Tom Comfort

Tom Comfort, a 2009 graduate of Orchard Park High School and junior opposite hitter on the Penn State men’s volleyball team, helped the Nittany Lions capture the school’s 14th straight Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association championship and earn an automatic bid to the Final Four.

In the EIVA semifinal championship against Princeton, Comfort earned a team-high 12 kills with just one hitting error in a 3-0 sweep over the Tigers. In the championship versus George Mason, Comfort picked up seven kills.

Penn State will play top-seeded UC Irvine tonight at 9 p.m. for a chance to advance to the championship scheduled to be played at UCLA on Saturday, May 5.

For more information and to watch or listen to tonight’s match: Visit the Penn State men’s volleyball site.

Orchard Park High School graduate Tom Comfort, a junior at Penn State University, was named the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association Offensive Player of the Week, conference officials announced Monday, April 16.

Tom Comfort

Despite Penn State suffering two losses at fourth-ranked BYU over the weekend, Comfort was a strong presence on the court for the Nittany Lions.

On Friday, April 13, Comfort led the Nittany Lions with 16 kills and was second on the team with two blocks. The following day, Comfort again led Penn State tying for first on the team with nine kills. He a had a team-high two aces and was second on the squad with six digs.

For the weekend, Comfort led the Nittany Lions with a combined 25 kills on .315 hitting. He totaled two aces, 12 digs and two blocks.

Comfort is a 2009 Orchard Park graduate, who helped the Quakers win the 2008 state regional volleyball championship.

On his fourth trip to the NCAA men’s volleyball Final Four as a member of the Ohio State University men’s volleyball team, Orchard Park’s John Klanac fulfilled his dream of winning a National Championship title.

After losing out at a chance to reach the finals in each of his first three visits to the semifinals, Klanac and company beat out Penn State en route to the title game before taking down UC-Santa Barbara in the championship match.

John Klanac

Along with another former OP standout Mike Stefani, a sophomore outside hitter for Ohio State, Klanac went to battle versus Penn State and Tom Comfort (OP ’09) in the semifinal.

The matchup between the two schools was intriguing not only in that it featured players from the same high school, but Klanac and Comfort went to head-to-head at the net.

Klanac is an outside hitter playing on the left side of the court when positioned in the front row of the rotation while Comfort, an opposite hitter, is situated at the net on the right side. As a result, the players were hitting and blocking against one another which providing some exciting outcomes.

Klanac supplied his squad with a giant spark at the start of the match by blocking Comfort on just the second point of the contest.

When asked how it felt to block Comfort, Klanac responded: “Amazing, did you see my celebration afterwards? That’s how I felt.”

Comfort returned the favor later in match by blocking a Klanac attempt right back at him.

Despite the heated battle during the semifinal matchup, Klanac said he enjoyed the rivalry with his friend and fellow OP alumnus.

“It was definitely awesome to have two OP guys battling each other at the net,” Klanac said of the friendly encounter.

Ohio State outlasted Penn State winning three sets to one, giving Klanac a chance at the National Championship that eluded him in the team’s previous three attempts at reaching the title match.
In the championship, Ohio State fell in the first set, historically an indication as to who will win the match, but Klanac said the team was not shaken by the defeat.

“We sat down after game one and we were still confident,” he said. “I mean the fact that they themselves only scored like four points and we gave them ten points by missed serves and still lost by a few; just showed we were the more dominant team. We just had to be good on our side.”

Ohio State struggled with their serving throughout the match, but remained the aggressors and took the second and third sets before succumbing in the fourth. The Buckeyes were sparked in the final and deciding set by a mammoth block from Klanac just before the mid-game side change which provided the momentum to win, 15-9.

“Unreal,” Klanac said of the win. “Words can’t even describe it. I always envisioned what it would be like to win and how it would play out. Right when we scored the last point I just dove on the ground and started the dog pile.”

Klanac finished the match with 15 kills on 37 attempts to go along with 6 digs and five blocks.

