Roll Call, D.C.

Void of UPenn took a short three-hour drive down to Poolsville, MD (near Washington, DC) this weekend for a 40-team tournament.

We were placed in a power pool (there were 2 power pools) as the 5th seed, meaning we were seeded 9th overall. Luke's North Park, being 1 seed of the second non-power pool, were then 11th overall coming in.

Our first game on Saturday was against Wesleyan, seeded fourth in our pool and a huge question mark. We had no clue what they were about. As it was, Void overcame some sloppy end zone offense and spotty defense to pull out a victory, 12-9. Wesleyan ended up 0-8 for the weekend. During our second-round bye, I went over to watch North Park face Northwestern in a cross-town battle. Incidentally, one of our best players is a grad student who played at Northwestern, so he was on the opposing sideline watching as well. Anyways, Luke is a tool. Just kidding. He played pretty well.

Our second game of the day pitted Void against MetroEast powerhouse and nationals contender, Pittsburgh. Pitt was coming off a successful weekend at Centex where they had taken down the great Wisconsin Hodags. In their first game of the day they had beaten Maryland in a close encounter, and their second game against Void would prove to be no different. Void took an early 3-1 lead with flow-offense and a strong dump-defense, but Pitt went on a 4-0 run using poor spirit, bullshit calls, and deep looks. While on the sideline I distinctly remember a Pitt player mentioning, "we're not losing to some nerd school". Pitt would take half 7-6 and would stretch the lead to 10-6, leading to a Void timeout.

Void would regroup and come out strong, cutting the Pitt lead to 10-7, then 10-8, 10-9, and eventually 10-10, an unlikely combination of two break points and two downwind points in which Void capitalized on Pitt turnovers. Pitt and Penn would trade points, eventually reaching 12-11 Pitt, game point. Void would score downwind, setting up double-game point, and med student Tim Gaulton's upwind forehand huck to a wide-open Birdo (not me - our captain actually has that nickname) in the end-zone. A mosh-pit would ensue. It would be Pitt's only loss of the weekend.

The next game would have Void facing Leadbelly of Ohio St. A letdown was inevitable, and Tim re-aggravated his hamstring while Void took a 13-10 loss. In the following round, an exhausted Void couldn't keep up with regional contender Maryland in a 12-8 loss. This would see Penn end up as fourth in their pool, setting up a pre-quarters matchup with another regional opponent, Cornell.

Sunday - Came out flat early on and traded points (breaks) with a good Cornell team, until Void took half 8-6 on a break. Void would eventually take the game 11-8, setting up another inter-Ivy-League matchup with Red Line with Harvard.

Harvard had thrashed Western Washington on Saturday as the 1 seed in the other power pool, and was seen by most as the top team in the Northeast region. A disappointing performance at Centex had been forgotten with a 4-0 record on Saturday, and a thorough pounding of George Washington in pre-quarters. Now they faced a pumped-up Void that aimed for yet another upset...

A few things about that game. Harvard had a med student playing, and he was really good... he wore glasses, scrubs, and a strip of cloth like some football wide receivers like to do, but he was good nonetheless. He was intimidating. Also, George Stubbs was roaming the sidelines, but I didn't know it was him until like, just now.

All I can say is, Red Line was impressive, but they were mostly unable to stop Void's flow offense, which relied on very solid handler play. Soft cap sounded with Void and Red Line tied at 8, and Void would score deep. Game to 11. After Void set up 10-9 game point, Harvard would come back and score, setting up universe. And yet another upwind huck to Birdo, from Grant, would propel Penn to semis, with another quality win.

Semis saw Void face Ohio St. for the third time of the season, and Void controlled much of the game until 11-8, when Leadbelly went on a run. They would eventually take a tight game, 15-13, and promptly get trashed by Pitt in the finals.

All in all, Void would have an impressive weekend, positioning them for a 2 or 3 seed at regionals, and a great shot at making nationals. Penn Void has now notched wins against Michigan, Pittsburgh, and Harvard - three teams widely regarded as the cream of the crop of their respective regions. As an added bonus, Michigan and Pittsburgh both have beaten the Hodags.

Another thing. It seems like teams like Harvard and Pitt are really good when I watch them play other teams, but when they play us it seems like they suck. I can't figure out why.

Boulder is not as far away as I thought.

Phone

My phone is freaking out, so I'm sending it in for repairs. If you want to reach me, just do it by email or facebook.

jaybrd526@yahoo.com