Ode to My Teammates: A Review of the CMS Club Volleyball Match
By Mike Chin
Contributing Writer

You know, it's true what they say. Matt Brown '03 is one beautiful human being. "Who says this," you ask? "The fans, the millions of volleyball fans around the world," I reply. The guy is simply more popular than slap bracelets were in the early 90s. But, please do not be carried away by the worldwide phenomena of Matt Brown love. Rather, understand that he is only one piece of the amazingly intricate puzzle that is the 2003 Pomona-Pitzer Men's Club Volleyball team. Rounding out the roster, the Hens also feature the precision sets of Dave Pedersen '05, the impenetrable roofs of Ryan Suneson '04, and Damyan Nikolov '04, the testosterone-laced kills of An-Yen Hu '04, Gabe Audant '05, and Jordan Hathaway '06, the pinpoint passes of Dave Rion '01, Grant Keeney '03, Jon Tigeri '06 and the humble skills of yours truly.

When looking at this team dripping with talent and veritable beauty, one might begin to wonder about the relatively unassuming 1-2 record of the Hens this season. First off, don't do that. Damyan is much bigger than you think and he will not tolerate any lip. After settling down though, he would more than likely calmly explain to you that he could not attend those first two matches and; consequently, in his mind at least, they do not exist. That being the case, I'm proud to announce that the Hens are a perfect 1-0 this season, undefeated in SCIAC, even though we're not even in a conference. We're a club team after all, above the law and in desperate need of fans.

Speaking of fans, the Memorial gym at Rains was packed to the brim with them the afternoon of February 16 for the much-anticipated CMS game. Filled with the cacophonous cries of loyal friends and curious passers-by alike, the gym resembled a primeval soup of blood, sweat, tears, and a random rugby team. Long time foes/whipping-boys of the PP men's club team, the Stags entered the din with a look of what can only be described as "pooping-in-pants" fear on their faces. Unfortunately for them, the Stags had a much bigger force to fear than that which was slowly pushing them ever closer to the restroom. Unbeknownst to the Stags, Jordan Hathaway had been dumped by his long-term girlfriend a mere matter of hours before the match was scheduled to begin. (That's right, girls, he's single.) A seething ball of rage, Jordan, coincidentally an employee of Bert & Rocky's down in the village, unleashed a fury previously unknown to mankind upon the Stags. When interviewed after the match, Jordan's only comment was this: "I gave them a double rum raisin with an extra scoop of French Vanilla, if you know what I mean!" Aside from Hathaway's offensive outpouring, the Hens blazed a trail to victory thanks in large part to the blistering kills of the outside hitters, the well-timed blocks of the middles, and the tenacious d of the back row. CMS was simply outmatched and they knew it. It is even rumored that at one point, one of the Stags came over to the Pomona-Pitzer bench and begged for mercy. Unswayed by the tear-filled plea, the Hens continued the offensive onslaught and danced their way to victory in just 4 short games.

Looking back upon that fateful Sunday, one gets the feeling that the CMS match was not simply a start to a perfect undefeated season for the Hens. Beyond that, the CMS match revealed exactly what the 2003 men's club team is really made of: a pinch of trash-talk, a smidge of swagger, two cups expletives, and a tablespoon of unabashed arrogance (add celebratory dancing as needed). Bake in a 450 degree oven known as the Rains Center Memorial Gym.