As the dust settled in Alumni gym in the early afternoon of Saturday, Feb. 8, the 2003 Dartmouth Men's Volleyball Team had a lot to be proud of. Men's Volleyball, a club sport at Dartmouth, is one of 37 members of New England Collegiate Volleyball League. Dartmouth Volleyball competes in a series of tournaments throughout the year, culminating with a trip to club nationals early in the spring term.
Seasoned veterans such as Allan Klinge '02 and team captains Bill Shields '03 and Will Zimmerman '03 combine with the depth brought by continuing players and new freshmen to make this year's squad a force to be reckoned with. Coached by Dartmouth Women's Volleyball Assistant Coach Kristen Shockley, the Big Green is hoping to improve on the already strong performances of last year in which they finished 25th in the national tournament.
Despite some rough early season tournaments, Dartmouth began the divisional tournament at home by rolling over Williams College in two games (25-6, 25-8). They followed suit in their second and last official match of the day by defeating Holy Cross again in two matches (25-8, 25-8). The University of Hartford failed to make it to Hanover for the tournament which handed Dartmouth a third victory by forfeit. The real battle was yet to come, however, as the Big Green arranged a scrimmage after the tournament against 2nd seated in the division, 5th seated in the league, UMASS Amherst.
Thanks to strong play at the net by opposites David Tepperman '03 and Justin Martin '03 and middle Adam Schwartz '04, Dartmouth defeated UMASS in two straight games. Also noteworthy was the excellent defense led by libero Nate Zwintscher '03. Despite the fact that the match against UMASS was only a scrimmage, Dartmouth proved that they could play competitively with and beat any team in the league.
This Sunday, Feb. 23rd, Dartmouth Men's Volleyball will play host to another tournament in Alumni gym starting at 9:00 a.m. This tournament is sure to provide some incredible matches including the official match against UMASS-Amherst as well as a match against the first seed in the division, UCONN. The opportunity to play in the regional championships is also on the line. If they prove themselves against such fierce competition, they will be seen for what they truly are: a force to be reckoned with.
