Two of the best volleyball players in the area were recognized
as Tri-County Athletic League co-MVPs.
Two of the best volleyball players in the area were recognized as Tri-County Athletic League co-MVPs.
Live Oak’s Matt McElroy and Gilroy’s Jay Mendeceles can both play all the way around in the rotation and can time their hits with pin-point accuracy. Both were either first or second in kills almost every game.
“There is no doubt they were the two co-MVPs,” said four-year Gilroy coach Craig Martin. “A big deciding factor was there ability to play all the way around. Matt stepped in and became the setter, whereas Jason was a more backrow player and digger. They’re both real good at placing the ball and finding the open holes.”
Neither McElroy nor Mendeceles have played together on a team. The annual North/South game at Palma on June 3 will be the first time. The team has its first practice on June 2.
Gilroy is having its scholarship night on the same night as the game, and many of the players won’t be able to make it. Mendeceles, Matt Largo and Tucker Baksa are the only senior for Gilroy playing.
McElroy will be attending West Valley, where he plans to play water polo. He also plans to play club volleyball and eventually transfer to Santa Clara. Mendeceles plans on attending San Jose State in the fall and playing for the club team there.
McElroy said at the start of the season his hitting was off. He decided to quit swimming a couple weeks into the season to concentrate on volleyball. He was shocked to find out that he was named as the co-MVP.
“I didn’t think I would have a chance to get it,” McElroy said. “I thought Jay was going to get it.”
McElroy has tried to be the vocal leader on the team this year.
“I just try to talk as much as I can,” McElroy said. “I try to play the best I can always. In the beginning of the season, I tried to get my jump serve down, but my timing was off. But my float serve wasn’t bad, so I stuck with that.”
One of the biggest things that has helped Mendeceles has been his club volleyball experience and his three years playing with his Mustang teammates. He was with the JV team his sophomore year and then the varsity team last two years.
“We have the same chemistry,” Mendeceles said. “We’re not on each others cases. We know how to work together.”
Mendeceles has played basketball for the past few years, but this year wanted to concentrate on volleyball.
“I just try to keep poise out there and stay on the momentum,” Mendeceles said.
McElroy has also been with his teammates for awhile. He first started playing volleyball during his freshman year in which he stared for the JV team. The varsity team finished undefeated that year. And in the next year, many of the sophomores were brought up for the varsity team, which won only two games.
The Mustangs were together on the JV team and then in the last two years when the team finished second in the league.
“He does it all,” said Live Oak coach John Telfer about McElroy. “He plays well in our system – the 6-2. He is the setter in the back and a hitter in the front row. There is a lot of value placed on a setter who can also be one of the top hitters. He has one of the better serves on the team.”
“Matt’s hitting style was just pure power,” Martin added. “He is so strong. He is able to hit the ball so hard that if it doesn’t go down it goes right off the block and out of bounds.”
Mendeceles also has power and is quick on his feet to get to the ball.
“For a guy his size, he has an incredible hang time,” Martin said. “It’s not that he gets up that high, but he makes good adjustments in the air to get to where the set is to be able to get to the ball and hit it. Even on bad sets, he is able to get up and float along to make the adjustment.”
Both players and coaches agree that it has been a fun rivalry between the two teams this year.
“It’s been fun and intense at the same time this year,” Mendeceles said.
“It has been a really friendly competition,” Martin added. “It hasn’t been an ugly rivalry. The kids know each other because they have played with and against them. Hopefully our two teams will again be close next year.”
Martin is preparing two club teams (U18 and U16) and he welcomes both Live Oak and Gilroy players to come out during the open gyms which will be held usually on Sunday night at Gilroy High beginning in late June.
“If Live Oak would have played club and had an additional 70 games under their belt, they would have really done well,” Martin said. “It wouldn’t have taken them so long to come together at the start of the year.”
Note: Coach Telfer is hanging up the whistle and playbook as Live Oak head volleyball coach. Telfer decided before this season started that this would be his last year. He wants to dedicate more time to his real estate business and take his wife on some trips now that his youngest son Eric is going to UC Santa Barbara in the fall. Telfer took over for Karen Conrad, who helped get the volleyball team in Morgan Hill started. Telfer would not rule out coming back and coaching in the future.
“I couldn’t have gone out on a better note,” Telfer said. “I enjoyed coaching, and I had a great group of guys to work with this year.”
