herbert United, named after the Family Guy character Herbert, defeated Paddy Wack on March 30. Senior captain Isaac Martin was very proud of his team and excited about the win.
“You wouldn’t find me anywhere else,” senior Dallas Post of F.G. Herbert said in regard to intramurals.
Women’s Basketball:
Despite the small number of teams playing, women’s basketball continues on, livening up the rec gym with cheers and laughter.
Team Tacked, Team Royale, Blonde-aBalla-Nation and The Wunderclassmen have duked it out every Tuesday, with Team Royale and The Wunderclassmen emerging supreme, facing off in the championship match on April 7.
Team Royale showed itself to be the team to beat early on in the season. Two of its members, junior Emily Reeser and junior Jeriah Garton, are on Eastern’s women’s basketball team, leading the team to its 3-1 regular season record. Team Royale’s only loss was to The Wunderclassmen.
Reeser was all business as she talked about how her team shoots around before games begin. But her final comment was more relaxed: “Intramurals is so much fun because you can do anything you want,” she said.
The Wunderclassmen, despite having only first-years on their team, obtained the elusive 4-0 record. All of the players except for first-year Maria Horning are on the women’s soccer team. According to first-year Tess Beckwith, they thought it would be a great idea to create an intramural team in the spring.