Season two gets under way for Park boys' volleyball with a reworked roster but the same high expectations.
Last season was the inaugural season of MSHSL boys' volleyball in Minnesota, with more than 90 teams participating, including the Wolfpack.
Park went 13-16 last season in the first season of official boys' volleyball. The Wolfpack finished 6-3 in the Suburban East Conference, tying for fourth place.
The Wolfpack defeated St. Paul Highland Park 3-2 in the Class 1A, Section 3 quarterfinals last spring, then dropped a 3-1 decision to St. Paul Central in the Section 3 semifinals.
But that was a senior-dominated team with 10 seniors on the 19-man roster, and replacing standouts such as hitters Leo Eiden-Giel, Mason Vang and Lucian Lo and setter Gavin Oberding will be challenging, but head coach Robert Lozinski-McLean thinks he has the players to fill those departures.
“This year I think our core theme is discipline,” said Lozinski-McLean. “And that stems from our pass to our timing on our blocks and swings to our setters getting the ball where the hitters need to be. So really honing in on the individual skills and being disciplined in practice and let that translate into games.”
Top returners include Brevin (Vang), Davion (Nguyen), we’re going to run a 6-2 this year so setters are out of the back row. Brevin was a DS last year. This year he’s going to try his hand at setting so I’m excited to see how that comes to fruition. Davion, been a setter with us his entire time with us so he’s back. Both are seniors. Owen Griswold, middle hitter, blocker, big guy, excited to see him. He’s developed even more over the off season.
“And then we have some new people coming in that I’m excited to see,” continued Lozinski-McLean. “Sylas (Lee), Lorence (Esmenda), Emerson (Yang), they’re going to be some key players for our team this year.”
The Park coach thinks the Wolfpack will be fairly balanced between offense and defense this season.
“I think maybe is we’re looking at the weight of the team its probably a little bit on the more offensive side,” said Lozinski-McLean. “But for me I was a libero in college, and I always bring us back to defense because I think that’s how you kick start your offense. Right now, we’re probably a little bit heavier on the offense side but I think but I think we’ll reign that in pretty quick and be more balanced.”
Coach likes the Wolfpack’s chances to compete with the top teams in the SEC this season. “I think we’re right there with them. … A good season for us, probably coming in top three in the conference. Sections, I think we make a run for it and see what we can’t get done in sections. I think we might be a top contender in our section.
“What I’m excited about with these boys is they just show a lot of love for the sport and love for each other. It’s exciting to see a boys' sport in our school that is just rooted in support. There’s no toxicity there. It’s a bunch of boys coming together for a love of the sport and they support each other and this program I think is different than other programs of other schools.”
Park hosts Rosemount Thursday, starting at 7 p.m.
