Lizards White outlast Lizards Blue for title Published Sept. 17, 2010 By John Stuart Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- It seems that the adage is true for sports teams too, as proved on Tuesday night. Indeed, an intramural volleyball team divided against itself cannot stand. So it proved an interesting matchup for the title game, pitting the Leapin Lizards White against their off-shoot Leapin Lizards Blue team, who split ranks at the beginning of the season to boost competition. And it looks like that's what they got. But the Lizards White proved too much for Lizards Blue, and through two quality matches, earned their seventh base title, winning the first match in three games: 25-15, 19-25, 15-6, and claiming the second match in two: 25-12, 25-17. In the first match, Lizards White came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. With no clock running in the championship matches, it was pure sport. Lizards White didn't give their foes any breathing room, sizzling them with some furious hits and fronting standout blocking from their front line. Without an exorbitant amount of difficulty, Lizards White claimed the game. But the second game showed why Lizards Blue had earned their spot on the court. They came back with handy execution, winning the second game and forcing a third. But it was a pyrrhic victory, as Lizards Blue had seemingly exhausted their reserves and let Lizards White walk away with the third game. Lizards Blue never recovered from the first match, as the teams moved into the necessary second, to force double elimination. Lizards White came out early and built a lead worth hanging onto. "I think Lizards Blue had a little bit of a letdown after that tough first match and it allowed us to get an early lead," Lizards White captain Patrick Steelman said. "We built an early lead and used a mix of strong defense and good hitting to cruise to the first game win." Lizards White kept their furnace hot going into the second game, capitalizing little mistakes and sculpting a lead that Lizards Blue couldn't chip away at. "The second game was another good game. The Lizards Blue came out firing and we survived with some great digs and big blocks," Steelman said. "We traded blows in that one, scoring a few only to allow Lizards Blue to get the points right back. But we gained a several-point lead midway through that last game and held on for the win." "It's mixed emotions playing the other Lizards team," Steelman said. "We're all friends and we've played together for years. I hate that only one of us could win, because the level of volleyball in our matches shows that there are some great players on base. There was a great crowd for the game last night too, and they were really getting into it." The teams faced off four times through the regular season and tournament play. Lizards White claimed the record 3-1, but all four of the matches went to three games, Steelman explained, showing the caliber of play on both sides. As the Lizards Blue hoist their seven-year trophy in the air, the sentiment for volleyball on base is high. "It was a great season, lots of fun," Steelman said. "There were a lot of new faces playing this season, and we hope to build on this success to make next year even better."