Spring Break
The role of David just missed
Marco Santana/ Staff Reporter
Issue date: 9/20/05 Section: Sports
It is only natural to compare a volleyball match between a team that is perennially in the national rankings and a team that is under .500 and nowhere near the rankings to the battle between David and Goliath.
The Fighting Illini of Illinois can be considered a Goliath. They have Rachel VanMeter, who is currently second in the nation in kills per game.
They garner votes in national polls on a weekly basis.
They play in a power conference that had four teams in the most recent Top 25 poll. But the battle on Friday between Illinois and Eastern Illinois could not be considered a battle between David and Goliath.
When one team struck a blow that left the other staggering, the recipient's reaction wasn't folding or falling to the ground. The reaction was reaching back and finding more to keep on fighting.
The Panthers struck first by taking the first game. The raucous crowd of 1,809 that filled the stands with a sea of orange didn't know what hit it. Neither did the Illini players.
But Illinois retaliated with two strong blows of their own and took a 2-1 lead in the match. Had Goliath been able to strike David two times, the fight would have been over and who knows where Middle Eastern history would have gone. But Eastern didn't quit.
Eastern didn't even stagger from Goliath's two punches. They came back and controlled the fourth game and suddenly, there was going to be a fifth game.
The words of senior libero Heather Redenbo began echoing throughout Huff Hall. "We can take 'em," she had said earlier in the week. The Panthers were on the brink of making it seem as if Nostradamus' spirit had decided to take up residence in her body for a week.
And Goliath-Champaign was made aware that he was in a grind-it-out battle with Goliath-Charleston.
In the end, Illinois moved their record to 9-1 by defeating the Panthers in five games. The loss dropped Eastern to 2-4.
But for one night in Champaign, the Panthers proved that they could be Goliath when they play the way they know they can.
They were given the confidence in the knowledge that they can play with the best of them.
Perhaps later in the season, when a an opponent arrives at Lantz Arena, they will look across the net at Eastern and think, "They are Goliath and we are David."
But David and Goliath, this was not.
Marco Santana is a sophomore journalism major. If you think he should stop reading history book and start learning how to write you can tell him at cumas36@yahoo.com.
The Fighting Illini of Illinois can be considered a Goliath. They have Rachel VanMeter, who is currently second in the nation in kills per game.
They garner votes in national polls on a weekly basis.
They play in a power conference that had four teams in the most recent Top 25 poll. But the battle on Friday between Illinois and Eastern Illinois could not be considered a battle between David and Goliath.
When one team struck a blow that left the other staggering, the recipient's reaction wasn't folding or falling to the ground. The reaction was reaching back and finding more to keep on fighting.
The Panthers struck first by taking the first game. The raucous crowd of 1,809 that filled the stands with a sea of orange didn't know what hit it. Neither did the Illini players.
But Illinois retaliated with two strong blows of their own and took a 2-1 lead in the match. Had Goliath been able to strike David two times, the fight would have been over and who knows where Middle Eastern history would have gone. But Eastern didn't quit.
Eastern didn't even stagger from Goliath's two punches. They came back and controlled the fourth game and suddenly, there was going to be a fifth game.
The words of senior libero Heather Redenbo began echoing throughout Huff Hall. "We can take 'em," she had said earlier in the week. The Panthers were on the brink of making it seem as if Nostradamus' spirit had decided to take up residence in her body for a week.
And Goliath-Champaign was made aware that he was in a grind-it-out battle with Goliath-Charleston.
In the end, Illinois moved their record to 9-1 by defeating the Panthers in five games. The loss dropped Eastern to 2-4.
But for one night in Champaign, the Panthers proved that they could be Goliath when they play the way they know they can.
They were given the confidence in the knowledge that they can play with the best of them.
Perhaps later in the season, when a an opponent arrives at Lantz Arena, they will look across the net at Eastern and think, "They are Goliath and we are David."
But David and Goliath, this was not.
Marco Santana is a sophomore journalism major. If you think he should stop reading history book and start learning how to write you can tell him at cumas36@yahoo.com.
The Daily Eastern News encourages on-topic, civil discussion on its articles posted online. It is our policy not to screen comments before they are posted or edit them after they are posted. However, we reserve the right to remove comments that are off-topic, malicious, libelous or include excessive foul language. The DEN also reserves the right to turn off all comments on any story it deems necessary.
Comments violating copyright law will also be removed.
Users who repeatedly violate this policy will be banned from commenting.
If you have any questions on our comment policy or wish to report a comment that you feel violates these standards, please e-mail a link to the article to our Online Editor at DENNews.com@gmail.com.