Boys volleyball brings home title

Persistence pays off: After weathering several unsuccessful years and powering through an uneven season the boys volleyball team proved themselves by capturing the SEC Colonial Division championship on May 15 in a 2-0 victory over Montclair Immaculate. This was the team’s first conference championship since 2012.

“It felt really amazing to win the conference this year,” said Mike Mathios, team captain. “It was second time volleyball ever won the conference, and it feels good to have a year that I’m a part of.”

In recent years, the team has struggled to have any type of success. Coach Bryan McNaught has been coaching since 2012, the first time the team had ever won the conference.

“Winning the conference is a step in the right direction for the program, but there is still more to do,” McNaught said. “We had a core group of returners and some new additions that showed potential early on in the season.”

This monumental feat has everyone on the team excited, no matter what grade they are in or how much experience they have playing. Juniors Justin Turanick and Mike Jannicelli were huge contributors to the team in their first season playing.

“Never did I ever think I was going to play varsity this year,” Turanick said. “I’m glad to have played in this championship run.”

“I went into this season to just have something to do,” said Jannicelli. “But it turned into something I was pretty good at and enjoy doing.”

It was improbable, but it happened. The boys volleyball team is back on top once more, and plan to stay up there for a long time.