Getting muddy at West Chicago volleyball tournament

Chip Ault and his teammates looked like old cast members from the movie "Predator."

Doused from head to toe in mud, the members of team "Kiss-My-Anthia" were ready to shower off after winning the first of three games they would play at Reed-Keppler Park in West Chicago.

"Chip, he's just filthy," teammate Jeff Griffin joked during a break from competition. "He's just rolling around in the mud when we're not playing."

Thirty teams spent Sunday splashing in the mud as part of the annual West Chicago Railroad Days Mud Volleyball Tournament.

Five adjacent courts soaked with water - with sandbags delineating the lines - served as the playing field. Players either got doused by a fire hose to wipe off the excess mud or lined up to get underneath a makeshift shower made by a sprinkler attached to a wooden beam.

"You definitely need to duct tape your pants if you want to keep them on," Jen Roberts of Streamwood said as she cleaned off after a game. "Oh, and talent kind of goes out the window when it comes to figuring out who's going to win these games. It kind of comes down to which team has the better server."

For some competitors, like Scott Bordelon of Deerfield, Sunday was their first chance to get their hands a little dirty in the muddy spectacle.

"I've tried for about two years to get a team together, but nobody ever wanted to play," Bordelon said, holding a water bucket that would be used to wash mud off the ball in between play. "This should be interesting."

Leah Drew of Chicago and her teammates, dubbed "Squeaky Clean," decided to dress for the occasion by donning white knee-high socks, shorts and undershirts.

"The clothes aren't staying this white for long," Drew said as the group huddled for a photo before going out onto the courts. "Laundry day is not going to be fun."