Hayden Freeman, Contributing Photographer
The men’s club volleyball team hosted the Meliora Invitational, a preseason tournament, on Saturday, November 2 at the Goergen Athletic Center. UR competitors were divided into two teams, both of which did well in the event.
The UR blue team defeated teams from Canisius College, SUNY Brockport, and Pennsylvania College of Technology to earn a first-round bye going into playoffs.
The gold team also played well, but did not qualify for playoffs. They defeated Monroe Community College, but fell to tough opponents from both Pennsylvania College of Technology and Cornell University.
The blue team once again played SUNY Brockport in the semifinals, losing 25-22, 25-22 in a close match. Brockport went on to play Cornell in the finals, losing 26-24, 25-22 in another excellent match, made interesting by a controversial double-touch call on game point of set one.
Once all was said and done, the blue team finished in third place, while the gold team finished in seventh.
Both teams had standout performances from several players. Of note for the blue team was sophomore Jon Kuberka, who was the best hitter for the ‘Jackets throughout the tournament. Kuberka is also on the varsity track and field team at UR, but plays club volleyball until the track season picks up in December. Fortunately, fellow sophomore Trevor Lyness, who played on the gold team, should prove to be an adequate replacement when Kuberka leaves for the season. Lyness played well both at the net and behind the service line throughout the tournament.
Overall, both teams have a lot to work on before they consolidate into one team, but these preseason results prove there is plenty of reason for optimism moving forward.
Freeman is a member of the class of 2016.
