Vernon volleyball team completes successful season
VERNON — Just because it has become routine for the Vernon High School boy’s volleyball program to have successful, productive and winning seasons doesn’t make it any less noteworthy.
Once again this spring, the Vikings proved to be quite formidable on the court as they tallied an overall record of 13-6 and placed fourth in the very difficult West Jersey Volleyball League with a mark of 9-3.
Vernon advanced to the NJSIAA North I Sectional Tournament as the No. 11 seed and advanced to the quarterfinal round before losing to third-seeded Wayne Valley.
A major reason why the Vikings enjoyed success yet again this season was the valuable performances of upperclassmen and underclassmen alike.
“Senior Logan Costello drew a lot of attention, both from our own team as well as others," Vernon coach Jeff DeYoung said. “His leadership came in the form of his overall reliability in being able to score points and disrupt opposing serve receptions."
Costello broke the team's single-season kill record with 266. He also broke a 10-year-old school mark for kills in 652.
"A welcome addition was the leadership of senior Luke Venskus," DeYoung said. "Luke actually played for us his freshman campaign and his return as a senior brought some of his big-game experience from the gridiron, as well as an easygoing temperament. Sophomore Chris Ploch grew in leaps and bounds this season and will be a cornerstone of the program as we continue to move forward."
DeYoung said Stephan Thomsen's defensive presence gree dramatically as the season continued, while the coach noted his offense continued to improve. He did become a reliable blocker and second option to set if he was needed. DeYoung also said sophomore Parker shade's volleyball IQ benefited from his different roles this season. Parker was called upon to call out opposing players' serves, tendencies and hitting options.
Coach DeYoung was able to narrow it down to two matches that truly stand out the most for his program from the recently completed season.
“Two matches stand out for this season," DeYoung said. “The first was our rematch victory over Jefferson on April 28. Losing our season opener to the Falcons on our home floor didn’t sit well, especially since they played the third set so efficiently and we so poorly. We were excited for the league rematch and game planned accordingly. It was a tight contest between two skilled programs, but we were able to stick with our strategies and strengths and get the win."
DeYoung said the win against Clifton to open sectional play also was a standout.
"We entered the North I Sectional Tournament at 12-5, earning an 11 seed in a hotly contested bracket," he said. "We also had a point of pride in the fact that since 2007, we have won at least one state tournament match in the postseason. As a seeded underdog, we were in uncharted territory. However, after a tight first set loss to the Mustangs, we regrouped, played to our strengths, got some timely points from our unheralded athletes and ended up with a three-set upset over the No. 6-seeded Mustangs. This was one of two opening round upsets in the entire State tournament. That match was some of our best ball of the year."
Future opponents be forewarned, the 2016 version of the Vikings plan on being quite a strong presence.
“Easily the optimism comes from the returning varsity players, as most of them have been playing the varsity level for two years or more now," DeYoung said. “We are still relatively young. Similar to last season, the younger players are looking for opportunities to improve in the offseason, something that used to be a staple of the program. Any opportunity to play outside the season is a welcome advantage."