The Chesterton volleyball team has gone from a little program of a few years ago to the conference contender with formidable size. Any team that takes one look at the team can see that they sure stand out in stature. The team’s front row is filled with seniors, including Bryton Oliver, Jack Rodriguez, Robert Williams, George O’Connor, and Ryan Tucker. The back row includes junior liberos Adam LeNeave and Cesar Mendoza. The youngest member of the varsity team, freshman setter Declan Ringler, plays with a role that belies his grade. His passes are an integral part of every play, along with the sets from sophomore Nathanael Mihut.
The Trojans started off the season with a very impressive win streak, going undefeated for eight games until their loss in early April to Lake Central.
“The win streak felt really good because I didn’t know we were going to come out so strong,” LeNeave said.
The Trojans kept their win streak alive through some tough competition. Notable results included a close win against Boone Grove, a victory against Crown Point, and a sweep of testy Valparaiso squad. Then, the team would experience a rough game against Portage, which the Trojans still won convincingly, but their rough game would carry over to the next: their first of the season.
Losing to Lake Central put the Trojans into second in the conference, but every team goes through rough patches now and then. The Trojans slowly but surely were able to bounce back, with a rocky performance against Michigan City to start off a six game win streak.
Unfortunately, the stretch was once again ended by Lake Central, giving the Trojans their second loss of the season, both to LC. The Trojans regular season continues until early May, giving them some time for adjustments in order to compete with the big schools.
Teams that face Chesterton have to be ready to battle an intimidating team. Middle hitters Williams and Oliver each have a knack for getting blocks. According to Maxpreps, they have 44 and 42 total blocks, respectively. The depth that the front row has is uncommon for most teams, with starting caliber players being on the bench often to start games. Middle hitter Tucker also is playing with the varsity group. Tucker has had multiple games throughout the season with four kills each.
With so much depth, it allows them to toggle with their lineup throughout the match.
“If I’m having a slow night, I can kind of watch what Robert is doing to see what is working and talk to coach while I am on the bench,” Oliver explained.
The team has had some off-nights throughout the season, where some players just aren’t able to find their groove. They need to be able to get their players rotated during the game and find what is working for them. Oftentimes, they will have to look for help off the bench in order to find some rhythm.
“When the starters are struggling, it’s good to know we can depend on (Tucker) to pick up any slack,” LeNeave said.
The outside hitters provide lots of excitement for the Chesterton crowd. Outside hitter Rodriguez, the most experienced on the team, has 117 digs and 103 kills this season. Additionally, outside hitter O’Connor, has 62 kills. Both have a height and vertical jumping ability that will shock the opposing team.
“Jack is the core of our team. He is really good. George has been doing this for two years, and he is an absolute dog,” libero LeNeave said.
The team’s liberos both have strong games, giving the Trojans another position where they can change the roster often. LeNeave and Mendoza have both taken games wearing the designated libero jersey, and have also taken games at other spots. Setters Ringler and Mihut both provide the essential set up for the hitters. Ringler has shown some great skill in several areas, specifically his serving. The freshman leads the team in serving aces, with 28.
“Declan has been around the team for a while, so even though he is a freshman, we have really good chemistry with him. When he does that topspin, it is so sweet. He can give the ball no movement and the ball is so still, it is insane,” LeNeave commented.
Often, one can see Mihut at the center of communication, talking with everyone before the serve to figure out the play. With strong players at every position, the team is often able to roll over competition, and is looking for that signature win against higher competition, like the Lake Central Indians.
“I would say we have the best passers in the DAC, and we really don’t have a weak link. It allows us to run a lot of different plays from the front row,” Oliver concluded.
