MOUNT VERNON – After missing the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mount Vernon boys volleyball team features just one returning letter winner from the 2019 squad, which advanced all the way to the state final four in Division I.
Still, fifth-year Mount Vernon coach Chad Sivewright is high on the talent of his young, inexperienced Yellow Jackets.
“We just don’t have a lot of experience,” Sivewright said. “We’ve got one returning letter winner (in Alex Reddy) that has only played a few varsity games. In that sense, the inexperience is the toughest thing. Yeah, losing last year was definitely a pretty big impact. I would assume it’s the same for everyone. I think everyone’s probably in a similar situation.
“That’s short-term. For us to be as young as we are … in a couple of years they’ll be really experienced.”
The Jackets feature four seniors in Reddy, Mason Boatright, Anthony Thomas and Mason Mock.
“It set us back a little bit,” Reddy said. “We thought last season was gonna be a good season. This year, we’ve got a lot of young guys, but I think they’re willing to really work this year and they want to get better. I think we have a good season ahead of us.”
Reddy, who is slated to be the team’s setter, is taking on the leadership role for Mount Vernon.
“He’s been tough on himself,” Sivewright said. “He’s working on that leadership role. It comes and it goes because I think he’s still working on where he wants to be. I’m really happy with the decision he’s made (to be a leader) and the role that he’s played as a senior.”
“Being on varsity my sophomore year, I got to watch Brandon (Grabow), who’s in college right now playing at (Queens University of Charlotte) at a really high level,” Reddy said. “I saw him and what he was doing, and I just wanted to be like that — be a role model for them and just make sure that they’re working hard. I see that they love the game and I do too. I just want to express that and show them that.”
Boatright and sophomore Joel Hubbard will handle the outside hitter positions.
Junior Weston Porter and freshman Parker Gantt will play the middle.
Sophomore Dash Lepley will handle the libero position and sophomore Cooper Carpenter will play right side.
Thomas, Mock and junior Isaiah Jones will provide depth off the bench.
“They’re a real super-competitive group,” Sivewright said. “They come in wanting to get better every day. They’re multi-sport athletes, so they understand what it’s about. They know how to be in a program and what it takes to put in that work to be good.”
Mount Vernon opened the season with a quad against defending state champion Cincinnati St. Xavier, Massillon Jackson and St. Charles. The Jackets went 0-3 on the day, losing in three sets to the Bombers, in five sets to the Cardinals and in four sets to the Polar Bears.
Gantt had four kills, Carpenter had three kills and two digs, Reddy had seven assists and Hubbard had three aces in a 25-15, 25-9, 25-9 loss to St. Xavier to open the season.
Gantt had 12 kills and four blocks, Hubbard had nine kills and a pair of aces, and Lepley and Jones had seven digs apiece to lead the Jackets in a 24-26, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22, 16-14 loss to St. Charles.
“I think that game really showed what we could do,” Reddy said. “It really showed that we can play and go up against good competition. I think it was a pretty good day and we learned a lot.”
Hubbard had eight kills, Carpenter had 18 assists and Lepley had six digs to lead Mount Vernon (0-3) in a 23-25, 25-13, 25-16, 25-16 loss to Jackson.