“I’m glad I could share this with Buffalo and Orchard Park,” Klanac said of taking the title home. “It’s something I’ll always remember.”

With a NCAA title to his credit and new found fame from playing on national television, Klanac returned home to a slew of Facebook friend requests, text messages and emails.

Humbled and blessed by his new status as a National Champion, Klanac made time for it all.

“I accepted everyone and replied to everyone,” he said.

Klanac is currently playing professional volleyball for RWE Bottrop in Germany.

Top 20 Orchard Park Sports Stories from 2011

The Orchard Park girls volleyball team won the New York State Class AA Section VI title this fall with a three-set sweep over Frontier. The win was Orchard Park’s first section title in girls volleyball.

“I feel incredible. There are no words to describe it,” senior Alyssa Dueringer said after the match. “We beat a team that normally always beat us. It’s amazing. It’s incredible. I love it. It’s an honor to play with this team. I love these girls. It’s amazing.”

Section Champions

The Lady Quakers lost in the far west regional to eventual state champion Penfield. The team graduates only one player (Alyssa Dueringer) so hopes are high for a repeat.

Top 20 Orchard Park Sports Stories from 2011

Devic named to All-State Third Team

The Orchard Park varsity volleyball teams finished well this fall with the girls squad winning the sectional title for the first time in school history and the boys team advancing to, but losing in, the section title match.

Several players were rewarded for their efforts in leading their respective teams to successful seasons.

Junior Maryellen Devic was named to the New York State Class AA Large School Third Team, All-WNY Large School Coaches First Team, as well as to the All-ECIC First Team.

Sophomore Rebecca Higgins was named to the All-WNY Large School Coaches Second Team.

Sophomore Kristen Stanek was given honorable mention by the All-ECIC Large School coaches and named to the All-ECIC Second Team.

Sophomore Noelle Poloncarz and senior Alyssa Dueringer were named ECIC I Second Team all-stars.

On the boys side, senior Matt McCormick and junior Trey Cimorelli were named to the All-WNY First Team.

Senior Justice Rogers, juniors Kevin Donohue and Tyler Eagleton were named to the ECIC I First Team while senior Steve Czuczman and junior Ken Dudkowski were named ECIC I Second Team all-stars.

Visit the Buffalo News to see complete boys and girls all-star rosters.

Becca Smith

Becca Smith
Volleyball
St. John Fisher College, Senior
OPHS, 2008

Dream job: Kindergarten teacher
Favorite pro athlete: Jason Pominville
I can’t live without: Chocolate
Favorite animal: Squirrel
Last thing I read: Some school related book
Hidden talent: I can pick things up with my toes
Favorite movie character: Chris from Just Friends or Evan from Superbad
I want to have dinner with: Gerard Butler
Favorite sport: Hockey

In late August, I attended my first practice of the Orchard Park girls volleyball team to gather information for the season preview in the Orchard Park Press. The team was young, but had several returning players from last season’s roster. I recall asking a few players and Coach Greg Lardo if the team could win the sectional championship. I figured with the team’s talent and the experience carrying over from the previous season that the girls had a shot at it. Sure enough, the Lady Quakers swept rival Frontier to win Orchard Park’s first girls volleyball sectional championship in school history.

New York State Section VI Class AA Volleyball Champions

Read my preview that ran in early September:

Hopes are high for an Orchard Park girls volleyball team that brings back seven players from last year’s roster that advanced to the Class AA quarterfinal playoffs last season.

Despite the return of so many girls, the squad is still young featuring just one senior, but with the experience gained last season the team will not be able to use the excuse of being young again.

“We need to play together,” said sophomore Noelle Poloncarz, the team’s returning setter. “We can’t use excuses anymore. Last year, we used the excuse that we were too young.”

Returning to the lineup this season are standout junior middle hitter Maryellen Devic, sophomore outside hitters Rebecca Higgins and Kristen Stanek, as well as senior opposite hitter Alyssa Dueringer and liberos Myan Idziur, a junior, and sophomore Christine Zizzi.

