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Tommy Sustala.
Sustala takes over TAPPS 5A champ FBCA
Taking over Fort Bend Christian Academy’s volleyball program comes with a bull’s-eye target and heavy expectations for Tommy Sustala, who has never coached at the high school level but has nine years of coaching high-level club volleyball.
Sustala succeeds Alex Edwards, now assistant director at the Houston Skyline club volleyball program after leading FBCA to a 52-15 record over the last two seasons, including a historic campaign in 2021.
Last year, Edwards guided the Eagles to 35 wins in 39 games and the TAPPS 5A state championship, the school’s first team state title.
“It’s a lot of pressure,” said Sustala, who is also entering his fifth year as coach of Houston Skyline. “Alex did a great job getting the kids ready. They had a good group of kids. But this is a new group. They lost two or three pieces that were really big for them, had played very high-level club ball. But it’s good that the foundation is built, and they know what to expect.”
Despite practices starting last Monday, players have already noticed Sustala’s impact.
“I had him for 14’s (club volleyball) as an assistant, so I knew him already,” sophomore Layne Bulow said. “He’s great. Great guy. He’s fun. I know he’s going to push us to be great. It might be harder than last year, but he’ll push us to be the best we can be.”
The Eagles won’t have as many elite club players as they had last year. Only four seniors graduated from last season, but there were a few critical talents pieces that departed in outside hitter Bailey Hanner and libero Avery Hodge.
FBCA still returns significant star power in Bulow, sophomore Baileigh Minor and senior Shea Stone, but the roster is not as complete as last year.
“They’re confident, and that’s good, but they’ve got to understand it’s a new year,” Sustala said. “Not only is this a new team, but there will also be other teams that have new additions, too. We’ve got to get back to work.”
The Eagles aren’t going to overwhelm anyone this season with physical ability or sheer talent, but their skill level, experience and know-how are not to be overlooked.
Sustala said the setting and defense are fine. The pins (outside hitters) will need work. He said he will teach to rely more on shots instead of physical domination.
“We have to outwork people,” Sustala said. “We have to play better defense and outwork teams to win. We have to be good enough technically to be able to outlast a team in a rally, rather than just terminating. We just don’t have those individuals.”
With that said, Sustala has been pushing his players hard, even during the first few days of practice.
“There’s definitely more discipline,” junior Hadley Hodge said. “I think we’ll be more scrappy this year. We don’t have as many club players, so we’ll be picking up balls in ways that you might not expect it.”
But it’s not on the court that Sustala said his transition will be most challenging. It’s off it.
“The big difference for me, compared to coaching club, is there are a lot of things I don’t know outside of coaching volleyball that I’ve got to learn,” he said. “Senior night, stuff like that. The difference is in club ball, they don’t get to play in front of their peers. None of their peers come to watch those matches. This is different. They want to play in front of their peers. So, it’s a different atmosphere. I’ll get to see these girls every day, whereas in club ball I only get to see them twice a week. You get to focus in on more technical things since we’ll have more time.”
Every minute, every day is precious. Defense of a state title is on the line.
“We have a target on our back,” Bulow said, “and we need to come in with the determination to do it all over again.”
Fort Bend Christian Academy freshman Layne Bulow.
Freshman Bulow exceeding expectations for Eagles
Fort Bend Christian Academy volleyball coach Alex Edwards had an idea of what she'd be getting before freshman Layne Bulow ever slipped on a green and gold uniform.
Edwards had watched Bulow play club ball for Houston Skyline in middle school.
"I knew she'd come in and have an immediate impact," Edwards said. "I knew she'd come in strong, especially as a passer, and taking on a six-rotation role."
But Bulow has surpassed Edwards' expectations. On a 19-3 Eagles team with legitimate TAPPS state championship aspirations, Bulow is second on the team in kills (2.3 per set) and digs (2.3 per set), and first in aces (42). She is also one of the team's best in serve receiving.
Bulow is the team's first outside hitter that goes to the back row during games, and Edwards has been beyond pleased with her defense and passing, feeding talented attackers Bailey Hanner and Bayleigh Minor, and middles Sophia Vrienlink and Oyinkansola Ajimotokan.
"I knew she was good, but she is my reliable back row player," Edwards said. "She's passing well. She's also a great server. Her consistency in the back row … it's so nice to have her back there. In the front row, she's stepping up, learning more. It's hard to swing on the varsity level. As she gets more opportunities, she's getting better."
Bulow said she was nervous before her first varsity game. But the confidence and trust of Edwards and teammates, especially senior leaders Hanner and Avery Hodge, eased the transition from eighth grade star to varsity standout.
"The players have given me a lot of confidence," Bulow said. "They have faith in me and trust me on the court. As I went on, I became more confident in my abilities and what I can bring to the court."
One of Bulow's specialties is serving. She leads the team in serve attempts with 272 and has a serve percentage of 90.1. The Eagles have scored 147 points when Bulow serves, by far the highest on the team.
"You just need to know or focus on what would not make a team pick up a ball," said Bulow, who said she's gotten better at serving simply by playing and learning more about the game. "It depends on the team, but you can tell which teams are better at passing deep balls or short balls. You serve short or deep depending on what that team can't handle. You can tell if you pay attention."
Edwards said it is not typical for a freshman to make varsity, let alone contribute at a high level. They often need that year of junior varsity to develop and get used to the speed of the game.
But the second-year coach had an opening, and Bulow seized the opportunity.
"For her, it's the confidence in herself," Edwards said. "She's her biggest critic. As the season's gone on, you can start to see her eyes open up a little bit more and her realizing she can do it. Her background growing up, she's played every position. She's never just stuck to one. So, I think what's nice for her is she knows her role, what it will be, and just keep grinding and pushing and things will keep opening up for her."
Bulow is taking it all in stride. She continues to work on hitting, specifically shot selection. She also is not content with her blocking and has pinpointed that as an area of improvement.
She is hungry to get better and stay consistent for the Eagles, winners of 17 of their last 18 games.
"I think we've played very well," Bulow said. "Going forward, we just need to keep playing as a team. When we play together, we can beat anyone. We just need to focus on ourselves and what we need to do."