Men’s V-ball set for tourney twin-bill
After a three-week rest, a beat-up Utah State University men’s volleyball club will finish out its preseason with back-to-back tournaments.
USU last played at Salt Lake Community College on Nov. 17, and following the tournament had suffered injuries to three players on the A team.
A team captain Adam Longmore suffered a sprained ankle and though Longmore said it was still tender, he will be playing.
“I’m not 100 percent yet, but I’ve been wrapping it [ankle] tight and will play,” he said.
Opposite Phil Swenson sprained his wrist but will be back, while middle blocker Joe Anderson is suffering from a shoulder injury.
Longmore said having a break has given the team a chance to recover from some of their injuries.
“A couple of weeks off has been nice,” he said.
The first of the two tournaments will be hosted Friday and Saturday by Utah Valley State College with the University of Utah hosting the second
tournament on Dec. 13 and 14.
Both tournaments will follow a similar format. Pool play will be held, and then based upon pool play teams will be put into brackets for the championship. Utah does incorporate one difference by holding two rounds of pool play before the championship round.
Club teams from instate including Utah, UVSC and Salt Lake Community College, will be participating, and teams from Northern Arizona and the University of Nevada Las Vegas will also be traveling to participate at UVSC.
Having the opportunity to play against clubs from outside of Utah will be a good opportunity, because the Aggies will get a chance to see some new teams, Longmore said.
In their past two tournaments the Aggies have played mainly against in-state club teams and placed high in both tournaments. The A team finished third and fourth while the B team finished seventh and ninth.
Based on its previous performance and improvement in practice, Longmore said he expects the team to perform well in the final preseason tournaments.
“Every tournament we enter we have high expectations,” Longmore said.
During their layoff, the team has had a chance to practice and prepare for the upcoming tournaments.
Longmore said practices have also been going well and the team is coming together.
“Our practices have been good,” Longmore said. “Every practice gets a little better. Our cohesion is getting better.”
One concern Longmore said he had about the layoff was how the team will play upon their return.
“It’s hard to go back and play when you’ve had time off,” he said. “It’s hard to keep up the intensity, enthusiasm and aggressiveness.”
After the Utah tournament, the Aggies will be off until Jan. 25 when they play their first regular season tournament at Utah.