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Bubble Tourney

As per usual, the Iowa Ultimate Programs started up their spring semester by hosting an indoor tournament to gauge their early season progress and to raise money. The tourney was a big success for all three teams. Here is a brief write-up for the games of the A and B team. Hopefully I'll be able to add pictures, and possibly a link to a Saucy write-up and more from the B team (perhaps a captain would like to add perspective, since the A team could only watch a portion of these games).

 Hucititis B:

     The B team looked ready for action, with pretty good numbers and a lot of young, eager talent. At times they were raw and unpracticed, but overall they proved to be a tough crew.

The first game for HBV was against Iowa State and though it started off rocky, eventually Hucititis was able to put points up and cause trouble for ISUC. One of the favorite sideline quotes of the weekend was from an Iowa State veteran: €œThis is not the Iowa B team we saw last year€ said immediately after a huck score was let up by his own squad. He then promptly began yelling at his players on the field. HucB would lose 5-13, but showed early that they were serious this year.

    Next would come an epic battle with Kansas B. Hucititis settled into a rhythm of tough defense with an offense that wasn't afraid to take risks. Many players on the B team are rookies or have only one season of college ultimate under their belt, but they were making upfield throws, breaking the mark, and hucking with success. The B team kept hanging tough and would pull out the Universe point win 13-12.

    The final game of the day would be against Kansas A, followed by Luther A the following morning. Both these teams proved that they had been to nationals, and executed wins. Still, despite the setbacks, Hucititis would continue to play hard, have fun, and improve, and would give Grinnell a fiery game to finish off their Sunday. The Grinnellephants would eventually win 13-5, but I think all of Iowa Ultimate was impressed with the loud sidelines and excitement coming from B team's portion of the bubble, and we look forward to a good year from these young guys.

 IHUC:

    Iowa A had been preparing all winter for a chance to finally play intercollegiate ultimate as a team together, and the team proved that the hard work up to that point was worthwhile.

    IHUC came out firing against Kansas B, with an extremely tough defensive line that looked vastly improved from last season and an offense that was smooth and at times unstoppable. The day started off with a 13-0 win.

    Next up was Notre Dame, and again the defensive line was aggressive, getting turnovers on nearly every point they came out and converting at a high percentage, continually improving their offense. The O-Line was calm and confident, open on either side of the field, scoring all of their points, leading to a 13-6 victory.

    After perhaps too long of an idle wait, IHUC played Kansas A for the last game of Saturday. The Horrorzontals took advantage of the early sluggish play from Iowa, breaking for the first two points, eventually taking a 4-1 lead. IHUC called a timeout to regain its composure and readjust offensively. The first real test of the season was passed well, as the O-line locked down and the D-line slowly chipped away at the lead, earning back the breaks, eventually taking half 7-6. Kansas would hang tough and it would be a game of many breakpoints, but IHUC would score when it mattered, winning 13-11.

    Sunday's games against Iowa State and Luther were very similar in style. Both teams would give Iowa competitive games, taking early leads as the team struggled with some  issues. In each instance, IHUC came back, pushed through, and although both ISUC and LUFDA made late scoring runs, Iowa would win (13-9?, 13-10?).

    Overall, the captains and Coach Ryan Nation were happy with the team's performance. IHUC overcame a few challenges to go 5-0 on the weekend and was largely successful at accomplishing the goals of the first practice week (improving marks and red-zone offense). The team is excited and has the potential to go far, provided that it keeps improving every day. Only one month (7 bubble practices) left till the Free State Classic in Kansas City, the first tournament that will count toward Iowa's official USAU ranking.