Willie one of the best to play the game
Published: July 5, 2009
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share thisRyan Willie spent the last four years trying to be the best volleyball player he could be.
Mission accomplished.
As a very competitive athlete, he and teammate Nick Deschaine always tried to out-do each other when it came time for a powerful spike.
Both at 5-feet, 10-inches tall, neither resembles North Pocono's most recent run of successful players. They aren't the towering figures that 6-foot-5 Darrell Redman and 6-foot-4 P.J. Clifford were, but they could leap.
And they could hammer the ball with the best of them.
They even had their own little competition to see who could soar higher.
According to North Pocono coach Chris Summa, Deschaine edged Willie by one inch, 31-30. But Willie will probably be all right with that after a brilliant senior season, where he inched out his friend and teammate for The Times-Tribune All-Region Volleyball Player of the Year.
"It became a source of competition between he and Nick," Summa said of the quest for the best vertical. "We worked very hard in the offseason with different strength training. It really helped all of our kids' verticals.
"And they both could get up there."
A four-year starter, Willie had a solid final year leading the Trojans to an undefeated regular season, a 20-match winning streak and third consecutive titles in the Wyoming Valley Conference and District 2 Class AA.
He finished with 274 kills, a hitting percentage of .443. Willie also had 20 aces, 40 digs and 21 blocks to earn him most valuable player honors in the WVC.
In the end, he also earned a spot on the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches' Association's all-tournament team after a strong performance at the PIAA event.
"He was a four-year starter," Summa said. "There aren't many kids who came through the program who can say that. He was a gamer.
"When the pressure built up, it was his time to take his spot on the stage."
In his career, Willie is second on North Pocono's all-time list with 591 kills. He is first in aces with 98 and digs with 147, while ranking fourth with 75 blocks.
"He's probably, at least, in the top three of all-time that this school has ever seen," Summa said. "He was an equalizer. It was tough for teams to stop him."
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