SAN ANTONIO, Texas — Thieves broke into Central College volleyball team vans late Friday night, swiping the players’ equipment and personal belongings and leaving the Dutch unable to continue play at the Trinity University Fall Classic.
The squad had played two matches Friday and went directly to a restaurant at about 9:30 p.m. The thieves struck while the team was in the restaurant, breaking into the locked vehicles and picking them clean. Most of the players lost cash, credit cards and personal IDs as well as uniforms and equipment. Even ankle braces, a player’s knee brace and an insulin pump were stolen.
Consequently, Central’s Saturday matches were cancelled. The Dutch were slated to play Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) (8-12) at 10:30 a.m. and tourney host Trinity (Texas) (10-12) at 3 p.m.
“We’re just extremely grateful that no one was in the vans when the crime occurred and that everyone is safe,” interim athletics director Eric Van Kley said.
Central is scheduled to travel to Decorah to take on Luther College Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Van Kley said it’s not yet certain that everything can be replaced by then but that athletics department staff members have already been in contact with equipment suppliers.
