“C-A-S-E, Case, Case, Case!”

Chants bellow out of the small but energized group of students in the front row of the gymnasium. Blue CWRU kicked off their first full school year of spirit on Wednesday night as the Spartan volleyball squad put away the Mt. Union Raiders in three straight sets.

“We asked a few of the members of the volleyball team which game would be the most important for them to have a big presence at,” said Dong. “They said this one was super important because of their rival, Mt. Union. So we made sure we were going to be there.”

This first event brought together a small but passionate group of 30 students to cheer and support the action on the court.

As the first set battled to a thrilling 27-25 win for the Spartans, the crowd cheered louder and harder, spurred by the founding members of Blue CWRU, wearing face paint, waving signs, jumping and screaming at the top of their lungs.

“The signs, the giveaways and the face paint are going to be our bread and butter,” said Murcia. “We want to make this support for the athletes to become part of the culture here.”

Murcia often talked about what could be done to improve campus with his friends and he slowly realized that it would often come back to the subject of school spirit.

“We came up with this insane plan,” said Murcia. “We wanted to turn Case from a DIII school into a DI school.”

Murcia and his friends were so serious about their idea that they set up a meeting with CWRU athletic director Amy Backus. While she admired their passion she noted that a change of that magnitude would require the Board of Trustees.

The discussion eventually made its way to the idea of a group solely focused on spirit through sports. As a result, Blue CWRU was born, adopting the branding already in place by the athletic department and creating a group to build that spirit.