Lacey Maley has a theory about the Simon Kenton boys volleyball team she coaches.
“They like to hit things,” she said Friday.
It’s been a working hypothesis so far. Including Thursday’s 3-0 win over Collins (25-19, 25-17, 25-17), the Pioneers have served, set and hit to a 7-0 record in their inaugural season, and they’ve lost just one set of the 22 they’ve played.
Senior Nehemiah Kaai is pleasantly pleased.
“Well, at the start of the season, I didn’t think we’d win many games just because it is a first-year program, and a lot of the guys on this team didn’t really have an experience with volleyball,” Kaai said. “But throughout, as we started to progress in the season, (with) us winning, it didn’t really surprise me anymore because we’re a good team.”
Maley (née Lacey Chestnut) graduated from Simon Kenton in 2018 and Thomas More University in 2022. She said being so young usually helps her relate to the team.
“Sometimes it can make it harder because sometimes when you relate a little too much, then the boys can get a little carried away,” Maley says.
”But my husband (Stephen Maley) helps coach with me, and he kind of keeps them in line and it’s been great for just building relationships with students.”
Three Pioneers, Kaai, his cousin, junior Henry Alo and freshman Nick Nartker, have multiple years’ experience in club programs.
“My sisters, they started playing volleyball at a young age, so I was just always around it,” Alo said. And me and Nehemiah, we were just basically raised together, and we just slowly started playing with them, and then we would go to practices with them, and we just started playing volleyball.”
The rest of the team had to learn the basics; none of the others had played more than a season in random middle school leagues.
“My two middles (blockers, sophomore Mitchell Ball and freshman Owen Crawford) have gotten a lot of block touches in more recent games that they’re improving on their blocking, but I mean, they’re basketball players that kind of picked up a volleyball this February,” Maley said. “And they’re … just making it work.”
Ball says passing the ball was the hardest skill to learn.
“Just being able to guide the ball, getting exactly where it needs to be, sometimes can be a little bit complicated,” he said.
Then, there’s junior Christian De La Cruz, whose only experience has been a few pickup games.
“Christian’s … just shown great strides of improvement already this season, just hitting-wise, serve (and) receive,” Maley said. “Yeah, I’ve been really impressed with how hard he’s worked.
Maley said the Pioneers’ 3-0 (25-20, 27-25, 25-21) win March 26 at Walton-Verona was the first challenge.
“… I think just getting in somebody else’s gym, acclimating to having an away game after four straight home games, I think took us off a little bit,” Maley said. “I also think we were having some health issues that night, and our, top player was having some struggles hitting-wise because of that and whatnot.”
Simon Kenton needed four sets to (10-25, 25-21, 25-21, 25-14) subdue Calvary Christian on March 27. Maley’s message after dropping the first set all season: the Pioneers were letting the Cougars control the momentum.
“I believe I said something along the lines of … ‘It’s your choice to give other teams confidence to beat you.’” Maley wrote in a text message.
Kaai had 17 kills against Collins, and Alo added 20 assists and eight digs; Kaai leads the team with 101 kills, and Alo has a team-high 134 assists.
Four of Simon Kenton’s final five games are on the road: North Oldham Tuesday at Boone County, at Scott on April 20, at Ryle on April 21, a home game April 23 against Oldham County and at Calvary Christian April 30.
To capture a state title, Simon Kenton would have to win the Region 6 (Boone County, Calvary Christian, Collins, North Oldham, Oldham County, defending champion Ryle, Scott, Shelby County and Walton-Verona) May 9 in Independence. Maley said four Louisville schools – defending state champion St. Xavier, DeSales, St. Francis and Trinity – are state contenders.
“St. X won the state championship in their inaugural season last year,” Maley said. “So if they can do it, why can’t we?”