Club sports never get any love in this section. Therefore, I feel that it is my duty to report that the only competitive men’s volleyball team on campus, our men’s club team, took first place at SUNY Cortland’s home tournament this past Sunday.

The Bearcats competed with three other schools, facing off against Syracuse University, St. Thomas Aquinas College and SUNY Cortland in a tournament that lasted well over five hours. Every player excelled in his role, as the Bearcats swept St. Thomas Aquinas College, Cortland’s A-team and Binghamton’s own B-team during the tournament’s qualifying round. Binghamton ended the first round with a 6-2 record, enough to earn the team a first-round bye in the playoff bracket.

Jimmy Boyle, a junior on Cortland’s club team, was awed by the Bearcats’ performance.

“They were really solid in passing,” Boyle said. “And their hitting just got stronger as they went along.”

After dismantling Syracuse in the second round of the playoffs, Binghamton faced off against SUNY Cortland’s A-team in the finals. Endurance was key in this match; both teams had played 11 games of volleyball throughout the day. In the end, the Bearcats persevered and pulled away to win the final match, 25-18.

Co-president Benjamin Shassol had nothing but praise for the club’s play, and was especially impressed with the team’s performance during the playoffs.

“I am very proud of our guys, especially our upperclassmen, that stuck with us, and the freshmen and sophomores that keep this club going strong,” Shassol said. “We played amazing, completely breaking down Syracuse and Cortland … I’m looking forward to future wins as our club continues to grow.”

By the end of the day, the Bearcats had played 12 games of volleyball, ending with a record of 10-2.

Co-president Matt Nizich was thrilled with the team’s play as well. Now in his second semester as co-president, Nizich has watched as the team has steadily improved throughout the last few months.

“We’re finally coming together as a club and playing a really competitive brand of volleyball,” Nizich said. “We faced some good EIVA opponents today and came out on top, and I think that’s a good sign for us going into conference play next semester.”

EIVA, short for Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, is an association that organizes and encourages intercollegiate volleyball competition throughout the east coast. Next semester, Binghamton aims to enter both its A- and B-teams into the EIVA club conference, with the goal of sending as many players as possible to the 2013 NCVF Collegiate Club Championships in Dallas, Texas.

In the nearer future, however, is the club’s last tournament of the fall semester. This Saturday, the team will host its annual home tournament in the University’s West Gym. With visitors coming from colleges across the Northeast, 10 teams are expected to compete throughout the day.

Play is set to start at 9:30 a.m. Feel free to stop by at any time and support the most competitive men’s volleyball team on campus.