Members of the ISU Paintball Club said they are content overall with their third place finish at the World Cup tournament in Orlando, Fla., but the team could have performed at a higher level in the closing games.

“We didn’t place as high as we wanted to,” said Tim Rash, club president and junior in computer engineering.

Thorsten Baldus, graduate student in industrial and manufacturing systems engineering, said the team “lacked experience for a higher placing” in the final games.

“If we had more experience, we could have placed second or first,” Baldus said.

The Cyclones played four teams out of the eight participating, playing against Purdue, Illinois, Nebraska and Minnesota State-Mankato. The tournament was held Oct. 24-26.

Points for the tournament were scored by grabbing a center flag and posting it on the opposition’s side, Rash said. A player who was shot exited the field until either team scored.

There were two 20-minute halves with a continuous clock until the five-minute mark. After that, the clock stopped after each score.

The club started a three-game day by defeating Minnesota State-Mankato and Nebraska in a dominating fashion by scores of 16-1 and 14-5, respectively.

“We just annihilated Minnesota State and made them look bad,” Rash said. “We all felt bad for them, they got beat on a lot.”

Iowa State faced its rival, Purdue, for the third game.

“Purdue is a team we always want to beat,” Rash said.

The game was played under lights — the first time the ISU club had played at night.

“We weren’t prepared for the change of view,” Rash said. “There were a lot of blind spots and we couldn’t see very well.”

Purdue won 11-3, but the Cyclones still advanced to the semifinals with a shot against Illinois. Rash said the team played poorly against the Illini in the first half but picked it up in the second.

“The first half we didn’t play to our ability,” Rash said. “In the second half we caught fire, but it was too little too late.”

Illinois outlasted the Cyclones in a 10-7 victory. Even with the third-place finish, members of the club said they enjoyed themselves and gained valuable experience for the spring season.

Baldus said every game was intense and the tournament featured a professional setup, which was “an awesome experience.”

“I’ve played for four years and this was, by far, the best tournament,” Baldus said.

Rash said the club returned to Iowa with added experience that should benefit the entire team.

“We picked up style issues by watching professional teams,” Rash said.

“Many of us were tired and not moving fast in the ending games. We’ll have more emphasis on the physical nature of the game with more team workouts.”

With experience, the club has high expectations for the season, which continues next spring.

Club member and junior in zoology Matt Kerndt said two years ago, the team placed fifth nationally. Last year, it placed fourth nationally.

“Every year we keep moving up in the rankings,” Kerndt said.

Practices will start in January after the team heals through December.

“We’ll be ready for a national title this [coming] year,” Rash said.