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 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 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

John Klanac

Mike Stefani

John Klanac and Mike Stefani helped the Ohio State University men’s volleyball team (26-6) team to a national championship win over UC-Santa Barbara (18-15) in five games, 20-25, 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 15-9, on Saturday evening.

Klanac, a red shirt senior, was second on the Buckeyes with 15 kills, picked up 6 digs and made five blocks in the victory.

Thanks to everyone that came out to The Well last night to watch Orchard Park graduates John Klanac, Mike Stefani and Tom Comfort compete in the NCAA men’s volleyball semifinal championship.

If you missed it, we had a nice little gathering of friends, family, teachers and other supporters there to watch the big match.

Ohio State defeated Penn State three games to one, 25-18, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23, to advance to the National Championship versus UC Santa Barbara on Saturday, May 7 at 7:00 p.m.

Klanac led the Buckeyes with a team-high 16 kills. Tom Comfort had 6 kills for Penn State.

Watch highlights of the match here.

Final Four

Thursday, May 5 at The Well on North Buffalo in Orchard Park at 9 p.m. Match begins at 9:30 p.m.

Join us to watch three Orchard Park High School graduates compete against each other in this year’s NCAA Division I Men’s Volleyball Final Four.

John Klanac (OP ’06) and Mike Stefani (OP ’09) are outside hitters for Ohio State while Tom Comfort (OP ’09) is Penn State’s opposite hitter.

Come out and support the local boys as they display the rich tradition of Orchard Park volleyball on national television.

And no matter who wins, Orchard Park graduate(s) will be in the National Championship to be played on Saturday, May 7.

If you cannot make this event, be sure to catch the match on ESPN2 or online at ESPN3.com.

Read my previous post on the boys heading to the Final Four.