The boys volleyball team has been on a roll to start the season, and their ranking in the state has reflected that. Ranked 15th in the state (as of April 13), along with a third place finish at the prestigious Marist Invite, the team has placed higher expectations on themselves to perform well. They want to show that these rankings aren’t false, and they’re out to prove that they deserve to be up there.

“To be honest, there are teams in front of us that shouldn’t be, but we haven’t proven ourselves enough yet,” senior Sam Jasutis said. “We need to just keep working hard in practice and put that hard work together on the court.”

Even with these higher expectations, the team knows what’s needed to get the job done. In order to stay near the top, they’ll need to continue to perform well against tough competition.

“We need to continue to play well in tournaments and especially in conference because the MSL East is really good competition this year,” senior Ray Kraus said.

Head coach Dan Windholz realizes his team has pressure on them to succeed, but he is proud of the way they handle it. They know every game is important and keep focus on the task at hand.

“I think they do a good job with going into every match and just keeping focus and not taking much for granted,” Windholz said. “This team really doesn’t overlook good teams or bad teams; they’re pretty consistent.”

The team knows that they can do well even with the pressure that comes with being a top-ranked team. They know they have the ability to make a deep playoff run.

“We all kind of have our own individual expectations and we all want to make it very, very far in the playoffs,” Jasutis said.

With higher expectations come more responsibility from the team, but Windholz knows his senior leaders will get the job done. He can count on them to lead the team on the court while helping the underclassmen learn the system.

“[I expect them] to teach younger kids what our volleyball program is about and to carry on that tradition,” Windholz said.

As a team that’s been together for years, the chemistry is almost natural. That atmosphere will be a big factor in their success.

“We’ve put in years of hard work and we’re basically a family,” Jasutis said. “There’s no group of guys I’d rather be with.”