Middle hitters Ciara Godbout and Lindsey McCarthy are new to this year’s roster. Sophomores Hannah Johnson and Riley Chapman could see time on the varsity squad.

Poloncarz is prepared to take on a leadership role left by Natalie Meyer, now at Daemen College. As a setter, Poloncarz realizes it is up to her to keep the team’s offense running efficiently.

“I need to know my hitters and where they like the sets; how they play and help each other out,” she said.

According to Coach Greg Lardo, now in his fourth year coaching the girls varsity squad, the team will rely on every girl to be a leader.

“I don’t really see the team just looking at one person,” the coach said. “I think they all get the game. The core of the girls look to each other, which is good so we don’t have one person as the primary leader to do everything for us. We’re looking to Maryellen to get us big kills at times and lead by example, but outside of that it’s going to be a team concept.”

The experience gained last year and the fact that four girls on the team play club together during the summer, team unity and familiarity on the court are high.

“I think it helps us a lot,” Devic said of playing for the Niagara Frontier Volleyball Club with Higgins, Stanek and Poloncarz. “We’re used to how each other plays. As soon as we get everybody on the same page, it’s just going to be easier.”

Devic, Higgins and Stanek figure to be the team’s top hitters and while Lardo said he is experimenting with rotations to maximize the use of his hitters; defense will be the biggest focus for the team.

“The main focus is defense,” said Lardo. “I think we got killed last year on letting too many balls drop. I don’t know if it’s them being around volleyball more or being older, but they’re getting to more balls now and playing better defense. We’ll see how it translates to games.”

Idziur and Zizzi are being looked at as the team’s top defenders in the back row.

With the amount of experience that returns to the squad, the unity of the squad is strong drawing comparisons to that of the 2009 team that advanced to the section championship.

“The team that went to the sectional championship had ten seniors and it’s not kind of the same way,” said Lardo. “They all got along and hung out outside of volleyball, which I stress; the team cohesion part of the game.”

The players are hopeful they can translate their unity and last year’s experience into a strong playoff run and a possible sectional title.

“We have a lot of experience from last year and we did well last year,” said Poloncarz, who said desire is critical to earning a section crown. “We definitely want it and you have to want it to win it.”

The Orchard Park football team and girls volleyball squad have won Section VI Class AA titles. The issue now is that they both play in the far west regional this Saturday at the same time.

The football team plays Rush-Henrietta at Sahlen’s Stadium in Rochester on Saturday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. while girls volleyball is scheduled to play Penfield at Sweet Home at the same time.

The Orchard Park girls volleyball team defeated Lockport Thursday evening to advance to the Class AA section championship versus Frontier on Tuesday at Sweet Home. Match is set for 8 p.m. start.

Kristen Stanek, Maryellen Devic, Alyssa Dueringer

Maryellen Devic

Maryellen Devic
Junior, OPHS
Volleyball

I want to visit: Australia
Favorite teacher: Mrs. Giallella
Nickname: Red
Favorite movie quote: “If you ain’t first, you’re last.” – Ricky Bobby from Talladaga Nights
Dream job: Physical therapist
I can’t live without: Volleyball
Favorite meal: broccoli cheddar soup from Panera
This actress would play be in a movie:
Gweneth Paltrow
Favorite sport besides volleyball: Soccer
Favorite OP athlete: Noelle Poloncarz
Last thing I read: To Kill a Mockingbird

Members of the Orchard Park boys volleyball team came out to support the girls team this past Friday night.

It was senior night for the team who honored the squad’s lone senior, Alyssa Dueringer.

The Lady Quakers defeated West Seneca West in three straight sets.

Left to right: Justice Rogers, Trey Cimorelli, Kevin Donohue, Steve Czuczman

Natalie Meyer

Natalie Meyer (OPHS 2011), a freshman middle hitter on the Daemen College women’s volleyball team, set a personal career-high with ten kills in the Wildcats’ 3-1 (21-25, 25-11, 25-16, 25-18) win over Roberts Wesleyan on Wednesday.

