This weekend, the Dartmouth men's volleyball team travels to the University of New Hampshire in Durham for the New England Collegiate Volleyball League Championship. Led by outside hitter Bill Shields '03 and middle blocker Allan Klinge '02, the team should be in strong contention for one of its highest finishes in recent years.
Having qualified for the tournament with strong performances in divisional play, the Big Green enters the championships as the 13th seed in the 20-team tournament. Perhaps unhappy with its relatively low seed, the team looks to finish in the top eight and gain momentum on the way to nationals, despite some recent setbacks.
Last weekend, in the Ivy League tournament at Columbia, the Big Green finished a dismal sixth out of six competing squads. Forced to play with a newly revamped lineup, the team never played consistently as a cohesive unit. Still recovering from the loss of starting setter Rob De Simone '03 to a wrist injury just three days before the tournament, the Big Green was left without sufficient practice time to fully prepare the new unit.
Having practiced for another full week with Will Zimmerman stepping forward to set, however, the team could easily return to top form and make a strong showing at the championship tournament.
The Big Green will face Army, Columbia, Tufts, and Providence to open the tournament in pool play this Saturday. Splitting matches with both Army and Columbia earlier this year, Dartmouth should be able to pull through and qualify for the upper division of the second round of the tournament. If the new line-up gels and the team is able to pull together and play as one solid force, the Big Green can play with any team in the NECVL.
Two short weeks after the conclusion of the league tournament, the Big Green will fly to Dallas for the National Championships. Shooting for a top-25 finish, the team hopes to send its seniors out as winners.
This year's strong '02 class of Mike Bergen, Charlie "The Secret Weapon" Trumbull, Allan Klinge and Sam Short has been largely responsible for the team's success.
Before his season-ending ankle injury Winter term, Sam Short helped lead the team from his outside hitter position. Now, the burden of carrying the team at Nationals rests largely on the shoulders of the remaining three seniors.
Klinge has been a team leader and catalyst all year long. Bergen has played well hitting right side all season long and will now be asked to step up as a middle blocker when the team reaches Dallas.
Trumbull has valiantly stepped into the huge hole left by the loss of Short at the outside hitter position and helped carry the team with his passing.
The Big Green's chances at both the upcoming NECVL tournament and the National Championships hinge largely on the play of these three team leaders. Fortunately for Dartmouth, they appear ready to lead the team to success.
Keith Schurict is a freshman defensive specialist on the Dartmouth men's club volleyball team.
