Post by hellafella on May 5, 2004 15:49:30 GMT -5
It is rare to have a Mens Volleyball article in the Trib...So I thought I would share it.
Lewis men spike their troubles
Volleyball team awaits ruling, NCAA semifinal
By Jack McCarthy
Special to the Tribune
May 4, 2004, 9:04 PM CDT
Lewis University coach Dave Deuser feels vindicated and relieved as his Flyers head for Hawaii to defend their NCAA men's volleyball championship this week.
Shadowed all season by an NCAA investigation into the eligibility of two starters, the Flyers pulled together late in the season to claim their second straight Final Four berth late last week.
"We got hot in the last two weeks," said Deuser, whose team clinched an automatic berth with Saturday's five-game victory over Ball State. "It's a great feeling. To do it when nobody expected anything from us is a great feeling of accomplishment.
"Relief is the key word. … We were without a couple of players and yet we're still winning when we're not supposed to."
Lewis (19-13) faces top-ranked Brigham Young (27-4) in Thursday's second semifinal match in Honolulu. Long Beach State (27-6) meets Penn State (23-6) in the opener.
An NCAA Division II school, Lewis competes in Division I in men's volleyball. It beat BYU in five games to win last year's championship. It was the first national title for the Romeoville-based school.
Late last year the university forwarded to the NCAA results of an internal investigation that raised questions about the eligibility of two returning members of the team—Gustavo Meyer, a junior outside hitter from Mexico City, and setter Jose Martins, a senior from Brazil.
Lewis removed them from the active roster just before this season and asked the NCAA to clarify the eligibility issues. But an official response still has not been announced.
"There was a turning point for us sometime in mid-March," Deuser said. "[The NCAA] didn't tell us anything for four months, so I told our guys we're not going to wait around. These are the cards we've been dealt."
Among possible NCAA sanctions could be the loss of the 2003 championship. Last year, Hawaii was stripped of its 2002 title after it was learned its top player—Costas Theocharidis—had played professionally in Greece.
Lewis draws talent from all over. Leading hitter Fabiano Barreto (471 kills) is from Brazil. Other team members are from Puerto Rico, Florida and California. Ex-Stagg standout Brandon Sisk stepped in for Martins at setter and has1,432 assists and leads the team in games played.Junior Greg Pochopien, an All-State outside hitter at Sandburg, has 147 kills.
Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune
Lewis men spike their troubles
Volleyball team awaits ruling, NCAA semifinal
By Jack McCarthy
Special to the Tribune
May 4, 2004, 9:04 PM CDT
Lewis University coach Dave Deuser feels vindicated and relieved as his Flyers head for Hawaii to defend their NCAA men's volleyball championship this week.
Shadowed all season by an NCAA investigation into the eligibility of two starters, the Flyers pulled together late in the season to claim their second straight Final Four berth late last week.
"We got hot in the last two weeks," said Deuser, whose team clinched an automatic berth with Saturday's five-game victory over Ball State. "It's a great feeling. To do it when nobody expected anything from us is a great feeling of accomplishment.
"Relief is the key word. … We were without a couple of players and yet we're still winning when we're not supposed to."
Lewis (19-13) faces top-ranked Brigham Young (27-4) in Thursday's second semifinal match in Honolulu. Long Beach State (27-6) meets Penn State (23-6) in the opener.
An NCAA Division II school, Lewis competes in Division I in men's volleyball. It beat BYU in five games to win last year's championship. It was the first national title for the Romeoville-based school.
Late last year the university forwarded to the NCAA results of an internal investigation that raised questions about the eligibility of two returning members of the team—Gustavo Meyer, a junior outside hitter from Mexico City, and setter Jose Martins, a senior from Brazil.
Lewis removed them from the active roster just before this season and asked the NCAA to clarify the eligibility issues. But an official response still has not been announced.
"There was a turning point for us sometime in mid-March," Deuser said. "[The NCAA] didn't tell us anything for four months, so I told our guys we're not going to wait around. These are the cards we've been dealt."
Among possible NCAA sanctions could be the loss of the 2003 championship. Last year, Hawaii was stripped of its 2002 title after it was learned its top player—Costas Theocharidis—had played professionally in Greece.
Lewis draws talent from all over. Leading hitter Fabiano Barreto (471 kills) is from Brazil. Other team members are from Puerto Rico, Florida and California. Ex-Stagg standout Brandon Sisk stepped in for Martins at setter and has1,432 assists and leads the team in games played.Junior Greg Pochopien, an All-State outside hitter at Sandburg, has 147 kills.
Copyright © 2004, The Chicago Tribune
I hope this happens unless they change their policy and give it to the 2nd place team. 
)
