Boys Volleyball | Richards weathering struggles after run of success

By Xavier Sanchez
Correspondent

After a tough weekend at the Smack Attack tournament, Richards got back into the win column with a two-set victory over Eisenhower in a South Suburban Red match.

The Bulldogs made quick work of the Cardinals, winning 25-16, 25-15 on April 23 in Oak Lawn to snap a five-match losing streak.

Richards (5-15, 2-3 SSC Red)) was coming off a winless weekend at the Smack Attack, hosted by Brother Rice and played at the host school and two other locations on April 19 and 20. The Bulldogs dropped matches to Brother Rice, Lincoln-Way Central and Riverside-Brookfield.

The Bulldogs are a relatively inexperienced team and feature only two seniors on their roster, which also includes two sophomores among a plethora of juniors.

“Just learning,” Richards coach Troy Grevengoed said of his squad’s struggles, and noted few Bulldogs play club volleyball. “These guys are playing primarily in our gym at Richards, so we have to teach them IQ stuff and get them caught up so we can get back to competing like we used to.”

Under Grevengoed, the Bulldogs won 21 or more matches in seven of eight seasons from 2012 to 2019. They were 11-18 in 2023, the program’s first losing season since 2015 and its worst season overall since 2008.

This year’s roster features two sophomores, two seniors and the rest juniors.

“We are well-balanced but on the younger side,” Grevengoed said. “Many of our impact players are on the younger side and play on the outside.”

Richards’ two primary scoring options are sophomore Kaden Oros and junior Corrie Adams.

Multi-sport athlete senior A.J. Plawecki has stepped up. Formerly a libero, Plawecki recently converted to setter.

Grevengoed is excited to keep teaching his players as the Bulldogs reload.

“We want to be competitive and compete for conference titles again,” he said. “And if we are outside of that space, we want to play at a level that just represents the level of play to our best ability that represents our history.”