Anaya Balaji '25
Spring has sprung, and the Boy's Volleyball team is in it to win it this year. The team gained a lot of experience in the previous season, and they are ready to put all of it into play. This year, with 30 boys playing, an opportunity was created to form a JV and Varsity team. During the first half of the year, the boy's JV and Varsity teams were run by head coach KC Collins and assistant coach Ben Hunt; however, Coach Dan Terry has been recently brought in to give more attention to the JV players.
The varsity team consists of 11 strong players with captains Mack Nieman ‘25 and Ben Richmond ‘24 leading the way. Nieman is on the road to recovery from his last season's shoulder injury, and despite this, he still proves himself an essential part of the team. Hitting with his left hand from the outside, his skillful playing and court knowledge allow him to place the ball and be a top scorer. Additionally, his passing skills elevate the team's back row enabling the boys to run an effective, high-scoring offense. As for Richmond, he commands the court like no other. Last year was his first year playing volleyball, and this is his first year playing club. He contributed to the team as the unbeatable middle blocker in the previous season; however, this year, he has found his calling on the outside being both a weapon from the front row as well as the back row, racking up the most amount of kills, consistently sending the crowd cheering.
The skill level and unity of the team have drastically improved from last year. The team went from not being able to hold their own against tough teams such as Bishop Diego and St. Bonnies to making each point a fight or sometimes even a shutout, and no longer letting the ball go down too easily. The improvement is highlighted in a quote by outside hitter Max DeVore ‘25, “Our team has dramatically improved from last year. We have been winning more sets and playing a much more tactically sound game. That being said, we still have many things to improve on in the coming season. Our defense has proven to break down at times during games, but we continue to work hard in practice. I am confident that in the coming years, the team will see results.”
Although the team has significantly improved skill-wise, this year has come with its own set of challenges. Injury has been a very defining point for the team and has forced several setbacks and creative lineups made by Coach KC and Coach Ben Hunt. Very early on this season, Dilian Lee ‘24, one of our most versatile players, broke his hand and will not be allowed to return until next season. Richmond landed himself on concussion watch right before the big Bishop Diego tournament, taking away an integral part of Cate's play. Additionally, Nieman will be taken out for two weeks due to his shoulder injury and will return during family weekend for the showdown and hopefully shutout against Dunn. The team is eager for the return of these three integral starters.
The defense and serve receive have been far more reliable and consistent this year allowing setters Oliver Lee ‘24 and Clyde Kye ‘24 to run plays out of the front row and beat the blockers of the opposing team. Cates' back row is led by skillful libero Zadin Stephens who leads the team with a 2.56/3 serve receive passing statistic.
Zach Coulter ‘25 and Lucian Tann ‘26 have proved to be valuable players in the middle, putting up big blocks and running the quick balls to ensure a kill. This year, Coach KC has stressed the importance of setting fast-paced balls that come out of the setter's hands quickly to beat blockers to put down the ball. Both Coulter and Tann have done a great job executing their job.
Pin hitters Max DeVore ‘25 and Henry Bouma ‘25 have demonstrated their importance and versatility on the court. Having played all three front-row positions, Bouma leads the team in the number of blocks with a total of 20 over the past four games. Standing at 6’3, it doesn’t take much work for him to shut down an aggressive hitter swinging cross. He has proved most valuable playing right side, being able to swing with more confidence and “stuff’” the big outsides from powerful teams. Moreover, DeVore puts up a good fight in both the front and back row. Never letting the ball drop in the back row, and swinging to win in the front row, he is an unstoppable force. At the Bishop Diego tournament, DeVore pulled ahead and now leads the team in a number of digs, being able to get even the most hard-driven of balls.
Furthermore, the team has been blessed with an overload of setters. New junior Julian Lee ‘24 has just been permitted to play after waiting out his transfer period, which ended on March 21st. Very versatile, he is smart about when to call for help, and which hitter is best to set at any given point. His quick decision-making helps the team to run an effective high scoring offense. In addition to his setting skills, he is a big hitter playing opposite and continuously crushing balls cross court throwing the other team out of system. Additionally, Lee has grown into his setting position this year. Being able to set anyone from any point on the court, he always leaves blockers guessing who they are needing to go up against. Finally, Kye has made great strides from last year. His passion for the sport shines through his commitment to chasing down every ball and consistently giving 100%. His positive and determined attitude rubs off on the rest of the players adding new and much-needed energy to the team.
The coaches are very proud of how far the team has come. When Coach KC Collins was asked to speak about her team she replied, “As a coach, you know when you have a great team, despite the win/loss record, when you look forward to going to practice every day! This is a group of players who are hungry to learn and practice hard to get better. They show a passion for the sport and are willing to put effort into improving individually and as a team, they are growing by leaps and bounds. Our competition is pretty tough playing against experienced teams, and as coaches, we are proud of how this team goes at it with heartfelt grit every match.”
The team can only get stronger from here, and they are definitely a group to look out for in the coming years. Despite the setbacks experienced, everyone on the team has been quick to adapt and fill positions they never thought they would have to play on. Boy, soccer better watch out, because it seems Cate School is about to find that Boy’s Volleyball is the new electrifying team on campus.
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