Spikers to face tough competition in Vegas
A chance to prove its ranking against top Division I teams is up next for the Utah State men’s club volleyball team.
The No. 5-ranked Division II Aggies will be in Las Vegas on Friday and Saturday to compete in the Great Western Volleyball Classic, an invitation-only tournament featuring some of the best teams in the country.
Of the 12 teams in the tournament, Utah State is the only Division II team. The teams will be split into two pools and the Aggies will play five matches, one against each team in their pool. Among their opponents are No. 1 Indiana and No. 5 Texas A&M.
“It’s definitely going to be the highest level of competition that we’ve seen all year in a tournament,” said USU middle blocker Brad Davidson. “That’s always a good experience to get out and swing against the big boys.”
Being the only Division II team is an honor for the Aggies and shows they have gained some respect among other teams, said USU Head Coach Adam Longmore.
“I don’t know if a DII team has ever gone before, and we’ve always heard of these tournaments but haven’t ever been involved with them,” he said. “It’s nice to receive that kind of recognition and nice to be able to receive that opportunity.”
With its recent success, 14-1 with first- and third-place finishes in the last two tournaments, USU moved up to No. 5 in Division II and is ranked No. 2 in the Mountain West Volleyball Conference.
Teams play in a division based upon what level they choose to compete at.
“This is the highest we’ve ever been ranked and this is the best team I’ve ever seen here,” Longmore said. “We feel good about that. We recognize our rankings and where we’re at and we’re not surprised.”
Playing against some of the best teams in the country, Longmore said he doesn’t necessarily expect to win the tournament, but he expects the team to do well.
“We might finish dead last, but I don’t expect that to happen,” he said. “We are an underdog. This is just a great opportunity for us. I think we’ll win some matches, and we’ll lose some matches.”
While the Aggies are not favored to win the whole thing, they aren’t intimidated and are hoping to go out and surprise some teams at the tournament.
“We’re in a situation where we have nothing to lose,” said USU opposite Mike Siler. “We shouldn’t be intimidated by any means. We should be feared by other teams because we have nothing to lose.”
Unlike in past tournaments, Utah State will be playing as a single team instead of splitting into A and B squads. This will give the Aggies the opportunity to have substitutes and play more to their strengths.
Being able to let a defensive player come in for him on the back row helps the team out, Davidson said, because he can make a greater contribution up at the net.
“When you can put the best man for the job in at all six positions it’s going to make the whole team better,” he said.
The Aggies are playing better now than they have all season, Siler said, but there is still room for the team to grow and improve in consistency, which is the hope at the upcoming tournaments.
Davidson said, “I think to say that we have no more room for improvement would be short-sighted, but at the same time to not acknowledge the progress we have made and the achievements we have made would be a crime in itself.”
After playing in Las Vegas, the Aggies will compete in a conference tournament March 14 and 15 in Colorado.
With the two upcoming tournaments, especially the one in Las Vegas, Longmore said he is hoping the team will be getting primed to compete in Nationals.
“Seeing these top teams perform might humble us a little bit and might just prepare us to lift off for Nationals,” he said. “It might give us the boost to work even harder in practice and even prepare us even more.”
–slbk5@cc.usu.edu