GVSU Men’s Club Volleyball

The Indiana Hoosiers and the Illinois Fighting Illini are once again hosting the “Biggest Regular Season Tournament in the Midwest!” The Ninth Annual Hoosier-Illini Classic will be held February 27-28, 2010 in Bloomington, Indiana.

The tournament will be held in the HPER (Health, Physical Education, and Recreation) Building. The Indiana University HPER Building is located at 1025 E. 7th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-4801.

GVSU is looking forward to the opportunity to play against a tough field which features more than 20 teams that have been nationally ranked this season.

The latest Mizuno national ranking poll came out with GVSU moving up to #21 based on a strong showing at the recent GMMVC conference playdate in Dayton, OH. Other MIVA teams that are nationally ranked are: #2 Lakeland, #3 Ohio State, #4 Illinois, #8 UW Oshkosh, #18 Notre Dame, #20 Michigan State, #21 Grand Valley State, #23 Iowa, #24 Ball State, #HM Purdue, and #HM Indiana.

With the NCAA having only 23 remaining Division 1 programs that sponsor a men’s volleyball program, the MIVA conference truly produces the highest caliber of men’s volleyball in the country.

For the complete national ranking list visit: http://ncvfvolleyball.org/MensDivisionII.aspx

GVSU will look to continue to improve on the year at the nationally ranked Hoosier/Illini tournament in Bloomington, IN on Feb 27-28.

#25 GVSU went 7-0 at the first conference playdate in Dayton, OH, with big wins over MIAMI U., CINCINNATI, and DAYTON. GVSU is off to the best start in program history. The next conference playdate/championship is March 20, 21 at Bowling Green, OH.

MIVA – Great Midwest Men’s Volleyball Conference Playday, Saturday, February 6 and Sunday, February 7, 2010. RecPlex (2 Evanston Ave, 45409-2401), University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio

#25 GVSU A (Black) is heading to Dayton, OH to compete in our first tournament of the 2010 regular season. GVSU is #25 in the first ranking polls of 2010. The Great Midwest Men’s Volleyball Conference consists of:

Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea, OH;
Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH;
Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI;
Grand Valley State University, Allendale, MI;
Miami University, Oxford, OH;
Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH;
Ohio University, Athens, OH;
University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH;
University of Dayton, Dayton, OH;
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY;
Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.

GVSU B teams are competing in the University of Michigan Classic tournament this weekend, Jan. 23rd.

Michigan Classic
Date(s): 1/23/2010
Host School: University of Michigan
Location: Ann Arbor, Mi
Number of Teams: 16

The 2010 Winter semester practice schedule and times are posted.  Please check the times and dates.  Don’t worry if you have to miss practices for classes, family obligations, or anything else of importance.  Just notify one of the coaches or other players.  Anyone enrolled as a part-time or full-time student at GVSU is welcome to attend.

Several students are still joining the Club.  If you just found out about the Club and are interested in coming out, please stop by one of the practices or contact one of the coaches.

Welcome back to the 2009-2010 season.  GVSU looks forward to a strong upcoming season.  We say farewell to several players who have participated in the growth of the program including:  GMMVC ALL-STARS Igor Popovic and Brandyn Thorsen. 

This years team has had a taste of success and is hungry for more.  With an infusion of new talent, the program continues to grow and move forward.  Several new players have joined the program this year and new faces continue to show interest. 

If you have interest in joining the team or any questions, please contact coach Todd Allen at:  coach@gvsumensvolleyball.com.

On Wednesday, January 21, Olympic Gold Medalist Todd Rodgers came to Grand Rapids for the AVP HOT WINTER NIGHTS tour stop.     Rodgers, who is a friend of Head Coach Todd Allen,  graciously agreed to take time out of his schedule to  join the GVSU men’s and women’s teams for a Q and A session at the GVSU REC at the Allendale campus.  Rodgers talked about his Olympic experiences playing in Beijing and on the AVP tour, as well as his training techniques, game strategies and his journey through volleyball and life.  Afterwards Rodgers took team and individual photos and signed autographs.  A representative from the Lanthorn newspaper was there so please look for an article in the next issue.

Team members cheered on Rodgers at the AVP HOT WINTER NIGHTS event the next night at the VAN ANDEL ARENA in Grand Rapids.  GVSU would like to thank Todd Rodgers for this incredible experience.

LANTHORN article: http://www.lanthorn.com/38-Men-s-volleyball-olympian

Also on page B3 of the paper with a photo: http://digital.zoompubs.com/publication/?i=11760&page=1