Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Volleyball

Practice

2011-11-10T10:57:00.000-05:00

Finally got to 99% of the practice. It has been a busy few weeks of work with extensive traveling, but finally back on campus for the long haul. Practice is going great and while we have fewer guys this year, we have a lot of talent! Pat returns from Australia in a few weeks and there is a possibility of a couple of transfer players that will add to the depth chart. Looking forward to a great season.

It's been awhile

2011-11-03T11:59:00.000-04:00

It has been a long time since my last post, but school has started, the new guys are on campus and the practice has begun. We have a talented team returning starters and freshmen and should have a great season of men's volleyball. The recruiting has begun and I have talked to guys in Ohio, Illinois, PA and other states. Looking forward to a competitive and fun season with the guys!

NCVF Nationals Day One

2011-04-08T15:51:00.001-04:00

The Yellow Jackets began the NCVF National tournament in Houston, TX as the #6 overall seed and played like it Thursday. The men beat St. Johns MN, Siena and Brandeis to advance to the Championship Flight for Day two. The men will have some tough matches Friday to reach the Gold bracket and will need to play well to hold up their seed. Jake Barone and Jeh Shamlin played well throughout and will continue to provide the power behind our offense. Defensively, Pat Madden set the tone and continues to be one of the best Liberos in the tournament.

MIVA Championships

2011-03-28T10:34:00.000-04:00

B-W at Ohio Stadium (Horseshoe) on the campus of The Ohio State University for the MIVA Championships

What a weekend of GREAT competition. We played four of the top 10 teams in the Division I ranks over the weekend and despite the outcome, held our own (#2,3,4,7 and 25). We played hard, with energy and despite missing an unexplained amount of serves, still were in most of the sets. The highlight of the weekend was beating the University of Kentucky 25-13, 25-15 and hanging with the #2 ranked team and MIVA Champion Indiana University. A few more practices and on to the NCVF National Tournament.

2nd Place in GMMVC

2011-03-25T23:58:00.000-04:00

The men finished 2nd in the GMMVC over the weekend with crucial wins over Miami University and Ohio Northern University. The Yellow Jackets lost in the finals 13-15 in the deciding game to Grand Valley State University and now move on to the MIVA Championships at Ohio State this weekend. We are playing with a lot of positive energy and emotion as we prepare for the MIVA Championships and NCVF National Tournament.

Spring Break is over, home stretch

2011-03-15T23:19:00.002-04:00

We had the best practice of the year following spring break! It was energetic, consistent and productive and if we play like the remainder of the season, we will be a tough team to beat! Practice resumes on Wednesday.

Long weekend at IU

2011-03-01T20:38:00.000-05:00

When the snow finally cleared, we traveled to Indiana University for the annual Hoosier-Illini Classic. It draws some of the best teams from around the country and is one of the most competitive tournaments in the nation. We played averaged to say the least but lost 26-24, 26-24 to #6 St. Louis University. We had leads in both games (23-19, 23-21) and couldn't close out the sets, but we will work in practice. Spring Break time and then MIVA League Play. Only a month left and we are ranked #7 in D-II.

2nd Place at All-Ohio Classic

2011-01-31T09:07:00.000-05:00

The Yellow Jackets played hard to finish 2nd at the All-Ohio Classic losing to ONU in the finals. After defeating Ohio University and Bowling Green State University, the men reached the finals of the All-Ohio for the first time. While the result wasn't exactly what we had hoped for, we continued to play well as a team and will continue to work in practice to eliminate the minor mistakes it takes to win a championship. Pool play started slow for the Yellow Jackets as they lost to the defending NCVF National Champions, The Ohio State University, in their first match of the day. The men rebounded to defeat the University of Dayton and Ohio University and finished as the second seed in their pool. We have a couple of weeks off before traveling to UD for the first round of MIVA play.

Decent Start to the Season

2011-01-23T21:29:00.000-05:00

We finished 4-1 at the Michigan Classic at UM and did some great things along the way. We haven't turned the corner to get us to that "next" level, but we will get there soon. We were down 19-11 in a match and ending up winning the game and match. We lost a close match in the quarter finals to UW Oshkosh B, but showed some great effort (31-33, 25-13, 13-15). Our serving was excellent and our defense and passing pretty consistent throughout the tournament. This weekend we head to the All-Ohio Classic.

First tournament of 2011 -- Michigan Classic

2011-01-21T23:49:00.000-05:00

Headed to the School Up North after a long week of practice and scrimmaging our alumni. We are ready to play and begin the season. The team came away from their spaghetti dinner this week with some goals and general understanding of what it will take to be successful this season. We talked this evening in the hotel about the energy it takes to be successful on the court, the emotion required to win and the attitude to work towards our long-term goals. Here we go...

PS - Thoughts go out to Kevin Moskal, 2009, who broke his leg this week. Get better buddy, we want to see you at future alumni scrimmages and tournaments!

