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Out of the cold and onto the court: Intramural Volleyball Preview

With the weather getting colder, intramurals are moving indoors until March. However, the competition will be just as fierce as before, with volleyball being the first intramural event  to field a full girl’s B league where all sports points are at stake. 

Defending A league champions Lambda Chi Zeta are looking as strong as ever, with powerhouse hitters Anna Strother and new rushee Kambria Swint ready to play. Athletic directors Oliva Hampton and Megan Arendse spoke on the talent in Lambda. 

“We have a lot of people who have played volleyball previously, and we’re really good at it, so we’re excited, yeah,” Hampton said.

Arendse echoed similar sentiments, naming some players.

“Annie Davis plays for the team and will be coaching us,” Arendse said. “Anna and Carly are both really good.”

Meanwhile, the consistent contender Gamma Rho is riding high following a big win in the flag football championship. An additional asset for them is hybrid athletic director and volleyball coach Sophie Mae Smith, who is second in assists for the Oklahoma Christian varsity volleyball team. Smith and fellow director Zoe Burmaster spoke about the team. 

“I got to coach our B team last year, and it was really fun,” Smith said. “People still have a lot of fun even though it’s still competitive, and everyone has a good time going out there even if we’re blowing someone out of the water or being blown out of the water. We still have a lot of girls who are naturally athletic and can hold their own on the B team as well as the A, so I don’t think we’re gonna change a lot about our rostering just because B is also for points now.”

Burmaster said Gamma does not plan to move players up or down to balance the teams.

“As a team, I don’t think we’d ever want to take A team away from someone,” Burmaster said. “At least not just to boost points.”

Burmaster noted some Gamma stars who will have the difficult task of stepping up against Lambda’s former NCAA players. 

“We have a lot of returners this year,” Burmaster said. “Amber Hamlin was a star player for us last year, and so was Joanna Hunter.” 

While Gamma boasts an incredible advantage in boasting a club 98 members strong, other clubs like Theta Theta Theta will be more reliant on playing tight lines. Athletic director Allie Neilson spoke on Theta’s game plan. 

“Our B team is gonna be pretty heavy. We have a lot of girls on B that we’ll work with. A team will probably be only 6 or 7,” Neilson said. “Jill Duncan always shows up, we’ll still have Maddie H. And Katie Thomas is somebody I’m looking forward to seeing because she played in high school.”

On the men’s side, there are strong signs of a blowout being inevitable. After dominating in the final last year despite missing star player Cole Klassen, Chi Lambda Phi is back and at full strength. While an early semester injury held Markus Houghton back during softball and flag football, he will be back this season to make the club even stronger. Athletic director Parker Landes spoke on what it means for Chi to have Houghton healthy.

“We’re ready for the return of Markus Houghton, so far the most epic comeback OC has ever seen,” Landes said. “Mark’s a big spirit guy and has a lot of energy, so having one of our boys back is great to see. We’re glad that he gets to do something that he loves.”

Meanwhile, Kappa Sigma Tau will be looking at Eli Rollen and Logan Moore to back up the likes of Sam Hegemen, Buddy Lambert and Brayden Olson. On the other hand, Delta Gamma Sigma does have some leaders, but athletic director Garrett Webster claims their depth may be their bigger asset. 

“Getting the right guys on the right teams and keeping everyone well coached is all that we need,” Webster said. “For us, some of us have never played competitive volleyball in our lives, so it’s good to have the right coach for the team to get the right guys. One guy I’m really excited about that balled out last year was Caden Lumry. He’s a sneaky athlete with a really good swing, so I’m excited to see what he does this year.” 

The freshmen, as always, bring contending squads to the intramurals, and this season will be no different. Athletic director Gavin Meyer spoke on what makes their teams so special.

“The freshmen compete in every sport, no matter what,” Meyer said. “That’s how we’re all built. So no matter what sport we play, we’ll have a chance. We have a lot of guys who are going to play, and we’re tall. And a lot of our girls used to play in high school, so hopefully they’ll be good.”

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