Latrobe boys volleyball hopes experience pays off

By: HSSN Staff
Monday, April 2, 2018 | 5:21 PM

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Last year was for learning. This year is for results.

That's the plan laid out for the Latrobe boys volleyball team.

The Wildcats finished fourth in the WPIAL Section 3-AAA standings at 8-6 and made the WPIAL tournament in 2017. However, they lost to Shaler, 3-0, in the first round.

A number of experienced players are back from that squad, including returning starters Mirko Pandini (middle blocker), Holden Kammerer (middle blocker), Reed Fenton (outside hitter), Alex Ryan (outside hitter) and Myles Douglas (libero).

“Last year, we were young, and we had an excuse for not being at the top of the class,” Latrobe coach Drew Vosefski said. “These guys understand the excuses are over. If they want to be thought of as one of the contenders, they have to perform.”

Fenton, a junior, leads the way. He earned all-section and all-WPIAL honors the past two years. Ryan, Pandini and Kammerer garnered all-section honors last season, as well.

“The guys have bettered themselves by a factor of two since the start of the season,” Vosefski said. “But as a coach, you're never satisfied, so we keep on pushing. Things are going really well. These guys had a year to play together and kind of get things going.

“We have had a rash of injuries early and some people missing some games, so we haven't solidified our lineup yet. I think, once we get the team I have in my mind on the court at one time, we should be pretty good.”

Ryan was one of the players to suffer an injury (sprained ankle). Gage Handwork filled in at outside hitter.

“We have some key people stepping up big time. Gage has played the left side and right side, but he's stepped in and done a fantastic job. Matt Klasnic has stepped into a defensive role, which is helping greatly. Ethan Kammerer has been playing some big minutes for us and doing great work,” Vosefski said. “We are a tall team, and we are a very strong offensive force. We can bang with anyone in the league. The key will be if we can block and pass.”

The Wildcats (1-1, 1-0), who opened section play with a win over Armstrong, look forward to the section grind. Penn-Trafford, Hempfield and Norwin join Latrobe among the WPIAL's top-ranked teams.

“It's what I think is the toughest section in the WPIAL. It's going to be a dogfight every night,” Vosefski said. “Every match is a battle, and no one is going to give you one inch. We would rather have our mettle tested every night and be sure going into big games we can handle the pressure, though.”

The squad opened the season at the Norwin tournament, which gave the Wildcats a good look at some of the other ranked teams.

“We played most of the top teams there and did well,” Vosefski said. “We finished sixth with a patched-up crew. That's not bad for not having all your starters there. This is one of the hardest working groups of guys I have been around in my 21 years. We hope for and strive for perfection every time we take the court.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.

Tags: Latrobe