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WEST VALLEY PREPS

West Valley Preps catches up with boys volleyball

Posted 3/13/20

Last week marked the beginning of the high school boys volleyball regular season. Peoria Independent asked Northwest Valley coaches to take a look at their teams:

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WEST VALLEY PREPS

West Valley Preps catches up with boys volleyball

Posted

Last week marked the beginning of the high school boys volleyball regular season. West Valley Preps coaches to take a look at their teams:

Centennial Coyotes

5A Northwest Region

Coach: Cari Bauer (15th year as Centennial boys coach)

2019 Record: 8-10

Top Returnees: Jaxon Williams Sr., MB.

What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? I feel like I had a handful of kids play club this season and it has helped us to not have to dust the cobwebs off as much. This is a great group of guys that represent Centennial phenomenally in more ways than just volleyball.

What will your team need to improve for the season to be a success? We are working on consistency…and now our setting position has more experience so that should be something we can attain.

Who are your team leaders? Seniors Micah Davidson, Bradley Safranske, Owen Dow and Jaxon Williams.

Who are newcomers to the varsity squad that could make an impact? Sophomore setter Landon Corrie will step in to help right away … also there are some kids from last year’s JV squad that have made statements for court time:  Gavin Gohre, Zach Norman, RJ Short.

What needs to happen for your squad to reach the state tournament this season, or reach the goals the program has set? Just focus on getting better every day so we can be playing our best volleyball at the end of the season.

Deer Valley Skyhawks

5A Phoenix Region

Coach: Eric Palmer (17 years as a coach in the program. 8 years as Co-Head Coach. 1st year as Head Coach after the 30 year Hall of Fame career and retirement of Kim Ulrich-Suss.)

2019 Record: (20-13 overall, 7-1 region, lost in first round of 5A playoffs)

Top Player: Senior MB Brady Kuhn (70 kills, 30 blocks)

What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? This is a season of opportunity… with only one returning varsity player, this group is young and talented who have been working extremely hard for their opportunity to play varsity. This season will be a process in which we grow together, improve together, and win together. We will work hard and improve everyday so we are ready to peak at the end of the season when it counts the most.

What will your team need to improve for the season to be a success? Gain confidence through experience, learn how to win close games, and attack our process by being the very best version of ourselves everyday.

Who are your team leaders? We are led by senior captain Brady Kuhn, a third year varsity member, and the lone returner from last year’s team. Brady will impact our team on the court with his smart aggressive play at the net.  His confidence to stay aggressive when it counts the most will help us win matches.

Who are newcomers to the varsity squad who could make an impact? Senior Josh Erickson will impact our team at the net, Senior Michael Morris will help secure us defensively, and all the juniors have worked extremely hard for this opportunity to make the leap to varsity. 

What needs to happen for your squad to reach the state tournament this season, or reach the goals the program has set? Win enough games to qualify for the 5A state tournament.

Estrella Foothills Wolves

5A Independent

Coach: Michael Matteson (first year as Estrella Foothills coach)

2019 Record: Did not play (this is the first season at boys volleyball at the school)

How many years have you coached boys volleyball? I have been coaching boys volleyball since 1998, but this is my first high school varsity program. I have coached club, middle school, girls and basketball.

What is your team’s best attribute entering this season? This is our first season with a boys program, but we have had such good interest, that we had enough boys try out to have a Varsity and JV squad in our first year. Our best attribute has to be the drive of the boys in making this program happen.

rsmith@iniusa.org

Richard Smith has been with Independent Newsmedia since 2016, and worked at a Sun City-based news outfit covering the Northwest Valley for 22 consecutive years.

An NAU alum and lifelong Arizona resident, Richard began as a copy editor and page designer at Surprise Today and the Daily News-Sun, then rekindled his love of sports writing by taking the reins on West Valley Preps in 2008.

For most of the mid-2010s he was the Surprise editor and West Valley Preps reporter. Now he’s the West Valley Preps Editor and Surprise Associate Editor.

As COVID restrictions slowly lift, Richard is cautiously optimistic he will visit book stores, football fields and gyms again this fall.