Lengthy Dorados hoping to make a splash on the volleyball court

On paper, Canyon del Oro’s boys volleyball team is the team to beat.

On the court, it could be even better.

Between plenty of returners and a pair of repaired knees, the senior-heavy Dorados are ready to make a run at a state championship. That’s a lofty goal for a team that hasn’t won a state tournament match since 2010.

“We saw a change in them last year,” CDO third-year coach David Garwacki said. “Once they realized they had talent and they could be good at the sport, you just saw it. They just changed their mindset to ‘We want to be the best at it.’ There’s definitely been a switch this year to work even harder.”

The Dorados start their journey this weekend with a trip to Pueblo to compete in the 16-team TUSD Invitational. Play begins Friday at 2 p.m. and the championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.

After winning just four matches in 2014, CDO posted a 17-11 record a year ago and won three straight to close out the regular season and qualify for the Division I state tournament. The Dorados suffered a five-set loss at Ironwood Ridge in the first round.

Success starts with star power, and CDO has it in outside hitter Nick Call.

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The 6-foot-2 senior is Southern Arizona’s top returning attacker and one of six football players on the team. Fellow senior football teammates and attackers Noah Soto and Kyle Caldwell made up the volleyball team’s top three scorers a year ago.

“We have the pieces. We just have to put it all together,” said Call, who finished with 317 kills as a junior. “We’ve had the same group of guys since sophomore year. We’re all healthy, we’re all ready to go for our senior year.”

Senior outside hitter Sean Sisson was part of the soccer team during the winter season, while Caldwell and senior middle blockers Keifer Neerhof and Hayden Hawkins were with the basketball team.

“We basically just went out and started recruiting athletes,” said Garwacki. “I actually handed Caldwell a ball and said, ‘Can you dunk that?’ As a sophomore he jumped up and dunked the volleyball.”

Neerhof finished with the team lead in blocks, despite blowing out his knee midseason and missing the rest of the year. The 6-8 netminder just recently returned to the court, bringing with him plenty of size to add to an already lanky team with five starters 6 feet 2 inches or taller.

“We’re just a bunch of great athletes and the time that we’ve had to play together we’ve been able to hone our volleyball skills,” said Neerhof. “Instead of just being a basketball player playing volleyball or a football player playing volleyball, everyone is more of a volleyball player now.”