This year, two seniors on the LT varsity boys volleyball team, Brady Schlichter ‘26 and Brody Lee-Caracci ‘26, committed to playing competitively in college. Libero Schlichter is committed to playing at the University of Missouri of Science and Technology, majoring in architectural engineering. Lee-Caracci, an outside hitter on the team, is committed to Lewis University to study data science.

“Schlichter has grown not only as an athlete but as a leader,” varsity Head Coach Brad Skendzel said. ”He is confident in his skills and is confident in letting others know what to do on the court, especially in the libero type position, where you are a primary passer, and you’re typically always on the court.”

Schlichter started playing competitively at LT in his sophomore year, achieving a varsity position his junior and senior years. Over that time, he has worked diligently to improve as a libero. When playing libero, Schlichter’s goal is to keep all the balls in the court, and he is a defensive specialist in the back row.

“It was cool, I was mainly there for the camps leading up to the [Missouri Science and Technology] teams’ season,” Schlichter said. “It was really fun and [had] really high play and smart people on the team.”  

Schlichter is very excited to play for Missouri Science and Technology because it meets the criteria for the kind of school he sees himself attending: it is nearby, and it has a strong program in architectural engineering, Schlichter said.

Many new developments are happening in volleyball, Schlichter said. Even though volleyball can be overlooked, he believes the fast pace and high-scoring games make it interesting. 

“I think Lee-Caracci has grown similarly, not just with skills, but as a leader too,” Skendzel said. “I had him change from being a right side to an outside from sophomore to junior year, and he took it in full stride. He definitely put in that work during the off-season, and his skill definitely shows on the court.” 

Lee-Caracci started at the varsity level as a sophomore, maturing as an athlete through his growth and skill development, Skendzel said. During his sophomore year, Lee-Caracci always appreciated his teammates’ straightforwardness and helpfulness. As a current senior, he is dedicated to supporting the younger athletes on the team. 

 “I am very excited for this season because it is my last season, and I want to end it with a bang,” Lee-Caracci said. “I really want to keep pushing and help my teammates and try to get my teammates as far as we can in the playoffs. I also want to help out the younger athletes whenever they mess up or do something wrong because that is what the seniors did for me.”

Lee-Caracci enjoys how boys volleyball is still growing and seeing many developments as a sport, with new rules and guidelines being put in place, making the sport exciting, Lee-Caracci said.

“When I was on my visit to Lewis College, I got to play with some of the players at an open gym, and it was very fun,” Lee-Caracci said. “It made me discover how much further I can go to get better in my sport. I also felt the bond with everyone else; they were all super kind and super cool.” 

Lee-Caracci is very excited to face a more competitive atmosphere in his next four years of college, he said. His primary motivation is to have the team do their best; he wants to spend as much time with them as possible since he’s been playing with some of his teammates through LT and a club team since freshman year. 

“I play on a club team called 630 Volleyball,” Lee Caracci said. “We have been playing pretty well this year. We have already won a couple of tournaments. After the high school season, we have a couple more tournaments to play in the summer, our National Tournament in Orlando, Florida, and then we are done.” Lee-Caracci and Schlichter’s season is just beginning, with their first away game against Brother Rice on March 27. Hopes are high for the two athletes to go far this season as a team, they both said.