After barely making playoffs, the 11th-seeded Sugar Daddies rallied to upset the first-seeded River Monkeys, 2-1, in the first round of the co-rec volleyball playoffs Monday night.

After the Sugar Daddies missed their first four serves and fell behind by five points in game one, veteran ace Heather Roth’s spectacular digs and captain Kristen Walter’s point-blank setting allowed the Sugar Daddies to come back for a 25-23 win.

The River Monkeys controlled game two, winning 25-19 to force a third game. Falling behind again early, the Sugar Daddies relied on the unorthodox but effective spiking techniques of Dave “Gramps” Lisko and rookie Rob Dempster to clinch game three, 15-12.

In reference the spiking of Lisko and Dempster, a River Monkey’s player said, “They’re so good, it’s illegal.”

The match had the thrill and tension of an NCAA Tournament game, as Dempster stated after the win, “That game was more exciting than sky-diving.”

The tourney run ended for the Sugar Daddies in a hard fought battle later Monday night, with 25-22 and 25-16 losses to third-seeded PEPC 1.

Despite the high average age of their roster, the Sugar Daddies hope to keep their franchise players and expect to make another playoff run next season.

-Liz Casey, Sugar Daddies