Daemen College currently boasts a mark of 20 wins and 8 losses.

Teammate and fellow Orchard Park graduate, Jenn Karan (OPHS 2010) is Daemen’s top hitter with 261 kills on the season for an average 2.75 kills per set.

The Orchard Park boys volleyball team defeated Lancaster Friday evening (25-20, 18-25, 26-24, 23-25, 25-20). The Quakers trailed in the fifth set, 16-10, but rallied in front of pep rally crowd of about 1200 fans to finish the comeback with a 15-4 run.

Here’s the game-winning point and reaction:

Justice Rogers

Justice Rogers
Senior, OPHS
Volleyball, Hockey, Track

I want to visit: Hawaii
Favorite teacher: Mr. Swords
Top Gun name: Deadlock
Dream job: NHL hockey coach
I can’t live without: Sports
Favorite meal: Subway sub
Best concert: Three Days Grace
Favorite OP athlete: Matt McCormick
Last thing I read: Sports Illustrated

Ciara Godbout

Ciara Godbout
Junior, OPHS
Volleyball, Softball

Favorite meal: Chicken Wings
Dream job: Physical Therapist
I can’t live without: Friends and Family
I want to visit: Ireland
Favorite school subject: Geometry
Favorite movie: Sweet Home Alabama
Best advice received: Never give up.
Looking forward to: Graduating
Fondest sports memory: Winning the championship game at the Cayuga Lady Luck tournament in Niagara Falls

Becca Smith

Becca Smith, a 2008 OPHS graduate and senior on the St. John Fisher women’s volleyball team, earned a team-high 13 kills in a season-opening victory over Brockport Wednesday night.

As a junior, Smith led the Cardinals in kills (432) and digs (426). She was named to the Empire 8 Conference Second Team after ranking third in conference play with 3.39 kills per game and ranking among the top ten in hitting percentage (.244) and digs per game (3.33)

Orchard Park opened its 2011 girls volleyball season with a three set loss (23-25, 16-25, 24-26) to Williamsville North at home on Wednesday.

The teams went back and forth in the first game before Will North took a five-point lead, 17-12. OP battled back to tie the game, 22-22, but eventually lost.

OP led in the early goings of game two, but lost the lead midway through the contest and lost by nine points.

The Lady Spartans dominated the start of the third game, but OP battled back again to bring the game to a 23-23 tie, but eventually fell by two points for the second time.

To purchase or see more photos from this match: Click here

A few notes:

Orchard Park’s rotation is not a standard 5-1 this season where there are five hitters and one setter. It’ll take me another match to pick up on just what Coach Greg Lardo is doing with the rotation, but its effective at confusing opponents, according to Alyssa Dueringer.

“It messes up the other team,” said Dueringer. “They don’t know where to block in a couple rotations. I like it.”

Since the rotation has changed, junior middle hitter Maryellen Devic is passing and playing defense. She had eight digs and looked good on defense.

Offensively, Devic earned nine kills. Kristen Stanek had four kills with no errors. The issue was that OP did not pass the ball well enough to win. During the stretches when the team was playing well players were picking up digs and passing well, which translates to better sets and big hits. Devic and Stanek both showed they can absolutely pound the ball when they get good sets that come from good passing.

“Our serve receive started off rough, but it got better at the end,” said Stanek, a sophomore outside hitter. “Passing starts it all. If we get the passing we’ll get a good set.”

Defensively, OP struggled to defend against Will North’s dominate outside hitter Nikki Attea. At about six-foot-three, Attea is five inches taller than Justice Rogers, a middle blocker on the OP boys volleyball team. Crazy! A female outside hitter of that height is just ridiculous, but the Lady Quakers did a nice job of keeping her hits in play later in the contest which allowed them to keep points alive.

Despite the loss in three straight games, OP’s showing was decent. Will North is one of the better teams the Lady Quakers will face this season.

