Senior Mike Motyka has been on the Leyden varsity boys volleyball team each year he’s been at the school. For each of the first three, the Eagles made it to the regional finals in the state playoffs before losing. The school has lost in four consecutive regional finals overall.
New head coach Michele Mueller, who was formerly the JV coach at St. Patrick, hopes she can help lead Motyka and Leyden to that next level.
“Mike wants to go out with a regional title, and I want that too,” Mueller said. “Last year was a disappointing end to the season for the team. Going out with a regional championship, making it to sectionals and seeing how we play against that competition, we want that.”
Motyka, a setter and Pioneer Press All-Area honorable mention last season, is like another coach on the court, according to Mueller. As the most experienced of the team’s six seniors, his play will be key to Leyden improving on a 13-19 record from 2016 (1-5 in West Suburban Gold play).
“He’s a great leader, both verbally and with body language,” she said. “He helps coach the middles, he helps coach other players, too. He’s the quarterback of our team. He’s running plays. He sets expectation on the floor. He’ll say something if a player isn’t bringing it.”
Beyond Motyka, seniors Nick Diaz and Eddie Lavallais will be returning at outside hitter, Diaz on the left and Lavallais on the right. Mueller said she’s expecting a lot from them offensively. She also said Lavallais’ blocking will be important at the net. They’ll be joined on the outside by junior Robert Elem, who played JV last year but is expected to start as a newcomer.
Another senior, Roman Sydorchuk, made a position change, moving from backup setter the past two seasons to libero. Though he has stepped into a new role, Mueller said he is picking it up quickly. And at middle hitter, senior Devinn Wood and junior Tom Radziszewski are newcomers, but they both have played well early and offer plenty of height at 6-foot-6 and 6-3, respectively.
With just four returning varsity players, Leyden will prioritize getting everyone on the same page quickly. In Leyden’s first game, against St. Patrick on March 22, the team lost 25-19, 25-21 in competitive games. Elem said communication on the court needed improvement in practice.
“It’s always dead silent, nobody’s calling for the ball,” Elem said. “We do it in drills, you always have to call the ball. In warmups you always call for the ball.”
Despite that struggle, Elem said the team passes well, particularly from the back row after receiving serves. With a good mix of experience and youth, Mueller said the team has plenty of optimism about the upcoming season. She also said her players are willing to put in the work it takes to be successful.
“They’re every day in the gym excited, they’re ready to go for practice, they want to compete,” she said. “They’re really coachable. They want to learn, they want to be taught the game.”
Jakub Rudnik is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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