NOTEBOOK
Hoosier hysteria
Lloy Ball leads Midwest crew to PVL title in Detroit
loy Ball’s Hoosier roots run deep. Ball, the legendary setter who played in four Olympic Games for the United States Olympic Men’s Volleyball Team, led Team Pineapple from the Hoosier Region to the 2015 Men’s PVL title at USA Volleyball’s Open Nationals May 26 held in Detroit. Ball, 43, distributed sets to a group of former IPFW players who rallied to down the Great Lakes Lightning in fi ve close sets. The win was worth $10,000 to be split among the victorious team. “I love these
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FINAL STANDINGS Men
PVL
1. Hoosier Team Pineapple 2. Great Lakes Lightning 3. Keystone Penn Blast
Women 1. North Texas
2. Western Empire 3. Arizona Sizzle
guys, a real regional team,” tweeted Ball after the game. Ball earned gold as the captain of the 2008 U.S. Olympic
Men’s Volleyball Team. Ball went out early in the second set with a leg injury but made a dramatic and pivotal return to the match in the fourth set. Pineapple had to come from behind to make it
into the fi nals, going fi ve sets with eventual bronze medalists Penn Blast from the Keystone Region. Earlier in the day, North Texas defeated defend- ing champion, Western Empire, 25-20, 21-25, 25-9, 23-25, 17-15, to capture the women’s title and $10,000 in prize money. North Texas was led by Micha Hancock, the 2014
AVCA Division I National Player of the Year for Penn State. The match seemed well in hand following an imposing 25-9 third set, but Western Empire proved they belonged back in the fi nals by gutting out and win- ning the fourth set.
“I think these girls fought really hard and didn’t give ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS PVL
Men’s All-Tournament Team Lloy Ball • Robert Boldog • Ryan Meehan Jeff Ptak (MVP) • Geoffey Powell • Eddie Rivera Ryan Stafford
Women’s All-Tournament Team Khat Bell • Rachel Brummitt • Sareea Freeman Micha Hancock (MVP) • Madison Kingdon Deja McClendon • Ariel Turner
up,” said Hancock. “The energy was always steady. We tried not to get down; they’re a good team. We fought for it.”
Hancock, who was named to USA Volleyball’s World University Games roster, was playing in the PVL for the fi rst time. “I really had fun with this new group of girls and it couldn’t have turned out any better.” Gateway defeated Iroquois-Empire in fi ve sets to secure the bronze medal.
12 | VOLLEYBALLUSA • Digital Issue at
usavolleyball.org/mag
MEN’S CHAMPS: First place Team Pineapple included, left to right, front to back: Chris Gisslen, Ramon Burgos, Darryl Shank, Jon Thompson; Ivan Matos, Jorge Ralat, Eddie Rivera, Shaun
Dryden, Lloy Ball, William Robbins, Ron Clark; Loren Gebert, Jeff Ptak, Nils Dauburs, Ryan Meehan, Kevin Owens, Paul Fasshauer, Craig Collins and Dusty Sherman.
WOMEN’S CHAMPS: First place North Texas included, left to right, front to back: Whitney Billings, Sarah Bullock, Micha Hancock, Alex Woolsey, Jasmine Norton, Mary Hooper, Allison King; Rachel Brummitt, Erik Sullivan, Whitney Sample, Regina Thomas, Ariel Turner, Sareea Freeman, Brittany Northcutt, Desiree Elliott, Michelle Osunbor, John Sample, Ford Mellinger, Tori Mellinger.
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