Practice, practice, practice

2011-01-18T13:46:00.001-05:00

Practice has been hot and cold with some great moments and some sloppy ones. We will be heading to the school up north (Michigan), this weekend to put it all together. It will be interesting given we have guys coming back from injury and illness, but by mid-season we should be a well oiled machine.

Starting practice back-up

2011-01-12T10:42:00.000-05:00

Preparation for the season began on Sunday and the guys brought their running shoes. Practice is going well and conditioning is in full swing as we prepare for our first tournament. We have a few lingering injuries and a few nagging illnesses, but hopefully we can be at full strength by mid-season.

Winter break

2011-01-06T14:38:00.001-05:00

It has been somewhat quiet around these parts! The guys are at home enjoying their time with family, away from homework and of course tests. Recruit letters continue to fly outta here in an attempt to bring in a solid group of guys for 2011. We have a bright future with the right guys and I hope to have some quality wins in 2011.

B-W Tournament

2010-12-16T17:15:00.000-05:00

Despite being short handed due to illness and injury, the guys played awesome and finished 3rd. Missing a 6'5" middle hitter to illness, we shuffled the line-up and defeated several top men's teams from NE Ohio. We raised a significant amount of money for the season and now have a month break before starting the regular season in January. Have a Happy Holidays!

And the Season begins (pre-season)

2010-12-05T14:05:00.000-05:00

Saturday marked the annual beginning to our tournament competition with a pre-season tournament at Grove City College. The men went 6-0 in pool play defeating a varsity bound program 2-0 and sweeping two other teams. On their way to the finals the men defeated the Grove City Alumni, won by forfeit in the first round and lost in the championship to finish 2nd. The men played extremely well and provided a bright look to the future of the team this year. Practice this week and home tournament Sunday.

Starting to come together

2010-11-11T20:09:00.000-05:00

The team is starting to come around, but we do have a lot if injuries to begin the year which creates a challenge. We will play our first tournament in a month, so the guys have some time to get healthy and ready to play. We certainly have the talent to be a great offensive team, so we spend a lot of time working on our defensive position and technique. Stay tuned.

Practice begins

2010-10-27T23:20:00.000-04:00

Through four practices or so the team is getting back into shape and working on the fundamentals to ensure we are successful this season. We have a good core of talent and work hard at each practice. Looking forward to the year and returning to campus from my recruiting trips in Florida and Chicago, IL. Be back soon.

The recruiting trail

2010-10-14T21:37:00.000-04:00

After a long, whirlwind summer which included the new little boy, Cameron Ross Grippi, I finally updated the recruit flyer and began sending information to men all over the country. We hope a few of them will be future Yellow Jackets and help us compete for a National Championship. Good luck to all of you who are seniors in high school, we hope to see you on campus soon.

Season nears...

2010-10-14T21:35:00.000-04:00

The guys have been working tremendously hard and we had our "Leadership Lunch" on Tuesday to discuss the season and share some general thoughts before we begin practice on Sunday. We have a good group of men this year who are determined to win and be successful. Jake is slowly getting back into playing and we are hopeful he can return to his old form. We talked a bit in my office today about volleyball, jobs and of course his injury from last year...I wish him the best.

And recruitment for 2011 begins

2010-09-29T23:39:00.001-04:00

The summer has come and gone and fall is here which means we officially begin to see applications for admission. I am on the recruiting trail in Chicago recruiting students to B-W and spreading the news about our Men's Volleyball Club. We will have a great year and future with our current roster and hope to continue to build on that success over the next few years.

Nationals

2010-09-22T22:04:00.000-04:00

The official announcement for nationals is here and it will be...

...Houston, TX. Houston will be a good, competitive time as it will draw teams from across the country and numerous teams from Texas. The preparation begins in a month as official practice will be underway by then.

A new member of the team.

2010-09-21T15:00:00.001-04:00

On August 29, 2010 a new member of the B-W Men's Volleyball team was formed. Cameron Ross Grippi, was born at 9:27 a.m. and 7 lbs 4oz. Who knows, maybe he will be a Yellow Jacket in the future.

New year begins!

2010-08-29T05:13:00.002-04:00

One week of school done and the excitement builds as does our potential for 2010-2011. We have begun scheduling our fundraisers and appointed the leadership team for the club. Antoine Pastor, Club President. Zach Beatty and Jehu Shamlin, Co-Captains. Now we await the announcement of the 2011 NCVF National Championship Tournament. Should be another great year!

Season in review part I

2010-05-20T00:53:00.002-04:00

After a month or so to reflect here are some final thoughts on our season. We play some of the toughest competition among collegiate club teams including four Division I Gold Bracket teams, defeating the Division IAA National Runner-Up and of course the top Division II teams in the country. Our schedule throughout the season prepares us to compete among the best teams in the country because we attend the largest tournaments and compete in one of the toughest leagues (MIVA). We have a solid core of men returning for 2011 and a few young recruits joining us next season. I am proud of what all of the guys accomplished this season and we have a lot to look forward to next year!

