The Park University Men’s Volleyball Team began its season looking to defend their NAIA national championship from last year. With a talented crop of new comers, along with group of veterans with championship experience, the Pirates are poised for another extraordinary season.

With a mix of youth, skill and leadership, the Pirates have found themselves as the consensus No. 1 ranked team in the nation. Even though a few key members from last season championship team have moved on, the veteran leadership of the team said the young additions can give them a shot of energy throughout the season.

“The younger guys definitely fuel us,” said Paul Bilanzic, senior middle blocker from Tinley Park, Ill. “A lot of guys haven’t won and we have young players who are anxious and excited to help us win, which helps refuel us and keep us going. A lot of the new guys don’t know the opponents very well at the moment but I’m certain with all the work we put in we’ll get to that point and become more comfortable as a team.”

The team’s core leadership group is adamant about grooming their freshman to continue Park’s winning mentality while helping them mature quick enough to potentially make another championship run.

“We try and pick each other up and use our past success to help us,” said Bilanzic. “We try to teach the new guys proper etiquette and how to act on the bus and the court and it’s the little things that rub off on them. We have a good group and we don’t have to do a lot of talking because a lot of the guys are learning without us telling them what they need to be doing and they’re getting the feel for what we’re trying to do.”

The Pirates have barely missed a beat, starting the year off an impressive 8-1, with their lone loss coming to the hands of the No. 2 ranked Grandview University in their season opener. Park went on to defeat in their second matchup of the season along with defeating two other ranked opponents in their eight-game winning streak.

“It was first game of the year with lots of new guys and lots of nerves,” Bilanzic said. “We felt a lot more comfortable the second game and it showed.”

“We have a lot of new players and we needed some time to get used to each other,” said Milos Trivunic, a freshman setter from Novi Sad, Serbia. “I think that we got better as we played more and we were missing a couple of guys and we made some changes that helped us when we got them back. We’re going to keep the offense simple because it’s worked and as we continue and get comfortable, we’ll speed it up.”

The Pirates are seeing contributions from all across the court. Bilanzic and Brazilian international and Senior Team Captain Caio Nunez are currently nationally ranked No. 3 and No. 4 respectively in hitting percentage, with Nunez also sitting No. 2 in the country in blocks.

Trivunic is also currently leads the NAIA in assists and assists/set while German junior transfer Christian Carter is atop the NAIA in kills and Sophomore Oklahoman Libero Kastan Maness ranks No. 3 in digs.

Looking to build on their strong start, the Pirates are looking to refine their play and continue to play to their strengths.

“Our serving and blocking is going to be important, especially because we were the best blocking team in the country last season,” said Trivunic. “Our consistent offense through the sets will also be key and we need to keep getting consistent swings and hits.”

The Pirates may be well on their way to reaching their goals to hoist the championship once again.

“After games we’ve talked about keeping it calm and acting like we’ve done it before,” said Bilanzic. “We’re going to enjoy our wins and know we aren’t about flashiness. We’re here to do our jobs and win it all come April.”