As a freshman, Revis' Joseph Walse became so enraged by a play that he punched a wall.
The good news is he wasn't hurt.
“We were lucky because it was a padded wall,” Wals said.
Wals is currently a junior outside hitter with two years of varsity experience. He is a dangerous attacker who has tried to keep his emotions in check.
“I was always angry about everything,” Wals said of his freshman season. “But now I know that if something happens I can bounce back quickly.
“Let's forget about that and move on to the next point.”
Two years ago, Revis coach Mike Jebens liked what he saw in Wals and selected him to play volleyball, even though Wals had never played volleyball before.
But when Walus' talent was ignited, Jebens had mixed feelings.
“He's very emotional and that's certainly one of the things we've been working on,” Jebens said.
“From his first year to now, he has been mentally unstable day and night.”
One big test came Friday during the Smack Attack pool competition hosted by the Rice Brothers. The Rams lost to St. Xavier 25-23, 33-35, 15-13. St. Xavier, the defending state champion in Kentucky, has won 20 state titles since 2001.
Emotions ran high during the game, but Wals remained calm.
“I was a little mad at myself that I could have done better, but I just kept playing,” he said. “We put our heart and soul into that game.”
The Rams (14-8) finished seventh in SmackAttack's Silver Bracket, but this loss proved they can sweat some elite competition.
Good times are in store for the Rams as Wals leads the way.
“He's really growing as a player. He's a reliable player for us,” Jebens said. “He carries the load for us. When we have our backs against the wall, he's the guy we want to step up and get the big kill or the big block. .”
words to the wise
Revis has multiple Polish players, which could be an advantage for the Rams.
“If there's something I don't want the referee or the other team to hear, I tell them to say it in Polish so the other team doesn't understand what you're saying,” Jebens said. “That's a cool and kind of unique thing about our team. At one point on the court, we have four players speaking Polish.”
“It works really well,” Wals said. “amazing.”
And what about the players who don't speak Polish?
“We just walk up and whisper to them,” Wals said. “And we teach them some words.”
national powers collide
Marist, ranked No. 5 in the nation in the USA Today/National Volleyball Coaches Association poll, defeated No. 3 Glenbard West 25-2 in Saturday's 24-team Smack Attack championship match. They lost 23, 25-21.
And this won't be the last time the country's giants will play against each other. The two could face off again Saturday at the Lincoln-Way East Invitational.
Glenbard West (19-0) and Marist (19-2) also have a nonconference match scheduled for May 9 in Chicago. Additionally, there's a good chance they'll play again in the state finals over the weekend on May 31st or June 1st.
Ohio State's Christian Teresi, who had 12 kills, 10 assists, seven digs and four aces in Saturday's win over the Hilltoppers, is having fun thinking about another rematch or three.
“It's always a fun and interesting match,” Teresi said. “But we don't want to lose to them. We'll focus on defense, attack, and everything else in the next practice.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.