Daily Pilot Prep Athlete of the Week: Loyd Wright

Barry Faulkner

Newport Harbor High boys volleyball standout Loyd Wright has been

recognized All-Sea View League, All-Newport-Mesa District and the MVP of

the Orange County Championships. He has helped the Sailors earn two Sea

View championships, back-to-back titles at the Orange County

Championships and, this year, the county’s No. 1 ranking.

But the ultimate honor, bestowed only recently upon the senior setter,

just might be the silent treatment afforded him by Coach Dan Glenn.

Glenn, who admittedly rides his setters more relentlessly than his

other players, who might be surprised to learn there is a higher level of

expectation than the one the respected veteran coach places upon them,

said the progress of his three-year starter is worthy of some swan-song

season slack.

“Loyd was the starter as a sophomore, then broke his hand (missing the

CIF Southern Section playoffs), which was frustrating for him,” Glenn

recalled. “Last year, he had a good season, but he needed to work on his

speed and his strength. He came back a lot stronger and quicker this year

and, just in the last month or so, he has really started to play like a

senior.”

There are few finer compliments given by Glenn, who has subsequently

altered his approach to correcting his co-captain’s diminishing mistakes.

“I usually don’t tell my setters what to do during matches; I just

yell at them after they make a poor decision,” Glenn said. “Loyd still

makes mistakes, but, now, I wait till after the match and we talk about

them.”

Glenn is happy to talk about the maturation of Wright’s game, which

had been greatly aided by the presence of assistant coach Russell Gan, a

former All-CIF setter at Harbor who went on to start four seasons at the

University of the Pacific.

“Russell has been great with Loyd,” Glenn said. “I wouldn’t say he’s

acted as a buffer, but Russell has the ability to get my point across to

him in a slightly different way. Russell played for me, so he knows what

I want. I don’t care who my players get (my instructions) from, as long

as they get them. They don’t always have to get it from me.”

Due in part to this “Gan’s-lation,” as well as Wright’s continued

comfort at a position he began playing only after transferring from Santa

Margarita High, where he was a freshman outside hitter, Wright seems to

have grasped the complicated blend of skills -- virtually equal parts

mental and physical -- needed to run the Sailors’ show.

“He has always been a volleyball player,” Glenn said of Wright, who

was initiated into the game at an early age by older brothers Rob, Brody

and Jeremy Mape, all of whom played as preps at Corona del Mar (Rob also

played at the University of Hawaii). “He grew up around the sport and he

has always understood the game. But, just in the last month or so, he has

begun to understand the game as a setter, which is a completely different

thing.”

The results of this progress are easily quantifiable. The Daily Pilot

Athlete of the Week amassed 83 assists in the Sailors’ 15-4, 12-15, 15-7,

15-5 win over Bullard of Fresno in the fifth-place final of the Santa

Barbara Tournament of Champions Saturday at Santa Barbara High.

He also collected 51 assists in a fifth-place semifinal sweep of San

Marcos Saturday, en route to all-tournament laurels, after guiding the

Sailors to a Sea View sweep of Laguna Hills April 25.

He also helped the Tars close out an unbeaten Sea View campaign

Tuesday with a sweep at second-place Woodbridge.

“I think I’ve been pretty comfortable this year, but every match gets

easier,” said Wright, who has all but finalized plans to continue playing

collegiately at Arizona.

Wright said repetition and the bond developed by playing with fellow

senior hitters Greg Perrine, Brian Gaeta and Erik Peterson, have made it

easier to keep defenders off balance. But, he said the mental focus

necessary to call plays (prior to each serve), track down passes, read

opposing blockers, and deliver the ball to the spot that makes the most

sense, in the desired location for that specific hitter, is a challenge

he must continually rise to.

“There are a lot of calls I need to make and a lot of the decisions I

end up making, have a lot to do with feel,” Wright said. “Having the kind

of weapons we have this year makes my job a lot easier. But I’m usually

pretty mentally drained after a match.”

Wright, who is as unselfish with his praise for the guidance given him

by Glenn and Gan as he is dispensing sets, said he is anxious to help

guide his team in the upcoming CIF Division II playoffs.

But first, there are Back Bay bragging rights to be settled with

Corona del Mar, which visits the Sailors’ gym Friday at 6:30 p.m.

“I remember watching my brothers play in those matches and it will be

especially exciting playing this one at Newport,” Wright said.