Sororities participate in beach party tournaments

MICHAEL TOBEY Sororities participate in the annual
Inter-Sorority Volleyball Tournament Saturday.

By J.P. Hoornstra
Daily Bruin Senior Staff

Kappa Alpha Theta from UCLA had won the last point and was
preparing to serve. A cool wind picked up, barely deafening the
sounds of hip-hop that thumped across the beach. A bikini-clad
server looked to the opposite side of the sandy volleyball court,
where six opponents from the UC Santa Barbara chapter of Alpha Phi
stood.

Before a serve could be delivered, a male spectator on the UCLA
sideline, wearing blue surfer trunks, dashed across the sand, under
the net, and revealed his frighteningly distinct pelvic tan lines
for all to see.

But on this day, in this game, the streaking surfer would not be
ejected from the premises. After a few seconds, the official
whistle was blown to begin play, the blue trunks resumed their
position around the fan’s waistline, and a serve was
delivered.

Such was the mood at the 2002 Inter-Sorority Volleyball
Tournament. Thousands of beach-goers, many from sororities at UCLA
and UCSB, flocked to Long Beach on Saturday for what resembled a
celebration of “Spring Break” culture as much as a
50-team volleyball exhibition.

ISVT (as it is known to its followers) featured a bikini/dance
contest among sororities; a nonstop, energetic dance floor in the
sand with constant dancing and little or no dress code; and
squeezed in between, a loosely-officiated volleyball
tournament.

In addition to the many teams from UCLA (20) and UCSB (24), two
teams represented UC Davis and UC San Diego, and one each came from
USC and Cal State Long Beach. Pool play began at 9 a.m., followed
by the single-elimination tournament. Matches typically lasted
15-20 minutes each, and, in the end, the day saw over seven hours
of actual volleyball.

At least some effort was put forth to prepare for athletic
competition; each sorority spent differing amounts of time
practicing for the event.

UCLA sorority Delta Delta Delta put together three squads, only
one of which had members with prior competitive experience.

“There’s no roster, you just have to sign everybody
who’s playing, and then you can interchange them between
teams,” said Katie Norlander. “They haven’t given
us many set rules.”

The UC Davis squads, who made the biggest trek to compete,
carpooled down early Saturday along with two male student
“coaches”, and returned yesterday morning.

For the less experienced players, playing volleyball was a
unique experience. April Tatton, from the UCLA chapter of Alpha
Phi, hadn’t played since middle school.

“It’s a lot of fun, volleyball is really
great,” she said. “I haven’t played beach
volleyball in a really long time, so it’s good to be out in
the sun, meeting everyone, having a good time.”

It was clear that the volleyball was just one component of the
party atmosphere. By mid-afternoon, innumerable beer and liquor
bottles peppered the beach, at least a few of which had been
enjoyed by members of eliminated “B” and
“C” squads. Only the experienced players were still
spiking volleyballs, sharing court space with the barrage of
litter.

As the sun neared the ocean horizon and the overcast skies
brought an inescapable chill to the beach, a winner, Kappa Kappa
Gamma from UCLA, had emerged. But few ““ if any ““ will
remember the final scores of the games. As the littered ground can
testify, the streakers and freakers will go down as the heroes of
ISVT 2002.

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