NCVF National Men's Club Volleyball Tournament FINAL DAY

2010-04-04T23:49:00.001-04:00

Well the odds were stacked against the B-W Men's Volleyball Club to win it's first national championship. In our side of the bracket there were five top nine teams which made for a difficult road for a young team. Senior outside hitter, Jeff Thompson, played his heart out and while he deserved a first team all-tournament, settled for honorable mention. Had the Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Volleyball Club been able to defeat Grove City College, he certainly would have been honored as one of the best hitters in the tournament. As the season came to a close with a 2-0 defeat to GCC, the men held their heads high and look forward to competing for a national club volleyball championship in 2011. Congrats on a great season men and looking forward to next year.

NCVF National Club Volleyball Tournament Day Two

2010-04-02T22:24:00.004-04:00

We haven't lost a set since our first loss versus Villanova and face our best competition tomorrow morning as we play local rival Grove City College. The Baldwin-Wallace Men's Volleyball Club defeated UW-Stout and St. Olaf College 2-0 in fairly easy fashion this afternoon and again played with the necessary energy and desire to win. Senior outside hitter, Jeff Thompson, is having one of the best tournaments of his career and certainly has established himself as one of the best players in the tournament. Playing four freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and a senior has been great as they have all stepped up their games since the first day of competition. More to come tomorrow!

NCVF National Men's Club Volleyball Tournament Day One

2010-04-02T18:18:00.004-04:00

On the first day of the NCVF National tournament the Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Volleyball Club started slow with a loss to a very competitive Villanova College team. After losing the first set 23-25, the men rebounded for a 25-10 win and led the 3rd set 8-3 after switching sides. The game slowly slipped away and the Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Volleyball club would fall in their first match at Nationals. The Yellow Jackets rebounded to defeat Winona State in their second match 2-0 and needed a straight set win versus Army to advance to the championship brackets on the second day of competition. A fast start and energetic team quickly jumped out to a 14-3 lead on Army and finished the 1st set 25-8. That confidence was the only thing Baldwin-Wallace needed to secure its place in the championship bracket on Friday as they defeated Army 25-17 in the second set and won 2-0. More to come on Friday's matches at the NCVF National Tournament!

MIVA Championships

2010-03-31T00:58:00.002-04:00

A brutal day against some of the top teams in the entire country, but we showed a lot of promise and gained some confidence heading into Nationals. Horrible back to back calls didn't help a 2-1 loss to Minnesota...with the score tied 12-12 two calls went the other direction, but we still fought to the finish. The men beat Marquette University and lost to #8 Lakeland College in the afternoon, but on Saturday morning beat the University of Michigan. We ended the day losing to Notre Dame, but down 20-24 in the second game we fought to tie the game at 24-24. It was one of the best defense and blocking displays we have put on all year and gave us the confidence needed to compete for a national championship. Onto Louisville, KY for the NCVF National Championship.

GMMVC-3rd Place

2010-03-25T00:28:00.004-04:00

After finishing the league play in the middle of the pack due to some injuries and average play, the men rebounded to finish in 3rd place in the Great Midwest Men's Volleyball Conference (part of MIVA). The men beat the University of Cincinnati in the 2nd round and lost to eventual champion GVSU in the semi-final match. We head to the MIVA Championships in Oshkosh, WI this weekend and then to NCVF Nationals in Louisville, KY. Also, continuing on the recruiting trail for the upcoming seasons of men's volleyball at Baldwin-Wallace College.

FINALLY BEAT ONU

2010-03-21T00:55:00.002-04:00

For the first time in a long-time and possibly the history of men's volleyball at B-W, we beat Ohio Northern University! We played with a tremendous amount of energy and played excellent defense throughout the match. While we struggled in the second game and didn't match the energy, we bounced back and closed out the match in the third and deciding game. On to the GMMVC Championships on Sunday. Congrats fellas, great match!

Spring Break

2010-03-16T00:14:00.002-04:00

Well, spring break has come and gone and so has the quiet campus that goes along with it. The guys headed home to Chicago, Hilton Head, West Virginia and of course greater Cleveland while some traveled to Mexico and Las Vegas (wish I could have gone there). Seems like everybody had a week to rest up for the final stretch of practice, MIVA league play and the NCVF National Tournament. Home stretch here we come.

Hoosier-Illini Classic

2010-03-02T17:08:00.002-05:00

We were among the smallest two schools in attendance and one of the three Division II schools to compete this weekend so needless to say the competition is real. We played well and through a crucial injury to our MH. With a 3-4 point cushion versus GVSU, our MH sprained his ankle and we went on to lose the match. Jeff Thompson did a nice job rotating to the MH position and we played competitive the remainder of the tournament despite being short handed. We beat UIC and lost to UW-Milwaukee 18-16 in the third game...they went on to win the silver bracket. With a 14-13 lead and the serve, we couldn't pull out a victory. We are close to being a championship caliber team and we played great defense throughout the tournament. Spring break is coming up so stay tuned.

