Men’s volleyball to host first tournament
The Utah State University men’s club volleyball team will be participating in its first tournament of the fall preseason when it hosts 14 teams in the HPER Building Friday and Saturday.
Teams from various western schools, including the University of Utah, Utah Valley State College and the University of Wyoming, as well as some local club teams, will be competing. Both Utah State’s A and B teams will be a part of the 16-team field.
The tournament will consist of two rounds of play. On Friday, the 16 teams will be divided into four pools of four. Each team will play three matches on Friday night, one against each team in its pool.
Round two on Saturday will be a double elimination tournament with teams being divided into brackets based upon their Friday night performance.
A team captain Adam Longmore said despite the presence of some strong teams, such as Utah and UVSC, the Aggies expect to do well.
“We should take it all, or at least make it to the final four,” Longmore said.
B team captain Justin Keith said he expects his squad to finish high as well.
“I’m looking forward to the B team doing good things this weekend,” Keith said. “I expect the B team to finish in the top six. If we take third or fourth I’ll be extremely pleased.”
Hosting a tournament early in the season has several advantages for the Aggies.
Longmore said it will be beneficial for the Aggies to see some of the teams they will play throughout the year.
“We have the toughest conference in the nation and it will be good to see some of the teams,” Longmore said.
Keith said he thinks the new players will benefit because it is their first tournament and they will gain some valuable experience.
“[The new players] will get to see what a tournament is all about,” Keith said. “For the returning players, it will show them how we stack up against other teams.”
One final benefit will be the home court advantage, Longmore said.
“It will be good to play our first tournament at home,” he said. “We have a good fan club and we have friends that support us. We expect they’ll show up. It is always nice to have fans.”
Pool play starts at 4 p.m. on Friday and the double elimination tournament starts at 9 a.m. on Saturday. All matches will be held in the HPER Building.