Chris Oseredczuk crouched near the table, served the ball and snapped his head backward. Though beads of perspiration spotted his forehead like raindrops on a windshield, the sweat clung to his brow. Now and then, he picked up a towel and wiped his entire noggin, thick with dark hair.

To the novice, pingpong might not seem like much of a physical sport, but imagine being inside a batting cage and trying to hit balls bolting at you with lightning speed.

When he missed a shot, Oseredczuk sometimes grimaced. When he outsmarted his opponent, he remained expressionless.

About three years ago, Oseredczuk noticed there were lots of fellow students at the University of Akron spending their free time playing table tennis. So he formed a club to encourage both camara
derie and competition. On Saturday, the Akron Blades sponsored the spring regional tournament for the Ohio Division of the National Collegiate Table Tennis Association.

Team members from nine universities, including Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky, gathered inside UA's Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

Oseredczuk stood proud. To him, this 21-year-old who is in the fourth year of a five-year engineering program, hosting the tourney in Akron was the biggest thing he had ever done.

Team member Dustin Ilko admitted that table tennis doesn't attract as many fans as — well, college football. But he, and freshman buddy Tom Frase say it's a sport they can participate in year-round. And despite what people might think, the game can get darn intense.

The serious players own their own paddles, or blades. Those that contain metal, such as carbon or titanium, can cost as much as $200. The rubber sheets that are glued to each side of the blades, some tacky for spins, others designed for distance, have price tags up to $80 a piece.

Ilko and Frase insist it takes a great deal of eye-hand coordination to play the sport — a good argument for all those hours spent on video games.

With the exception of an occasional shout and an odd ''popping'' sound that ricocheted off the white concrete walls, the UA facility was quiet. Table tennis is a respectful game where mental strength is as important as the ability to smash a ball.

After a particularly difficult match, Oseredczuk, grinned as he walked toward his teammates. His mind stimulated. His cheeks — a flush pink.