Boys Volleyball: Olentangy Liberty Patriots put together another strong season
Coach David Hale tries to keep his Olentangy Liberty boys volleyball team focused on the next point. That’s probably why the Patriots weren’t paying too much attention to a run of 43 consecutive sets won to open the season.
Liberty, which was 18-3 overall after a 25-20, 25-23, 25-22 loss to DeSales on May 11, ran through the first 14 matches of the season in straight sets. The Patriots were ranked fifth in the state coaches poll in Division I and first in the East Region as of May 8, while DeSales was ranked second in Division II and fifth in the region.
Liberty won the OCC-Central Division at 12-0 and lost only one set in league play – in a 23-25, 25-19, 25-23, 25-23 win over Hilliard Davidson on May 5. It’s the first league title for the Patriots since 2015.
“I think we were just focused on the task at hand,” Hale said. “I just preach to them to move on to the next point and treat it like it’s 0-0. We really weren’t too focused on what was happening in terms of winning those sets. I really (tell) them not to focus too much on the opponent (and) just try to focus on what we’re doing.”
The closest the Patriots came to losing a set during the opening streak was against Olentangy on April 28, when they won the first set 27-25. It was just the fifth time they allowed an opponent to score 20 or more points.
But going unscathed was never the goal for Liberty, which lost its first matches at the Centerville Elite 8 on April 30. The Patriots lost to top-ranked Cincinnati Elder 25-16, 22-25, 25-22, 25-16 and second-ranked Cincinnati Moeller 25-15, 25-19, 25-21.
Liberty opened the tournament with a 25-23, 25-14, 25-20 win over the host Elks, who were ranked seventh.
“I think the winning streak was good, but I think it can give some of the younger players too much confidence,” senior middle hitter Colby Whiteside said. “They think they’re the best and they don’t have to try. After that tournament, it was pretty eye-opening for a lot of people to see that we’re good but, if we aren’t playing our best, it’s night and day.”
Whiteside led a balanced lineup with 35 blocks and 34 aces through 20 matches. Noah Koknat had 191 kills, David Jenkins had 140 kills and 133 digs, Connor Severson had 401 assists and Jack Sullenberger had 168 digs.
Liberty made its first trip to the state tournament last season. The postseason begins May 20.
“What I love about this team is their balance,” Hale said. “I think we have 12 guys that consistently get in and it’s no big deal. They go in and I expect the same level of play.”
•Evan Schultz has been a top performer for Orange this spring, leading the team in most categories.
The senior started the year as an outside hitter but moved to setter midway through the season. Schultz led the Pioneers through 20 matches with 106 kills, 17 blocks, 35 aces and 127 digs.
“Evan Schultz has been everything for us,” coach Karlie Foy said. “He has been a primary hitter for us. We moved to run a 6-2 (scheme) with two setters and he moved to set for us. He can add more leadership and consistency on the floor. Freshman Drew Stein is the other setter.”
Stein led with 276 assists, and junior outside/right-side hitter Alan Deutschendorf had 14 blocks. Senior defensive specialists Gabe Runyon and Levi Adkins had 112 and 94 digs, respectively.
The Pioneers were 5-18 overall before playing Westerville South on May 16 in the OCC Challenge at Hilliard Darby. They finished 3-9 in the OCC-Central.
“Liberty crushed everyone (in the league) and was the frontrunner, but after that all the matches were competitive,” Foy said. “We played well against each other and we played pretty close matches.
“The season has been full of ups and downs and a lot of almosts. We’re doing OK going into the postseason. We’re excited to be the underdogs and fight for some wins.”
–Scott Hennen
•Olentangy coach Emi Holsclaw knows there’s talent on her team. It’s getting the players to reach that potential that’s been difficult this season.
The Braves were 6-15 overall and finished 4-8 in the OCC-Cardinal with a 21-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-19 loss to Dublin Jerome on May 11.
“They’re still very inconsistent,” Holsclaw said. “There are moments when they look really, really good and moments where they don’t. The majority of the guys are sophomores and I think they’re still working on building that confidence.”
Olentany has been led by four sophomores in Gavin Grover (outside hitter), Carter Shomock (outside hitter), Max Gutierrez (libero) and Jack Barga (setter).
Grover had 244 kills and 14 aces, Shomock had 230 kills, 20 blocks and 14 aces, Gutierrez had 164 digs and 13 aces and Barga had 459 assists through 20 matches.
“Individually, we have some really standout players that have had really (strong) performances,” Holsclaw said. “Max is playing really well lately. It’s cool to see him light up and do good work defensively for us and on the pass. Gavin’s been playing really well for us and Carter Shomock is having some good games.
“Every match, we’ll have one guy that stands out and does really well. We’re still trying to balance everyone out and get it to be more of a well-rounded team effort.”
–Michael Rich
•Berlin has been playing well heading into the Division II regional tournament.
The Bears were 16-7 overall before playing Pickerington North on May 16 in the OCC Challenge. They finished 6-6 in the OCC-Cardinal.
“They are doing well,” said first-year coach Jim Cornett, whose program had nine total wins entering the season after starting in 2019. “Things are still coming together, and we’re playing hard. Everyone is healthy going into the postseason, which is what you want.”
Freshman outside hitter Hayden Van Horne led the team with 217 kills through 21 matches and had 156 digs and 23 aces. His sophomore brother, setter Parker Van Horne, led with 575 assists while adding 119 digs and 41 aces.
Sophomore middle blocker Mitch Zahner had a team-high 47 blocks to go with 85 kills, 104 digs and 41 aces, and senior libero Mike Mannino led with 168 digs.
Freshman outside hitter Josh Weida had 158 kills, 108 digs and 20 aces, and senior outside hitter Mason Clark had 118 kills and 34 blocks. Junior middle blocker Aditya Arora added 70 kills and 37 blocks.
“Being a young team, we have played our best when there isn’t a lot of expectations and play loose and have fun,” Cornett said. “It’s all about learning and growing as a team. I’m excited to see what happens in the tournament.”
–Scott Hennen
•Delaware Hayes has improved this season, but coach Eric Whitaker is still trying to get his players to believe in themselves.
The Pacers were 8-13 overall and went 5-9 in the OCC-Ohio.
“We definitely made a huge improvement record-wise,” Whitaker said. “It’s not as good as we wanted (to be). It was more of a mental game this year. I think they’re still in last year’s mode. They’ve got the talent; they’ve got the drive – it’s just putting the pieces together. Hopefully we can find a spark when the tournament starts (May 20).”
David Cauley has been the key to Delaware’s success this season.
“He’s my strong outside hitter,” Whitaker said. “He’s got a lot of experience with club. His dad (Jay Cauley) was the coach at Hilliard Davidson for years. He’s volleyball bred. He’s definitely the vocal leader on the team. Guys have turned to him and he’s not afraid to coach on and off the court.”
–Michael Rich
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This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Boys Volleyball: Liberty puts together another strong season
