Third-year program joins newly-formed Southern Lakes Conference
By Tim Wester
Sports Correspondent
Now in its third year as a varsity sport, the Union Grove boys volleyball team is ready to shed its moniker of a fledgling program.
With a strong returning core of starters back to compete in the newly formed Southern Lakes Conference, the Broncos are eager to prove they can compete with the best.
“The team is looking pretty good now with a strong core back this year,” Union Grove coach Dan Dresen said. “We don’t have a lot of club players, so the challenge has been getting everyone up to speed who hasn’t played volleyball in awhile. Club players can play into as late as July, where a lot of our guys are multi-sport athletes who need plenty of reps to get back into form.”
To ensure the Broncos shake off the rust, Dresen started practicing three weeks ago, which is earlier than other programs.
“Some high school volleyball teams are not going as hard as others and hopefully working a little harder and earlier will help us,” Dresen said.
Finally having experienced players returning doesn’t hurt either.
Senior outside hitter Robery Walusay, who was second team all-conference and first team all-county, returns to anchor the team.
“Robert has the potential to be conference player of the year,” Dresen said. “He will undoubtedly be one of our go-to attackers.”
Another returner expected to make a big impact is junior setter Dax Cramer.
“Dax will be our primary setter this year,” Dresen said. “He is a club player that has the ability to be one of the better setters in the area. If our ball control improves, he can have a great year.”
Fellow junior Eli Sheckel is the other member of a strong Bronco core.
“Eli is our primary passer and dictates a lot of ball control schemes and is creative at net with shot-making abilities and brings a lot of power. He compliments Robert’s high-flying game very well.”
The Broncos will also feature a pair of experienced middle players in junior Riley Hale and sophomore Nate Koch.
“We have a pretty solid group of returning players overall,” Dresen said. “Now in our third year as a varsity program, it is easier now with the kids knowing our offensive schemes. Now it’s up to everyone to get the newcomers up to speed.”
Two newcomers that are expected to see time are junior Tyler Gamble, who figures to be the starting Libero, along with freshman Sam Rampulla on the right side.
“Sam is a 6-4 lefty that brings good size to the position,” Dresen said. “We’re looking to develop his fundamentals early and get him ready for play.”
If Rampulla can develop as well as the veteran players, the Broncos figure to be a solid team that will compete with established programs Burlington and Westosha Central.
“Westosha Central is probably the team to beat and was the strongest group last year, but Burlington will also be pretty good,” Dresen said. “We figure to compete for a top-three spot in conference, but our kids still have a goal to win conference. They’ll have to work hard to achieve it, but it’s good to see them set their goals high.”
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