Team America: Week 5 Report

Team America plays in the intermediate indoor volleyball league for the Chicago Sports and Social Club every Thursday night.

In a possible preview of the league championship game, Come From Behind defeated Team America three games to none.

Things looked good for Team America at the start, leading CFB by four points in the first game. It was obvious that TA was playing tight, as the look of anticipation for this game was obvious on their faces. Mathlete and Tron effectively shut down the male hitters from CFB, but service returns became a problem later in the game. With serves coming into the middle at waist or chest high, getting a good initial pass became problematic.

More problematic was the absence of Captain America at this week's game. It is only known that Jim was on the road earlier that day, but his whereabouts at game time were unknown. The addition of the up-and-coming triple threat (hitting, blocking, dancing) could only have helped Team America as they dropped the first game 15-8.

The second game brought more of the same, with CFB getting lucky rolls of the net that caught Team America out of position. A highlight of that game came when the girl in the black shorts (GBS) accused Mathlete of setting the serve, which is illegal. Instant replay supported Team America claims to the contrary, but in the interest of good sportsmanship TA offered to replay the ball. GBS relented and gameplay resumed, with GBS targeting Mathlete on many of the ensuing hits. Up to the challenge, Mathlete was able to get the dig on these, unfortunately it was not enough and Team America fell 15-12.

Having already lost the match, Team America tried to salvage one win to retain the number one seed for a second consecutive week. Falling behind early, CFB began toying with Team America, calling out Tens for backrow hitters. Unphased Team America rallied to tie. TA hitters put away balls impressively, from both the strong and weak sides. Line Judge's cross court hits kept TA in the game, while Tron and Macho League kept pounding away at the middle. On one hit in particular, Mathlete stuffed it down a defender's shirt, which fired up Team America. When the game went into rally scoring, Team America responded. TA scrambled well, and defended the net better than they had all night. Unfortunately, it was not enough as Come From Behind lead the entire way, winning 15-13.

While obviously dejected, Team America remained positive during post game interviews. The continued "body sacrificing" play of Furby, along with the emergence of Skewers and Bismarck as setters were high spots in an otherwise gloomy day. "We can only get better as a team" said interim captain Mathlete. How this match will impact an already tight race at the top of the league won't be known until complete results are available from last night's other games.

Next week: Team America faces Road Kill (4-8)