Prenderville pounds home kills

Tom Prenderville was a force on the volleyball court this spring. A senior captain for the Staples boys volleyball team before graduating in June, he was a First Team All-FCIAC and First Team All-State selection with 278 kills, 15 blocks and 185 service points and will be playing for Rutgers University this winter. Being the modest individual he is, he deflects credit for his success to the ones around him.

"I owe it to a lot of people and the programs I played for," Prenderville said.

Prenderville credits former Staples assistant coach Chris Skelton, who was once his JV coach, and Mizuno East Volleyball Club, a team he played for.

"Chris Skelton made me love the sport and I enjoyed playing for him," Prenderville said. "He's a great coach."

Other individuals he credits for his success include 2007 senior captains Will Richardson and Ben King, 2008 captains Peter Hlawitchka, Charlie Weiser and Jackson Lesser and 2010 captain Mikey Fitzgerald.

Wreckers Coach Bruce Betts recognized his contributions to the team and bestowed upon him the Block S Team MVP.

"It was a very rewarding honor and I thought it would be close between Mikey Fitzgerald and I," said Prenderville. "He was equally deserving of it and it was nice to be held in high regard. It was good to be on the court with Mikey because he was a threat in the middle and a great setter."

Prenderville also played in the Senior All-Star game. He enjoyed the experience because he played with Fitzgerald, a few friends from Ridgefield and met other top players.

"It was a competitive game and fun to play in," he recalled.

Determination fueled him in his development on the court. Attending camps and playing for the Connecticut Juniors in the offseason also helped him fulfill his quest.

"Tom wanted to be a very good volleyball player," Betts said. "He was willing to work very hard to get himself to that point and would go anywhere to work on his game. He's a very strong hitter and a good back row attack player. He has a great jump serve and his passing has gotten better over the years. He was just a great player."

Junior year, Prenderville moved up to varsity and became a starter at right side hitter. Adjusting wasn't easy at first but he developed into a force as the season progressed.

"It was tough and a big step from JV," he said. "It's good to have good players to fall back on like [then-senior captains] Harry Strobel and Charles Winslow. I made more mistakes as a junior than I did as a senior. I learned a lot playing as a junior and it made a difference this year."

In most programs, he would have played on varsity as a sophomore, but at Staples, he had to bide his time on JV before moving up junior year. Waiting his turn to play varsity didn't faze him.

"It wasn't tough at all in a program as worthy as Staples," Prenderville said. "Many people on the JV team can play varsity on other teams."

Growing six inches between sophomore and junior years also helped his game as he sprouted from 5'6 to 6'0. Currently, Prenderville is 6'2.

"It made a huge difference on the volleyball court and in my ability because volleyball is meant for taller players," Prenderville said. "I hope to continue to grow."

Few outside hitters, the position he played senior year, hit the ball better than him. Prenderville saw the court well and pounded home kills with authority.

"With my growth spurt, I worked out in the gym between my sophomore and junior years," he said. "I worked on my vertical and I increased it by 15 feet, which gave me an advantage in the air because of how high I can touch the ball."

Although he wasn't the lead blocker, he contributed immensely to the Wreckers' blocking game. Oftentimes, he jumped up with the middle hitter, which led to blocks.

"That went hand and hand in getting over the net," Prenderville said. "There's a lot of form involved and I'm still working on it. Hopefully, I can improve at this level."

Possessing a lethal serve enhanced his strength on the court. Once Prenderville put the ball in play, he deftly found the gaps on the court and had many lengthy service rallies.

"That came with a lot of practice," he said. "I did a lot of jump serves at the end of the season because I wasn't as confident with it in the beginning of the season. I have to get better at it in order to do better in college. They say serving is more than 50 percent of the game because you can score right away or give away points off of a serve. Making your serves is the most crucial part of the game."

Having good court vision led to some of his rallies.

"It came from playing football because I was able to see the court," Prenderville said. "My father played college football and had good hand-eye coordination and I got it from him."

Defensively, he got to his share of balls in the back row. Prenderville's hustle and ability to dive for the falling ball robbed many opponents of points.

"I never thought I was great defensively," he said. "I was mostly an offensive player but I worked at it and I improved and I need to improve further in order to play Division I volleyball but that will come with practice."

Betts was impressed with Prenderville's progress on defense.

"He's definitely gotten better and better every year he played for us," Betts said.

Life on the volleyball court began for him one week before tryouts freshman year. He didn't know the sport and after playing lacrosse in middle school, he was considering a return to baseball with the hopes of playing in the outfield.

That changed when classmate Danny Hlawitschka told Prenderville about volleyball and convinced him to give it a try. The rest is history.

"It all worked out for the best," says Prenderville.

Growing up, he played football from fourth grade to sophomore year. Junior year, he was one of the Staples football team's manager. He also played recreational basketball.

Football was Prenderville's favorite sport but was only a backup strong safety sophomore year and saw he had a better chance of starting in volleyball, thus he hung up his cleats and focused on ruling the court.

Leadership is another strength of his as he served as one of five captains of the volleyball team. Being the quiet person he is, he mostly led by example through his actions on the court.

When Betts needed a leader to step up, he relied on Prenderville and was pleased with the results.

"Tom was a good leader on the floor," Betts said. "He worked very hard in practice and showed how important volleyball was to him. He made himself into a great all-around volleyball player."

At Rutgers, he'll major in finance and hopes to work on Wall St. with hedge funds. His goal is to make a lot of money but if he could do it by playing on the AVP Beach Volleyball tour, he'd gladly forego Wall St. and hit the sand.

For now, his focus is to help the Scarlet Knights volleyball team because he'll face better players than he did at Staples.

"I need to improve and my defense needs to improve the most," Prenderville said. "I'll face many tough players. Hard work is important. I have to get into the weight room as much as possible and practice with a lot of repetition."

This appears to be the same formula that led to his success as a Wrecker. If he follows his own advice to a T, he'll be lights out for Rutgers.