It’s still hard to believe that OP has just one senior, yet returns the following players: Dueringer, Stanek, Devic, junior Myan Idziur and sophomores Noelle Poloncarz, Rebecca Higgins and Christine Zizzi.

The team is still young, but needs to improve on a few things to succeed, including: Keeping serves in, passing better on serve receive and communication.

Final thoughts from Dueringer: “I like how we play really well together. We mesh really well. I’d like to see a little more communication on the court. I think it will settle a lot of the confusion.”

On Thursday, August 25, I hit a couple practices to check out the OPHS volleyball teams and get some info for previews this coming week.

I was hoping to see the girls tennis team, but the courts still looked damp from rain and I didn’t catch them. I’m really looking forward to another strong season from the team.

In the gym, the girls volleyball team was practicing. They bring a lot of girls back from last season who all seem to be playing with more confidence. They are still very young with just one senior returning – Alyssa Dueringer.

I briefly chatted with Maryellen Devic. She rolled her ankle during the first practice, but should be okay. She’ll be a huge part of the team.

Coach Greg Lardo and I discussed possible rotations for his team. He’s got a few ideas up his sleeve to maximize the use of his strongest hitters. I am definitely looking forward to seeing them in action. The girls will be a part of multi-team scrimmages at the Buffalo Niagara Court Center on Wednesday starting at 5:30 p.m.

Lardo continues to wear a Yankees hat. Boo!

The girls finished up and in walked Coaches Walt Stefani and Matt Lexner of the boys teams. The two have co-coached varsity for several years and will split the duties of coaching the JV team this season.

Walt brought coffee for himself and Lex, who came to the gym with his own. Lardo got a free coffee.

After interviewing Lardo, I met the new girls swimming coach, Linda Sherry. Apparently, there are a lot of girls trying out to swim this season.

Madi Sherry, Linda’s daughter and 2009 OPHS graduate, was at practice. She’s recovering from knee surgery before she returns to Ithaca College. She holds the OPHS record for the 100 breast stroke, but the record board still reads: “M. Sherri”. A lack of respect there.

Madi Sherry, not Sherri

After checking out the boys volleyball team for a bit, I came to realize that volleyball is one of the toughest sports to shoot. It’s difficult to anticipate where the ball is going. Sometimes it’s better to focus on one player and hope the ball gets hit to him/her. The best go-to shot is to get a photo of a setter from the stands (due to the higher angle) or get an outside or middle hitter swinging.

Tyler Eagleton is working some nice flow.

Be sure to check out my previews of both volleyball teams this Friday in the Orchard Park Press.

John Klanac

2006 Orchard Park High School graduate John Klanac, an outside hitter on the Ohio State University men’s volleyball team, was named a Second Team All-American by Volleyball Magazine.

Klanac started all 32 matches this season. A fifth-year senior, he was a first team Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (MIVA) All-Conference selection and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team. Klanac was ranked 13th nationally in attack percentage at .340. He ranked second for the Buckeyes in points (3.86) and kills (3.35) per set.

Ohio State finished the 2011 season with a 26-6 overall record and was 11-1 in the MIVA, winning its fifth consecutive regular season championship. The Buckeyes won a fourth consecutive MIVA Tournament Championship to advance to the NCAA Championship at Penn State. OSU defeated Penn State, 3-1, in the semifinals and UC Santa Barbara, 3-2, in the championship match to win its first-ever NCAA Championship.

Natalie Meyer

Natalie Meyer
OPHS, Senior – Volleyball
Daemen College (Fall 2011) – Volleyball

Dream job: Physical Therapist
Fondest sports memory:
Going to sectional finals my junior year
Favorite sports team: Buffalo Sabres
I am most inspired by: Jenn Karan
Favorite meal: Lasagna
I want to have dinner with: Britt Nicole
I am looking forward to: Playing Daemen volleyball
Pets: Two dogs – Maggie and Riley
The last thing I read:
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde