Reber dominating court for Exeter
Logan Reber covered a lot of ground on the Exeter side of the net Thursday night, keeping points alive or teeing up teammates for kills.
Reber was the dominant force for the Eagles in their 3-0 (25-18, 25-18, 27-25) win over Gov. Mifflin in a Berks Boys Volleyball League Division I match at Reiffton.
A senior setter, he finished with 30 assists, nine digs, three blocks, three kills and one ace for Exeter (5-1, 8-1), which tied the Mustangs (5-1, 7-2) for first place in Berks I.
“He has great court vision, great ball control and great energy on the court,” Mifflin coach Ryan Stubler said. “He’s a fantastic all-around player.”
Gov. Mifflin stunned Exeter 3-0 in the league opener two weeks ago when the Eagles were running a different offense because of injuries.
Since that night, Exeter coach Matt Hadley switched back to an attack with one setter, Reber. It’s not a coincidence that the Eagles have reeled off eight consecutive wins and that Reber has averaged more than 35 assists.
“It’s the senior leadership he brings and his control of running the offense,” Hadley said. “They trust he’s going to put the ball in the right spot. Then we can go up and swing.
“I feel like his leadership on the court in that position is crucial. It’s like a point guard in basketball. You want the point guard to have that leadership and he has it.”
Reber isn’t Exeter’s most vocal player, but he speaks volumes with his play. He immediately set the tone Thursday night with a block, an assist and an ace in the first four points. He made a pretty pass to James “Dutch” Ganster, who put it away for the final point of the first set.
After the Mustangs closed within 19-18 in the second set, he found Chase Nugent twice in three points and then made a block to give Exeter a 2-0 lead in the match.
In the third set, Reber helped the Eagles rally from a 19-16 deficit by assisting on four of their final seven points, including two smashes by Gaige Gabriel.
“He was getting (to) balls all over the court and sending great sets to everybody,” senior middle hitter Kellen Boyer said. “He made a bunch of nice digs. He played really well tonight.”
Reber was nearly flawless, making very few errors despite all of his touches. He was intent on making amends for the season-opening loss to Mifflin.
He spread the ball well, which kept Mifflin’s defense guessing. Nugent (12), Gabriel (11), Boyer (seven) and Ganster (seven) all had at least seven kills.
“If the middles (Boyer and Ganster) are swinging, it makes our offense that much more potent,” Hadley said. “With Chase and Gaige on the outside, the blockers can’t just settle on one position. Now they have to focus on the middles and on the outside.”
Reber transferred from Wilson to Exeter before his junior year and was named to the AllBerks team last year. He will continue his volleyball career at Lancaster Bible. He’s playing at a high level and expects the connection with his teammates to grow the rest of the season.
“This is only my second year here, so I’m still getting used to how everybody plays and what they’re all used to,” he said. “There was a lot to work on in the past couple weeks. Tonight it paid off.
“Once I learned how and where everyone wanted the ball, I could just match up way better with them.”