The Minaret - The University of Tampa's Student Newspaper

Issue date: 4/4/08 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Photo courtesy of SID The UT volleyball team at the tournament in Clearwater (Photo courtesy the SID)

For the past few weeks, the University of Tampa women's volleyball team has made a dramatic change to their practices: they took their game off the court and onto the sand.

In preparation for the first-ever Sunshine State Beach Collegiate Volleyball Championship, the women trained at the beach volleyball courts outside of McNiff Fitness Center instead of their usual practice inside the Bob Martinez gym.

The tournament, which was held at Clearwater Beach last weekend, gave the ladies the opportunity to add another dimension to their game by playing on different terrain.

"I love playing on the beach," Senior Margeaux Sinibaldi said. "It is an entirely different game. It is a smaller court, different rules, and you only play with two people. For me, I had a blast because I got to do more than just play defense, which I never get to do indoors."

Even though playing on the beach gets the girls outdoors and is a fun way to improve skills, the women also ran into some difficulties.

"Playing on the beach was a real challenge," Meghan Sherman said. "The court is smaller and you only go to 21 points, and it is just you and your partner. However, it is also a great way for us to work on our ball control with the different elements of the sun, wind and sand."

No matter the surface or location, the team showed they always bring their A-game. The team won the tournament, earning the Commissioner's Cup Championship for having the most points after pool play.

Twin sisters Camila and Gabriela Saade earned the overall championship when they took first in the Gold Division. Teammates Annalea Warren and Kaleigh Cunningham also placed in the Gold Division, earning fifth place.

In the Silver Division, pairs Danielle MacDonald and Margeaux Sinibaldi and Melissa Vanderhall and Meghan Sherman tied for third place. The freshman team of Samantha Macks and Camille Hanks placed seventh.

The girls showed that they could beat their conference opponents not only on the court, but also on the sand.

"We had a great time playing," Sherman said. "And hopefully we will be able to continue having beach tournaments every spring."

The tournament was also a great way to end the collegiate volleyball career for the seniors.

"Overall it was a lot of fun and it helped me rediscover my excitement for the game of volleyball," Sinibaldi said.

With the end of the semester nearing, the ladies will finish up practicing for the year and get ready to start back on the court in August.

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