Junior setter Dhruva Jasti knows what casual fans are thinking after getting their first look at Neuqua Valley this season.
Who are these guys?
That’s understandable considering almost all of the Wildcats’ players from last season graduated, including their entire starting lineup. So a roster is definitely needed to tell who is who. But that doesn’t mean the players are a bunch of strangers.
“Everyone was on JV last year except for one right-side and our liberos,” Jasti said. “But we have a lot of chemistry from last year, which helps us because at the beginning of the season, in practice we already had a decent connection.
“We had to kind of refresh it from club season because we had different people at different clubs, but it was only after a couple days that we got our connection back.”
Jasti has already forged good connections with many of his teammates, which is vital because he is Neuqua Valley’s linchpin. Junior right-side Chase Marston said the Wildcats are benefiting from that.
“We kind of already had that chemistry, and we get together outside of Neuqua and we play around together,” Marston said. “That kind of builds more setter-hitter chemistry between us.”
That will be critical over the next two seasons.
“Dhruva is probably the most important guy on the team this year,” Marston said. “He’s definitely one of the most positive players on the team. He keeps everyone uplifted.”
Neuqua Valley’s Chase Marston (14) hits the ball over West Aurora’s Gabriel Gonzales (15) during a match in Naperville on Thursday, March 21, 2024. (Jon Cunningham / Naperville Sun)
Marston had a team-high four kills, while Jasti finished with nine assists, five service points and two kills in the Wildcats’ 25-18, 25-17 road loss to Bolingbrook on Monday. Neuqua Valley (0-3) was overmatched but hung tough against the taller and more experienced Raiders (12-2), who got eight kills and three blocks from 6-foot-7 senior middle Tristan Benbow.
The Wildcats started strong, taking leads of 4-0 and 7-4 in the first set as Marston had two kills and Jasti had three assists. Neuqua Valley was within 16-14 before committing three straight errors.
“We’re playing pretty good,” Marston said. “It’s just we’re super inconsistent.”
But not afraid to battle. The Wildcats led 4-3 in the second set when the Raiders went on a 16-2 run to take a 19-6 lead.
Jasti delivered a key pep talk, and his teammates responded.
“I felt our attackers had lost confidence because they weren’t swinging as much,” he said. “I just said, ‘Look at the scoreboard right now. All we can do is swing. We’ve got to go play our hearts out right now.’”
That’s exactly what the Wildcats did, outscoring the Raiders 11-5 to cut the gap to 24-17 before a service error ended the match.
“Dhruva is very athletic,” Neuqua Valley coach Erich Mendoza said. “He’s all over the court.
“He’s definitely a positive person. That’s one thing that you need, especially with the inexperience that we have.”
The lack of varsity experience is unprecedented for Neuqua Valley.
‘It’s a whole new group of guys,” Mendoza said. “We’ve never had a scenario like that before because we typically have a number of seniors that stepped into the role.
“It’s going to be a learning experience. It’s going to be fun, though, to see how they grow and develop.”
There is still plenty of time for the Wildcats to improve. Jasti is still settling into his leadership role.
“I’m still a junior,” he said. “I’m young, and being a captain for a varsity team is a little bit more difficult.
“But giving me that responsibility gives me more confidence that people have that trust in me. I have trust in them because they have trust in me, so I can spread the ball around everywhere, and it helps my play.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.
