By Jerome Boettcher | George Mason Athletics
Enjoy the ride.
If Kris Grunwald could offer any advice to the George Mason men's volleyball team in anticipation of the 2016 National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship, it would be to savor every moment and have fun.
Grunwald speaks from experience. He was just a freshman the last time the Patriots made the NCAA Tournament – in 1988.
“You're kind of in awe,” said Grunwald, now the head coach of the women's volleyball team at the University of Connecticut. “We played up in this old armory up in Fort Wayne. You go there and you walk in the big arena. We were unfamiliar with the environment – everything. Being in the hotel with all the other teams. So all of that was fresh, new, different. It brings another level of excitement. These guys are going to remember the next four or five days for the rest of their life. So it is just one of those experiences.
“Live it up. Enjoy it. You earned it. You're going to remember it for the rest of your life. Play with no regrets.”
The Patriots' run to the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Championship and subsequent berth in the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship, which begins Tuesday in State College, Pennsylvania, has evoked memories of the 1988 trip.
The 1988 team was coached by future EIVA Hall of Famer Wayne Stalick, who started the program in 1974 and led the Patriots to three NCAA Final Four appearances, two third-place finishes and a fourth-place finish. Members of the team included: Efrain Lopez, Andrew Janosko, John Kristlick, Uvaldo Acosta, Robbie Baily, David Hurst, Ralph Sepulveda, Mike McDermott, Greg Koon, Dag Erlandsson, Bob Rubino, Mike Schwob and Grunwald.
The Patriots were a surprise qualifier, upsetting No. 2 nationally-ranked Penn State in the finals of the EIVA Championship to reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years. The Nittany Lions had defeated Mason four times in the regular season and 10 times over the previous two years.
Playing on their home floor at the Physical Education Building – since renovated and now known as the Recreation and Athletics Complex (RAC) – the Patriots dropped the first two games of the EIVA final to Penn State. Grunwald remembers students leaving the match early to head to a party. The Patriots would give them a reason to come back, though.
Mason dug deep and kept its season alive. All-American outside hitter Uvaldo Acosta, who finished the season with 695 kills, took over the match as the Patriots won the next two games to force a fifth and final game.
“We had who we thought was the best player in the country,” Grunwald said. “It was one of those matches where he pretty much took it over and we rode his shoulders.”
In the decisive game, Mason jumped out to a 13-5 lead. The Patriots led 14-10, needing just one point to win the match and punch its ticket to the Final Four. But Penn State would not go down easy. Regular scoring rules were in play, meaning Mason could only score when it was serving. It took 20 rotations until Acosta finally delivered the match-winning kill to send the Patriot faithful into a state of euphoria.
“I remember the last point,” said Grunwald, who was named to the All-EIVA First Team after the tournament. “I ran back. Uvaldo put the ball down. I had set it I think. I ran back and jumped up on the basketball rim and hung there for a while. We were all going nuts. It was obviously a once in a lifetime thing. Penn State had been ranked No. 1 (in the nation) at points throughout the season. It was one of those storybook endings of 'Who would have thunk?' We had our ups and downs that year. But we had some glimpses of some great play, glimpses of some not so great play. But when it mattered we came through with probably one of the biggest wins we'll all remember.”
The eighth-ranked Patriots headed to the NCAA Men's Volleyball Championship, which consisted of just four teams (the field has since expanded to six). They played at the 13,000-seat Allen County Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and opened against Santa Barbara.
The Gauchos won in straight sets, sending Mason to the third-place match. The Patriots won the first game against Ball State, before dropping the next three to finish in fourth place and close their season with an impressive 32-13 record.
“As alumni, there are a few people on that team and through my era that we keep in touch with,” Grunwald said. “But it is kind of funny, how 28 years later we are all trying to get back in touch with each other to talk about not only what we did but, now, obviously, what these guys have done as well.”
Over the last week, several members of the 1988 team have contacted each other and caught up. Grunwald is rearranging meetings at UConn on Tuesday so he can make the trip and watch the Patriots open the tournament against Ohio State. Greg Koon, a middle blocker on that 1988 team who now lives in Williamsburg, Virginia, is also planning on making the match.
“An event like this obviously does great things for the university,” Grunwald said. “I'm excited for the program. Men's volleyball is not one of the most publicized sports in the country. Throughout the years, there have been different schools that have dropped men's volleyball. I'm proud to be a part of one of the schools in the country who has a strong (men's volleyball) tradition. I really hope that the success of this team and what they've done can help us not only reestablish the program but take it to even higher levels.”
