Pictured Power Surge, a team sponsored by Joie De Vine. Photo by Ross Forman
They are the best on the beach, truly a dynasty in CMSA summer-time volleyball at Montrose Beach.
Power Surge, a team sponsored by Joie De Vine, captured the men's competitive division championship this season, marking the team's fifth title in its six years. Power Surge is now the two-time defending champion.
'Every time just gets a little sweeter and it never gets old winning,' said Power Surge captain Fidel Campos, 45, who works in marketing for HSBC, an international banking company. 'The key is, we get along with each other, on and off the court. So, we just play well together. There never are any issues on the court. We're one of the few drama-free teams. We had a good season, with a solid team that's very positive, very team-oriented.'
Power Surge has a roster of nine, including two women ( defensive specialists Sabrina Pierrard and Julie Kline ) , with four players in action at once. The experienced crew has specialists in several key areas, such as height ( 6-foot-6 Rob Kaiser ) , serving ( Jay Potter ) , hitting ( William Boulware ) and strategy ( Tony Akers ) . Joe Sanchez and Tim Holbrook bring an effective all-around game to the team.
Power Surge finished the three-month regular-season with a 22-3 record and an amazing 9.20 average point difference per game. They were 12-1 in the late-August, one-day playoffs, which featured all eight competitive teams. Friday night regular-season games are played to 25 and you have to win two out of three games to claim the match. In the playoffs, teams had to win two out of three matches.
Mom's Crew ( 19-5 ) was second in the regular-season competitive division, followed by the Sick Pigs ( 14-13 ) .
'I think we've played together ( for ) too long to still be nervous,' said Campos.
What's next for Power Surge?
'We're going professional,' Campos said, laughing, 'and if ( pro ) Karch Kiraly shows up, he too better watch out.'
Pierrard said the team carries a competitive attitude, but having a good time is most important. Winning, though, has been second-nature for this bunch.
'We really mesh well together,' said Pierrard, 27, who lives in Lincoln Square. 'We communicate real well on the court, and that's really the key to being successful on the court.'
Pierrard played indoor volleyball at Badger High School in Lake Geneva, Wisc., and is now dating volleyball pro Bartosz Bachorski. Pierrard and Kline are the only straight players on Power Surge, and two of the five women playing in the men's league.
'Winning was very cool,' said Kaiser, 35, an Uptown resident. 'We really try to make sure every match is a team-effort. We rotate people in and out ( of play ) , so everyone plays, everyone contributes. So, when we win, it truly is a team victory, and that's very cool.
'I think we're better mental player than most of the other teams. We don't let our mistakes get us down.'
Power Surge also plays Sunday mornings in the CMSA winter season at the Broadway Armory. Campos and several team members presented the summer championship plaquess to Sandy Northrup of Joie De Vine Sept. 18—and of course toasted their title with a glass ( or two ) of wine.
'It's phenomenal winning,' said Boulware, 37, a lawyer who lives in Uptown. 'We have great chemistry, plus such good humor and support among ( members ) of the team.'
There were two all-women beach volleyball leagues, with Charlie's Fist of Fury ( Carol Wang captain ) winning the advanced division and Charlie's Ale House Rock Solid ( Kathy Betts ) claiming the beginner division.
For the men's play this summer, T5 ( Jim Heffernan ) captured the advanced division, while the Ball Smackers ( Casey Lefurge ) won the intermediate division. The Sand Storm ( Kevin Dailey ) won the beginner division, while Dead Divas ( David Sinski ) captured the novice division.