BY COACH WAYNE HALLIDAY
For the first time in years H. J. Cody fielded a junior varsity boys volleyball team made up of mostly Grade 10 students and we’re looking to build on this in the coming years.
Theresa Donaghy started last year with a group of Grade 9 students who showed chemistry and the desire to play volleyball and this laid the foundation for the junior varsity team.
With the foundation set and anchored by setter Zack Kostiuk and team captain Gallen Donaghy we entered the season with the focus on development and building for the future. Our coaching plan was to enter tournaments and play as many games as possible to aid in getting the touches required when building a strong foundation.
By season end we played 26 matches made up of 76 sets and during these matches we saw the players start to understand the game and show the emotion and desire to compete.
With Zack Kostiuk running the offence, right side hitter Chase Allen led the way with hard hits and tough serves while Devyn Blondheim showed the tenacity and hard work to earn his playing time. Caleb Adams led the middles with speed and quickness with Austin Ilcisin steady and consistent while Tyrone Noble showed the most improvement and is going to be a force in the middle. Power hitters were led by Gallen Donaghy with great back court play and hard hits while Dawson Main, Tayler Deibert and Jessi Andrews showed the growth that is going to see them succeed. The back court defense was solidified by Libro Ryan Kostyniuk.
The team went three and five in league play and we were very confident heading into the league championship but due to weather the league championship was cancelled.