TAYLOR — After eight years of being among the top contenders, three men and three women from the city combined to win their first Mud Volleyball Tournament recently at Heritage Park.
Siblings Brent, Brittney and Corey Proctor teamed with Ryan Meharry, Janine Anderson and Melissa Raboczkay to form the Dirt Digglers, who went undefeated in the daylong event during the last day of the Taylor Summertime Fun Festival July 12.
“It took all day,” said Meharry. “We spent six hours in the mud.”
“We’ve been here since 8 o’clock (a.m.),” Anderson added. “From 8 to late, we went undefeated.”
The 36 teams were divided for pool play into morning and afternoon divisions. Six teams competed in round-robin format with the top teams from each of six pools advancing to the evening playoffs.
The Digglers won their five pool games in the morning on Court 1. The other morning winners were Gump Set Spike and Dirty Half Dozen.
Advancing from the afternoon group were Dirty Tricks, Mixed Nuts and Muddy Medschliewmuths.
Five of the six teams went undefeated in pool play. Gump Set Spike and the T-Town Ballers both went 4-1 on Court 2, but Gump Set Spike won the head-to-head match to advance.
The evening playoffs had a double-elimination format. Once a team lost, it moved to the losers bracket.
The Digglers never left the winners bracket. After a first-round bye, they defeated Gump Set Spike, shut out the Muddy Medschliewmuths, 7-0, and then waited as the Muddy Meds advanced through the losers bracket for a rematch in the championship game. The Digglers won again, this time 15-8.
Meharry said Digglers’ players – in various combinations – had finished in third place the last three years of the tournament.
This year, his girlfriend, Ashley Medina, was on the runner-up team. She was joined by Angie Medina, Randy and Rachael Schliewe and Shawn and Lee Willmuth – all from Taylor.
“We’re family and friends,” said Randy Schliewe. “We’re not afraid to sacrifice our bodies. We go all out.”
“Brothers, sisters, husbands and wives,” added Angie Medina. “We’ll see them again next year. We will be back.”
For the first time in memory, the top three teams were from Taylor. Gump Set Spike finished third. Team members are Dan and Suzie Ochala, Drew Chevalier, Fallon Kinaya, Joel Trombley, Jackie Cartwright and
Eleazar Pavlick.
Pool Play Standings
Morning Round
Court 1
Dirt Digglers 5-0
Worm Poop 4-1
Mud Slingers 3-2
Team Harding 2-3
A-1 Pet Grooming 1-4
Mud Ballers 0-5
Court 2
Gump Set Spike 4-1
T-Town Ballers 4-1
Zambo 3-2
Team Clean 2-3
Mud Flaps 2-3
Mud in Your Eye 1-4
Court 3
Dirty Half Dozen 5-0
Muddy All-Stars 3-2
Down ‘N’ Dirty 3-2
Muddy Volunteers 3-2
Booty Traps 1-4
Truffle Shuffle 0-5
Afternoon Round
Court 1
Dirty Tricks 5-0
Mud Dogs 4-1
Dirty Mud Pigs 3-2
We Don’t Care 2-3
Dirty Deeds 1-4
Down in the Mud 0-5
Court 2
Mixed Nuts 5-0
Muddy Ones 4-1
Dirty Shamrocks 3-2
Mud Pits 2-3
Muddy Buddies 1-4
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 0-5
Court 3
Muddy Medschliewmuths 5-0
Mudweiser 3-2
Heavy Muddle 3-2
Team Lipetzky 3-2
Muddy Rhinos 1-4
Los Locos 0-5
Playoffs
Dirty Half Dozen over Mixed Nuts
Gump Set Spike over Dirty Tricks
Muddy Meds over Dirty Half Dozen
Dirt Digglers over Gump Set Spike
Gump Set Spike over Mixed Nuts
Dirty Half Dozen over Dirty Tricks
Dirt Digglers over Muddy Meds
Gump Set Spike over Dirty Half Dozen
Muddy Meds over Gump Set Spike
Dirt Digglers over Muddy Meds
2009 Champions: Dirt Digglers