The Exponent Online


03/04/02	Previous Edition 3/1

Volleyball club exudes quality play

Tim Orendorff/Senior Photographer

IN YOUR FACE: Leah Durakovich a senior in the School of Liberal Arts makes a spike as Ronda Price a graduate student in the Indiana University School of Medicine attempts to block during the Club Volleyball practice Thursday night.

By David Withrow
Staff Writer

One would think the Purdue Women’s Volleyball club would be used to winning by now and would slack off.

That statement could not be farther from the truth. As of now the team is ranked No. 1 in the nation, and the club has lost only four tournaments in the past two years. The team placed second in the national tournament in Kansas City, last April, out of 46 other college women’s volleyball clubs. Three of the players in the club were named to the all-tournament team.

The president of the club, Deanna Goodman, a senior in the Schools of Engineering, said the women’s volleyball club is a "great opportunity for people to be involved in sports, but don’t have a lot of time to commit to sports."

The club participated in two tournaments in the fall semester due to the time commitment it takes to form the teams. A deceiving factor of the club seems to be the small time commitment the club asks, but the time does not reflect on the quality level of play the women in the club exude.

We play on a Division II or a Division III level, said Goodman.

The club was founded six years ago when the coach of the men's volleyball club wished for a women's volleyball club to branch off. Chad Marshal, who is an area volleyball coach, was contacted to coach the team and eventually took the position.

Marshal has been the coach for four years and he attributed the winning ways of the team to "the return of kids year after year."

Marshal said that since he began coaching the team it has always had a core group of players to rely on.

When asked about the success the team has managed to achieve in the short time the club has been together, Marshal said it was, "nice to be recognized for the work they put in."

The team organizes many fundraisers throughout the semester. The members of the club also pay a semester fee of $75, which goes toward the expense of equipment and uniforms.

Liz Schaade, a freshman in the School of Liberal Arts and member of the club, said, "The girls that play in the club are very competitive."

There are 27 members in the club right now, which is split into two teams. Schaade is a member of Team 2 and said that the people she meets in the club are wonderful.

The club usually has a home tournament every year. This year the club had its tournament in the fall semester. When the club does have a home tournament it is free for Purdue students to attend.

Despite not having a home tournament this semester, the club has six tournaments scheduled at colleges in surrounding states. Some tournaments are for a specific team, and there are a few that both Teams 1 and 2 participate in. The club has a callout every fall semester for any woman that wishes to play competitive volleyball.

For anyone that wants to find out more, the Web site for the club is expert.cc.purdue.edu/~puwvbc.

Related Coverage

Headlines