736th AMXS wins volleyball title for third time in a row

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Winning a championship three consecutive years, or a three-peat, is a rare event in sports. It is even rarer in base intramural sports, where changes in personnel, TDY's and deployments, can determine not only what team you have each year, but the team you have for each game.

The 736th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron volleyball team completed the task as it defeated the 436th MXS 25-19, 14-25 and 17-15 to win the base intramural volleyball championship May 21, 2013, at the fitness center on Dover Air Force Base, Del.

Jon Lu led the 736th AMXS slamming home a total of nine kills during the three sets. Tim Hellman had eight kills, three blocks and one ace and player-coach Jason Jones added four kills to lead the 736th AMXS to the three-peat.

For Lu, being able to take part in all three of the title wins was something sweet.

"That is definitely a testament not only to our players but to our team," Lu said. "It is also a testament to how hard our team works to be able to get this championship. It feels great to win it again. It's a great accomplishment."

In game one, Hellman had three kills and one block as the 736th AMXS cruised to an easy 25-19 victory.

The 436th MXS woke up in game two, scoring the first six points off of the serving of Roger Parsons, Patrick Piazza had five kills and Emmanuel Perez had six service points including two aces as the 436th MXS won 25-14, forcing a championship deciding game three.

In game three, Jones and Lu each had four kills apiece, as the 736th AMXS won the third and deciding game 17-15 to win its third championship in a row.

Jones said his team was able to maintain its focus all season and that's why they are champions.

"It speaks of our chemistry and we were also able to keep a solid core of players anchored by Lu," Jones said. "We had a great nucleus of players returning, plus we did the things you need to do to win, we played great defense and we had good communication."

For the second-straight year, the 436th MXS ends its season as the runner-up. Perez said that his team had a good season despite the fact it didn't win the title.

"We worked hard both on and off the court," Perez said. "We took it to them. They are definitely our rivals. They have a great team that is why they are champions. We don't have anything to be ashamed of, we played tough and we played our best, we just came up short."

Jones said finishing the three-peat is special.

"It feels great," Jones said. "It is a great sense of accomplishment. It is hard to win three championships in a row in any sport and it's even harder in intramurals where you have a different team each year. It is a perfect ending to a great season."