GRADE-POINT ANECDOTES: Crane, Pelechaty carve out roles at SAIT

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 04/01/2023 (674 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jack Pelechaty and Josh Crane have endured never-ending change over the last few years.

From one team to the next, from Brandon to Calgary, the one constant is their connection. The former Vincent Massey Vikings volleyball stars are certainly glad to have each other, especially as they continue a setter-middle connection that’s lasted the better part of a decade and continues with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology Trojans.

“It’s been great,” said Crane, a six-foot-five middle blocker. “He’s always been a great setter and it’s nice to have that chemistry. With setters in volleyball, that’s the centrepiece of any team. Being comfortable with your setter is a huge help for personal success and the success of the team.”

“I feel like he was quite quiet last year but now he’s come into his own and taken upon himself a leadership role,” Pelechaty added. “And I think it’s a good fit for him. He’s going a great job of reading the setter on the other team.”

Crane and Pelechaty were part of a stacked Vikings class of 2020 that had loftier expectations than a quarterfinal ousting at AAAA provincials in their Grade 12 year.

They lost their final Brandon Volleyball Club season to COVID-19, then committed to the Assiniboine Community College Cougars for 2020-21.

That season was cancelled, of course, and they never played a match for ACC before transferring to SAIT and enrolling in the civil engineering technology program.

Crane played in 14 of 16 matches his rookie year, posting 29 kills as the Trojans went 10-6, playing exclusively in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference’s South Division. He found himself on the bench to start the 2022-23 campaign, however, as import attacker Filip Florek took reps in the middle.

SAIT went 1-3 in its first four matches, then shifted Florek to right side and slotted Crane back into the lineup. The team closed the semester on a 3-1 run. While the Trojans are sixth of seven in the division, they’re a whole lot closer to the pack now.

Crane said he wasn’t surprised to start on the pine but kept his head down and worked his way back into the lineup. Then he put up 17 kills over the next four matches.

Pelechaty took a backseat for his first season as Jonatan Da Silva ran the offence.

“It was kind of a shock. I remember last year I barely ever got to get in unless I was going in as a serving sub,” Pelechaty said. “When I was put in I felt like I was out of it because I hadn’t played in so long.”

Pelechaty spent plenty of time with assistant coach José Cáceres, who has worked with Peru’s national team, and said he got a ton of valuable feedback to take into his second year.

Crane sees the impact firsthand now that Pelechaty’s a full-time starter.

“His setting’s become a lot more versatile,” Crane said. “His serving’s always been good … his setting this year has actually gotten a lot better. He’s been finding more spots on the court, setting more back row, more C-ball and getting comfortable setting any position from anywhere.”

The Trojans were forced to become road warriors, even though six of their eight regular-season matches were at home. Since SAIT’s undergoing renovations, the volleyball teams moved to Rally Pointe, a massive multi-court volleyball facility.

The guys don’t mind — a higher ceiling than their home gym doesn’t hurt — and have adjusted to the place in time to play just four of their remaining 11 matches at home.

They return to action at Lethbridge College on Saturday, then play twice every weekend through the season finale on Feb. 11.

Pelechaty and Crane are on track to graduate this spring and aren’t sure what the next step is, but they feel this one was a great move.

“Our group of guys is fantastic,” Pelechaty said. “Everyone’s putting in work and what it takes to have a group like we had in BVC is not competing but we have friendly rivalries and everyone knows everyone can talk to everyone.

“Just a great relationship between the players … is what it takes for a well-gelling team.”

QUICK HITS: Former Brandon University Bobcat Joao Cunha transferred back to Keyano College and piled up 114 kills at a clip of 3.56 per set, good for third in the ACAC … ACC resumes the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference season on Jan. 14 at Providence, with its next home action on Jan. 20 and 21 against St. Boniface … MCAC futsal opens on Jan. 14 in the Wheat City. The BU and ACC men’s teams play two games apiece at Assiniboine’s Victoria Campus while the women battle at the Healthy Living Centre.» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @thomasmfriesen