Volleyball Wins Championship
This season has been dominant once again for the boys’ varsity volleyball team. Going into the Final Four Tournament, the Big Red players ranked number one amongst opponents Northfield Mount Hermon, Choate, and Andover. Having only lost one set leading up to the tournament, they were confident they could pull away with their fourth consecutive championship win.
The team has been undefeated the entire season, sweeping every team in straight sets—except for the team’s Andover game where Big Red ultimately triumphed with a dominant set score of 3-1.
This lifted the expectations of the team and allowed them to go into their games knowing that they held the ability to prevail. Lower Kerick Walker said, “Going into the Final Four, we were definitely very confident, especially coming off of an undefeated season. I think we were even a little overconfident,” he said.
Upper Sam Michaels spoke to the team’s storied history. “The volleyball team has always been extremely dominant since our creation five years ago and we had no doubt that we would make the final four.”
“I wouldn’t be surprised if we won 20 years in a row. And this is because of Coach Shang. He’s a great coach and he really understands the game as a former player and is amazing at developing players and improving our fundamentals.”
Apart from their dominance this season, they also had important starters returning to the court from recent injuries. “We were up against Choate, who we’ve yet to lose a set to, so with Kerick and Toni coming off recent injuries we were confident we could get a comfort victory,” Michaels said.
On game day, Choate Rosemary Hall, ranked fourth, proved to be no challenge for the formidable Exeter team. Exeter would go on to win in straight sets, 25-14, 25-12, and 25-12. One of the reasons for this strong victory has been credited to postgraduate Zach Senglein’s exceptional performance. “A highlight from the Choate game was Zach Stenglein’s hitting out of the middle and right side,” Walker said.
The win against Choate gave them the momentum going into the championship game against Andover. However, Andover was able to win the first set, 25-17. This came as a shock to the team, who were not familiar with falling behind. “Being down in the first set against Andover was definitely a little scary,” Walker said. “We realized that they weren’t just going to roll over and accept [the loss], so everyone had to step up their game and we really had to come together as a team.”
Nonetheless, Big Red remained resilient and came back to win “three sets in a row to reclaim our championship,” according to Michaels.
Michaels also credited their comeback to the calm presence from the veterans on the team, he stated, “It was pretty hard for some of the new guys dropping a set as they’ve gotten accustomed to always winning, so our veterans had to pull the team together and make sure we didn’t lose another. It was a blessing in disguise because it made us work even harder and prove that we deserved the win.”
Walker also emphasized the influence the veterans had on the team. When asked who stood out during the game, Walker applauded Michaels, the team’s primary setter. “His setting was amazing, and he is a true winner. Although I would also like to mention [senior] Toni Rocak who played a big role getting kills for us, and James Keeling, who really stepped up as a prep playing in his first championship.”
Winning four straight final four championships is no small feat. This year, the team has many players that will graduate. However, this will not deter the returning members of the team from their ambitions in the future season. “I think we have a great chance at getting another victory. We have promising lowerclassmen who show lots of potential who will grow into great athletes with time,” Michaels said.
Walker agreed and added, “I think as long as our returning players can continue to improve and stay ahead of the competition, you can expect ten championships in a row.”
Michaels also credits the team’s dominance to their head coach, Bruce Shang. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we won 20 years in a row. And this is because of Coach Shang. He’s a great coach and he really understands the game as a former player and is amazing at developing players and improving our fundamentals.”