Oh the ups and downs of the season...

2010-02-14T22:07:00.003-05:00

With injuries, sick players and even the recent death of my grandmother (February 13, 2010, just hours short of her birthday on Valentines Day), we are still plugging away and working on the fundamentals. If the guys continue to work on their ball control, we can be a dangerous team at the NCVF National Tournament at the end of the season. We resume practice on Thursday after a few days of calling hours and a funeral.

MIVA First and Second Round

2010-02-14T22:02:00.002-05:00

Well, the first round of MIVA becames an interesting day as we got up at 5:15 a.m. last weekend to check the weather and make a decision on the safety of getting to the University of Dayton. The weather was a winday, snowy Sunday that had players stuck in snow at their apartments, me getting stuck on campus and others having to shovel in the early hours of the morning just to get to the recreation center. So YES, we were snowed out of the first day of our conference play. We did make it to Dayton leaving later Saturday afternoon when the weather cleared and competed in three matches on Sunday. We won versus Western Michigan and lost a close match to the University of Dayton. In the third game we were down 8-3 at the switch and fought back with a chance to tie the game at 12-12. We ended up losing that point and losing the third game and match 15-13. Looking forward to our next tournament in a few weeks as we play in the Hoosier Illini Classic.

All-Ohio

2010-02-07T09:57:00.002-05:00

We came out strong at the All-Ohio Tournament last weekend easliy defeating BGSU and Youngstown State University 2-0. Of course the road got tougher against an Ohio State club loaded with a few former varsity players. In both sets the Yellow Jackets were tied or in the lead at 16s only to lose 25-21 in both matches. The holds true against a very good ONU team as we played tough and kept it close until late in the match. Overall, we played well and can take a lot away from this experience as we will continue to improve our ball control and work on our on-court communication. First round of the MIVA conference play is coming-up. Stay tuned...

First Tournament Preparation

2010-01-31T00:13:00.001-05:00

After a long day of playing with my men's team consisting of mostly B-W Alumni, it is time for our first tournament of the year. We play at the All-Ohio which brings the best teams from around the state to compete each year. Stay tuned for updates and highlights.

2010

2010-01-14T10:12:00.003-05:00

Whew! I cannot believe our winter break is over, those four months went by quick. We began practice after a few weeks off and now are ready for the 2010 season. We will play a pretty competitive schedule beginning with the All-Ohio Classic at the end of the month. Over the break I took some time to enjoy the holidays, work on some projects around the house and even catch-up on some volleyball recruiting (spent a few days in Chicago shopping and watching some guys in Naperville). Hope everybody enjoyed their holiday break!

Home Tournament Sunday

2009-12-11T17:03:00.002-05:00

The Baldwin-Wallace College Men's Volleyball Club ends the pre-season Sunday as the B-W Men take on some USAV Adult and College Alumni teams from greater Cleveland. The 8th annual Winter Warm-up Tournament hosted in the Lou Higgins Center on B-W's campus is a great fundraiser, but also serves up great competition. The men leave campus for winter break after the tournament and will return to campus in mid-January to begin the regular season. Stay warm!

Pre-Season Volleyball Tournament

2009-12-07T11:47:00.003-05:00

We began preparation for the MIVA Conference play and the NCVF Nationals at the annual pre-season tournament at Grove City College. After a slow start versus Gannon University (split matches), we beat a talented IUP team in the first game and lost a thriller in game two. The third game was a test against some talented GCC alumni and one of our former alumni, Kevin Moskal (1st team All National Tournament in 2009). After splitting the first two games and needing a third game to decide who will advance to the playoffs, the Yellow Jackets stormed to a 15-7 victory behind the excellent serving of freshman, Eric Potapenko. Next weekend the men will play a home tournament against some local USAV teams and our own alumni. Stay tuned as the Men's Volleyball Club prepares for the 2010 season.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-30T15:37:00.002-05:00

I hope everybody had a good Thanksgiving and enjoyed their time off from work and school! Our season begins this weekend with a pre-season tournament so this week of practice will be trying various lineups that will enable us to be successful as we prepare for the season. It will be a good test against some quality clubs and alumni teams and should give us a better idea of our talent level. We played our alumni and won two games and lost three, but showed a lot of promise for the season. Stay tuned for comments and photos from our tournament this weekend.

