It’s the Thursday afternoon on the day of the District One seeding meeting.
The Central Bucks South volleyball team is gathered around coach Ulana Keer discussing the upcoming district tournament. The players have questions, including why their team – despite its impressive 14-1 record and a Continental Conference title – is not included in the Greater Philadelphia Volleyball Coaches Association most recent poll.
Later that night, the Titans were awarded the 18th seed in the upcoming district tournament, which undoubtedly raised more questions about the lack of respect their team has received, but Keer understands – and her players will too – that respect in any sport is hard earned.
SOL teams like Upper Merion, Council Rock North and Hatboro-Horsham have earned it. They are perennial district powers, and it is not a coincidence that their rosters are filled with veteran club players who boast lengthy resumes.
The Titans, meanwhile, are the new kids on the block, an upstart team that lost just one regular season match but is only two years removed from a three-win season.
Haley Uzelac – the lone active senior on the roster and a three-year varsity player - has seen both sides.
“When I was a sophomore, we were really bad,” said Uzelac, who only recently has returned to the court after recuperating from an ankle injury. “I think the only team we beat was West because we’ve beaten them every year I’ve been on the team.
“It was actually awful. I would dread going to games. We didn’t have good team chemistry, and on the court, we didn’t communicate. It’s completely different this year.”
The changes have been subtle and not so subtle. The Titans have inherited some young players with a volleyball background and a resulting high volleyball IQ, but it’s more than that.
“We’re all really close, and I think that helps when we’re on the court,” Uzelac said. “A lot of the girls played club, and they came back and were outstanding.”
Keer taking over the helm last season also introduced a change in the mindset.
“She was more into volleyball,” junior setter Jenn Smith said. “And we also started playing more club.”
Smith is one of a handful of players that had volleyball experience when she entered high school, receiving her introduction through CYO and moving on to play club volleyball by the time she was in sixth grade.
Still, she says she was not surprised to find that volleyball was a new sport to many of her teammates.
“You can’t expect everyone to be as good as your club team was or have that experience,” Smith said. “We basically all did club last year, and coming in, we knew that we were going to be better than last year.
“Obviously, our goal was to win our conference and move onto districts, but we never thought we would actually have a chance to win the championship.”
Junior outside hitter Giuli Frendak is also a veteran of the CYO circuit and has been playing club for the past two years. When she came on board, she believed winning three games a season might be as good as it got during her South playing days.
“As a freshman, you come in and think, ‘Oh, the seniors are really good,’” Frendak said. “Then you see they’ve only won three games, and you’re like, ‘Is it going to be like that our year?’”
“But our coach really had confidence in us. We have a big junior class, and our freshman year, she knew we had the potential to step up and be a good varsity team when it was our turn.”
The Titans put themselves in a position to win the crown when they travelled to North Penn for a late-season match. The Maidens had defeated the Titans 3-1 earlier in the season, but this time around, the Titans returned the favor, earning a 3-1 win.
“That was huge,” sophomore Abby Mummert said. “We knew we were tied, and we knew we had to bring it.”
“Going into that game, everyone was nervous,” Smith added. “Our whole season was depending on it.
“It was an awesome game. I give credit to that team. They’re awesome too.”
The Titans received a gift from Quakertown when – four days later – the Panthers pulled off an upset of the Maidens, giving sole possession of the league crown to the Titans.
“I’m friends with North Penn’s setter, and when she told me, I was like, ‘How did that happen?’” Smith said. “We are so blessed to be in this position.”
Playing no small role in the program’s growth has been the addition of players like sophomore Abby Mummert. The 5-10 middle hitter and Meghan Kaminski – who also plays for the girls’ soccer team - anchor the middle of the net for the Titans.
A native of Tennessee, Mummert was introduced to the sport as a youngster and has been playing club volleyball the past five years.
“It’s really exciting,” said Mummert, whose sister Nicole, a senior, was sidelined the entire season with an injury. “My sister said her freshman year they won one game, and coming now to my sophomore year and only losing one game – it’s such a great experience. It’s amazing.
“Most of our girls played club this past year. We had a lot of drama last year, but this year everyone just came together, and we clicked as a team.”
Junior libero Jayne Mulhern, who also got her start in CYO, admits she has been amazed by her team’s turnaround.
“Coming into this year, I didn’t know how it would be because we lost two of our stronger players,” she said. “But I played club with two of our players, and I feel like we all improved together, and it was easier coming in this year.
“We all had a bond, and we clicked better, and we had a better basis to start with. We made the playoffs last year, and I was hoping we would make it a little further. I didn’t know what to expect, and coming into this year and seeing how it went – it was a really nice surprise.”
Last year, the Titans were the 23rd seed in the 24-team district tournament. They were swept by 10th seeded St. Basil Academy 3-0.
“I think we were all really nervous,” Uzelac said. “I remember coming to the game on crutches. It was two days after I broke my ankle, and our whole team just looked terrified. We didn’t know what to expect. We’d never done that before.
“I think this year we definitely know what we’re going to see.”
The future is bright for a Titan squad that graduates just one senior.
“If we all play another whole year of club and play against harder teams, there’s just more room for improvement,” Mulhern said. “I think it can only go up from here.”
Keer, meanwhile, smiles when she thinks of a future that is decidedly bright and a present that isn’t too bad either.
“They’re fighters, and they work real hard in practice,” the Titans’ second-year coach said of her squad. “We’ll see how they do.
“The bottom line is they have to win. No matter how much I love them or how wonderful I think they are - the bottom line is they have to figure out how to play volleyball and how to be skilled on the court. That’s the only thing that’s going to determine if they’re champs or not.”
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