Courtesy Photo | Rhoden Galloway of the Black team prepares to set the volleyball during the Gold Match...... read more read more
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By Marlon J. Martin
Army Medical Command
FORT BLISS, Texas - The fiery, competitive spirit of the athletes competing in this year’s sitting volleyball tournament poured onto the hardwood, as spectators and cheering fans remained on edge.
While most games remained fairly close in scoring, the Black team pulled away in the final match to claim a decisive victory over the White team, 25-21, and walked away with the title as this year’s sitting volleyball champion.
In the 2015 Army Trials final match of the night on April 1, the Black team, comprised of the following athletes: Master Sgt. Rhoden Galloway, Spec. Jason Blair, Shawn “Bubba” Vosburg, Sgt. Robbie Gaupp, Quinn Almond, and Sgt. Stefan Leroy, and Eric Pardo, were pitted against the White team, which included Jermeka Johnson, Nicholas Titman, Staff Sgt. Ashley Andersen, Maj. Janet Rose, 1st Lt. Christopher Parks, Capt. Joe Colon, and Anthony Antemon.
“I’m really pleased with how my team performed. They played together as one, and that was our team motto,” said Jason E. Flynn, coach of the Black team and Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania native. “Our opponents were scrappy, so we had to buckle down and focus. We had to pick our spots on the court and make it as difficult as possible for them.”
The sitting volleyball tournament was held at the Joshua W. Soto Physical Fitness Center, Fort Bliss, Texas. Played in accordance with the rules of rally scoring where each team can score on any point, the single elimination tournament featured six teams that were simply identified by its jersey color. Unlike previous competitions where athletes volley for a chance to win gold, silver or bronze medals, this year’s tournament concluded with only a “Gold Match” pitting the Black team against the White team.
In the two semi-final games, the Black and White teams prepared for battle once more after besting their opponents. The Black team dominated the Light Blue team, 25-15, to advance to the Gold Match, while the White team was on the other court clawing for each point it earned. Their battle against the Dark Blue team went down to the wire. To declare victory, the winning team had to be ahead by two points. A tense volley pursued, but the White team came out on top, 27-25.
Sitting volleyball is among the adaptive sports events that wounded, ill and injured Soldiers and Veterans compete in during the 2015 Army Trials. Other sports include archery, cycling, track and field, shooting, swimming, and wheelchair basketball. All athletes are required to participate in more than one sport. After being graded on their overall athletic ability, 40 athletes will be selected to represent the Army at the Department of Defense Warrior Games 2015, Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
“The tournament went very well, and I’m happy to see there were a lot of competitive plays and close games,” said Uros Davidovic, head coach of sitting volleyball.
A Bradenton, Florida, native, Davidovic is in his first year as head coach for the Army. After serving as an assistant coach during the 2014 Army Trials, he was invited to return this year to lead the Army in its quest for a second straight title.
“We have a lot of talent on the floor,” said Davidovic who also serves as a coach on the USA Volleyball Team. “I’m very excited to know that I have these athletes with all this talent, and I get to mold them into a winning team.”
| Date Taken: | 04.14.2015 |
| Date Posted: | 04.14.2015 13:27 |
| Story ID: | 159959 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | BRADENTON, FLORIDA, US |
| Web Views: | 97 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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