New position, good results for Mordell
It’s a whole new ballgame this year for St. Francis’ Jack Mordell.
The Spartans’ only returning starter, Mordell was moved to setter from outside hitter, and he’s adapting to his new position just fine.
“This is a different role for Jack,” coach Mike Lynch said. “He’s doing a great job on a team that goes into the season without an experienced setter for the first time in many years. But he’s moved into the position very smoothly. He just has to get a little more comfortable with the on-court leadership the setter position demands.”
The Spartans are running a 6-2 offense for the first time in five years with junior Jake Tibble operating as the second setter.
But Mordell, who was one of the top passers from the back row last year, adds that extra dimension of being a top outside hitter when he’s in the front row. He’s averaging about 10 kills a match.
“That’s a pretty amazing number when you realize that he’s also setting his teammates for better than 12 assists a match,” Lynch said. “He’s our go-to guy, and he’s our main playmaker.”
On the rise:With Ian Lawson moving from the middle to outside hitter this year, Glenbard West coach Christine Giunta may just have a future superstar on her team.The 6-foot-7 junior is emerging from the shadow of senior-leaders Kevin McGinnis and Adam Lepold to add a powerful weapon to the already-potent Hilltoppers attack.#147;He#146;s got that long reach that opponents are finding impossible to stop,#148; Giunta said. #147;He#146;s athletic, he sees the block well and he can hit around the block. He#146;s a smart player. And remember, he#146;s new at outside hitter and he#146;s become our go-to guy on offense. And he#146;s playing all the way around.#148;Giunta saw something so special last year in both Lawson and junior setter Alex Emanuel that she called them up to varsity when they were only sophomores. They#146;ve both gone from supporting roles to feature players this year.#147;This is our third year playing together,#148; Lawson said. #147;Alex and I are connecting really well. I know I#146;m going to get a perfect set from him, and I believe he knows he can send a set to me and trust me to put the ball down in the right spot.#148;Lawson, who played the right side as a sophomore, finds that his new position demands a whole different mindset and new responsibilities.#147;On the left side I get a lot of out-of-system balls,#148; Lawson said. #147;I get set a lot more and I#146;m expected to be more aggressive. When you#146;re on the left side, you#146;re also facing the other team#146;s strongest blockers, and you have to hit around the block and get kills.#148;Lawson and all his teammates believe that this is the year the relatively new Glenbard West program really arrives and that the Hilltoppers are capable of moving beyond the first round of the playoffs for the first time.#147;Some teams don#146;t know about us yet,#148; Lawson said. #147;When we face some of the top teams from out of the area they think it#146;s going to be just warm-up game. But we#146;re getting ourselves on the map.#148;Glenbard West#146;s tall, athletic and experienced squad will be on display Friday and Saturday at the Benet Invitational along with the host Redwings, Naperville Central, Neuqua Valley, Waubonsie Valley, St. Francis, Morton and Mundelein.Mustangs off to great start:In the preseason Downers Grove South coach Tony Nevrly was reluctant to make predictions about the fortunes of this year#146;s Mustangs. He knew the team was tall and talented, but he was hesitant to label it outstanding because of key graduation losses from last year, and that unknown quantity of team chemistry, which, when missing, can cause the most talented teams to fall short of greatness.But team chemistry is one of the key ingredients that have helped the Mustangs to a 21-3 record (3-0 in conference), the team#146;s best start ever, that includes a pair of victories over archrival Downers Grove North and the championship at the Glenbard East Springfest.#147;They#146;ve exceeded expectations,#148; Nevrly said. #147;And one reason is they don#146;t want to let each other down. They work hard to make sure they don#146;t disappoint each other. When you have kids who really care, they#146;re successful.#148;While seniors Sammy Kull, Kevin O#146;Halloran and Dave Manganiello are the official tri-captains, Nevrly believes the team really has 10 captains because he can count on that many guys to provide leadership at different times.#147;Our guys are experienced and they all have great volleyball IQs#148; Nevrly said. #147;We#146;re tall. We knew our offense would be strong, but when our defense and passing kick in as it did at Springfest and last weekend at our tournament, we can be pretty good.#148;For the first time since 1992 the Mustangs made it to the finals of the Downers Grove South Invitational where they lost to Wheaton Warrenville South.The Mustangs have been bolstered by a group that came up together from last year#146;s undefeated JV team, including outside hitter Paris McFall, setter C.J. Blaha and opposite Brad Widdel. #147;These guys are coming up as ready-made volleyball players,#148; Nevrly said. #147;That means we#146;re building a true three-level program. So, even when we have a number of good players graduate, we don#146;t have to step back and rebuild.#148;When you add those new players to veterans like Kull, O#146;Halloran Mangienello, setter Brian Ruggiero and outside Mike Zinnecker, as well as libero Mike Vaccaro and opposite Travis Coomer, you#146;ve got a tall and skilled team that has the depth to do well for the entire season#147;We will try our best to make a run in the postseason,#148; Nevrly said. #147;But we have no doubt that this group will continue to work hard.#148;