NORFOLK, Va. — There's the saying that good things come in small packages. In the sport of volleyball where on the outside looking in, height appears to be the winning formula, but you've got to dig a little deeper.
"Everybody just goes for the big bang", says Granby High School boys volleyball coach Michelle Neaves. "Well it wouldn't happen without A.J.", she says.
That would be the case for the Comets 5-8 A.J. Angeles who looms large as their setter.
"We're the backbone of the offense", he says. "We're the quarterbacks in football or point guards in basketball".
Neaves added, "When he's there, it's a 100% better team".
The senior found his initial love of basketball go by the wayside, so when he switched to volleyball, he gained attention quickly. The Comets are currently 9-2 this season that included last Monday's 3-0 win over Lake Taylor. Angeles accounted for a least part of their first 20 points in the first set alone. Last year, he was the district and region player of the year.
He would have gotten state player of the year, but according to Coach Neaves, "They gave it to a hitter and I argued and argued, your hitter wouldn't be anything without your setter".
Angeles feels driven that kind of confidence from his coach and his team.
"You always have a potential", he says. "Just because you're short that doesn't mean you don't have the ability to play at a higher level".
