DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:Smith a student and leader for Lightning

Chemistry is something boys’ volleyball coach Dan Thomassen teaches in the classroom at Sage Hill School.

Bayle Smith knows this. He’s in Thomassen’s chemistry class. It’s there that he learns about protons and electrons, but chemistry on the volleyball court is something less tangible.

Smith has indeed helped the Sage Hill School boys’ volleyball team with chemistry, but his favorite subject on court has to be physics, the way he slams the ball down at such speeds that gravity alone can’t explain.

Maybe it’s geometry, the way the outside hitter is always looking for the perfect hitting angle. Or maybe it’s history, the way Smith helped the Lightning make history this season, advancing to the CIF Southern Section Division V semifinals for the second time in the program’s existence.

Whatever the case, it’s clear to Thomassen that Smith is a student of the game.

“He’s done a fantastic job, from simple things to directing traffic and being an on-court coach, to more how to conduct yourself at school,” Thomassen said. “He’s an excellent student, one of the top ones I’ve had.

“I’d say his biggest asset is he really likes to learn. He has attention to detail. Even though he’s one of the best players on the team, if not the best player, he wants to learn as much as anybody. He’s very hungry to get better.”

The Lightning this year were a deep, albeit young, team. Nothing like the team that Smith was on last season, which had seven seniors. When Sage Hill lost junior middle blocker Jamie McGee to a preseason injury, Smith and junior Carl Hillgren were the only returners from last year’s squad, which lost in the second round of the playoffs.

So Smith, a sophomore, assumed the role of team leader. He couldn’t afford to wait in the wings, not with just one senior for Sage Hill and no senior starters.

“It’s been a big change, but I like it a lot,” Smith said. “I like bringing the team up and cheering on everyone else. We’ve been inconsistent, but I always try to keep the team level through the good times and the bad times. For how many underclassmen we have, we’ve done really well this year and I’m really happy with it.”

Smith usually leads the Lightning in kills and had a season-high 30 in a five-game win over San Marino on March 16. Although just a sophomore, he has plenty of experience, as he’s played on the Balboa Bay Volleyball Club for five years.

Thomassen said he saw early on the talent that Smith possesses.

“As he came into our school last year, I knew he was going to be a special player,” Thomassen said. “It’s still early in his volleyball career, but he has a very good set of skills. And he’s very smart for how young he is.”

Smith always wants to improve. He said he wants his jump serves to be more consistent, and his passing. It’s about becoming very serious about volleyball, which is why he quit playing club soccer about two years ago, although he still plays for the Lightning.

“I want to keep on improving as much as I can,” Smith said, before shifting to the team aspect. “Since we aren’t really graduating any starters, we’re going to be even better next year.”

And Thomassen still has big hopes for Smith.

“He’s still going to sprout into a much better player,” said Thomassen, who also played for Balboa Bay Volleyball Club (and Newport Harbor High) before playing at UC San Diego. “He’s got a lot of upside still. Things like his jump-serve, his blocking, his attacking, they’re all going to get better and they’re pretty solid right now.”

In the CIF Division V semifinal at Viewpoint, a funny thing happened before the match. The Viewpoint announcer pronounced Smith’s name “bale,” like a bale of hay (it’s pronounced “bay-lee”).

A slight smile was the only reaction from Smith.

He is still making a name for himself, after all.

MATT SZABO may be reached at (714) 966-4614 or at matthew.szabo@latimes.com.