2-Ball Express takes Bronze at Nationals
By Brian Bowers
The 2-Ball Express had the opportunity to attend the
2005 Open in Denver. We were able to survive some
close matches and some late nights to have a successful
tournament. There were 14 teams that were fairly evenly matched. We ended up
finishing in 3rd place, which is the 4th time we have placed 3rd in 7 years.
We ended up 3-3 after pool play, setting up a match against the team from San
Diego. After winning our 1st round tournament match, we were dropped to the
loser’s
bracket. We defeated the Cayotics, setting up a 9:20 p.m. match against the
team from Vegas. This match was very close. We were tied at 21-21 in the 4th
game,
when their left side attacker hit the ball into the tape. The ref called "no
touch" on us, so we won the rally. Their hitter argued the call and got carded.
Their
captain complained and got carded. Now we were up 24-21 on one play. We ended
up winning in 5, but their penalties saved us. After the match we left the
empty convention center at midnight to try to find a restaurant that was still
open.
The next day we played TPC, the team that dropped us
into the loser’s bracket,
at 1 PM. We survived the 4-game match and earned the right to play Bameso.
Bameso is a very athletic team and they overpowered
us in a 4 games. They went on to
win the tournament for the 2nd year in a row.
Overall, it was a very successful National Championships
for us. We earned a bronze medal. Tyler Hildebrand
was named 1st team all tournament. Robert
Tarr
and Tim May were named to the 2nd team. The nightlife was good, but everyone
is looking forwards to New Orleans next year.
|
