Boys High School Off and Running

Boys' volleyball has continued to have a spike in interest in Missouri. The last couple of years saw the state sanction the sport, and more schools have added it to their roster of varsity events. I'll see quite a bit of action this spring, so there won't be a great increase in articles touching on the fellas, but I will dabble here and there. This weekend, I was able to see some play at the Oak Park Chopping Block Invitational, where Park Hill South defeated the hosts, Oak Park, in three sets for the title. Here are some players who stood out.   Kaori Donham - OH - Park Hill South   I've seen Donham a few times now. He plays with a lot of emotion and is the type of player you want on your side. He wants the ball and wants to take the big swing. And big swings are something you see a lot of with him on the floor. I also saw him run some rotations from the setter position and didn't look too shabby there as well. His ability to play defense at the net and in the back row stood out.   Alex Foot - OH - Park Hill South   A good tandem to Donham, Foot is a solid outside on the Panther roster. He displays good athleticism and has a good arm on him, finding success on the pin.   Max Henderson - OH/S - Fort Osage   Henderson was a bright spot on the floor for Fort Osage. He showed his ability to contribute from the setter position and as a hitter. He also keeps a positive attitude on the floor, heard multiple times encouraging his teammates in some tough matches.   Bryton Bertram - OH - Platte County   Any time you get a player with good size and the ability to terminate balls, that's a good thing, and Platte County has that in Bertram. I was also impressed with the defensive efforts at the net.   Joshua Echeverry - OH - Platte County   Echeverry is one of those players that does many of the little things right to help his team to victory. He takes powerful swings on the outside and plays solid defense in the back row.   Sammy Whiteman - S - Rock Bridge   Rock Bridge runs a two-setter system, and I thought Whiteman controlled things well when on the floor. He makes good decisions and has good hands and ball placement.   Jackson Marstall - OH/S - Rock Bridge   Marstall also ran the show at times from the setter position and had a good connection with the middles. From the front row, he showed his ability to score. He was also impactful from behind the service line.   David Denmar - MB - Rock Bridge   Standing at 6'5", when in system, Denmar was able to have his way at the net offensively.   Trevin Harvey - OH/S - Belton   I like the competitiveness of Havey on the floor for Benton. He rotates from the setter position to a hitter throughout the match. He is terminal on the outside and solid with the ball in his hands, dispersing to teammates. I also enjoy his floor leadership in rallying his team.   Tre Chen - L - Park Hill South   Chen was one of the more effective liberos I saw on Saturday. His passing was overall solid, and his defense in the championship game was on point.   Derek Jones - RS - Oak Park   The southpaw, Jones, is extremely athletic with a quick arm swing. His floor awareness shows itself constantly when he opts not to swing and score via tip or throw.   Tre Lewis-Carter - MB - Oak Park   A game-changing middle, Lewis-Carter is only a sophomore, and the future is bright. When his team is passing well, he's nearly unstoppable offensively. The part of the weekend that really stood out was his play in the middle back defensively after serving; he held his own.   Ian Huynh - S - Oak Park   I thought Huynh was really good for Oak Park, setting the ball in his rotations on the court. His timing with the middles and sets to the pins was consistent.

Boys' volleyball has continued to have a spike in interest in Missouri. The last couple of years saw the state sanction the sport, and more schools have added it to their roster of varsity events. I'll see quite a bit of action this spring, so there won't be a great increase in articles touching on the fellas, but I will dabble here and there. This weekend, I was able to see some play at the Oak Park Chopping Block Invitational, where Park Hill South defeated the hosts, Oak Park, in three sets for the title. Here are some players who stood out.