Newton's law of gravity states that the greater the mass of an object, the greater the force of gravity it exerts. The same applies to sports stars. The better your players are, the more influence they will have on your opponent's strategy.
Horizon High School boys volleyball player James “JP” Candillian is that player for the Hawks.
Kandrian is a 6-foot-7 outside hitter who beats opponents with his incredible vertical jump and lethal hitting ability. The senior, who is committed to Division I collegiate volleyball at Purdue University in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has had a great season with Horizon, racking up 306 kills in 66 sets.
This kind of production has done a few things for the Horizon men's volleyball world, but the main effect is that Kandrian now commands the attention of his opponents almost every time he steps on the court.
“I know the defense has a game plan to make sure I don’t get hit too easily,” Kandrian said. “That's fine, because I don't mind the challenge and I know the more attention they give me, the more chances my teammates have to score. I believe they'll get the job done. .”
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In fact, Kandrian attracts so much attention that his gravitational pull does something special for his teammates. It gives them an opportunity to attack a defense that is overly focused on stopping Candorian. In doing so, they ignore junior Xander Hammer, senior Jonathan Slattery and sophomore Pietro Franco at the other hitting spots.
Thanks to the stress Candrian puts on defense, the Hawks won the District 9 championship, the MetroWest Conference championship, a 21-4 record and the No. 1 seed in Region 3 of the FHSAA Boys Volleyball State Championship Tournament.
“JP is the heart of our team,” Horizon coach Christine Geminiani said. “When he came to Horizon as a sophomore, we knew early on that he was a very talented kid and a hard worker. That's why he's our captain now. For our team. , there is no denying that he is an exceptional player at the DI level, so the play is his.”
setup man
But despite Kandrian's pull, Geminiani and the rest of the team know that volleyball is a team sport.
“(Setter) Ian (Silva) is a very talented and hard-working player for us,” Geminiani said. “He's my co-captain, along with JP. They're both great leaders of the team. … I often let them make a lot of the decisions on the court because of how much I trust them. there is.”
With 524 assists in 74 sets, Silva knows more than anyone how important teamwork is to success on the court. Silva's main responsibility as a setter is to transition his team from defense to attack, ideally by receiving the first pass from a defended opponent's attack. Then, on your team's second touch, make a perfect pass to one of your teammates for a hit, which ultimately results in a score for your team.
Silva is of particular importance to the success of this Hawks team, as he not only determines where the ball goes, but also the quality of that pass.
It's certainly a pressure-filled position, but Silva is up for the challenge.
“What really takes the pressure off for me is that we have players who can correct bad passes,” Silva said. “If I mess up a pass, our hitters are so good that they keep the ball from going into the net or out of bounds, and they make us play for that. It gives me a chance to keep going.”
easy bucket
When Silva clicks and Kandorian's striking threat draws blockers towards him, Horizon knows his opponent is right where he wants to be.
“I'm always looking at the blocker. It's my job as a setter to always be aware of what the blocker is thinking and what they're seeing,” Silva said. “Before setting the ball, check where the blocker's line of sight is facing. Most of the time, it's on the JP. If it's that clear, take advantage of the solo blocker and look to the middle or right side. ” for us to achieve the kill. ”
Often it is Slattery, the big man in the middle of the horizon, who receives these sets and single blockers.
“Big John is not only a phenomenal hitter for our team, he also accomplishes that in the classroom and is the valedictorian of our senior class,” Geminiani said. “As our middle blocker, Jonathan is another key piece for us. He has the third-most kills and most total blocks of any of us this season.”
The 6-foot-8 middle blocker proved he is a star with 106 kills and 28 blocks. But when you add a single blocker consistently, Slattery shows you how much simpler his life is with Kandorian by his side.
“Yes, it’s definitely easier when JP is in the front row with me because usually it means being the only blocker for me,” he said. “Typically you only have one blocker, so you always try to have good hitters on both sides of the court to take advantage of that, and every time you find yourself getting that single blocker. , we'll really try to go for it and make the team pay for it.”
Sam Albuquerque is the sports editor of the Orange Observer. Contact him for story ideas, results, and statistics.
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