2022 LSU Gumbo - Book - Page 75
The UREC at LSU hosted its first ever pool intramural
volleyball tournament at the Outdoor Pool on Oct. 1st. The
tournament consisted of four teams and was played using a
single-elimination method.
The tournament was scored like any regular pick-up
game. The rules stated a team must reach 21 points in
each set and the leading squad had to win each set by two
points. A good, old-fashioned game of “rock, paper scissors”
decided which side began the match. The pre-match
decisive game and the entire tournament were monitored
by Coordinator for Intramural Sports and Camps at the
UREC, Shan Paracka, as well as other UREC employees.
“This is our first ever pool volleyball tournament,”
Paracka said. “We’re always looking for new ways to interact
with all students. The tournament was an opportunity to
start something new that we haven’t done in the past.”
Team A, which consisted of Sun Lee, Emily Vu, Kameron
Southichark, and Mia Hou, was not new to the concept of
being a team. They have played sports together in the past,
such as indoor and beach volleyball, but said they have
never competed with each other in the water.
“Mia and I were scrolling through IMLeauges and we
were like ‘Wait, there’s pool volleyball?’ and we said ‘Let’s
do it!’’’ Lee said.
Team A played its first round game against Team C and
came away with the victory. Team C’s consisted of Garrett
Acosta, Stephen Baudier, Jake Leger and Ty Priola. Team C
also said it found out about the tournament on the UREC
website.
“If they made a league out of this, that would be pretty
fun,” Baudier said. “We would get to play more than once,
even if we lose.”
Next in the bracket, Team B took on Team D. Team B’s
players include James Albano, Mark Albano, Bella Hommel
and Michael Martinez. Team B eventually moved on to the
final round to compete against Team A in the tournament’s
finale. The championship game was competitive, and
everyone was on the edge of their seats throughout.
Eliminated teams and close friends gathered around to
watch intently, but in the end, Team A took the title with a
21-15 win.
“There’s no I in team,” Southichark said. “It was
definitely a team effort to get this win.”
Photos by Georgia Jones
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