Potent 1-2 punch lifts Chelmsford volleyball

Veteran starter Velazquez and talented newcomer Hohrath power Lions to a 4-1 start

His primary sport since age 13 has been volleyball. And there's no debating his talent: Jeremy Velazquez is a four-year varsity starter at Chelmsford High, and a returning Globe All-Scholastic.

There is no denying the talents of Matt Hohrath on the court, either. This winter, he was chosen the Merrimack Valley Conference's Division 2 Player of the Year - in basketball. This spring is his first year as a starter for the volleyball team.

Two very different paths but one goal.

"They're both competitors," said Chelmsford volleyball coach Matt Dibble. "It's funny because they each have such different stories, but they're both after the same thing, winning a championship. Jeremy has been very important for the last four years and Matt joined the team last year, but this season we're really going to be counting on big things from him."

So far, the duo has propelled the Lions to a 4-1 start, notching 3-0 victories over Billerica, Lowell, and Dracut, along with a five-game victory over Central Catholic.

A senior captain, Velazquez sets the attack for Chelmsford, while the 6-foot-5-inch Hohrath finishes off those feeds with thunderous hits at the net.

Hohrath tried out for the volleyball team as a freshman with his twin brother, Jon, but ended up playing AAU basketball. He made his return last spring.

With eight seniors on last year's squad, Hohrath's playing time was limited. But he spent one week last summer at a volleyball camp, and his improvement has not gone unnoticed.

"He was OK last year," said Velazquez, who played soccer with Hohrath in middle school. "But he's really gotten better over the summer. He's better all around, he can block well. My job is to get the middle hitter the ball, so we're involved in almost every play together. It's great because he's tall and he can jump. I was excited to have him make the team and start this year."

On the basketball court, Hohrath averaged 18 points and 11 rebounds a game. On the volleyball court, he's averaging more than 10 kills a game, with a career-high 19 kills against Central Catholic. Next year, he'll study business and suit up for the basketball team at Division 3 Babson.

"He's one of those big guys who can jump and block," Dibble said. "He's going to be our go-to guy. He had a great end to the basketball season, and we're expecting his athleticism to carry over to volleyball. Even though it's a new game for him, he's taken to the role very well."

In the fall, Velazquez will attend MIT, where he plans to study neuroscience. While the Lions were sweeping Dracut Friday, Velazquez was in Cambridge for four days of early-acceptance freshman orientation. He applied in November and was accepted in January. He is ranked sixth in a class of 426.

Velazquez started playing volleyball in the eighth grade, thanks to the encouragement of his mother, Karen. Since then, he has split time between the high school team and the Beantown 17's Black club team.

"He had the best hands on the team, so we made him the setter as a freshman," Dibble said. "He took on a role he necessarily didn't see himself in. He wanted to be a hitter, but he was all right with it. He's a versatile player; anywhere the coach needs him, he can excel."

Last season, Velazquez tallied 804 assists, 66 kills, 43 service aces, 245 digs, and 61 blocks, powering Chelmsford to the North final against St. John's Prep. While Hohrath's brother is no longer on the team, leaving to focus on track and field, Velazquez was joined this season by his younger brother, Jarred.

A sophomore, Jarred Velazquez is in his first varsity season and is the team's defensive specialist and libero player. But there is no sibling rivalry.

"It's pretty cool having him here," Velazquez said. "It's kind of odd, though, because I don't really know how to treat him. Sometimes I'm easier on him than the other guys; sometimes I'm harder on him. I'm still trying to find that balance."

Jeremy Velazquez is "not one of those in-your-face guys," Dibble said. "He's not too vocal or loud, but he leads by example.

"It's not very often you see a freshman who makes it as a starter. Even the other coaches ask me, 'Hasn't he graduated yet?' because it's special to have such talent at a young age. It's an interesting dynamic to see him and Matt work together. I'm looking forward to how they're going to change each other as the season goes on."