Fast and furious, West Delaware has carved out a fun, successful volleyball niche

MANCHESTER — You’ve got the full-court press in basketball, the no-huddle offense in football.

They’re methods to force the opposition into an uncomfortable style of play.

There’s no gimmicky name for the way West Delaware plays volleyball. So let’s just call it for what it is.

Fast.

“It’s thrilling and exhilarating,” hitter Hannah Cantwell said.

When opponents talk about facing the Hawks, the common scouting-report verbiage is “pace” and “tempo.”

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Coach Brett Mather, the architect, has another.

“We talk about it being a game of rhythm,” he said last Thursday, as the Class 3A third-ranked Hawks (38-6) prepared for the state tournament; they’ll face No. 6 Davenport Assumption (33-8) in the first round at 12:25 p.m. Tuesday.

West Delaware’s style is both unique and successful. This will be the program’s 15th state appearance, all since 2003.

The Hawks won 3A championships in 2015 and 2021. And it’s not as if they have churned out a conveyor belt of Division-I players.

Carlee (Ketchum) Demmer, setter on the 2015 title team, will go into the IGHSAU Volleyball Hall of Fame this week. That will bring West Delaware’s roster on that list to one.

“Her athletic ability, her leadership ability ... she was dynamic and made everybody better,” Mather said.

Demmer is a West Delaware assistant now.

“She tells us that we have to be a leader,” said Kirstyn Kolbet, who shares setting duties with Natalie Mensen. “We have to be the loudest. It doesn’t matter if you’re comfortable that way, that’s how you have to be.”

Mather, 54, has played competitive volleyball for much of his adult life, as a setter.

As a coach, he is in his 29th year at West Delaware (978-236), his 31st year overall (1,008-258).

His teams in Manchester haven’t suffered a single losing season.

“I just wanted us to have an identity of our own,” he said. “It was kind of a vision I had.

“You look at any sport, and those that can play fast, in any sport ... they can be successful.”

Mather has been approached about sharing his recipe with other teams, and has declined.

“I prefer coaching OUR kids,” he said. “Maybe that’s selfish of me. We learned it on our own. So can others.”

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He did offer a couple of basics last week.

Item No. 1: Low passes, low sets.

“If you don’t pass well, you’re out of system, and it doesn’t work,” he said. “Passing has always been a strength of ours. You don’t have to pass perfect; you can still run a quick offense (with the setter at) the 10-foot line.

“We want the pass no higher than the top of the antenna (on the net), if possible. We want to catch the other team before they can get up a block.”

In the Hawks’ regional-final win against Union Community, they didn’t give up a single point via block.

“You have to have such a trust in each other,” libero Olivia Halverson said. “As a passer, you just don’t want to move the setter backward. You’ve got to have the mindset to be ready for everything.”

Item No. 2: The footwork. This is where the rhythm comes in.

“If it’s the middle (hitter), I want the hitter’s left foot to hit the ground at the same instant that the setter touches the ball,” Mather said.

The Hawks learn that dance, that rhythm, through years of repetition.

“(Mather) drills us at a high level with high intensity and high engagement,” Cantwell said. “He preaches rhythmic passing.

“We’re not the tallest team out there, but our tempo (offsets) that.”

They’re not the tallest. Just the fastest.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com