Senior heavy team shooting to improve upon third place finish last season
By Michael Moroney ’13
THE ROUNDUP
The Brophy volleyball squad began the 2013 season with a third place finish out of 30 teams at the Chandler Wolf Howl Invitational against some of the top competition in Arizona.
The Broncos went 6-3 in their first matches of the season, held March 1-2, and Ryne Benson ’15 was named the MVP of the entire tournament.
“Sophomore Ryne Benson is our most talented player and the leader with the highest volleyball IQ on the team,” said head coach Mr. Tony Oldani.
Mr. Oldani also said that multiple seniors are leaders for the squad, including Scott Mueller ’13, Adam Lincoln ’13, Jeff Bennett ’13 and Jake Kufel ’13.
“As seniors, it is our job to be as supportive as possible to the younger teammates, but mostly we try to lead by example,” Mueller said.
Brophy played at St. Mary’s Thursday, March 7 in what was their first official AIA match of the season.
From March 24 to March 27, the Broncos will compete in the Las Vegas Easter Invitational in a tournament that features 48 teams from states all over the west.
“Both times I’ve been to this tournament, we’ve finished second,” Mueller said. “But I’m hoping to win this time around.”
The Broncos will also host the Brophy Invite April 12-13 which features many of Arizona’s top volleyball squads.
Brophy returns multiple starters from last year’s team that lost in the state championship to Gilbert High School but they will also rely on some promising newcomers.
“This year’s team is much deeper than last year. We were very top heavy last year and relied primarily on Nick Benson ’12 to carry our offense,” Mr. Oldani said. “This year we’ve got effective attackers all over the court, so our attack has become more dynamic and unpredictable.”
Mr. Oldani also said multiple underclassmen will contribute playing time, including Billy Andrew ’14, Cooper Munhall ’14, Mason Zwillinger ’15, Andrew Lincoln ’15 and Carson Flood ’15.
