American University's men's club volleyball team won a tournament at Bender Arena on March 24 featuring schools in and around the Washington, D.C., area. Two American teams (A and B) played against his two teams from George Mason and the teams from Georgetown, George Washington, and Mary Washington.
The tournament began with two pools, with the first match featuring the Eagles' A team, GMU's B team, and Georgetown's team. Other teams included GW, GMU's A team, Mary Washington, and American's B team.
Men's club volleyball tournaments were held twice a week, and multiple members praised their community. Xavier Shin, a sophomore in the College of Arts and Sciences and a player on the USA B team, joined men's club volleyball in the fall of his freshman year and said he has “no regrets” about joining the team. He continued, “Team practice is the foundation of my workout, but it's also a fun social occasion where I come and hang out with friends. It's always fun to work out in your favorite sport and with your favorite people. It's time.”
After pool play was over and the dust had settled, the Eagles' A team sat on top of the pool, going 2-0 without dropping a set against either GMU or Georgetown. The Revolutions won 3-0 in the second pool.
After pool play concluded, all teams were divided into brackets, with the USA A team receiving a bye in the first round of tournament play, and each game in the bracket being a one-set sudden-death matchup.
(I know this isn't that big of an article, but maybe a bracket graphic would be cool here? IDK)
In the quarterfinals, GW defeated the Eagles' B team, GMU's B team defeated Mary Washington, and Georgetown's team defeated Mason's A team. In the semifinals, American's Revolutions were eliminated, and the Hoyas faced Mason's B team again. The American team won the final match and was crowned the champion.
Thomas Dixon, a first-year student in the School of International Services, expressed his gratitude for the team's presence, saying, “I love volleyball, so being able to play even after graduating from high school means the world to me.''
Owen Kuziuda, president of the men's volleyball club, was overjoyed after winning the tournament, saying it was the first tournament an American team had won in his time on the volleyball team. He also expressed satisfaction with the space they built for the tournament held at Bender Arena. construction in progress. Despite that obstacle, the stands were still filled with fans, friends and families of players from every team that was able to attend. “We had a lot of players reaching out to their acquaintances,” Kushiuda said. “It's always a better environment when you have friends from the team and community come.”
Coach Kusifuda said, “Our new players have shown an eagerness to get better and develop, which allows the old and new alike to play their game, even though practices are semi-competitive.'' “It's a place of encouragement where we can improve and improve,” he said, praising the team's mentality highly.
On April 17th, the team traveled to Kansas City, Missouri. NCVF Volleyball Championshipwhere they competed against teams from all over the United States and Canada.
“This team is a group of dedicated players. We are very focused on getting as much as we can in every set and match. Their determination is amazing,” Kushiuda said. Ta.
This article was edited by Penelope Jennings, Delaney Hawk and Abigail Pritchard. Copy editing by Luna Jinks and Ariana Kavoossi.
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