PREVIEW: West Coast swing to test UMO men's volleyball team

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on January 6, 2017 9:59 AM

• Print
• Email

rcoggins@newsargus.com

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. -- A "once-in-a-lifetime" bonding trip will undoubtedly test the mental fortitude of the University of Mount Olive men's volleyball team.

And it started earlier today.

The Trojans launched their 2017 campaign against No. 9-ranked Stanford -- the first of three games in the UCBS Asics Invitational hosted by UC Santa Barbara -- earlier this afternoon. They'll face No. 12 UCSB at 10 tonight and take on No. 14-ranked Cal State-Northridge on Saturday.

It begins a season-opening, seven-game road swing that also includes a date at No. 13 Penn State.

"I am really excited for the opportunity to play at such a prestigious tournament," fifth-year UMO head coach David Heller said. "The guys have worked so hard the past few years that it will be great to see them take advantage of it. There are some great teams that we will be playing, but our experience and maturity of the team will be a great asset."

UMO returns 12 letter-winners from 2015. Four players -- Kian Hollovoet, Robert Poole, Jeff Yasalonis and Josh Donahue -- have been named to the OffTheBlock.com and Conference Carolinas preseason awards watch lists. Hollovoet, a junior outside hitter, compiled 130 kills last season. Poole, a junior opposite swinger, connected on 230 kills.

Yasalonis dished out 921 assists -- the third-highest single-season total in progam history a year ago.

Donahue, a senior libero, red-shirted last season. He holds three program records -- single-season match record for digs (26), single-season record for total digs (302) and career record for digs (480). In 2015, he led the nation in digs per set.

"This is the first time in three years where we have had a solid group of upperclassmen that's really going to help us going into the season," Heller said. "They need to lead by example. All of them kind of have their area of expertise that other players can look to as an example. Just going hard every day and making sure they hold themselves accountable every time they're on the court...off the court."

The Trojans posted an uncharacteristic 12-12 record last season and lost in the quarterfinal round of the Conference Carolinas tournament. UMO had the nation's top-ranked RPI out of conference and prevailed in just one of six outings against Division I powerhouses on its schedule.

A learning lesson?

Heller thinks so.

Mount Olive spent the offseason revamping three parts of its game -- passing, attacking out of system and tooling shots off the block to score. Donahue, an instinctive back row player, will play a crucial role in the serve-receive game since Heller anticipates his team will see aggressive serving during its West Coast trip.

Blocking?

Stanford, UCSB and CSUN -- all members of the tradition-rich and highly-competitive Mountain Pacific Sports Federation -- aren't afraid to bring it. The Trojans are bigger up front this season and showed tremendous improvement in their blocking during the fall portion of their schedule.

"The thing we've focused a lot on in the preseason is just to compete with confidence," Heller said. "I want to see our guys go out there, show them that we're not just a 'runover' school...it's going to be an easy win for all these programs. I think the guys are really excited because they all want to prove that their hard work is paying off.

"I think they really want to prove that they made a good choice coming here and being part of a really successful team."

More about the Trojans:

PRESEASON POLL

* UMO was picked second behind Barton in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll. The Trojans drew two first-place nods. Heller considers it a "legitimate pick," especially after the teams played a five-set thriller during the fall. UMO hasn't won a Conference Carolinas regular-season championship since 2013 -- Heller's first season.

AWARDS WATCH

* Hollevoet, who hails from Belgium, was named to the Karch Kiraly Award watch list. Poole is on the Bryan Ivie Award list. Yasalonis is on the Lloy Ball Award list and Donahue earned a preseason spot on the Erik Shoji Award list.

INTERCHANGEABLE

* Heller didn't commit to a starting lineup before today's opener with Stanford. Yasalonis, Donahue and middle blocker Alex Palmatier are shoe-ins. The outside hitter could be one of three players -- Hollovoet, Joel Roberts and Bret Rutledge. At opposite, Heller has the same dilemma with Poole, Rutledge and Sweden native Fabian Ramen.

"On any given day, I think we've got several pieces we can move around and be really, really successful -- especially in conference," Heller said.

NO. 1 GOAL

* Since the NCAA expanded the national championship to six teams in 2014, the Trojans have been on the outside looking in. Erskine appeared in the 2014 and 2016 tournament, while Pfeiffer U earned the AQ in 2015.

The two schools are a combined 0-3 in the postseason.

"I want more than anything for this group of players to make it to the national tournament," Heller said. "(This is) my first full four-year recruiting class that is going to be graduating this year. They have really put in the hard work over the last four years. I could care less about any awards that come. Those things are great to have at the end of your career."