Noise maker

Ferocious kills helped Bogda motivate teammates, lead Oswego to school record for wins

Oswego's Alex Bogda made a lot of noise this season. But with his game, not his mouth.

Not terribly talkative on the court, Bogda still earned Most Valuable Player honors for a Panthers team that broke its school record for wins.

"Alex is a player that leads by example," said Oswego coach Erica Lorenz. "He's not too outspoken, but he has all the good qualities that other players look up to."

Those qualities led Oswego to a 26-6-1 record this season. They also helped Earn Bogda Beacon News Boys Volleyball Player of the Year honors.

Making noise? That's literal, not figurative. On a team of talented players, Bogda was the big hitter -- the athlete whose smashing kills got everyone else excited.

"Sometimes teams have players that every ball goes to," Lorenz said. "He wasn't that kind of player, but he was the kind of player that would turn heads. He would hit the ball and it would echo in the gym. The other players responded to that excitement. It was very important to our success."

Getting Bogda to talk about his game is a little more difficult. It's that quiet thing, again. But after some prodding he did finally admit that he's got some game.

"I'm trying to say it as modestly as I can, but yeah. Big kills can get the team rolling, and I did a pretty good job with that."

Bogda finished with 102 kills and added 75 digs. But he says what he accomplished individually is not nearly as important as what the Panthers accomplished as a team.

"It was the type of season that, as a player, is very memorable," he said. "It was a great season."

That team focus paid off. Two years ago, Bogda gave up wrestling and football to concentrate exclusively on volleyball. That included summers playing club volleyball, where he drew the attention of Graceland University in Iowa. Bogda will be playing for the NAIA school next year.

"I had wrestled for over five years," Bogda said. "But I just made the decision that volleyball was my sport, and I turned all my attention to it.

"Graceland noticed me at a club tournament in Atlanta, and they told me that if I kept working hard I'd be able to play for them. So that's what I've tried to do."

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