Moeller Volleyball: Race Back to the Top
JJ Beckelhimer (left, grey shirt) looks to bring his experience from the 2018 State Championship team (pictured above) and the 2019 State Runner-Up team.
Photo by Tony Tribble, an ESP Media Partner
Winter is turning to spring, and the sun is beginning to shine. With that, the flowers are blooming, and Moeller Volleyball is jumping into action. A championship caliber program, the Moeller Volleyball team expects to play the best and be the best. But with Covid dampening the momentum due to the cancellation of the promising 2020 campaign, Coach Lee Meyer, and senior captains Jerry "JJ" Beckelhimer, Jack Carroll, and Alex Davy are looking to lead the team to another state title.
Senior year of high school is an important year, and it’s even bigger for these guys. Led by captain JJ Beckelhimer, who was an honorable mention to the Cincinnati Enquirer's Spring 2019 High School All-Stars as a sophomore, the team is looking to make a return to the state finals after playing in the championship game in 2018 and 2019. With winning the championship in 2018 and the 2020 season being cancelled due to COVID-19, Beckelhimer is the only returning player with considerable varsity experience.
Along with limited varsity experience is a new coach in Moeller graduate, Lee Meyer '07. Meyer first joined the Crusader coaching staff in 2012 after an exemplary high school, college, and professional volleyball career. He returned in 2019 as head coach, replacing longtime figurehead Matt McLaughlin '01. Despite being hired nearly two years ago, this will be Meyer's first full season as head coach.
(Top row, left to right) Alex Davy, Jack Carroll, Matthew Reinhold, JJ Beckelhimer, Nick Yeoman, Patrick Riehle, (Bottom row) Nate Wiehe, Colin Smith, Sean Mulvaney, Ashton Nahrup, Jack Boone
When asked about leadership within the team, Meyer did not hesitate to applaud the commitment and leadership of the seniors and complimented the discipline of the entire program. Meyer said, "I am blessed to work with such and amazing group of seniors." Meyer applauded the leadership of the captains, saying that Beckelhimer, as a setter, brings a calm and collectiveness to the court that is revered and respected by the other players. Jack Carrol and Alex Davy bring their own skillsets to the team, with Meyer praising their work ethic off the court, saying that they "have raised the expectations and goals of our offseason lifting program…when something is asked of them, they get it done.
The 2021 varsity team is also loaded with collegiate talent in seniors Ashton Nahrup and Jack Boone. Boone plans on continuing his athletic career at Wittenberg University of Springfield, OH, whilst Nahrup plans to play for St. Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
So far, the team is on a hot start, undefeated through seven matches. But their first real test is soon to come. Per sources within the Moeller Volleyball organization, both Elder and St. X will be fierce competition and, coincidentally, they will be upcoming back-to-back matches for Moeller, with St. X to be played this Friday, April 16, and Elder to be played Tuesday, April 20.