Monday, April 06, 2009 By Michael Tezyan - Michael Tezyan Advertising March Madness concludes with last-minute drama (April 1, 2009) -- With the clock winding down, DII’s Wake Forest, down by one in the semifinals on March 17, faced the ultimate test of their nerves: whether to go for the two and a tie, or the three – and consequently, the win. As time nearly expired, freshman Sisuan Sarhadyan secured their spot in the Division II finals with a clean shot from beyond the arc, electrifying both his team and the crowd with the 8-7 comeback. “Our plan was to run a lot of plays defensively, plays to get open,” said Wake Forest ’s freshman Artin Artyunyan. Some teams, however, did not enjoy the same level of success. DII Villanova captain sophomore Mike Shahbazian, for instance, reflects on their team’s lack of teamwork. “We didn’t pass the ball well enough. We just needed to have more confidence in our team, Shahbazian said. Likewise, Wake Forest’s semifinal victory was short-lived as the tide turned just as quickly in the Division II final game on March 20 – this time against Wake Forest. Stanford sophomores were trailing towards the end of the first ten-minute round, but quickly rallied defensively to pull off a 10-8 victory. “A lot of people didn’t think we could go so far,” Arutyunyan said. “We just talked to each other on and off the court.” The heavily favored DI champs, which had previously won the championship in their sophomore year, extended their winning streak and added one last notch to their belt. Despite trailing by several points early on, Duke fought resiliently against the offensive juggernaut USC, who had the collective height advantage. "We played with so many mistakes, we just had to do what we had to do,” junior Ilyans Ignatosian of Duke said. Despite individual mistakes, Ignatosian added, “You play as team and lose as a team.” The final score ended up being 16-10, with USC being crowned DI champs. Not to be outdone, the girl’s division championship ended as Tennessee pulled off a 4-3 victory against USC, winning the championship. This year’s March Madness tournament concluded with the awards ceremony on March 25. Sign ups for volleyball intramurals begin April 6 through April 10.

Back to the articles list