Alumni Scrimmage

2009-11-23T09:01:00.002-05:00

Last night was a chance to play a competitive set of games versus the alumni (including me). Very eye opening and an opportunity to see where we need to improve as well as what we do well. When we practice and play hard, we are very difficult to beat given we have a tremendous amount of talent, but when we take points off and decide not to play to our potential, we cannot compete with our alumni. They beat us the first three games, but then we rebounded to win the final two games of the evening. Highlights include tough jump serves and somewhat scrappy defense that will get better as time goes on and we passed decent out of serve receive throughout the night. There is no doubt we miss our 1st and 2nd team All National Tournament Team selections, but we have talented guys to step in. Back to practice this evening to work and improve our skill level.

Brown and Gold Day on Campus

2009-11-12T14:08:00.002-05:00

Today is brown and gold day on campus as the pep rally is this evening in the gym. The President, winter sport student-athletes, Athletic Director, cheerleaders and students will all be in attendance for an evening of dunk contests, shootouts and night of school spirit. In regards to volleyball, we continue to work hard on the fundamental aspects of volleyball in each practice which is permitting us to progress quickly as a team. We need to continue to work on serving and serve receive, but that all will come with time. Beautiful day on campus, not like being in Florida which is where i was for a week, but I will take this in November.

Schedule taking shape

2009-10-23T22:11:00.002-04:00

The 2009-10 schedule is beginning to shape up. As we wait for the MIVA conference schedule to be announced we know the dates of some pre-season tournaments and regular season events. While I am recruiting and away from campus for work, the guys are following the practices I prepared for them prior to my departure and the alumni are stopping in to play each week. Check out the schedule for 2009-10.

Man Down

2009-10-07T00:43:00.002-04:00

The first open gym of the season also turned into our first lost of the season. One of our most well-rounded players went down with a season ending leg injury. He is in good spirits and will be put on the IR for the year as well as assume the title of Asst. Coach. The best thing about this season is our depth at several of the positions so the team will continue to be successful and have a lot of fun while doing so. The guys all support each other and have been to visit the injured player. I am impressed how well each of them cared for their teammate and how well they came together during. First organized practice is Wednesday...time to break the bad habits and see what we got.

Practice schedule set for fall

2009-09-30T17:49:00.002-04:00

The practice schedule is set for the fall semester and while we did not get an opportunity to play and get some video footage the other night due to the guys being involved in other activities, there will be some soon. The guys tell me how excited they are to begin the season which also gets me motivated to coach. I have been hitting the recruiting trail for B-W given my position as an Associate Director of Admission at the college, but that doesn't prevent me from identifying talented volleyball players. I am in Illinois this week (greater Chicago) and will be meeting somebody from Naperville this evening and hopefully others during my next trip October 19-21. Check back in the next week or so for video footage of practice (may not be pretty since it is the first one of the year, but we shall see). Have a great week and weekend, it is getting colder here in northern Ohio...Chicago too.

Open Gym Tonight

2009-09-23T12:20:00.002-04:00

I will get my first look at the guys tonight during open gym. As I told a few of them, I better not come in there and dominate which will probably make them play hard! We have some great personalities on the team and a fun group of men who are excited for the season. In greater Chicago next week recruiting, but stay tuned for an open gym update with photos and possibly some video!

And so we begin...

2009-09-10T22:41:00.004-04:00

The school year has begun and the guys are already starving for open gym times and practice. They have been playing a little without me there to coach, and hitting the sand courts on campus, but we will not start official practice for a month or so. On campus, the Center for Innovation and Growth is complete and the Science Center renovations under way...will be REALLY nice when it is all done. We are one of approximately 20 colleges in the entire country to get an entrepreneurship grant ($1.65 million) from the Kauffman Foundation to recognize the work done on campus by our students in entrepreneurship. Visit campus and see our growth and changes.

One down.

2009-08-30T23:38:00.002-04:00

One week of class is over and the largest freshmen class in school history is enrolled. Met with our senior leadership last week and talked about my expectations of them, the team and fundraising for the upcoming season. We have some great guys this season which will make for a successful and exciting year! More to come.

School starts today, season well...

2009-08-23T23:47:00.002-04:00

School begins today which means students are back on campus in full swing with one of the largest freshmen classes in history (will be the largest if they all stay). Season starts in a few months, but some of the new guys have already played doubles with the upperclassmen. Meeting with a few of the returning guys tomorrow to discuss the season, leadership, fundraising etc. It will set the tone for the year if these guys step into their leadership roles after losing four seniors. First day of class is always exciting, more to come...

2010 National Tournament

2009-08-02T22:43:00.004-04:00

For those not familiar with collegiate club volleyball, NIRSA hosted its 25th National Club Championship Tournament last spring. Now, National Collegiate Volleyball Foundation (NCVF) has some excellent leadership and in conjunction with USA Volleyball will be hosting the 2010 Club Nationals in Louisville, KY. Baldwin-Wallace College will endorse NCVF and their National Championship and aim to compete in the first NCVF National Championship. We are confident the other top collegiate club volleyball teams will follow and compete in Louisville in 2010!

Summer is going, going...

