Alpha Sigma Phi, sporting a 2-1 record, came up short as it failed to knock off undefeated Lambda Chi Alpha in a heated intramural volleyball match Monday night.
Both teams were sloppy out of the gate, but it was Lambda Chi that gained the slight edge, jumping out to a 10-5 advantage.
Alpha Sigma Phi fought to cut the lead to three points at 15-12 before Lambda Chi captain Barrett Pazderka buried a spike to end the run. Lambda Chi used the momentum to cruise to a 25-18 win in the first match.
“We had several defensive errors,” said Alpha Sigma Phi captain Doug Ebert. “We had back-to-back mistakes that just weren’t supposed to happen.”
Alpha Sigma Phi came back with a chip on its shoulder in the second match. Both teams were playing competitively as they swapped kill shots throughout most of the match.
A spike by Pazderka that went astray ended the second match as Alpha Sigma Phi held on to a slim lead to in the second game of the match 25-23.
The third match looked to be leaning in favor of Alpha Sigma Phi early as Joao Pelosi crushed two consecutive spikes to push the lead to 9-4.
The advantage didn’t hold for long as Lambda Chi surged back to win the last match 15-9.
Pazderka was quick to credit his teammate for the win.
“Jack Whyte really played his heart out tonight,” Pazderka said. “The kid’s got a lot of heart. He led the team vocally and that’s what we needed.”
Story by Peter Northcutt, Staff writer