Boys Volleyball is set to begin an exciting season with a match at home against Choate next Saturday. As of this week, the team has only met for three days of tryouts. Final cuts have not yet been made. But there has been an incredible turnout for tryouts, with over 20 athletes showing up with hopes of competing in the upcoming season. Captain Alex Moris ’05 will lead the team with his three years of experience. Moris said, “We have a very experienced team this year which hopefully will be more united and cooperative than last year. We have less power this year (size and height), but I have faith that we will do much better defensively this year.” The team is looking forward to the upcoming season with optimism. Two returning varsity players, Moris and Andrew Richards ’05, and a couple of solid JV players return to form the base of the team, including Kenechi Igbokwe ’05, Wesley Mui ’06, and Ekow Essel ’07. Moris said that the European PG duo, Miguel Fernandez-Galiano ’05 and Yannick Janin ’05, are newcomers to the team. But he added that their extensive experience will set them up to be leaders on the court. The team welcomed many other promising newcomers such as Howie Kalter ’07, Alex Schwartz ’07, Jonathan Lee ’07, and James McGuinness ’08. Mui says, “Many players left last year, but I’m really excited to be working with the new ones this term. I am hopeful that the season will be successful.” Phillips Academy is placed in a small league consisting of NMH, Choate, and Loomis, the only other prep schools that compete in boys volleyball. The team will also play five games against public schools, including rival school from across town, Andover High School. The Andover team, which nearly won the tournament last year, promises another exciting season this spring. Moris said, “I am looking forward to this season, and I am confident that this team will pull through this season with our teamwork. We can cooperate with each other well, so when we play on the court we will dominate.”
