Kremer: JCA Boys Volleyball Makes Electric Connection at Net

In the Joliet Catholic Academy boys volleyball program, Louis Dow and Mike O’Neill have come to be recognized as fixtures.

Yep, flip the switch and they turn on their game faces.

Dow is JCA’s 6-foot-2 senior setter and opposite-side hitter. He is also the Hilltoppers’ floor leader. He acts as the chief line of communication between coach Rhyen Staley and his teammates. And Dow distributes the ball in a manner that keeps opposing teams from stacking their blockers on one side the net.

O’Neill is JCA’s 6-1 senior outside hitter, a left-hander who moves around in JCA’s offense and brings an unmistakable power to the Hill’s attack force. He puts the ball down with authority. And, like Dow, O’Neill lights up the gym with his tenacity.

Both are excellent students as well as excellent athletes. Both come across as a bit reserved in a first-time meeting with a visitor to the gym.

Dow boasts a 3.6 grade point average. He plans to study animal sciences at Missouri and likely will pursue a career in veterinary medicine or biology.

O’Neill carries a 3.8 GPA. He plans to study broadcast journalism and Spanish at the University of Illinois. He jokes about calling out ex-White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen on the air one day.

Staley has come to rely on both Dow and O’Neill for leadership as JCA has sprinted out of the box with an 8-3 record heading into East Suburban Catholic Conference action. The importance of their leadership was underscored when fellow senior Adam Janusz went down with a season-ending ankle injury in a recent victory over Joliet West.

“Mike is a lefty,” Staley said. “You don’t see a lot of strong lefty hitters in the game. He’s got really good ball control, so he sees a lot of contacts, whether it’s on serve-receive or attacking. He’s experienced.

“He’s been on the varsity for three years—one year at Minooka and, then, the last two years here. He brings a wealth of knowledge of the game and he’s extremely athletic.”

Staley piles on much of the same kind of praise when he speaks about Dow.

“Louis has been a three-year starter,” Staley said. “He’s become quite a versatile player, where he’ll do some passing as well as setting and hitting. He’s the one calling the plays, calling the shots. So, his teammates are constantly looking at him to see what they need to do next.

“We talk often about him being a visual-aid of calm and collection and him saying, ‘No worries, we’re going to get this done.’ He does a really good job with that.”

Dow reflected on how much he’s learned since he first cracked the starting lineup as a sophomore.

“Coach always looks to me as the guy who knows what’s going on,” he said. “I’m in charge of what plays we’re running, how the hitters are lined up with the blockers, who’s going where and when, and I always have to be relaxed and calm so I can keep my teammates the same way.”

And that’s easy to say, hard to do in the heat of a tense match.

“It’s especially hard for me to do because I’ve always had seniors ahead of me or people that have always been my leader,” Dow said. “I’ve always tried to follow their example. It’s been my biggest challenge this year accepting that extra load.

“After we lost Adam (Janusz), I realized I have to step up even more now because we have one less senior.”

The Big Three is down to Two.

Dow’s setting creates opportunities for O’Neill. In turn, O’Neill creates havoc with his strikes at the net. On the court, they come alive. And they're determined to provide high-voltage energy for the Hill.

“It’s definitely a change for opponents when they have to block a left-handed hitter as opposed to a right-handed hitter,” O'Neill said. “Just because of the angle of the ball, where it’s coming from. They could even get frustrated from it.

“I know I have a problem with a right-hander hitting from the other side. So, it can definitely get in your head.”

O’Neill and Dow both plan to play club ball on the collegiate level. Staley predicts they will be successful on and off the court.

“One of the things we talk a lot about is the application of the things we’re learning here on the court and how they will make them successful at the next level, especially academically and career-wise,” he said. “One of the things I’ve been really privileged to have here at JCA is it’s more the norm to get high-level academics from my kids.

“Not only is it an expectation within our program, but they already do it for themselves, strive to hold themselves up to a high standard academically. To me, that’s the big win all the time.”

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