Experienced back row, reloaded front row for boys volleyball, which opens season against Crown Point and Merrillville at Lake Central on Saturday

Patrick Mochen
Onwardtrojans.com

The Chesterton boys volleyball team has a daunting task ahead of it: providing the same level of excitement that the powerful senior spikers brought last year in the first IHSAA-sanctioned boys season. The team finished last season 25-5, but fell just short of a sectional championship.
The Trojans begin this season at 9 am in Lake Central against Merrillville and play Crown Point afterward. Although the front row from last season has graduated, the team has plenty of options to choose from for replacements. Junior Zane Westerlund, who saw varsity time last season, is the most likely starter for the front.
“It’s been great transitioning to being one of those major hitters,” Westerlund said. “We have a lot of good hitters. We have Randy (Deutscher), Peyton Dilbeck, Carson (Chaffee), Caden (Koedyker), Keith (Ward), Bryce (Sartin), all great pin hitters honestly. They can hit around the whole front row. We have Randy and Carson who can play middle.”
Pin hitters refer to both the outside players in the front row who hit on the left and right side.
“We have guys here who can absolutely smoke balls,” Westerlund continued, “so I think it will be the same as last year. Dilbeck has come a long way, just from last year to this year. His hitting is coming along … We have Randy, who actually has improved a lot. He can kill the ball.”
Deutscher stands at 6 feet 9 inches, making him an ideal player for the middle blocker position. Ward, a senior, will have a busy time for the coming weeks, as he begins his volleyball season while also preparing for the Robotics Worlds competition.
“Since we have a lot of depth at these positions, we can sub someone out if they are having a bad day and we have a better option on the bench,” Ward said.
The alignment on the back row is less of a question mark. Senior Adam Leneave is the only libero on the roster. Sophomore Declan Ringler plays setter and shocked the crowd with his accurate passes and impressive serves as a freshman.
“In our scrimmage on Tuesday, the back row was our strongest piece. We have Leneave, who’s a dog. All around, we can pass pretty well. We’re scrappy,” Westerlund said.
Leneave, Ringler, and senior Jackson Whalen bring the most experience to the team. Leneave and Whalen played volleyball at St. Pat’s since fifth grade, and Ringler has been doing club volleyball since he was young. Designated server Whalen is still returning from a knee injury. His injury unfortunately took away his soccer season, where he cautiously played five minutes avoiding reinjury. Whalen will be ready to return soon. Along with new faces to the front row, the team is led by first-year Coach Cathy Dilbeck.
“You can tell that there was a mental shift from last year to this year,” Westerlund said. “Last year, I don’t want to say we were lackadaisical, but we were going to practice, going to have some fun. This year, we're here to get better and we're here to win games. The mentality shift that Coach Dilbeck brings is awesome.”
Ward added, “She’s been great. Every practice has been tough and it’s what we’ve needed to get better as a team.”