Calhoun boys’ volleyball has a tall task ahead of it: replicate last year’s March Madness-like playoff run, one where it entered from a low seed and made it all the way to winning a county championship.
“We really just believed in each other and believed we could win and once we won that first playoff game, we were like ‘alright, let’s go, we can do this,’” Colts coach Ryan Pastuch said. “We were beating teams that beat us pretty well in the regular season, that we ended up beating in the playoffs, and it was just because we believed in each other and went on that run.”
What made last year all the more sweet was the fact there were so many fresh faces to the game, learning on the fly.
“In the regular season, we had all really new players, and it was a lot of their first times playing varsity,” he explained. “They weren’t really used to the speed [of the game], so it took a little bit of an adjustment. We were playing against top teams, which was great for us because we got a lot better, but we just didn’t win many games in the regular season so a lot of people sort of just counted us out.”
In a similar scenario now and with the 2024 playoffs in mind, there’s key components and players that are at the forefront of Pastuch’s mind if he and the Colts (10-5 in Conference 2A) dare to hope for a repeat and capture a third title in four years.
Aleksander Ignjatovic is a returner, labeled as the go-to guy, as well as the senior setter and co-captain Lucas Rogers, the guy in charge of running the offense.
Their successful playoff experience is what’s navigating the sled, providing additional muscle behind them (literally and metaphorically) is Ian Yegedis. Last year he was in the defensive specialist role, this year he stepped up into a bigger role as the libero, and the change is seen by both coach and his teammates.
“He made varsity last year as a freshman and he was very good, but we had two seniors who played libero, and he was right there with them,” Pastuch explained. “Once he came into this season, he was ready to take that role, and he also has those leadership qualities that you look for in a libero where want them to always be talking [to the team], guiding the floor, getting the team ready and energized, so he has that personality as well.”
The difference between last and this year’s teams, are the changed roles within the squad between last year and this year. For example, Alec Bloch is a starting outside hitter, a returning sophomore, who didn’t see the most playing time in his position last year.
“Already just the improvement this year is incredible from where he started this year to where he is now,” he said. “Really just looking forward to watching him in playoffs and see how he could help the team succeed.”
In the center of the Venn diagram between last year and this year’s team is the refusal to give up until the fat lady sings.
“We lost the first two sets and we came back to win the next three,” Pastuch said. “It reminded me of last year’s team, that never-give-up mentality, that just believed in each other, that the game’s never over until that last point. I thought that was a good turning point in the season.”