West Allis Lightning MVP Returns from Broken Back at BJNC

Becky Murdy
Assistant, Media Relations and Publications
Phone: 719-228-6800
E-Mail: becky.murdy@usav.org

MINNEAPOLS, Minn. (July 5, 2011) – Many things can stop players from playing volleyball. For Trevor Novotny, a fractured back isn’t one of them.

One year ago Trevor Novotny was named the most valuable player of the 2010 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championship 16 Open Division after leading his West Allis Lightning B16-1 (Badger Region) team to the gold medal.

Just a few short months later Novotny suffered a fractured back during competition at the USA Volleyball High Performance Holiday Camp in Poway, Calif. Now he is back at the USAV BJNC and his team is on its way to defending its title.

“Last season a group of guys got together to form the 16s team and they were really good together right off the bat,” WA Lighting B17 Head Coach William Hall said. “We played well together and were successful in the beginning.”

The success at the 2010 national championships earned the team, club and region some well-deserved local and national attention.

“It was crazy when we went home,” Novotny said. “It was a big deal for us to bring boys’ volleyball a little bit of attention in our part of the country.”

The entire 2010 season was remarkable for Novotny and his teams. As a junior, Novotny led his Catholic Memorial high school varsity team to the Wisconsin State Championship where he was named the Wisconsin Coaches Association Player of the Year.

It seemed like nothing could go wrong for the dynamite outside hitter, but then a pain in his back grew into a serious injury.

Novotny attended the USA Volleyball High Performance Holiday Camp in December 2010 where over-use of his vertebrae caused a stress fracture, forcing him to bench himself for four months.

“It was a blow to all of us,” Hall said. “We lost the leader of our team and had to change lineups and all the ways we were used to playing.”

Coming into the 2011 season, WA Lightning B17 started out slow without its team leader and star player.  For the time that Novotny was unable to take the court his team lost all its close matches. The talent on the court was still impressive, but it was obvious how crucial WA Lightning’s MVP was to their success.  

“It took our team a while to find an identity,” Hall said. “We struggled a bit, but then we found our momentum at the Southern California Championship.

A relief to himself and his coaches, Novotny was cleared by the doctor and was set to return to the court at the 2011 SCVA Junior Boys’ Classic. After surpassing rivals and fifth-seeds Balboa Bay in two matches, WA Lightning remained undefeated to secure the gold medal and the top-seeded position at the 2011 USA Volleyball BJNC. 

“Us winning the SCVA just shows how important Trevor is for our team,” Hall said. “He won’t give himself enough credit, but he truly is someone that the whole team looks up to. He takes his own advice and proves it useful, making the rest of the team trust him and follow along the same performance mentality.”

WA Lightning 17B looks to defend its title Wednesday. The team is currently in the quarterfinal round with just one loss during the tournament, a second-round three-set match to Tampa Bay Invaders 17 (Florida Region). HBC 17-Scott (Southern California) is only 17 Open Team undefeated headed into the final day of 17 Open competition.

Novotny and his team are 7-1 so far at the BJNC and will pick-up play Wednesday as they compete in the gold bracket. The team has three matches standing between it and gold, including MVCC 17s Red (Northern California Region) in its first battle.

Novotny, who wants his team to win and could care less about back-to-back most valuable player awards, is ready to get his team back to where it was exactly a year ago.

“If someone has a bad pass or a service error, I will be there to let them know that they will kill it on the next point,” Novotny said. “Everything that I say or do is to make the team better.”

A crack in the foundation of the WA Lightning may have slowed them down in 2011, but with extensive support and the determination to get Novotny back on the floor, WA Lightning hasn’t missed a beat. 

“Trevor is the type of player that never leaves the floor,” Hall said. “The team just rallies behind him and no one can speak against that.”

Both the 17 Club and 17 Open division medal matches will take place Wednesday on the Championship Court in the Minneapolis Convention Center. The matches will be streamed live at www.usavolleyball.org/live.

For up-to-date results and upcoming schedules for the USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships, click here. For more information on the tournament, visit http://usavolleyball.org/events/4872.

Visit www.usavolleyball.org and become a fan of USA Volleyball's Facebook page for all the latest news. Fans are encouraged to share their family-friendly pictures on the USA Volleyball Facebook page. 

2011 USA Volleyball Boys’ Junior National Championships Results
12 Club: Gold - Vaqueros 12-1 (Puerto Rico); Silver - Outrigger Red B12 (Aloha); Bronze - Gigantes 12G (Puerto Rico)
13 Club: Gold - WA Lightning B13 (Badger); Silver - SCVA 13 Qs (Southern California); Bronze -Ku’Ikahi 13W RoShamBo (Aloha)
14 Club: Gold - Gigantes (Puerto Rico); Silver - Pitirres (Puerto Rico); Bronze - Vaqueros (Puerto Rico)
14 Open: Gold - Halcones de Torrimar (Puerto Rico); Silver - SMBC 14-Black (Southern California);Bronze - PAC RIM (Northern California)
15 Club: Gold - Vaqueros (Puerto Rico); Silver - Gigantes (Puerto Rico); Bronze - Caciques (Puerto Rico) 
15 Open: Gold Ka Ulukoa (Aloha); Silver - Borinquen (Puerto Rico); Bronze - MB Surf (Southern California)
16 Club: Gold - Vaqueros (Puerto Rico); Silver - High Line (southern California); Bronze - Gigantes (Puerto Rico)
16 Open: Gold - Balboa Bay (Southern California); Silver - HBC (Southern California); Bronze - SCVC (Southern California)
17 Club: Finals on July 6
17 Open: Finals on July 6
18 Club: Gold - Spectrum 18s (Southern California); Silver - APV 18-Errea (Arizona); Bronze -Borinquen Coqui (Puerto Rico) (Southern California)
18 Open: Gold - Balboa Bay 18 Quiksilver (Southern California); Silver - SMBC 18-Black (Southern California); Bronze - HLVBC 18-Black (Southern California)

Tags: 2011 Boys' Junior National Championships, boys, Boys, Boys' Junior Nationals, junior, Junior Nationals, USA Volleyball Boys' Junior National Championships