BOYS VOLLEYBALL SEASON PREVIEW

Three storylines to watch

The takeover? The Greater Metro Conference, arguably the state's toughest conference, has belonged to Germantown the past two years, but is change coming?

The Warhawks are reloading after graduating four all-state players. Marquette, meanwhile, returns 12 players from last year's state semifinal team.

We won't have to wait long to find out if the Hilltoppers have the goods to take over the GMC. The teams play at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Germantown.

Staying close to home: One of the beauties of volleyball is the intersecting of teams. There typically are so many Saturday tournaments and so many matches in those events that many of the area's top teams get to play each other multiple times.

That won't be the case this year. The coronavirus pandemic has caused those events to be canceled or downsized to just a handful of teams.

Repeat performances: When it comes to area conferences, we could have a clean sweep of teams defending their titles.

Each of those 2019 champions is considered a strong contender for the crown this season.

Early-season rankings

1. Marquette: Returning all-state picks Thomas Reilly and Riley Simonz lead a group of 12 players back from the Hilltoppers state semifinal team.

2. Germantown: The Warhawks' reload will be led by Lewis University recruit Chase Celichowski.

3. Catholic Memorial: All-state setter Zach Solomon leads a veteran team ready to make a run at their fourth Classic 8 crown in five years.

4. Wauwatosa East: The Red Raiders have four seniors entering their third year as a starter and talented setter Max Tome back.

5. Waukesha West: The Wolverines will miss all-state hitter Matthew Spellman but return a handful of four-year varsity players, including setter Alec Borland.

6. New Berlin United: Five starters are back from a team that was third in the Woodland last season.

7. Franklin: The Sabers returns player of the year candidate Nicodemus Meyer and eight other seniors from a team that shared the Southeast Conference title and advanced to state.

8. Pius XI: Hitters Kellen Gonzalez and Reed Burzynski lead a squad that will battle New Berlin for the Woodland title.

9. Kettle Moraine: The Lasers will miss setter Jonathan Gulak but return almost everyone else from their state tournament qualifier.

10. Kenosha Indian Trail: The Hawks are replacing their top hitters, but with a great defense and passing have a chance for a special season.

Players to watch

Alec Boland, sr., Waukesha West: A four-year starter at setter, Boland averaged 10.5 assists per set last season when he helped the Wolverines win a share of the Classic 8 title and reach the state tournament for the first time.

Torin Byrnes, jr., Kenosha Tremper: The return of the all-Southeast Conference pick is a big reason by the Trojans have a chance to make a move up the standings.

Jake Chapman, sr, Catholic Memorial:

The all-state selection will be a rock at middle blocker for the Crusaders.

Chase Celichowski, sr. , Germantown:

The Lewis University recruit possesses a 35-inch vertical leap and the opportunity to make his mark for a Warhawks program that graduated four all-state players. He averaged 2.3 kills per set last season.

Seth Deppe, jr., Mukwonago: Blessed with the confidence to lead and the smarts to make good decisions, the all-Classic 8 setter is entering his third year as a starter. He hit .356 with 58 digs and 13 blocks last season.

James Dunne, sr., Cedarburg: The 6foot-3 middle blocker is coming off a season in which he set single-season school records for hitting percentage (.418), total blocks (101) and blocks per set (1.16).

Kellen Gonzalez, sr., Pius XI: The 6-1 outside hitter earned first-team allconference honors in the Woodland last season when he had 191 kills, a .213 hitting percentage and led the team in aces (29) and digs (157).

Bode Houston, sr., Waukesha South:

The all-Classic 8 selection is listed as a libero, but he really does it all for the Blackshirts by playing setter outside hitter at times. Coach Joe Banske calls him “arguably the best passer/defender in Wisconsin”.

Logan Kebisek, sr., Brookfield Central:

The Lancers setter earned honorable mention all-state distinction after recording 954 assists last season. He was also the team's best server and an impact player defensively in the back row and at the net.

Sam Ludwig, sr., New Berlin United: A three-year starter at outside hitter, Ludwig claimed all-Woodland distinction after ranking second on the team in kills (111) and leading it in aces (36).

Nicodemus Meyer, sr., Franklin: At 6-9, the three-year starter is an imposing presence at the net. He averaged 71⁄2 kills and two blocks per set last season when the Sabers made their second straight state tournament appearance.

Patrick O’Neill, sr., Whitefish Bay: The outside hitter helped Bay win the North Shore title last season and finished the year with 217 kills, a .219 hitting percentage and 137 digs.

Thomas Reilly, sr., Marquette: The jumping ability and fast arm swing made this second-team all-GMC selection tough to defend. He led the HIll toppers in kills (188) last season

Zach Solomon, sr., Catholic Memorial:

A high honorable mention all-state selection, Solomon was the runner-up for the Classic 8 player of the year. In addition to running the Crusaders' attack, he is huge on the block and has a knack successfully attacking on two.

Matt Staskunas, sr., West Allis Hale:

The first-team all-Greater Metro pick led the Huskies in kills, blocks and digs last season and is capable of hitting a high percentage from all positions.

Max Tome, soph., Wauwatosa East: The underclassman has already proved himself to be one of the area's top setters and this year will have a veteran group of hitters to set up.