Joseph Edgecomb / The Collegian
Laughter is the best medicine.
For the Fresno State men̢۪s club volleyball team, that medicine comes in strong doses.
On the court, each player knows his place and off the court, each player is put into his place.
This year̢۪s team takes goals seriously, but jokes and laughter are all around.
Senior Zack Moro, the president of the club, said he enjoys going on the road with his team and most of the team̢۪s key components are returning this year.
Joseph Edgecomb / The Collegian
As president, Moro said he wants to be a leader.
“I want to be a big team leader and get the younger people ready,â€Â he said. “And be the league’s top libero.â€Â
Coach Brian Tsukimura, who has been coaching the club team since 1995, said the best part of coaching is seeing what these student-athletes get out of playing.
The athletes know their coach brings a lot to the sport.
“He brings years of experience and knowledge,â€Â Moro said. “He really cares about his players.â€Â
This year̢۪s team has just two seniors and is playing a different form of volleyball, Tsukimura said.
“Our personnel is really interesting right now, we don’t have very tall middles. We have a very interesting offensive scheme,â€Â Tsukimura said. “We do come at them crazy. I would say if you’re coming to see a standard volleyball offense, our team would not be the one to be watching.â€Â
A strong addition to the team this year is Jake Wiens, who came to play for the Bulldogs after attending UC Santa Barbara.
The outside hitter is a “big addition to the offense and brings stability, being the tallest guy on the team,â€Â Tsukimura said.
Outside hitters Kit Maddox and Brett Gillen will also be strong this season, Tsukimura said.
“I want to win a national championship. Plain and simple,â€Â Wiens said. “I don’t play not to win.â€Â
And after winning a national championship in 2004, the Bulldogs have set their sights on a repeat performance.
“We want to win league,â€Â Moro said. “We have a really good chance of competing in nationals, much better than last year.â€Â
Qualifying for nationals is different from typical playoff brackets.
Although winning games is positive, as long as the team can afford to get to nationals, it can participate. This year, nationals will take place in Dallas.
“[The players] pay $500 dollars plus purchase the plane ticket to nationals,â€Â Tsukimura said. “The cheapest we can find right now is like $400 so it’s not cheap.
“Berkeley pays $2,500 a player, but they also pay their coach. Davis pays $1,200 a player, Sac pays $700 a player plus their plane ticket so we’re relatively cheap considering.â€Â
The road to nationals is the most important part and sophomore Rory Baldwin said the adventure on the road with his teammates is the greatest part.
“The best part of playing volleyball is traveling with the team,â€Â Baldwin said. “And also the experience and fun memories we make.â€Â
Each player brings spice to the team and keeps Tsukimura on his toes.
Jason ‘La Bamba’ Cantu was recently introduced to team rituals.
“It’s tradition that rookies get nicknames,â€Â he said. “We all get along great and have fun with each other.â€Â
Of the opponents on this year̢۪s schedule, Cal Poly and UC Davis are the two most-anticipated games.
“We had a tough time last year with [Cal Poly],â€Â Baldwin said. “I’m hoping we can beat them this year.â€Â
UC Davis, Moro said, is always a rival for the Bulldogs and last year, they did well at nationals.
The Bulldogs will host the Aggies Feb. 17 in the south gym.
They will also host Cal and Stanford in February before traveling to tournaments in northern California throughout March.
Nationals will take place in the beginning of April.
Of the four games the team has played so far, they have beat Chico State and Sonoma State on the road and Sacramento State at home.
“I want my Fresno State career to end where it started,â€Â Moro said. “With a national championship.â€Â