Bulldogs look to continue successful preseason

"Most of the teams are decent. None are highly competitive," co-captain and club president Steven Hwang, TD '99, said of the tournament. For this reason, Hwang predicted that the Bulldogs should fare well. "Last year, we lost in the semis and we weren't playing very well. Now we expect to make the finals," he said. This Sunday, Hwang said the team will be looking to "balance out rookies and experienced guys. [The preseason] is an opportunity for rookies to get playing time." Although the team is currently practicing four times a week with coaches Dave Ragones and former captain Brandon King, BR '99, league play does not begin until after winter vacation.

Only Harvard and Princeton field varsity teams--most of the other Ivy League schools have club teams. "Cornell is pretty good, and we've usually been very close to Columbia," Hwang said. Princeton fields both a varsity and a club team. The only time Yale meets the Princeton varsity team is at the Ivy tournament in April. "They're really good," Hwang reported, noting that the Tigers advanced to the NCAA semifinals last year.

Yale, a member of the North Atlantic Division of the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association, will aim for one of the top two spots in the division, which would clinch the team a spot in the championship tournament in early April.

--Sharon Lin

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