2009-07-31T01:16:00.003-04:00

Can you believe it is the end of July? Soon the guys will be back on campus wanting to start open gyms and get prepared for the 2009-10 season. The national tournament is set for Louisville, KY and we will have a talented core of players returning this season. Summer is almost over fellas which means time to hit the books.

Cleveland, Ohio

2009-07-20T23:26:00.003-04:00

Say what you want about Cleveland, but my entire summer has been in greater Cleveland. Taste of Tremont last night had some amazing food (I am a picky eater too). Flag football team won the championship and is currently undefeated in the summer league near the zoo. Walked on the beach and watched the sunset tonight and heading to downtown Cleveland this weekend for the Shot in the Dark run sponsored by the Winking Lizard. Am I running? Funny! See all the new guys in a month on campus and looking forward to those seniors visiting from greater Cleveland, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Should be another exciting college volleyball season at Baldwin-Wallace College.

Summer Time = Vacation

2009-07-13T23:47:00.004-04:00

Done with vacation for the summer after a trip with my wife and dogs to Hocking Hills State Park. Beautiful place and lots of rocks to look at, rivers to hike, and hills to climb. We hiked approximately six miles the first day and wore down our beloved collies so they wouldn't bark through the night and keep our neighbors in the Holiday Inn Express awake the entire night. Also finished my deck and fence at the house and now back to work preparing for the fall recruitment season.

Recruiting Trail

2009-06-14T21:34:00.002-04:00

Saturday meant taking a break from building a fence and deck at the house to watch some volleyball at Ohio Nets. Spoke with some very talented players who can contribute to the success of the club in the future. The tournament had teams from greater Cleveland, Columbus and Pennsylvania. Hopefully, a few of the guys come to campus for a visit and consider being part of our winning tradition. Two other players have decided to enroll at B-W in the fall and will impact the team immediately. Have a great summer.

2009-05-27T11:09:00.004-04:00

Summer has hit campus and the guys are working at their summer internships or enjoying the summer sun. We have a strong class of recruits coming to campus in the fall which will mean another strong season of men's volleyball at B-W. Last week I started to watch some juniors play in the state tournament and Zach, setter, watch some kids in PA. Enjoying my break from volleyball, but looking forward to next season too.

Graduation

2009-05-08T13:54:00.003-04:00

Graduation is Sunday and best of luck to our four graduating seniors who have contributed so much the past few years. We will miss their senior leadership and energy and the dominant play of 1st All Tournament Team (Nationally), Kevin Moskal. Good luck men and stay in touch...I know three of you will be around the corner the next year!

All Tournament Teams

2009-04-12T17:00:00.013-04:00

Kevin Moskal (above in the gray t-shirt) ended an amazing career as one of the best right side players in the country and earned a 1st All Tournament Team selection. He took over matches with a combination of blocking and hitting, but also played solid defense throughout the tournament. Moskal will be difficult to replace next season, but we have some excellent young players returning. Sophomore outside hitter, Jake Barone (above left), earned a spot on the 2nd All Tournament Team and freshman middle hitter Jehu Shamlin earned Honorable Mention. I can't say enough about our senior leadership of (from right to left below) Danny Savage, Phil Wentworth, Kevin Moskal and Matt Loczi, as they held the team together through team dinners (after the quietest 6 hour van ride in history) and pushing the guys in every practice. Jeff Thompson and Danny Savage also played major roles throughout the tournament as they were threats both offensively and defensively and helped the team to several victories this season. Kyle Szen had an awesome tournament for Libero as he was consistent with his passing and great on defense. He received numerous votes for All Tournament team. In his first year as a setter, I couldn't have asked for more from freshman setter, Zach Beatty, who directed our offense and played a great tournament. The entire team had an opportunity to play in the national tournament and experience what it takes to win and they kept everybody motivated and energized all tournament (Kevin Hutchings, Antoine Pastor, and Luke Lukens).

Yellow Jackets finish in the Top 5 again

2009-04-12T16:55:00.002-04:00

The Yellow Jackets closed out their season at the NIRSA National Tournament in a tie for 5th place as they lost to the national runner-up Eastern Illinois University. It was a slow start for the men as they lost the first set 19-25, but they rebounded with a convincing 25-20 victory to send the match to a third game. We started slow in the third game, but got the score to 12-11 before going on to lose in 3 games. GREAT SEASON and GREAT GUYS! I look forward to another fun year in 2009-2010, but sad to lose a great group of senior leadership both on and off the court.

NIRSA National Championship Gold Bracket

2009-04-11T17:07:00.003-04:00

The men defeated #3 Providence College (Canada) in easy fashion on Saturday morning by a score of 25-16, 25-16 sending them into the quarterfinals and guaranteeing them another Top 5 finish. It will not get easier, but the men have prepared all season for this tournament and have high expectations for the remainder of the Gold Bracket. The Yellow Jackets will face Eastern Illinois University in the quarters.

