By
Ryan Finley
Arizona Daily Wildcat
The No. 1 ranked UA men's club volleyball team will play host to 19 other teams this weekend in a club volleyball tournament being held at the UA Student Recreation Center and Bear Down Gymnasium.
The tournament - which will serve as an opportunity for the Wildcats to defend their two straight national club volleyball championships - starts tomorrow at 9 a.m. at both locations.
"There are going to be some tough teams out there," sophomore outside hitter Turner Elliott said.
Junior setter Jeff Grobe said the team hopes that the normally small crowds improve for the weekend event.
"We usually don't get that great a crowd," he said. "Never more than 100 people."
The UA men's volleyball team - like the Icecats, the UA rugby club and the lacrosse team - is not sanctioned by UA as Division I NCAA sports but compete under the Arizona name.
For the team, it means having to reschedule practices and move from location to location to accommodate their needs.
"It's hard to work everything in our schedule," Grobe said. "But by now, most of the guys are used to it."
UA is led by outside hitters Kevin Jones and Matt Olson, opposite hitter Vince Rooney, middle blocker Nick Thompson, Grobe and middle blocker Ty Hayes.
Elliott said that although the team is confident they can win the tournament, there will be some work ahead.
"We've only lost once in three years," Elliott said. "We're back-to-back national champs. We're practically undefeated, but we've still got some improving to do."
