Mount Vernon News

MOUNT VERNON — Coming off an 18-6 season and an appearance in the state quarterfinals, the Mount Vernon High School boys volleyball team is preparing to embark on their 2008 campaign. Like every team, however, it will have to do it by making some changes.

Gone are three senior leaders — all-staters Patrick Blubaugh and Matt Orsborn, and Tim Kuhlman — as well as coach Don Marn. Marn stepped down following the 2007 season.

Under new head coach Allen Cassell, the Yellow Jackets hope to improve on that finish while making a name for themselves.

“It was a great experience,” said Cassell. “We lost some kids that were very valuable to the program, but you can’t worry about who you don’t have. We’ve got some kids that have stepped up and committed themselves, and are playing almost year-round.”

Cassell, while not having any playing experience, brings a wealth of knowledge to the team. He has two sons — Grant and Carter — who have gone through or are in the program, and has learned a lot as they’ve devoted themselves to the game. He also has assistant coach Ron Doup coming back this season.

“Coach Marn had a lot of success with this program, and I hated to see it flounder or start to go downhill if they didn’t get somebody in there,” said coach Cassell. “When they started the interview process, a lot of people asked me to try for it, so I did. I’ve got a lot to learn, but we’re doing well so far. Both of my boys have played a lot of volleyball on both high school and club teams, and I’ve got a lot of experience from that. Another reason I took the job was coach Doup had agreed to stay on. He is a very good person to work with. ... He has a lot of good ideas.

“I’ve never played volleyball because they didn’t have it back then, so I’ve got a lot to learn, but I’ve also got a lot of exposure to high-level programs. I’m trying to incorporate some of that. ... I got some of my own ideas, and I think the kids have been somewhat re-energized from what I’ve seen. They are real supportive of what we are doing. I told the guys, ‘I’m not the most experienced coach you’ll ever have, but I’ll give you 110 percent.’ That’s what I expect from them.”

The Jackets are making some changes this season, but coach Cassell is careful not to change too much, too fast. He is sticking with what worked for coach Marn while adding some new touches.

“We’re trying to run a little more complicated offense,” said coach Cassell. “We’re trying to run more misdirection plays and speed up the tempo. Obviously, we’ve got to work on ball control and passing a lot to run the type of offense we want to run. I want us to be a little less predictable. Volleyball is the ultimate team sport. You have to have all six guys participating and playing as a team to be successful.”

If the tryouts for this season were any indication, the Yellow Jacket program is headed in the right direction.

“At our tryouts, Ron said that we had the highest number we’ve ever had. We kept more than I think they’ve ever kept before,” said coach Cassell. “Our theory is to keep more of the younger kids. If you only keep three or four in each class, by the time they are seniors, you are going to be down to two or three. We would like to get to the point where we have six or eight seniors each year. Keeping more of the younger kids and getting them the experience should help. I relate it more to a typical basketball program. They have the developmental teams and then they have the varsity.

“We’ve had a middle school program in the past. Last year it got dropped and we tried to get it started again this year, but by the time everything was committed, we didn’t get it done in time to play in the Columbus school league. We are continuing to do some in-house stuff, and we continue to get kids showing up. Tim Kuhlman is helping us run the middle school program. We’ve already got support from the administration to add it next year, which will be important. Our program was one of the first to have a middle school program.”

Losing the group of seniors presents many challenges for Mount Vernon. Cassell is confident that the team’s experience at the state level will make them better, however.

“It’s tough to lose those (seniors). When we needed a stop or a kill, they looked to them,” coach Cassell said. “I think we’ve got a group of kids that is hungry. A lot of them experienced varsity last year. We’ve got some seniors that have stepped up their leadership.

“There is not a lot of pressure on us. When you loose all-state players, people don’t expect a whole lot. Personally, I think we can be real strong again.”

Mount Vernon has four seniors this season — Kurt Holland, Sam Bennett, Greg Brenneman and Ben Chicanowicz — and all four bring different qualities to the team. Varying levels of experience highlight the group. Holland and Bennett have been named captains after voting by their peers.

“We’ve got three seniors that have been with the program all the way through,” said coach Cassell. “Kurt and Sam spent all winter playing club ball, and have improved because of that. Greg is going to get his chance to seriously contribute at the varsity level this year. We kept one other senior — Ben Chicanowicz. He has never played before, but he is very athletic. He will be kind if a role player for us.”

The remainder of the team is a showcase of budding talent. Many saw varsity playing time last season and are ready to step forward.

“We’ve got three juniors, and a couple of them — Chris Hinger and Corey Sheller — are real competitive. They bring a certain fire to the team, which I really like. Our other junior is Cameron Harris. He is in a battle for some playing time. Then our sophomore class is extremely deep. We’ve got a lot of talent. I think our sophomore class could compete with some varsity teams. Unfortunately, some of those boys are going to have to play some jayvee again this year. I don’t want them on the varsity team and just sitting on the bench. I want them to be playing, so some are going to have to play down.

“(Our depth) is a good problem to have. Because we kept more kids, it makes coach Doup’s job a little harder. His theory is everybody plays, which I totally agree with. In the past, they kept minimal numbers so it was pretty simple. Now, we have almost two complete jayvee teams so he’ll have to work with it. It is a little tougher, but we have a lot more competitive scrimmages and practices.”

One concern for coach Cassell is coaching his son, Carter. Carter, a sophomore setter, stepped up and proved his abilities as a freshman on the varsity squad. Coach Cassell is counting on him and fellow setter Kurt Holland to provide a great tandem.

“Carter has a lot of experience. He’s played all over the country this summer. Between him and Kurt, we have two very solid setters. They are really interchangeable,” said coach Cassell.

Mount Vernon’s schedule gets tougher this season as some of the top teams in the state will make their way to “The Hive.” The Jackets also play in two tournaments, where they will face top competition.

“My theory is ‘If you are going to be doing this, why not be challenge?’ Whether you win or lose is not the end result,” said coach Cassell. “Playing the best teams we can play, be challenged, and go out there and give it our all is all we can ask for. We will be playing Cincinnati Elder to start the season, and they are favored to win the state. Cincinnati Moeller is coming to Mount Vernon this year, which in my opinion is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. They’ve won the state title three of the last four years, and are a dominant program. We’ve got St. Ignatius coming down from Cleveland. They are one of the power teams up north.

“We’ve added St. Charles, and we are playing Gahanna and Hilliard Davidson in nonleague games. They are some of the strongest team in Central Ohio. We are also going to the Centerville Elite Tournament, which they only invite what they feel is the top eight teams in the state. I don’t know for sure if we are at that level right now, but we’ll find out. My goal is to challenge the kids to go after it.”

The match against Moeller, scheduled for Saturday, April 12, will be a big test for Mount Vernon. It will feature three separate matches — freshman, junior varsity and varsity — giving the Jackets plenty of opportunities against strong competition.

“For our kids that haven’t gotten to play club ball and travel, this will give them an opportunity to see what a program at the highest level can do, and how they handle the ball,” said coach Cassell. “It is a great experience for our program, but it will also be a great chance for people who haven’t been to a boys game. That will be a good one to come to whether we win or lose. It will be something we can measure our team against. They are ranked in the nation. Moeller and Elder are ranked in the top 20 high school programs in the nation. We’re playing the best, and hopefully, it brings out the best in our kids.”

Mount Vernon opens the season on Saturday at the Hilliard Darby Tournament. There will be pool play on Friday evening to determine placement for Saturday.