When They’re Not in Court, They’re on the Court

By Molly St. Arnaud (2L)

This semester the Faculty of Law has been solidly represented in the upper echelon of Campus Rec – the much revered Tier One in the Co-Rec Volleyball Intramurals program. Each year Law fields a couple of teams that are sorted according to experience level, and it has pleasantly surprised me to see the formidable skill level surface from a diverse group of wannabe lawyers, some who have post-secondary volleyball experience and some who still revel in their high school glory days.

This year’s “experienced” team, the Ball Stars, jumped off to a promising start, skewering the competition in seeding round with strong blocking efforts by first years Barry Loutit and Jason Buttels with Adam Kaukas (2L) quarterbacking the team at the setting position. The Ball Stars, down a few key members due to the Swine, finally faced an evenly matched squad from Engineering and dropped a close contest, 2 sets to 1, though they remain in the race for the coveted championship T-shirts that will be given out on November 25th. The recipe for success in the finals? The Ball Stars will look to a strong bench, the strong defensive play of Chantel Cabaj (1L), veteran coolness from Paul Govenlock (2L) and Tara Matheson (2L), and just a pinch of rage from Dallas Sopko (3L). Rumour has it that volleyball will again be offered in the Winter semester, so this Ball Star would encourage every student with a passion for sixty-ones, mad hops and sick digs to sign up for a fun, FREE experience with little commitment and lots of unbridled glory.

By Jill Gamez (2L)

Balls to the Wall, the intermediate Law volleyball team, had a great time during the regular season, despite one default. With only five regular players, but tons of heart, the team struggled in its earlier games but have begun winning sets.

The timing is perfect, as play-offs begin Thursday night and Balls to the Wall are now in it to win it. With the skills of John Schmidt (1L), a talented setter as well as a strong backcourt presence, and the leadership of veteran and club player Dana Nowak (3L),the team has adjusted to its lack of a sixth player and filled the hole left in the backcourt. Matt Newton (2L), who coined the unofficial Balls to the Wall motto, “Whatever Works”, is an intimidating offensive and defensive presence at the net. Putting the team motto to great use, he uses height, talent, and the occasional random movement for some great kills and awesome stuffs.

Matt Turzansky (1L) is a great offensive asset to the team during attacks, as he manages huge hits and is fearless up at the net. Brittany Crow (2L), who is just as big a threat on the volleyball court as she is on the rugby field, will be joining the team during play-offs. With her added skill, and as a much awaited sixth player, Balls to the Wall are looking to win, if not t-shirts, then some sweet, sweet, vindication.