By Bobby Narang –
Marmion Academy senior John Roche isn’t resting on his football laurels.
After shining at linebacker for the football team the last three years, Roche is quickly becoming a sensation on the volleyball court.
Marmion head volleyball coach Barb Ebert said Roche has developed into a next-level volleyball player this season.
“Everybody is after John in the Spring to play sports, but he came out right away in his sophomore year for volleyball,” Ebert said. “He’s a joy. He’s the most disciplined senior that I’ve met. He does his workouts in the morning for football, so he can play volleyball. He’s been a great example for the boys, a very positive leader, and practices what he preaches. He could play volleyball in college. He’s very good, and he’s improved so much each year.”
But Roche, an outside hitter, said he’s sticking to football. He committed to play football for North Central College in Naperville. The 5-11, 210-pounder registered 11 kills to lead Marmion to a 25-23, 25-23 victory over Montini in Chicago Catholic League play April 11 in Lombard.
John Demos collected six kills, Christian Damico collected five kills and Zachary Minnis finished with 22 assists for the victorious Cadets.
Roche credits his longtime friend, Mark Timmons, for introducing him to volleyball. They spent numerous hours playing beach volleyball, which helped Roche gain a love for the sport. Timmons is a sophomore outside hitter at Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina.
But Roche admitted he wasn’t a natural at volleyball when he started.
“I was very timid when I started and didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t feel very comfortable on the court,” Roche said.
Now, Roche has grown into a physical force at the net, and has raised his season total to 113 kills and eight aces after beating Montini.
“Roche is a really good at the net,” Montini head coach Brian Opoka said. “They have a very good team. We’re looking forward to playing them two more times at their place this year.”