Boys Varsity Volleyball Team
By Michael Yang
Boys Varsity Volleyball captains and seniors Wiley Bahr, James Keeling, and Nhan Nam Nguyen have been giving their all to the team, guided by memories of the sport’s lasting impact on their time at Exeter. Due to the pandemic, the team this year was offered as co-ed, and the captions and head coach Bruce Shang hope to make the most of this season.
When asked about becoming interested in the sport, Keeling shared his foundation in supportive teams. “I was introduced to the sport of volleyball by my friend group. We had known that our school had a middle school team. We spent those two years making memories I won't forget: both involved learning the sport as well as the team camaraderie.”
Nguyen also started volleyball in middle school. “I started playing in middle school, and in my prep fall term I was in Coach Shang’s prep volleyball physical education class. That is where I met my super best friend James Keeling; he has glown up since prep year,” he joked.
Bahr started volleyball as a prep when he took prep physical education with Shang. He noted what he most loved about his team. “This is just such a fun family to be a part of. I love the community. Everyone is all so welcoming. I was welcomed when I came in as a lower,” Bahr said.
Keeling reflected on the sport’s impact on his time at Exeter. “In my prep and lower years, I was amongst individuals whom I looked up to and respected, such as Emilio Karakey and Sam Michaels. These figures helped shape the person and teammate I became throughout high school, impacting my life beyond volleyball and Exeter through their character.”
Nguyen reflected similarly on the impact that the sport had on his life. “It has enhanced my skills of working with other people, especially my fellow captains,” he said.
In fact, Nguyen pointed to his friendship with fellow captain Keeling as one of the best parts of his captainship. “One of my favorite things being a captain is spending time with James Keeling.”
Bahr also noted the most important aspects of volleyball in his opinion. “Volleyball in one word is all about teamwork because you're so dependent on your team and you need everyone to be involved,” Bahr said.
Keeling described his experience as captain during this unprecedented season. “I, as well as the other captains, put in effort into maintaining a positive team community and spirit in which everyone is involved and having fun. I think we all try to maintain this by holding team dinners and interacting with one another at every chance we get out of practice. In practice, we as a team try to cheer one another up when mistakes are made and cheer for each other when they make a good play.”
Keeling noted the challenges of leading this year’s team. “Normally, the team would consist of somewhere around two dozen kids with around of the kids being returners to the sport. Now, with a two years gap, we are seeing a team of four dozen kids and only about 50% of the kids have played at the varsity level at Exeter before,” Keeling said. “It's a tough adjustment trying to bring everyone into the fold, both in the sense of getting varsity reps and also becoming an integral part of the team community.”
Upper Liam Oliva added, “We don’t have a solidified season, which allowed the coach to not officially declare ‘Varsity’ and ‘JV,’ so he didn’t make any cuts. This means our practice that usually has 15 people, now has a hearty 45. I really like it, the gym is always high energy and everyone is excited to play.”
Senior Dylan O’Day said, “We've had to adjust practice to figure out a way to make sure that everyone is getting better and being challenged. We do much more scrimmaging and combining skill levels to make practice a little more competitive and fun.”
Upper Harry Sun credited the practices for improving the team’s skills. “We always work on ball control, basic techniques, and volleyball IQ — we've learned that communication and a strong foundation is super key to our play,” Sun said.
Nguyen attributed the comprehensiveness of the practices as a factor to the team’s success. “We haven’t lost in three years, and we don’t want that to end. That is our motivation,” Nguyen said.
Shang praised the captains’ leadership and dedication to the sport. “These captains are the best. It was fun seeing them grow and play the game with such passion. They have given so much to the boys and girls teams throughout their career here,” Shang said. “In the fall, they would help the girls team get water, set up nets, give extra reps, run drills, and push the girls in every practice. In the spring, these captains lead by example and spend time every practice teaching the game to the younger players on the team.”
Sun testified to Shang’s words. “The captains have led us so far by setting up practices, offering us time slots to come in for extra practice, always bringing music and good vibes, and taking responsibility for whatever happens during volleyball, for better or worse,” Sun said.
Oliva shared similar thoughts. “All of them work the hardest on the team and are happy to help new players any time. They really are far more approachable than their violent spikes would make them seem,” Oliva said.
O’Day agreed, noting, “they're also very good at volleyball which is inspiring and brings the level of play up. They've made a great effort to make sure that everyone feels included.”
