Staff Reports
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal
LOCKPORT —
The Lockport Boys Volleyball Club 12-U team recently captured second place in back-to-back tournaments.
In their inaugural club volleyball season, coaches Tom Schneider and Scott Kleinhans have produced a squad that fared extremely well at tournaments in both the Eden and West Seneca.
The team finished both tournaments with an overall record of 6-2 in matches played, losing only to Pace Bootlegger of Rochester and Niagara Frontier of West Seneca.
Eight of the 10 players on the team are first-year club volleyball players.
“Sean Denniston and Matt Weipert have played club ball in the past, but everyone has made dramatic improvement in the game since practices started back in November,” Schneider said.
“The team will be traveling to Rochester twice during the month of March for tournaments as well.”
Besides Denniston and Weipert, members of the club team are Marc Bixby, Rhees Perry, Cullen Snyder, Dylan Whitte, Zach Schneider, Sean McKinney, Jesse Donorovich and Jacob Szymanski.
Schneider said Western New York is a hotbed of power volleyball athletes and a number of local high school graduates continue to play at the collegiate level in both men’s and women’s volleyball.
The Nazareth Men’s team out of Rochester boasts the Division III title from last year as well as the Coach of the Year in Cal Wickens (who also runs the Pace Bootlegger club program).
“The goal of the Lockport club is to offer an entry-level opportunity for boys who might have an interest in the sport,” Schneider said. “Hopefully, this will promote the sport of volleyball as a lifetime activity for those who learn to love the game.”
Anyone between the ages of 9-13 as of Aug. 31, 2012, is eligible to participate in the club. If interested, contact Schneider at 310-2781.
