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Volleyball player brings great tenacity to the team

Photo by Rob March '11 - John Heiland '11 is a key player on the varsity volleyball team this season.

Heiland a role model on and off the court

By Jackson Santy ’13
THE ROUNDUP

Standing 6 feet-1 inch, John Heiland ’11 is the starting outside hitter for the Brophy varsity volleyball team.

“I love volleyball, it’s a sport you can play your whole life,” Heiland said. “There aren’t football leagues for middle aged men.”

Throughout his career at Brophy, Heiland has been a jack of all trades, participating in such clubs as the National Honors Society, Big Brothers and Student Council.

Heiland had his volleyball debut after being convinced by his friends to try out his sophomore year.

“(Volleyball) is a mental game,” Heiland said. “You need to envision your game plan and stick to it.”

Heiland described playing for the team with one word—awesome.

“The coaches are great guys, they know a lot about the game and the players are easy to get along with,” he said.

“Our school fan-base is nowhere near as large as sports like football and basketball, but there are always a few diehard fans,” Heiland said. “This season we’re hoping to establish more of a student following.”

When asked about his veteran player, coach Mr. Tony Oldani had nothing but positive things to say.

John has shown great improvement in his skill and tactical development,” Mr. Oldani said in an e-mail. “He is a tremendous athlete with great dedication to improving himself and his teammates.”

Teammate Matt Pohlman ’11 said that Heiland is hard-working when it comes to volleyball and he is a very reliable teammate who is full of team spirit.

Over the next four years, Heiland hopes to graduate from a Jesuit university with a business degree “ready to go into the real world.”

John is the kind of young man that I hope my own boys grow up to emulate,” Mr. Oldani said. “He is a tremendous young man who clearly lives out our school mission to put others before ourselves.”

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