The Dartmouth men's volleyball game at Roger Williams University yesterday was cancelled because the Dartmouth team no longer has varsity status, according to team Captain Jeremy Longinotti '96.
Roger Williams College also tried to remove Dartmouth from a tournament at Roger Williams, in Bristol, R.I., this Saturday. But, because contracts were already signed for the tournament, the team will be allowed to play.
It is difficult for a club team to schedule matches outside of its league because varsity teams, which must play a minimum of 19 games , cannot count a game versus a club team towards this requirement.
But Longinotti said he suspects that the Roger Williams team was tired of losing to a club team.
The problems with yesterday's game are nothing new to the men's volleyball team, which has struggled all year with its club status.
The team was stripped of its unfunded varsity team status by the Athletic Department last summer because of administrative burdens and Title IX complications.
A club team receives slightly less funding from the Athletic Department than an unfunded varsity team but receives no administrative support.
Disappointed with the low level of competition in its new league, the men's volleyball team has easily run up a 6-1 record.
With reduced funds the players have to raise about $4,000 to pay for lodging, travel, league dues, referees and equipment. Most of the money is raised through their friends programs and t-shirt sales.
Even scheduling time for home games has become more difficult because of time conflicts with aerobics classes and intramural sports.
At about the same time the men's volleyball team lost its unfunded varsity status, both the women's volleyball and softball team moved to funded varsity status. The change occurred to improve Dartmouth's compliance with Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972.
Title IX states that no institution receiving federal funds can discriminate on the basis of gender in any of its organizations.
"They pretty much made it a case closed," Longinotti said.
"Last year we went 5 and 10 without a coach in the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association that produced the national champion," Longinotti said.
The men's volleyball team currently plays in the New England Collegiate Volleyball League that consists of 40 club teams.
"We're definitely disappointed with the level of competition," Longinotti said.
The team is 3-0 in its league section and has swept every match three sets to zero. "We're playing the entire team. Even the 13th guy on the team has played one-and-a-half games," Longinotti said.
In its last game against Plymouth State, Dartmouth won 15-3, 15-13, 15-6.
