GIRLS VOLLEYBALL: Senior-led Troy to continue comeback
BY JAKE LOURIM
STUDENT CORRESPONDENT
TROY — The Troy girls volleyball team comes into this season with its third coach in four years. This time, though, athletics director Jim Johnson didn’t go far to find his new coach.
Vince Muscat replaces Ed Ruhl at the helm of the program. Ruhl and Muscat work together at Michigan Elite Volleyball Academy as the top coaches of the 18-year-old and 16-year-old teams, respectively.
“They definitely coach a lot the same,” fourth-year player Lindsay Moeller said. “They have the same mindsets of how they want the game to be played. I think that’s also helping with the transition.”Muscat said his style is similar to Ruhl’s, which should make the transition easier.
“If you bring a new coach in here who has a different offensive scheme and a different defensive philosophy, there’s always that first year,” Muscat said. “The toughest year for a coach is the first year. I don’t think this year’s going to be tough when we talk about those seniors and the fact that Ed and I work together. I think that’s going to make it an easy transition.”
“We’ve done it before,” said Hahn, who with Moeller has already been through one coaching change. “We know him. The new coach doesn’t really affect how we’re going to play.”
Ruhl started in 2010 with a rebuilding squad that went 0-8 in the OAA Red and lost its first game in the state tournament. The Colts quickly rebounded last year by going 8-0 in the OAA White and reaching the regional final. In the offseason, Ruhl took the assistant coach position at Lawrence Tech.
Now, Muscat has a core group of seven seniors to make this transition smooth in the long run. In the short run, he isn’t too concerned.
“The first couple weeks might be tough, but who cares how you play in the first couple weeks?” the coach said. “It’s about how you play at the end of the year.”
Troy returns several attackers, including junior OH Olivia Parks, senior OH Hope Keating and Hahn. Moeller will again be the setter. The attack is deep, with seniors Lexie Pullen and Marcela Sanabria also contributing.
“If I gave us a strength, it’s probably that we’ve got so much firepower,” Muscat said. “But if you can’t deliver that ball to the attacker, it doesn’t mean anything.”
Troy has little experience on the back line. Libero Laney Hart graduated, as did defensive specialists Kristen Shetler and Jess Baranowski.
With that inexperience, Muscat knows what his team has to work on early.
“Ball control,” he said. “And ball control. And ball control.
“If we get that with our offense, we’re going to be good.”
That leaves seniors Julie Welch and Lindsay Brown to come in and control the ball. Sophomore Hannah Moeller and freshman Kyla Zaleski will also battle for the libero spot. Muscat expects some of his hitters to play all-around.
The coach said Zaleski has shown promise after an outstanding tryout. He doesn’t usually keep freshmen, but with this year’s seasoned senior class, Zaleski has the opportunity to learn from veterans.
“With the seniors that we have this year, I think they can really bring her along, and it’s going to be a great experience for her,” Muscat said.
This year’s team has two four-year players, Hahn and Moeller, and two third-year players in Keating and Pullen.
“It helps being more mature,” said Moeller, a co-captain. “We know what to expect and what we need to do in order to win like we did last year.”
They’ve played together extensively and have good chemistry together.
“With that kind of attitude is an unselfish attitude that I think can carry teams over the top,” Muscat said. “There’s a lot of schools in the state of Michigan that have talent, but that team attitude is going to carry us a long ways.”
With that cohesion on the front line, Muscat knows his team’s potential if it can get its defense under control.
“It’s going to make or break our season,” he said. “If we get good at first contact, we are going to be a state contender. I truly believe that.”
The experienced group will have plenty of chances to prove itself early. Wednesday, the Colts head to Blue Water Sports Center to play powerhouses like Farmington Hills Mercy, Clarkston and Livonia Churchill. Saturday, they play at Macomb Dakota in another tough tournament.
But the team likes its chances to hold its own in those games.
“We need to make sure our defense is on and that we don’t beat ourselves,” Hahn said.
When Muscat was asked about his first impression of the team, one word came to mind.
“Family,” Muscat said. “These girls love each other. I haven’t been a part of a program that is like that. I’ve tried to instill that in my programs in the past, but this program coming in, you can tell there’s a lot of pride. They’re ready for something big.”
(Jake Lourim is a junior at Troy High School and a member of the S.H.P. Media Group / www.northoaklandsports.com Student Correspondence Program. He is publisher of website www.troycoltsportsupdate.com and a member of the Troy school newspaper editorial staff. He can be reached by e-mail at j.lourim@comcast.net)
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