ELKHART — Not many head coaches match the energy of their players quite as much as South Bend Adams boys volleyball’s leader Mekenna Mrozinski. When the Eagles score a point, no matter if it clinches the set or brings her squad just one point closer to the lead they trail, she and Adams celebrate as if that point is the most important of the entire match.
That’s how Mrozinski operated when she played at New Prairie High School, and she hasn’t changed 11 years later. In her first year as Adams’ boys volleyball head coach in just the sport’s second year being sanctioned by the IHSAA, she has brought the Eagles a long way.
Although they may not have won any of their four matches Saturday, May 2 at the Elkhart Invitational, they pushed teams like Dekalb and South Bend Saint Joseph to sweat out some sets.
“I’ve asked them multiple times, ‘Am I doing too much for you guys? Is this way too in your face? Do I need to sit down and chill out for a little bit?’” Mrozinski said. “Every time, they say, ‘Absolutely not. That’s what brings us up, and that’s what we need.’”
With less than two weeks before the IHSAA state tournament begins, Mrozinski’s energy could prove especially crucial right now.
“These boys, they come together when they need to,” Mrozinski said. “That’s our biggest asset right now … Our energy, I think that’s really what takes us and gets us to the point where we can get some W’s.”
The Eagles lost 3-0 to Northridge in a first-round sectional game last season, and they’ll look to reverse their fortunes in a first-round contest vs. South Bend Riley this time around. Elkhart also failed to make it past its first sectional game last season, but the Lions put up a fight in a 3-2 loss to South Bend Riley.
This year, sharing a sectional with Adams hosted by Northridge, Elkhart will face Warsaw. Head coach Kylie Giger, who has led the Lions to a 9-9 record so far this season, said what has mattered most to her squad this season has been personal growth. She wants spectators, both Elkhart fans or otherwise, to see that when they watch the Lions.
Giger feels the key to victory in the state tournament will be playing a clean game, with many teams falling into the tendency of beating themselves. Whichever team can get their serves and kills in bounds the most often, forcing the other team to fire back, should emerge from each game victorious, Giger said. The Lions finished second in the Northern Indiana Conference (NIC) to Penn, beating every other conference foe, including Saint Joseph and Adams twice.
“I think every game is going to feel like a championship game,” Giger said. “It doesn’t matter if we saw someone at the very beginning of the season, they’re a completely different team at this point. Our season might be short, but there’s something about boys and how fast they learn.”
Saint Joseph advanced to a sectional championship game by beating Mishawaka Marian — which does not have a team this season — and Northridge, before losing 3-1 to Penn in the title contest. The Huskies have struggled a bit this season, holding a 7-12 record, but head coach Dani Gaff saw something out of her squad at the Elkhart Invitational that encouraged her about the upcoming state tournament.
Saint Joseph dropped its first two matches of the morning 2-0 each, and up next was an NIC foe in Adams that had just pushed Dekalb to the limit. The Huskies opened up the match with the intention of making a statement, not only winning its first set of the invite, but sweeping the Eagles 2-0.
“We want to find that rhythm, so if we can find our rhythm in May, I’m happy with that,” Gaff said. “We’ve been talking about May since last November. Really, we’ve been talking about May since last May.”
Gaff said the Huskies’ mindset proved it was capable of not just winning but dominating. She wants to see that same mentality carry over to their first-round sectional game vs. NorthWood.
“We just ask that they play with grit,” Gaff said. “Playing with grit is hard when you’re down, so we’ve just asked that they’re gritty, because I think we can out-grit teams that might have more volleyball skill or more athleticism.”
Full South Bend area IHSAA boys volleyball sectional brackets
(all times Eastern)
Sectional 3 at Washington Township
Tuesday, May 12, 6 p.m.: South Central vs. Michigan City
Wednesday, May 13, 5:30 p.m.: Westville vs. Washington Township
Wednesday, May 13, 7 p.m.: Morgan Township vs. Kouts
Thursday, May 14, 5:30 p.m.: Chesterton vs. Tri-Township
Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m.: La Porte vs. Winner of South Central/Michigan City
Saturday, May 16, 11 a.m.: Winner of Westville/Washington Twp. vs. Winner of Morgan Twp./Kouts
Saturday, May 16, 12:30 p.m.: Winner of Chesterton/Tri Twp. vs. Winner of La Porte/South Central/Michigan City
Saturday, May 16, 6 p.m.: Championship game
Sectional 4 at Northridge
Tuesday, May 12, 6 p.m.: South Bend Riley vs. South Bend Adams
Wednesday, May 13, 5:30 p.m.: Elkhart vs. Warsaw
Wednesday, May 13, 7 p.m.: South Bend Saint Joseph vs. NorthWood
Thursday, May 14, 5:30 p.m.: South Bend Washington vs. Northridge
Thursday, May 14, 7 p.m.: Penn vs. winner of Riley/Adams
Saturday, May 16, 10:30 a.m.: Winner of Elkhart/Warsaw vs. winner of Saint Joseph/NorthWood
Saturday, May 16, Noon: Winner of Washington/Northridge vs. winner of Penn/Riley/Adams
Saturday, May 16, 6 p.m.: Championship game
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleMSmedley.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: South Bend area IHSAA boys volleyball teams motivated ahead of state tourney
Reporting by Kyle Smedley, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
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