Published: June 27, 2008 12:14 am            

VOLLEYBALL: Zipp Family Rumble attracting more players this year

D.J. Zipp has always loved volleyball, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t sometimes feel like work.

But the fruits of that labor will be evident on Saturday, when the head coach of the Borden volleyball team will host the 2008 edition of the Zipp Family Rumble on the River at Sacred Heart Church in Jeffersonville. The tournament will begin at 9 a.m.

“It’s been like a full-time job these last couple weeks,” said Zipp, who will play on a team in the men’s Open division. “But if the rain holds off, we should have a pretty good day planned out.”

Zipp, along with his mother — former Providence coach Dottie — usually host the event at the family’s home, but this year the event will be larger than ever in an attempt to raise money for another member of the first clan of Southern Indiana volleyball.

Diana Zipp, a standout player at Providence and during her college career at Morehead State University, is preparing for her second season as an assistant at Missouri Western State. Proceeds from the event will benefit the NCAA Division II Griffons, as well as host site Sacred Heart.

The tournament will feature three divisions playing across at least seven different outdoor courts. Twenty teams have already signed up for the men’s three-on-three division, while the women’s bracket will have at least 10 three-person teams. Four teams will vie for the title in the six-on-six coed division.

Some of the money raised will go into the pockets of the winners and runners-up in each division, ensuring that the tournament will draw from a top-notch pool of talent from all over the Midwest.

“I would call it a semi-pro event,” Zipp said. “It’s not sanctioned, but you are going to see some guys with 40-inch verticals. A lot of the best players from the regional will be there.”

The women’s slate will feature a slew of big names, most of whom have played or are currently playing Division I volleyball. The list is headlined by former Providence and Western Kentucky University star Hayley Koetter, who will recently transferred to Indiana. She’ll reunite with high school teammate Katie Knott, currently playing for Parkland College in Champaign, Il.

Meanwhile, Diana Zipp will also be taking the court with former Morehead players Kelsey Cronin and Johanna Thompson, while former Indiana Southeast stars like Lindsay Chitwood will also vie for the prize money.

The men’s side has similar star power, with D.J. Zipp partnering up with new Indiana assistant Keith Shunzel and Kansas assistant Ken Murczek, but they’ll contend with the likes of Ball State player Pat Durbin and Louisville Sacred Heart coach Eric Garvey.

Zipp says that he is aware that men’s volleyball hasn’t always been big in the area, but that events like this one could go a long way in changing perceptions of the sport.

“If you like volleyball it all, it’s something to definitely check out,” he said. “Guys’ volleyball isn’t the biggest sport in this area, but there will be some heavy hitters.”

The event — sponsored by former Providence assistant coach Zach McCrite’s “Big EZ” radio show, Lenfert Construction, Saddle Ridge, and Pro Health among others — will likely run until 6 or 7 p.m. Teams will be divided into pools for round-robin play and then will meet in a seeded single-elimination tourney for the championships.



ZIPP FAMILY RUMBLE ON THE RIVER

WHEN: Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

WHERE: Sacred Heart Church, 1840 E. 8th St., Jeffersonville

WHY: Benefit for Missouri Western State volleyball program and Sacred Heart Church

WHY GO: Event attracts some of the finest volleyball talent in the Midwest; several prominent former local athletes will be back in action.

        

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