Quincey Reese, Editor in Chief

     Having won the section title for the past three years, the Penn-Trafford boys varsity volleyball team knew this season would offer a challenge to maintain their success. Since the beginning of the season, they have been working to improve their new players and become better as a unit.

    Head coach James Schall said he thinks the team has a good chance at competing in the playoffs. Their initial goal at the start of the season was to win the section, but after losing a few matches to some of the top teams––such as Norwin, Latrobe and Hempfield––he said it is unlikely they will meet this goal. Now, they are focusing their efforts towards making a run in the WPIAL playoffs.

    At this stage, Schall said the group has gone against a majority of the teams they could be confronting in the playoffs, so they already know what to expect from them. He explained that the team will strategize their play around this knowledge and hopefully beat the teams they have previously lost to.

    Schall added that a majority of the losses the group has had were close games, giving them hope for beating these teams in the future.

    “We’ve been pretty competitive. There have been more five-game matches than I’ve ever had coaching in one year, and the kids work hard,” he said.

    The team’s main efforts this year have gone towards honing in on basic skills like passing and serving, as well as recognizing each player’s role, according to Schall. He explained that since there is not a middle school team for boys, the group has several starters who are new to the sport. As a result, the group has placed emphasis on growing accustomed to the game and its functionality.

    “We have a lot of new starters, so everyone is kind of in a new role. They aren’t weak on anything specific skill-wise, but they are trying to learn how to play a little bit and see how our team fits together,” Schall said.

    Senior varsity player Dan Lipinski said that cooperation and communication with one another is also an area the team has worked to improve upon. He said that they have done well with shifting their goals towards being the best team possible after their hopes of becoming section champions fell through.

    Lipinski added that the team has shown a solid performance overall this season.

    “Sometimes we fall through a little bit and lose a couple sets, but I believe in general we’re a really good team,” he said.

    Senior Jake Tappe also said that the team has had “moments of greatness,” but it is the times where they slip up that have proven to be costly.

    Aside from this, Schall said that each member of the team has managed to produce good plays.      “Every team is different, but I like the guys. We’ve had so many guys go in and do well at different times. That’s probably more so with this team than other teams,” he said. “We have a lot of guys who can play and even guys who don’t play a ton go in and help the team at times.”

    With this being their last year on the team, Lipinski and Tappe said they are making the most of this season. Lipinski added that this season has been one of his favorites.

    “It’s really sad to not play for the team anymore, but overall it’s probably been one of my favorite years, so I’m happy to go out with a good end,” he elaborated.

    With an 8-7-2 overall record, only time will tell of the team’s success in the playoffs.