2009-04-10T02:09:00.007-04:00

The Yellow Jackets finished Day 1 with a 3-0 record rolling into the second round of pool play undefeated. The men defeated Bethel University (MN) 25-20, 25-15 and Yale University 25-12, 25-16 en route to a first place finish in their pool and protecting their #9 seed in the National Championship. We are finding a groove and peaking at the appropriate time of year in a quest to win a national championship. The road ahead will not be easy and there are no guarantees for gold as the men will face a tough University of Wisconsin Lacrosse team and another opponent that will be determined through a challenge match Friday morning (Siena University or Darthmouth College). Below are some photos from the Thursday.

National Tournament 2009

2009-04-10T01:56:00.006-04:00

The day started with some nerves, but as those went away the team that finished 3rd in 2008 returned. After a slow start versus Kutztown University (PA), the men defeated KU 15-7 in the third game and the entire team contributed to the victory. Below is a photo of the team warming up prior to their first match in Kansas City, MO for the NIRSA National Championships.

2009-03-31T00:31:00.006-04:00

The road trip to MIVAs was quoted by a few as "The best trip ever." We watched movie after movie in the van to and from campus and battled some nasty snow in western Illinois on Sunday morning. The guys sang, some of it wasn't all that bad, but Antoine needs to stick with Studio Art and Kyle will make a career of it on Broadway someday. We had an awesome night at Olive Garden consuming more bread sticks than you could imagine and celebrating an early 21st birthday for Jeff, with his parents. We met mama Sham (Jehu Shamlin's mother) and she brought needed energy to the team on Saturday! Tolls in Illinois stink...every 3 miles is another! We didn't eat pizza in the van which satisfied a few and even got some subs from Jimmy Johns for the ride home...stopped at Wendy's too for some fries and a frosty. Click here for exclusive video footage.

MIVA Championships

2009-03-31T00:11:00.003-04:00

On the way to the MIVA Championships at Northern Illinois University, we stopped in the city to check out the Navy Pier, Magnificant Mile and to stuff down some Chicago style pizza at Giordanos. By the photo you would expect 55 degrees, but it was only about 25 when we made the stop by Lake Michigan for the team shot. We played our best tournament of the year and finished 3-3, but two of the losses were to top 25 and former national champions at the Division I level (UW-Oshkosh and OSU) as well as a very talented Indiana University team that defeated UW-Oshkosh in pool play. We defeated Ball State University, Iowa State University, and Purdue University. This was an excellent timing as we take the final steps to prepare for nationals.

#8 B-W vs #3 Grove City College

2009-03-27T00:22:00.003-04:00

Our fans traveled from campus and our families traveled to Grove City, PA to support the team...I think we may have even out numbered their fans! We had a potential future Yellow Jacket in attendance, friends, classmates, parents and others. The match started off excellent as we developed the attitude to win the match and took the first game 25-20 in the GCC arena. GCC rebounded to win game two 20-25 and won the third game 23-25 in a close game throughout. We had the lead late at 20-18, but could not hold on to secure the lead in the match. We fell behind quickly in the fourth game and never rebounded; losing the fourth game 25-22 and the match 3-1. Next up is another brutal weekend, but all in preparation for the national tournament as we head to Northern Illinois University for the MIVA Conference Championships.

Break time at the Cavs game!

2009-03-18T23:55:00.002-04:00

No practice on Tuesday, but a great night at the Cavs game. The game went into the final minutes on a crazy night in downtown Cleveland, but the Cavs pulled out a victory vs. the Orlando Magic. It was a good night for a break as we head into the final month of the season and prepare for the NIRSA National Tournament and no better way to spend it than in downtown Cleveland watching the league leading Cleveland Cavs.

I found the team!

2009-03-12T08:50:00.002-04:00

After some ups and downs this season, I have found the team that was so successful last season! The team that played with confidence, energy, excitement, consistency and fire. It took a little change in approach as a coach, but in our final match in the MIVA conference play we found the elements needed for success and stretched the match versus undefeated University of Dayton to the limits. While we lost the 3rd set 16-14, we played the best match of the year and have instilled some confidence in a talented team. We have a lot to work on prior to nationals in Kansas City, MO, but we have the talent and now the energy to be successful!

A weekend without JIMMY JOHNS!

2009-03-09T12:08:00.002-04:00

We completed our first weekend without eating Jimmy Johns...quite an accomplishment for this team as they may be Jimmy Johned out! Believe it or not we found new options and they were tasty, but certainly not easy. On the way home most of us ate at Subway except for the smart few who decided they wanted Steak and Shake. We ordered, ate, talked, joked and drove down to Steak and Shake a 1/2 hour later only to find Jeh, Kyle and Phil still sitting at the counter waiting for their food...I think the text came through, "never Steak and Shake again." Fun weekend, I found our team that was so successful last year, the excitement, the energy, the ability. More to come!

