By Nate Thompson
LocalSportsJournal.com
GRAND HAVEN – There are a number of reasons why the Grand Haven varsity volleyball program has reeled off an astounding 17 district championships in a row.
Would you believe that one of them is film sessions at local establishments like Clover Bar?
Grand Haven’s Izzy Whittaker.
Head coach Aaron Smaka, who began coaching at Grand Haven in 1997, took a break and has now been the head coach for the last 15 district titles in the streak, said his team was watching film of rival Mona Shores a few hours prior to their district championship match at the popular pizza joint in Grand Haven, when he recognized a few of the Sailor parents walk inside.
“They might have seen their daughters up on our screen,” Smaka said with a laugh.
If anything, the extra film session gave the Bucs a little assurance that they had more talent top to bottom than the Sailors. Playing on its home court on Nov. 2, Grand Haven went out and proved it, defeating Mona Shores in four sets, 25-22, 25-19, 25-27 and 25-14.
The Bucs, which improved to 32-17 overall and have been ranked at times in Division 1, are now setting their sights on a regional championship. That goal will begin Tuesday against Traverse City Central at Cadillac High School. The winner of that semifinal match advances to Thursday’s regional championship against either Rockford or Saginaw Heritage.
A talented roster is just part of the Bucs’ formula for success. Smaka also made sure they’ve been tested throughout the season. He estimated that of the Bucs’ 49 matches, 20 have come against ranked teams.
Izzy Whittaker
“This is the toughest schedule we’ve ever put together,” he said. “It helps playing in the O-K Red, where this year, we had four teams ranked pretty much throughout the year.”
That group of four includes Hudsonville, the top-ranked team in Division 1, Rockford, which has been ranked between sixth and eighth, and Jenison, which rose to as high as ninth.
Playing against a murderer’s row of competition forced the Bucs to develop depth, and in turn, made opposing defenses and blockers unable to focus their attention on just one or two big hitters.
“We’ve got five kids with over 200 kills,” Smaka said. “We’ve been able to develop a little more depth, so we’re not one dimensional.”
Smaka credits his senior class for putting their egos aside and letting some underclassmen steal a bit of their thunder. It helps that players like 6-foot-3 freshman Mallory Woiteshek – who is nearing 500 kills this season – and extremely springy sophomore outside hitter Nadia Prieditis, have made the Bucs’ state finals contenders when they’re playing their best.
“As soon as they became a part of the team, we instantly accepted them,” said returning all-state senior outside hitter Izzy Whittaker. “It was easy because they’re such sweet people. So humble and sweet. We instantly welcomed them because they’re such good people and hard workers that they were able to form a trust with the entire team right off the bat.”
Grand Haven’s Taylor Smaka.
Woiteshek has wowed since summer workouts began, Whittaker said, and Smaka said she’s brought back memories of former Bucs’ all-stater Abby Cole, who dominated with her 6-5 frame.
Whittaker, who has committed to play at Division 1 Jacksonville State in Jacksonville, Ala., is one of the Bucs’ leaders, along with a senior class that includes Smaka’s daughter, libero Taylor Smaka, who has committed to play at Northern Michigan University.
The Bucs also have two senior middle hitters in Eden Smith and Melina Teunis each with a hitting percentage more than .300 this season, as well as two terrific setters they can rely on in senior Leah Montgomery and junior Sara Weber. Montgomery passed the 2,000 career assist milestone earlier this year, while Montgomery has already surpassed 1,000 career assists.
“I’ve coached some talented teams in the past, but with this group, there’s talent, but what stands out is there’s no drama on this team,” Smaka said. “They genuinely love each other, and that’s evident by them accepting a freshman to star and to have two setters support each other so vigorously. It’s been pretty special.”
Maybe the mindset of putting the team first has been developed at the younger ranks, which Smaka said is often led by alumni who have come back to coach. That includes the Young Buc program, where girls in fourth and fifth grade begin to develop in the sport.
“I copied my sister (Alena) so I started playing in the Young Bucs like she did,” Whittaker said. “I think it’s super important because it gets the younger girls involved and they get to see some of the older girls and learn from them. That’s what I’m doing now, helping out with the Young Bucs.”
Grand Haven’s Leah Montgomery.
And as the players grow and develop in the program, goals of winning district championships and extending the streak becomes the expectation. But Whittaker and Smaka said they aren’t content with that singular goal; they want more.
“Now that our underclassmen have been put in some pressure type of situations, I think we’re ready for anything,” Whittaker said. “We’re so prepared mentally and physically.”
Added Smaka: “We’ve had big goals from the beginning. We talked at the beginning of the year that we know there’s always some things that can happen throughout the year, some lows or tough spots that we’ll need to get through. But the message was always, ‘What can we do to separate ourselves from others?’ When they’re on, we feel we can compete with anyone. So the goal has been to be one of the better teams in the state and go compete for a state title.”
