Parkway North Mens’ Volleyball Team Starts Season Stong

The Parkway North Men’s Varsity Volleyball team (3-4) is off to a busy start this season, last week undergoing a five-day stretch in which the team played seven matches.

Following a season-opening loss against Parkway South on March 27, the team regrouped and beat University City a day later, 2-0.

“It was a lot of fun to make them mad, and it felt really good to shut them down like that,” said senior Tim Schmitt.

North ran into some tough luck in the opening round of the 35-team area tournament, which began Friday, March 30. North was placed in a three-team pool with Fort Zumwalt South and St. Louis University High, the third-ranked team in the Post-Dispatch area standings, and lost both matches despite playing both teams close.

“The teams were tough, but I think we kept up pretty well considering we were the underdog of the pool,” Schmitt said. “I think [playing well against these teams] gave us a lot of confidence.”

As a result of the opening round, North was placed in the Bronze bracket that was played out last Saturday. After the Vikings beat fourteenth-ranked Seckman 2-1 in the first match of the Bronze tournament, the team came out strong against Parkway South and beat the Patriots 2-0, avenging a loss that took place just four days before.

“It felt so good to get redemption against a team that we lost to earlier in the week,” said junior Danny Freiberger. “It shows how much we improved after a few games and practices.”

“To have a rematch against a team we had already lost to and then to crush them clearly shows that we are the better team,” said senior Derek Joyce. “Our team’s success was based on that we just had fun with it, and also we had confidence in each and the team that we could win.”

With those two victories, North advanced to the championship match of the Bronze tournament. Despite strong serving, North was out-powered by Affton and dropped the match 2-0, putting an end to the team’s otherwise successful day.

The Vikings are led by seven seniors on the team, six of whom have played for all four years of their high school career.

“Having a lot of seniors is good because most of us have played for 3-4 years and are now able to work together really well and the seniors are able to lead and give confidence to the whole team,” Joyce said.

With the seniors enjoying the final month of their time in high school, underclassmen and less-experienced players are learning from their example.

“We are going to lose some really good seniors [after this season], but there is a lot of talent in the lower teams,” Freiberger said. “I feel confident about the future.”

Parkway North plays at Webster Groves next Tuesday. The game starts at 5:15 p.m.

Written by Kevin Graeler