Hoosier-Illini Classic

2009-02-26T09:25:00.002-05:00

The weekend began quickly and moderately successful as we beat Ohio State in the first game, but eventually lost the match in a closely contested third game that was tied at 9-9. This is the largest and most competitive tournament of the season as teams travel from across the country to compete and the champion traditionally will go on to the NIRSA National Championship Division I finals. We played poorly against Marquette in our second match and beat Indiana B, but just couldn't find the momentum to make it a great weekend. We have the talent, height and skill level to be successful and we will be prepared for the national tournament in Kansas City, MO in April because of the tough schedule we play all year. After a night off from practice Monday, we will get back at it tonight.

MIVA

2009-02-08T20:38:00.002-05:00

Our first two days in the MIVA league took their toll both coaching and playing. I am learing to manage a team with greater depth, talent, and experience as well as dealing with injury and illness. We finished the first rounds of MIVA 4-3 beating the teams we should beat and continuing to learn from teams who are just as talented as we are this season. We have a great team and it will be important to peak at the right time (nationals), but we do have a lot of work to do prior to the Hoosier-Illini Classic. We played some of the best defense I have seen from a B-W team since I played and honestly, this team is better defensively. We will work on some individual techniques in practice this week, setting, arm position (hitting), and defensive position to prepare us for the tough matches to come. The positive, we play more Division I teams than Division II and III which prepares us everyday for the NIRSA National Tournament in Kansas City, MO.

3rd Place...we are finding the rhythm.

2009-02-01T14:40:00.005-05:00

We came out with energy and as a team with their eyes on a championship and while we fell just short of a championship, we continue to improve each day. We shuffled the line-up moving Jake to OH and starting Danny and Jeh in the middle. We were a little short handed as a few people had academic commitments and an illness, but we persevered and played hard which allowed everybody to get some valuable playing time. During pool play gave up more than 18 points only once and held our opponents to an average of 15 points in each game. In the first match of the Gold bracket the Yellow Jackets beat Eastern Michigan University 25-11, 25-21 which set the stage with another showdown with Ohio Northern University. A learning experience this match was as we never got a rhythm or found the necessary intensity level and lost 14-25, 17-25. We will face ONU a few more times this year and hope to get over the hump, but it is difficult to be disappointed when you finish the tournament 4-1 and in 3rd place. Next week at BGSU for MIVA Conference play.

Preparing for Michigan Classic

2009-01-29T17:31:00.002-05:00

Tonight is the last practice before the Michigan Classic. Coming off one of our best practices this season, we should be in good shape headed to the school up north. Tweaking the line-ups a little to continue to work towards the goal of winning a National Championship, but we have a long way to go. We will be without a few players this weekend who have academic commitments, but should have a successful tournament.

GREAT START...disappointing finish

2009-01-25T22:33:00.003-05:00

The men began the day on a high note defeating OSU II in 25-20, pulling away late in the match and getting victory. The second game vs OSU II was close as the men squeaked out a victory 28-26 to begin the day 1-0. In the next match vs BGSU, each member of the team got some quality playing time and experience for the future. In the first game, the yellow jackets won 25-15 and the second game 25-21 in a game where each member of the team contributed to the victory to push their record to 2-0. Up next was a tough opponent in The Ohio State University. The Buckeyes proved to be too much with an experienced team that has two former varsity players and several seniors on its roster. The yellow jackets lost 19-25, 14-25 to end pool play and wrap-up the #3 seed heading into the championship bracket (they lost a tie breaker to the University of Dayton who also finished 2-1). The yellow jackets would end up finishing the day vs the #6 seed University of Cincinnati in a deflating loss. After sitting for 3 hours before the match, we just did not have the intensity and energy to compete. We will have to rebound for next week at the Michigan Classic at the University of Michigan. I still have confidence this is one of the best clubs in the history of men's volleyball at B-W, we just have to find the winning attitude and chemistry to be successful. The future is bright for the club.

The season begins

2009-01-24T02:36:00.002-05:00

After a long fall season of practice and preseason warm-up tournaments, the men are ready to begin. We travel to the All-Ohio Classic at Ohio Northern University to compete versus the best competition in the state and with high hopes of a championship. We have more depth at every position this season which will keep the men fresh throughout long tournaments, but we are still making an attempt to find a consistent line-up. Check back throughout the season for updates, results, news, photos and more.

The first blog...

2008-05-20T12:24:00.001-04:00

THIRD PLACE at the NIRSA National Club Volleyball Championship is the best season in school history. It was truly an amazing season and the guys practiced hard to earn their spot in the National Tournament in Dallas, TX. For senior Brett Uetrecht, it was one of the best ways to end a career. Being selected to the All-Tournament Team, junior Kevin Moskal and sophomore Jeff Thompson have bright futures at B-W. Congratulations!