The Sunbirds jumped out to an early 16-10 lead, but the alumni came roaring back, going on a 10-4 run to tie the game at 20. A kill by Tiffany Marinos gave the alumni its first lead of the night and despite two timeouts by the Sunbirds, the alumni closed out the set with five unanswered points for a 25-20 victory.
The Sunbirds were getting their opportunities, but the alumni seemed to be right there to dig every ball. The alumni team featured a collection of all-stars representing teams from 1996-2009.
“That was an accumulation of some great players, particularly defensive players,” said coach Dennis Janzen regarding the alumni team. “We saw them do what they do best.”
The alumni took an early lead in the second set, going up 10-7 and it turned into a very competitive set with both teams trading points. It was all knotted up at 19, before the Sunbirds closed it out with a 6-0 run capped off by an athletic kill by Martina Gregusova that faked out the defense.
The 2010 Sunbirds finally began to get into a rhythm in the third set, going ahead 7-1 and extending the lead to 17-7. Back-to-back kills by Brittany Pierce and Tracy (Ainger) Schulte made it 17-9 and helped the alumni gain some momentum.
They came as close as 20-14, but the Sunbirds used their size advantage in the middle to close out the set and take a 2-1 lead.
The Sunbirds once again jumped out to an early lead in the fourth set, going up 12-5. But the alumni, spurred on by the 1989 national championship team sitting on their sidelines, would not go quietly. They closed the gap to 19-15 before a long rally ensued.
Michelle Johnson ended the battle for the crucial point with a kill down the center. Pierce responded with a kill of her own to bring the alumni within four at 21-17, before the teams traded points to make the score 23-19.
A kill by Gregusova got the Sunbirds to within match-point and it was Lisa Shilling hammering home a pass from Emily Carroll to seal the win 25-19.
Janzen was happy with his team’s play, but says they have a long ways to go to be where they need to be.
“We’re a work in progress,” he said. “We are very talented and we have the opportunity to be great.”
The Sunbirds celebrated more than 25 years of volleyball success prior to the game with numerous former players attending.
“This is one of the finest events I think we’ve ever had in the history of the program,” Janzen said. “To see alumni from across three decades was fantastic.”
After a fun night of friendly competition with the alumni, the team now turns its attention to the regular season schedule. The Sunbirds begin their title defense with the Paul Elliott Invitational hosted by Southern Oregon next weekend.
The team will face Montana Western and Oregon Tech on Friday, before taking on Embry Riddle (FL) and Southern Oregon the next day.
“It’s going to be an opportunity for us to play on the road in a tough environment,” said Janzen. “That’s one of the best ways to grow up and develop. I fully expect us to be significantly better when we return.”
VIDEO
The Sunbirds begin to take control in set three, jumping out to an 8-2 lead.