Two liberos better than one: Adam LeNeave and Cesar Mendoza bring skils and thrills to back row of 13-1 boys volleyball defenses

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

The hitters and the blockers play above the net, so they generally are the ones who supply the most exciting highlights. But look behind the curtain of every successful volleyball team and you’ll find a libero deeply valued by the coach.
In Chesterton’s case, you’ll find not just one, but two liberos who have played a big part in the Trojans taking a 12-1 record into this week’s DAC matches at Merrillville on Monday and LaPorte on Thursday that they are favored to win.
Barring an upset, the Trojans will take a 14-1 record into the rematch with Lake Central, the only team to beat them this season, scheduled for Monday, April 21 at Chesterton. If you attend one volleyball match all spring, that would be the one to catch.
Try to watch more than the plays at the net and you’ll find two athletes who make plays near the floor to prevent the other team from scoring and deliver passes from the back row that lead to big plays.
Chesterton coach Kevin Labaj values juniors Adam LeNeave and Cesar Mendoza equally. They split the libero position and sometimes are on the floor at the same time.
The first of two common questions regarding liberos posed by those who never coached or played the volleyball under its current ruled: Why does the libero wear a different shirt from teammates? The relatively simple answer: They are not subject to the same substitution rules as the rest of the positions, so for the game officials to easily recognize them, they wear different jerseys.
The second question: What are the differences in the rules for liberos? For a volleyball outsider, completing the course work for a double major in Calculus and Cellular and Molecular Biology from MIT might be an easier pursuit.
Anyway, the defensive specialists play an important role.
Senior soccer standout George O’Connor, an outside hitter, didn’t come out of the game last season when he rotated to the back row. This season he does, and he has no complaints about that because he knows it’s one reason the team is so much better.
“Cesar takes my spot on the back row because he’s a beast at passing the ball,” O’Connor said. “He’s very shifty, has cat-like reflexes. He and Adam both are very good in the back row, so I 100% would rather they take the passes in the back row, rather than me.”
Mendoza transferred to Chesterton from LaPorte for his junior year when the family moved, giving the Trojans one more boys volleyball player serious enough about the sport to play year-round. Outside hitter Jack Rodriguez, middle blocker Bryton Oliver and setters Declan Ringler and Nate Mihut also play club volleyball.
LeNeave is as experienced as anyone on the team, and it shows. His playing time in the loss to LC was limited by illness and he was missed.
LeNeave thinks he was probably in third grade when he started to attend his volleyball coach mother’s practices. His sister, Amelia, a senior at Chesterton, played a similar role for the girls team.
Mendoza didn’t take up organized volleyball until his freshman season. His sister, Mia, played a similar role for LaPorte and in club and taught him the finer points of playing libero.
“I would just be there to support her,” Cesar said. “I never thought I would play. And the more I would see her play, I was like this seems kind of fun. So, we started playing in my back yard and I realized I had potential. I was just naturally pretty decent at it. It was mainly my passing that I really focused on, so that brought me to being a libero. Passing, and my setting’s pretty there too. I can’t really jump that high, so hitting’s not really there.”
The Trojans’ first big DAC win came at Crown Point, 3-1 margin and Labaj pointed to their play as instrumental in the win.
“Cesar and Adam both played libero two sets and they both did a phenomenal job on defense,” Labaj said. “They really step up and help each other out. They’re not competing with each other. They’re competing against everybody else. That’s awesome. I know when you put those two back, nobody wants to serve to them. They want to stay away from them. It got to the point (vs. Crown Point) where Jack would be pulled back and we know they’re serving to Jack, so as soon as the guy tossed the ball, Cesar would go right over in front of Jack and just stand there, and they would get a perfect pass every time. We were reading it so well. Adam’s come a long way, too. They complement each other so well.”
Mendoza explained how it helps for players on the back row to bring a fearlessness to the job: “Diving’s a special aspect with my type of playing because of you don’t dive right, you’re going to hurt yourself, of course, so I had to really learn how to dive. That’s an essential part of being a libero. Throwing your body out there, bruising your body, is just part of it. I have many bruises, a lot on my hip from diving, and I have a lot of court burn.”
LeNeave leads the team in digs (132) and serve receiving (173).
“With Cesar and me in the back row, we’re probably the best back row in the DAC,” LeNeave said, sounding more analytical than cocky in how he stated that opinion.
Labaj said the two juniors have similar games and pointed out the one difference that comes to mind by saying, “Adam’s still coming around with the talking aspect of things. Cesar’s a lot more vocal. Other than that, everything else is about the same.”
Said Mendoza: “Being a libero you must be loud. You must be taking full control of the court. Even if you’re not a captain, you’re still considered a captain on the court. You’re telling them where to hit the ball, where to set it at times, if it’s out of system, that kind of stuff. You always have to know what’s going on being a libero. You have to be able to read the hitters.”
Mendoza agreed with his coach’s opinion that the team’s two liberos have similar games and pointed to one skill LeNeave has that he wishes he did.
“His ballhandling is really, really good,” Mendoza said. “When you pass a ball, you don’t want much spin on the ball, and he’s really good at keeping the ball still. I kind of wish I had that, but we’re both pretty good liberos.”
The best upcoming test of how good will come next Monday, April 21, when Lake Central brings its high-powered hitters to Chesterton for the rematch. The bigger the home crowd, the better the Trojans’ chances avenging their April 8 loss.