CITIZENS' VOICE VOLLEYBALL PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Stec accomplishes goals in senior year
JJ Stec tried a bunch of sports growing up.
Nothing really stuck.
It was during the pandemic when his volleyball journey began. His dad, Jeff, set up a net in the backyard, and the duo worked on some of the basic fundamentals of the sport.
Was it going to be a fit for him?
"It's something that I kind of grew into," the senior Crestwood Comet said. "Height was a big advantage for me. I was kind of a lanky kid. I wasn't big and bulky like a wrestler, but I wasn't built like a track and field athlete. I was kind of in the middle, and volleyball was the sport where I just seemed to fit."
A perfect fit.
And a perfect ending to his Comet career.
Stec had a dream senior season where he led the Wyoming Valley Conference in kills, and helped Crestwood win its first championship in boys' volleyball with a four-set win over Holy Redeemer in the District 2 Class 2A title tilt.
He also helped the Comets win their first PIAA match.
For his efforts, Stec was named as The Citizens' Voice Boys' Volleyball Player of the Year.
It was a year to remember.
He ended his season with 534 kills, and hit the 1,000-kill plateau at the school in his career. Stec added 242 points, 69 blocks and 249 digs.
He also earned a chance to continue his volleyball career at the next level, committing to attend Wilkes in the fall.
Stec sat down with The Citizens' Voice to talk about the season, the importance of winning a district title for Crestwood, and what it was like to be coached by his father, Jeff.
Q: Walk me through the start of your volleyball career. When did you begin?
A: I believe it was the summer of COVID when I started in the sport, which was 2020. I actually started outside in the backyard. My dad had a net and I tried a bunch of different sports that just didn't fit me that well. I played a little rec volleyball, and my dad taught me the basics. That's when I fell in love with the sport.
Q: Being so close to the district championship as a junior, do you think that fueled and motivated you and your teammates in the offseason?
A: That was big. Being in that environment and playing with a championship on the line, that was huge. It's something that stuck with me during the offseason, and to be honest, in the regular season and postseason as well. We had that goal that we really wanted that district championship and we really wanted to get the school's first district championship. We wanted to get that revenge from last year.
Q: How unique is your team? You guys were a bunch of friends that kind of joined the sport together and grew into the sport.
A: That bond is huge. We stuck with each other since middle school. Being the same group of guys for four years, and having classes together and seeing each other in school, doing stuff together, building that chemistry, it's huge. It boosts team morale. They are literally like brothers to me, being with them for four years. I think we will continue to be friends, even after we leave Crestwood.
Q: What's it like to be coached by dad? What's that dynamic like?
A: It's definitely an honor. Being such a big mentor to me as a father, and being my coach now, it was definitely great. We definitely had those moments where we would come home from practice and had a few questions with what he was doing. I respect him as a coach, and being a father figure and a coach, you have to separate them at times. As soon as we get into the gym, it's that "Yes coach" mentality and following his instructions. I know he has a lot of knowledge and I could learn a lot from him.
Q: Coming off a tough loss to Redeemer in the conference final, what was the mindset like heading into the postseason? Was the team still feeling pretty confident?
A: The goal was to win. Obviously, losing twice to Redeemer was rough. We had them in the conference championship, up two sets, but credit to them because they are a great team. We made the mistakes and errors, and they took advantage. Having that fuel, we wanted this. That conference title would have been massive, but our goal was to win that gold in districts. That was our focus.
Q: What was the emotion of holding that gold medal in your hands?
A: As soon as I saw it happen on the court, I just fell to the ground. It was something that felt surreal. We set that goal freshman year that we were going to win districts, win that gold and bring it back to our school. When that moment happened, it was surreal. It was something that I will never forget. You set a goal, and to accomplish it your senior year with a special group like that, it's something that you hold forever.
Q: Picking up the school's first win in states had to be a pretty cool experience, too.
A: Especially doing it at home was great. It was our last match in the Crestwood gym. It was all amazing. It's all things I will never take for granted. It's something that you will celebrate for the rest of your life.
Q: What was your college journey like?
A: I started my junior year. I was reaching out to coaches to get my name out there. Playing volleyball in college is always something that I wanted to do. As more and more coaches reached out to me, I was able to narrow it down to about 10 schools, and then, I narrowed it down to two at the beginning of my senior year. And I chose Wilkes. I felt like it was the right fit for me.
Q: How nice is it to stay close to home that your family could attend matches?
A: My family is my biggest supporters, and I couldn't have done any of this without them. That's important to me. It's such an honor, because without them, I'm not who I am. They've paid for my club visits and my training. Just to show them where I am today, it's hard to put it into words.
Q: Pass along some words of advice to someone thinking about volleyball or maybe an underclassmen still on the volleyball team. What would you say to them?
A: I would tell them to stick with it. If you like a sport, you enjoy playing it and there is a good group of people around, I say stick with it. I tried other sports, and it didn't fit me. I stuck with it because I loved it, and I found a group of people that I loved to be around. I feel like that's important. You make those life-long friendships that won't be broken. Just stick with it, don't take in account what other people say, and just do what you love.
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