DeSales captures volleyball state title
Sunday, May 28, 2023
By Scott Hennen
shennen@cbussports.com
DeSales’ Evan Althouse hits the ball during the Stallions’ win over Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary in the Division II state championship match May 28 at Wittenberg. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Coach Andy Feltz guided the Columbus DeSales boys volleyball program to its first state championship in a match that might have gotten away from him in his earlier days.
The 15-year coach retired after the second-ranked Stallions defeated top-ranked Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary 21-25, 27-25, 25-17, 25-22 in the Division II state championship match May 28 at Wittenberg.
DeSales finishes 20-4 to claim its elusive state title. The program was state runner-up in 2015, losing to Kettering Alter 26-24, 20-25, 20-25, 29-27, 15-12 in the title match with the coach’s son Evan Feltz on the squad.
“I was so emotional, and I knew I would break down with the struggles we have had and being so close,” Feltz said. “My son’s team was personal (in 2015). I wasn’t a good enough coach then to get it done but quite honestly in eight years I have gotten to be a better coach, and I was able to make us one or two points better (against the Irish). It’s amazingly satisfying to go out in what I thought was an ultra-competitive match.”
DeSales coach Andy Feltz celebrates a point in the Stallions’ Division II state championship game against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary on May 28. Photo: John Hulkenberg
SVSM (19-5) lost to the Stallions 25-23, 25-16, 25-21 on April 1 but came out firing in the final. The Irish won the opener and DeSales needed a 27-25 win in the second.
“These guys (Irish) played amazing,” Feltz said. “They were so much better than the first time we played them. Their offense was so unpredictable and they played hard with great defense and they had us back on our heels for a while.
“I told them (after the first game) we weren’t serving and passing well. This is a serve-and-pass game and you have to be able to handle that first touch. We needed to put them under pressure with our service and we needed to control their service better, and we weren’t doing that. We really stepped it up and got more aggressive on our service game and became less predictable and gave (senior setter) Cam Hoying a better chance to make decisions. If you don’t have one person to set it’s better. You have to be able to move the ball around.”
Hoying pushed the right buttons throughout the contest. The Division II state Player of the Year totaled 40 assists and 14 digs.
“The seven of us seniors, it’s a big deal for us,” Hoying said. “We can go out strong and we can go home winners.
“The first set we really struggled on serve-receive , and our back row saw what they were doing and knew we could handle it.”
The Stallions trailed 21-19 in the fourth but rallied to seal the victory. Hoying set the ball for senior outside hitter Evan Althouse, who smacked down the match-clinching kill.
Members of the DeSales boys volleyball team pose with their Division II state championship trophy. Photo: John Hulkenberg
“We were down in the fourth and I was able to get a kill and a block, and Evan Althouse came in from the back and sealed it,” said senior middle blocker Zane Patterson, who had four of his seven kills in the fourth. “I can’t thank my team enough for the passes and everything.”
Althouse had 25 kills for DeSales, and senior outside hitter Camren White and senior opposite hitter Luke Gabrielli had 11 and six kills, respectively. Senior libero Aaron Firmalan added 12 digs.
“All of my coaches brought something to the table to make an adjustment, which we had to do,” Feltz said. “We had to change the matchups and come back on the play. Then we had Evan Althouse smack it down from the back row, that’s definitive. That’s a great way to end the championship run, and for me, a career.
“(Evan) had an amazing match, and Cam White did, too. They both played great. Evan can terminate from so many places on the court and he hits the ball so high that it’s really hard to defend.”
Feltz said assistant coach Andrea Navar would move a couple of chairs down the bench to handle head-coaching duties next season.
“We have a very mature team that handled that pressure really well and they never broke down when they couldn’t handle just a little bit of adversity,” he said. “I have some really good leadership in that group, and we’ll be rebuilding next year with Andrea. She’ll do a great job.”