JENKS BOYS VOLLEYBALL

A History of the Program, 1972 to Present

7 State Championships  |  1972 · 1978 · 1981 · 1982 · 1984 · 1986 · 2026

Overview

Jenks boys volleyball has won seven state championships: six as an OSSAA sport between 1972 and 1986, and the 2026 Oklahoma Boys Volleyball Association (OKBVA) title after the program returned. Coach Nick Ditolla built the program, and its 1972 state title was the first state championship in any sport in Jenks history.

The program disappeared when the OSSAA stopped sponsoring boys volleyball after the 1986 season. It returned in 2021 and won state again in 2026.

The Founding Era (Early 1970s)

Coach Nick Ditolla

Nick Ditolla started boys volleyball at Jenks. He grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he played football, basketball, baseball and volleyball at Peabody High School, graduating in 1962. He then played football at Connors State College and the University of Tulsa.

At Jenks, Ditolla coached nearly every sport:

•       Volleyball: 25 years

•       Football: 23 years

•       Boys basketball: 18 years

•       Swimming: 16 years

•       Tennis: 3 years; baseball: 1 year

He finished with more than 840 career wins, co-founded the state volleyball coaches association, and was twice named an Oklahoma All-State coach. His Connors State Hall of Fame biography credits him with both state champion and runner-up teams in boys and girls volleyball. The 1972 Jenks yearbook lists him as a PE teacher, football end coach and junior high basketball coach.

1972: The First State Title in Jenks History

In 1972 the boys volleyball team won the state championship. It was the first state title in any sport in Jenks history.

Bob Poplin, a 1972 Jenks graduate, went on to play at Kellogg Community College in Battle Creek, Michigan. He would have arrived just as Mick Haley took over. Haley coached the Kellogg men from 1973 to 1980 and won four national championships, and Kellogg competed in the MIVA against Ohio State and Ball State.

1976: The Girls Program Begins

Ditolla started the Jenks girls volleyball program in 1976. The girls have since won six state titles: 1996, 1997, 2006, 2014, 2021 and 2023.

The Dynasty Years (1978–1986)

Jenks won or finished second in six of nine seasons from 1978 to 1986, making it Oklahoma's premier boys volleyball program of the era.

David Frette

The best-known player from this era is David Frette. He went from Jenks to Ohio State, made first-team All-MIVA in 1991, and was called one of the best college middle blockers in the country at the 1989 U.S. Olympic Festival in Norman. He later returned to coach the Jenks JV team.

The Gap (1987–2020)

After the OSSAA dropped boys volleyball following the 1986 season, Jenks went about 35 years without a boys team.

The Revival (2021–Present)

Year

Milestone

2021

The program restarted under head coach Andy Poplin in the first season of the OKBVA league. There were no tryouts. About 32–35 boys signed up, enough for three teams. Jenks was one of eight schools fielding 14 teams statewide.

2023

83 boys came to tryouts; the program carried 63 players on five teams, including an 8th-grade team, with six coaches and a new booster club. College programs, including Kansas Wesleyan, began recruiting Jenks players.

2024

Casady beat Jenks on its way to the OKBVA state title.

2025

OKBVA State Runner-Up after losing in the finals to a Home School team from Lawton

2026

OKBVA state champions. Jenks went 18-3, was ranked No. 1 in Oklahoma, and won the National First Point Boys High School Invitational.

2027

Jenks had a record number of players attend tryouts, 107 athletes attend Boys Volleyball Tryouts.

Setter Hudson Scavona, a four-time All-State pick and an AVCA All-American, led the 2026 champions and now plays at UC Santa Barbara. According to his UCSB bio, he holds Oklahoma's all-time records for assists and aces.

Players Who Played in College