Sami Torres didn't intend to get muddy.
The sophomore special education and elementary education major couldn't participate in Botsford and Swinford halls' annual Mud Volleyball tournament this year because of a soccer-related broken toe, but she came out Saturday afternoon to support her friends and hall directors, she said.
Minutes after her friends competed in the first match of the day, Torres found herself under an outdoor showerhead near Carmichael Hall, washing mud off her face, hair and arms.
"My friends just attacked me," she said with a laugh. "I had no choice."
Saturday marked the beginning of the 21st-annual Mud Volleyball tournament, in which teams competed in a bracket-style contest over two days. The courts were created in a grassy area west of Schmidt and Wilson halls.
Teams with names ranging from event-appropriate "Mudley Cru" and "Notorious DIG" to "The Cheezits" and "The Elliot Hall Donkey Punchin' Kangaroos" challenged each other for the title of Mud Volleyball champions.
"Swamp Things" beat "Ringers" in the final round to win the Mud Volleyball XXI championship trophy Sunday afternoon.
"Swamp Things" team captain Carmen Masterson said her team didn't have a serious strategy going into the tournament, and her main goal during the six rounds her team played was to have a good time.
"We're the group that gets together and plays [volleyball] every week," she said. "It was just something fun for us to do."
Mud Volleyball XXI Chairman David Wilson said all profits from team registrations will be donated to the Muncie Mission.
The donation amount had not been finalized as of Sunday night, but Wilson said after paying the DJ and referees from Recreation Services, the profits would be at least $300 to $500.
Mud Volleyball Comes of Age
An hour before the first round, Wilson was wading through the muddy courts in this year's commemorative T-shirt, which read "Mud Comes of Age" on the back, setting up court boundaries and directing committee members.
Wilson, a junior who has been involved with Mud Volleyball since his freshman year, said this year's tournament had 61 participating teams, down from about 70 in 2006 and more than 90 teams last year.
He attributes the recent decline to less publicity for this year's tournament, he said. While he admits there's always something he and his committee could have done better, he said they changed few aspects of the tournament, most of those changes involving cutting T-shirt and administrative costs.
"We didn't change a whole lot because the recipe has stayed the same," Wilson said. "It's like grandma's apple pie. You don't change the recipe."
Conditions of the Competition
Sophomores Abby Brown and Kim Kroll signed up for this year's tournament because they played volleyball outside LaFollette Complex last year, but Kroll said practicing volleyball in normal conditions could not have prepared her for mud volleyball.
"Honestly, no, [practicing] didn't help," she said. "It helped improve our volleyball skills, like how to play the game. Here, it's not about skill, it's about getting unstuck in the mud in enough time."
Brown, team member of "Alex and the Kittens," said the tough circumstances of playing volleyball in the mud made each victory a little sweeter.
"Walking and moving is difficult, but the adrenaline of actually getting the ball over the net every once in a while makes all the mistakes and misses worth it," she said.
Torres, who had come out to see "Alex and the Kittens" compete, said her friends enjoyed the competition despite being knocked out of the tournament in the first round.
"I wish I would've done it," she said. "Everyone had a good time, even if they lost."
Future of Mud Volleyball
Kroll said rumors had been circulating about whether the mud volleyball tournament will be discontinued when the Honors College moves to Dehority Complex in Fall 2009.
Wilson said the tradition will continue after the move, even if the sponsoring halls or location change.
"I understand that Housing and Residence Life is dedicated to keeping it in some form," Wilson said. "We'll see what happens. In one way or another, Mud will stay alive, I'm sure."
Winners"Swamp Things"Valerie AndersonHeath ButzTrey ButzMegan DeVaultStacey FaithAaron HarrisonCarmen MastersonJosh Satterfield
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