YMCA Volleyball League has its own March Madness

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

CHARLES CITY — They played the whole match in the penalty — in fact, with a two-man/woman disadvantage.

“We knew we just had to move faster … cover more ground,” Cody Cordes said of his team — Block Party — facing Squirrel Cats with only four players during the first round of the Charles City YMCA Adult Coed Volleyball League tournament, Thursday night at the Y.

“One of our guys got called into work, and another one of our players is well into her pregnancy so she can’t really play anymore,” Cordes said. “Hopefully, we can get six players down here next week.”

Block Party managed to make a match of it against Squirrel Cats, even leading midway through the first game before the ’Cats won, 25-23.

The Squirrel Cats then sent Block Party to the loser’s bracket by winning the second game, 25-18.

Three-time defending champions, The Tree Rats, received a first-round bye due to their undefeated match record during the season and faced the Squirrel Cats in the second round, also played on Thursday.

Again, the Squirrel Cats enjoyed a “power play” advantage as the Rats began the first game with a one-man disadvantage.

But then Jay Jaspers showed up fashionably late, and the Rats went on to beat the Cats in straight games.

“We kind of put two teams together and found the right combination,” Jaspers said of the Tree Rats, who will face Serves U Right in the winner’s bracket semifinal next Thursday.

Also next Thursday, Delta Force — which lost to Serves U Right — will face Block Party; and the Squirrel Cats will take on Kiss My Ace in the loser’s bracket.

On April 7, the loser’s bracket final will take place at 7 p.m. followed by the championship round at 8 p.m.

CC YMCA program director Jamie Caffrey is also a member of Squirrel Cats.

“During the regular season, we don’t take stats and all that, but we do keep track of wins,” Caffrey said. “That’s why (The Tree Rats) got the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye.

“We have two seasons — fall and the spring. They normally are 12 weeks long.”