CHS boys volleyball: High-flying Jack Rodriguez and friends sweep visiting Valparaiso to keep the undefeated train rolling down the tracks with 5-0 record

Tom Keegan
Onwardtrojans.com

Optimism abounds for just about every team in every sport in preseason interviews. And then the season starts and reality sets in.
Five matches into the season, the Chesterton boys volleyball players have backed up high expectations they expressed, and the mojo just keeps rising.
The Trojans wasted no time in asserting their dominance over visiting Valparaiso on Monday night and swept the Vikings, 25-17, 25-14, 25-18.
Leaping Jack Rodriguez led the way, getting the Trojans off to a sizzling start by soaring above the net to throw down some high-velocity kills. Robert Williams did the same closer to the net. Bryton Oliver was at his blocking best, and freshman setter Declan Ringler continued to show he belongs by delivering another night of impressive growth.
Chesterton didn’t bring back club volleyball until the spring of 2023, when the IHSAA made it an emerging boys spring sport. The state-wide popularity led to the trimming of the trial period from three years to two and this is the first year boys volleyball is a full-fledged sport with an IHSAA state tournament.
All teams are still growing, but Chesterton appears to have mobilized faster than most.
Although the Trojans scored victories over Lake Central, 2-1, and Michigan City, 2-0, at the season-opening Lake Central Invitational that played matches under a best-of-three format instead of the standard best-of-five, Monday was the first conference match, and it could not have gone much better for the hosts.
“I think we came out really hot,” coach Kevin Labaj said. “We played really well against Valpo, and you could definitely tell it was their first game of the year.”
There was nothing timid about the way Chesterton started the night, from the serves to the mustard behind their hits to the aggressiveness at the net.
Nobody’s kills light up a crowd any better than Rodriguez’s because of how high he soars to put a steep angle on them.
“We’re still working with Jack on some of the angle stuff, but I mean, he’s our go-to guy when we need a big play,” Labaj said. “When he’s on, he’s on.”
He was on Monday and contributed eight kills, tying second-year standout George O’Connor for the team lead, and adding nine digs and three assists.
“George had a really good game for us today,” Labaj said. “Great leaper, big hits.”
The Trojans were without setter Nate Mihut and defensive specialist Cesar Mendoza, so it was imperative for Ringler to have a strong night and he answered the call.
“Declan did a really good job all the way around for us today,” Labaj said. “He’s understanding the game a lot more and he stepped up really big for us.”
Rodriguez spoke to how advanced Ringler is for his age: “Declan’s doing really well for a freshman and he’s got it down. I never complain about his sets. They’re always perfect. And he’s got a very good court IQ, very smart.”
The two players being out meant increased playing time for Keith Ward. He responded with a strong night of hustle, going horizontal frequently and having seven digs to show for it on a night junior Adam LeNeave led the team with 14.
The newness of the sport has benefits to it, one being that complacency isn’t as likely to set in because the players know they have so much more to learn in terms of improving their skills, expanding the playbook and learning the subtleties of playing together in a way that maximizes the chances of winning.
“Definitely the boys are on a high horse right now, but they have to understand that everybody’s going to shoot for us,” Labaj said. “We have targets on our backs and we’re going to have to keep stepping up our practices and how we play our volleyball to take on some of those teams going forward.”
The coach explained how Rodriguez’s contributions extend well beyond the matches: “I think Jack gets on them, being a senior leader. Having five, six seniors on the team, they really want to win and are pushing each other to get better.”
Senior urgency could be playing a role in the hot start considering that 6 of 14 players listed on the varsity roster are in their final seasons: Rodriguez, Williams, Oliver, O’Connor, Ryan Tucker and Robbie Lange.
Rodriguez called the 5-0 start, “nice. I don’t think we’ve ever had a winning streak even five games long, so this feels good, but we’re just getting started and there are going to be better opponents and we’re just working out the rust right now. When we play good teams is when we play our best, I feel.”
The Trojans’ longest winning streak during an 11-10 season a year ago was four.
“We practice pretty hard, and we practice a lot of what we do in game and it pays off because obviously we’re winning, so that feels good to practice hard and see it pay off and win,” Rodriguez said.