“Slam!”, “Spike!”, “Smash!” 
These are just a few of the sounds that would have greeted you if you had walked into the intense badminton tournament and volleyball league on Tuesday night. 
The Intramural volleyball league, which is in its fourth week now, has provided a place for students interested in volleyball or who have played in their past to compete at a high level. The talent featured in this league is remarkable, pointing to the level of athleticism within the Umass Boston student body. Two teams that have already stood out in the league are Old Monk and Modena Volley. Both teams have shown a propensity for strategy as well as athleticism in how they play, and this has translated to hard fought games on the court. As fate would have it, the two faced off against one another for the last game of the night on Tuesday. 
The undefeated Modena Volley was favored coming into the best-of-three match, but that did not keep Old Monk from putting up a fight. Competition flared early, with both teams contributing to lengthy rallies and hard-fought points. In the end, however, it was Modena Volley’s strong serves and aggressive digs that propelled them to a decisive two-set victory over Old Monk. Players of note in this game were Monal Rupapara and Samantha Myrtil of Modena Volley. Rupapara led the game in kills and Myrtil collected Ace after Ace to help the effort. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Modena Volley as championship season approaches next week. 
On the side of the court opposite volleyball, the Intramural badminton tournament was underway. Eight teams of two showed up for the double-elimination tournament on Tuesday night, each hoping to come away with the pride and glory that comes from pioneering a championship victory. Pick-up games of badminton have been played during open recreation throughout the year, yet a formal tournament had not yet been organized. The tournament took up three badminton courts and drew quite the crowd. There was no question, each team came with the intention of doing business. After three rounds, Racketeers defeated Powershuttlers to emerge as the tournament champions. 
In other news, the Intramural indoor soccer championship took place last Friday, featuring the defending champions, Dynamo Boston and Toros F.C. Both teams have dominated the league all season long, and in their previous matchup, Dynamo had dealt decisively with Toros F.C., handing them a 4–2 defeat. Toros, however, seemed determined from the kickoff that this game would be different. Toros was the first to strike after just five minutes of the first half, with the team’s captain, Miguel Alfonso, burying a penalty kick in the left side of the net. He would go on to find the back of the net three more times throughout the course of the game to help his team collect a well-earned 5–1 victory over Dynamo Boston. Other standout players for Toros in the game were Carlos Aybar who scored a goal of his own in the second half, and the goalkeeper, Phillip-Simon Thalheim, who recorded five saves on the day. Toros F.C.’s upset victory over Dynamo has now put them in the driver’s seat of the Intramural soccer league. It will be exciting to see what the future holds for this dynamic program. 
If you are looking to get involved with Intramural sports in the coming weeks, pre-season basketball has begun and will continue Monday–Wednesday into the second week of 
December. Intramural basketball and cricket will also start up in full force in the first week of February, following Christmas vacation. To get involved, go to www.umb.edu/recreation.