Once a small, humble program that barely made any noise on the playoff brackets, boys’ volleyball at WA has taken off faster than anyone could have expected. The team captured a D1 North Championship before taking a hard fought loss to a strong Framingham team.

“The numbers [of kids] keep going up and now we just got to get the kids who are committed to start playing at an earlier age and start playing year-round. If we can do that like they do in basketball and soccer […] we might actually win a league title,” head coach Russell Coward said.

Despite beginning this season at 3-3 and unable to compete for the DCL title, Coward was excited that the team was able to rally back throughout the season.

Coward noted the team’s ability to hit from the middle and right sides of the net was a key to success, as it made them less predictable to teams they competed with throughout the season.

According to Coward, the team’s aggressive style of play will not change much between years.

As it pertains to prospective players for next year, Coward hopes to see sophomore varsity swinger Eric Porter step up in his junior year to play full time, as well as rising junior Andrew Tierney. Returning varsity player Mike Batalyan will also be key to continuing success in volleyball with his tall stature to play in the front court.

Coward also noted that he continues to recruit basketball players for his team.

Fan involvement was also a huge part of the team’s success, as according to Coward, it rivaled some of the fan turnout for playoff basketball games he has coached for WA’s girls’ basketball team in winter season.

“You saw a lot of those kids were seniors and it was neat to see them […] It was great to see. We’ve had tons of fans the whole time and it was awesome,” Coward said.

Finally, Coward is hoping this new-found success will not be a one time deal, but saying he will recall this year for the rest of his life.

“It was a memorable season that I hope is not once in a career, but even if it is only once in a career, it’s a great way to go out,” Coward said.