Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Spike-O-Therapy: A player goes vertical during practice last week with the Willow Glen High boys' volleyballers.
Discipline-and loads of talent-set the varsity volleyball men up for victory
Willow Glen High School boys' volleyball team climbs the standings
By Mary Spicuzza
Rich Stayskal tosses a volleyball high in the air. With an impressive leap, he launches a fast jump serve that slices over the net and slams against the floor in the opponent's court. With Stayskal's effortless poise, it seems as though he'd grown up on the court. Until he explains he never thought of playing until Coach Jef Wind hand-picked him last fall to try out for the Willow Glen boys' volleyball team.
"He saw me fall while I was skating, and thought I fell really well," Stayskal laughs. "Now I love it. Volleyball is my new sport."
Like Stayskal, everyone on the 12-man dream team is celebrating a renewed love for the sport. The team is doing better than it has in years, and, if it sweeps the second half of the season, can still make it to the Central Coast Section championship rounds approaching this May.
As I get the lowdown on the team's turn-around season from Coach Wind and Assistant Coach Eric Stachnick, (who, like Wind, teaches art at the high school), the guys race around the gym in single file.
"It's not like they didn't have the talent last year," Wind says as the teammates simultaneously switch to shuffle step. "They just didn't have the focus."
Now the boys are so disciplined I can barely hear the proud coach's praise. Without coach's orders, they've formed a circle and are counting in unison while doing crunches and push-ups.
After leading his teammates in a simple "One-Two-Three-Win" cheer, 17-year-old John Fernandez, team captain and one of two returning seniors, strides to the sidelines. He's somehow managed to keep a brown cowboy hat propped perfectly on his head through the rounds of running, sit-ups and stretching.
"We're just a lot better this year. We've got more control, we're better passers," Fernandez says, surveying his teammates as they pair up to practice passing and setting. "It's also the teamwork; we're a close-knit group. We hang out, play volleyball, go out for pizza together."
Photograph by Skye Dunlap
Ready, Set, Go: Matt Herman sets one up during warm ups before Willow Glen's game against Prospect High.
With practice sessions held three days a week, and often lasting for nearly three hours each, it's no wonder members of the revamped team now seem like a family--a rambunctious family. And with victories over teams from Lincoln, Gunderson, Pioneer, Piedmont Hills and Gilroy high schools, they're now enjoying the rewards of their hard work. The guys have five wins and only three losses this season.
"It's the coaching. And the players bringing it together," co-captain Shane LaMar says. LaMar, a junior, plays as the team's setter--a key position because without a good setter, even the most powerful hitter can't manage killer shots. "I want to play again next year," LaMar nods.
Even for those who aren't returning next season, like senior Jason Rhoades, the team's fired-up attitude is changing future plans. A third-year player, Rhoades says he plans to enroll in West Valley or a nearby community college, then transfer to Santa Clara University. Although he hasn't decided on a school, Rhoades says he'll be playing volleyball wherever he goes.
When asked about the team's new attitude, Rhoades explains, "Our coach doesn't give up on us."
As we talk about college plans, glowing white volleyballs are ricocheting off every wall in the red-and-gold-covered Rams' gymnasium. David "Fraggle" Estrella sends a ball sailing over the net, and Stayskal lands another impressive jump serve. It's no wonder the guys have built up a fan base, with game attendance climbing steadily throughout the season.
As Coach Wind watches over the team's warm-ups, he explains that he can't take responsibility for the new attitude. Wind says, "They've just worked super hard."
And, as Captain Fernandez's still-affixed cowboy hat shows, the team has found that discipline doesn't have to mean lack of character.
The Willow Glen High School boys' volleyball team plays at home against Westmont High School on Tuesday, April 27. The game starts at 6:30pm.
Willow Glen, California Since 1992
