Boys Volleyball Co-Captain Eddie Lou ’24 began his volleyball journey in ninth grade. He later became the starting setter on the Varsity team, leading the team to two consecutive New England Preparatory School Athletic School Council (NEPSAC) Championships.
“I started playing volleyball Freshman year in Fall Term. I did instructional volleyball. I started because I watched the animated show ‘Haikyuu’ during Covid[-19], and I really resonated with the protagonist. So, when I got here, I decided to play,” said Lou.
For Lou, the thing that surprised him the most about the sport was its highly collaborative nature. He highlighted how mutual support between teammates and the ability to depend on each other helped make playing volleyball particularly satisfying.
Lou said, “Volleyball was my first and really only team sport that I played that has uniquely given me a chance to build even deeper relationships that I haven’t had with people in other sports. The team aspect of it makes it really satisfying and fun to play because I know that whenever I succeed, my whole team succeeds and vice versa. So, having that individual contribution that builds and works towards a larger goal is really fulfilling.”
Lou noted the similarities between his role as a setter and as Co-Captain.
“Because I am the team’s setter, I’m already making decisions about how we play offensively and defensively, even before I was the captain. And so becoming captain, my role has very much aligned with my role as setting. At its core, it’s very much a tough love type of leadership. I hold all of my teammates to a pretty strong standard… Whenever I make a mistake, I am always quick to admit to it and move forward. I hope that that helps everybody else choose to do that too,” said Lou.
William Oh ’26 mentioned how Lou’s positivity and enthusiasm are proof of his strong leadership. Always a source of reassurance and support even while facing challenges, Lou serves as a figure that his teammates can look up to, both as an athlete and as a person.
“Eddie is someone that’s really enthusiastic, someone that’s really caring, and really passionate about the sport. He leads by example, and he tries to keep everyone uplifted. He’s positive and constantly tries to be as optimistic as possible after [a] point and tries to tell us to keep on moving forward,” said Oh.
Inti Stephenson ’25 echoed Oh, highlighting Lou’s captainship and competitive spirit.
Stephenson said, “I’d say I appreciate his dependability. He always performs well, and he always plays at his 100.”
As part of his role, Lou leads practices and ensures that they run smoothly, while encouraging the team to stay focused. Oh noted how Lou assists the coaches to organize the practice in ways that most benefit the athletes’ needs.
Oh said, “By doing so, [he] just makes the transition from warm ups to in-game scrimmages a lot more seamless… He is allowed to lead the players a lot more easily, and he empathizes with us because he’s been in our position. And by having someone that’s been in our position, he knows the struggles as well as what it takes to make the team succeed.”
Always a setter at heart, Lou is particularly aware of the importance of communicating on the court and strategizing with the team, a skill that continues to remain prominent in his role as Co-Captain.
Lou said, “I’m definitely very vocal in regards to everything, serve, receive and offense. Although I can be really intense, at the same time, at the core of it is my job as [a] setter to make the rest of our team look really good. And so that is really about having fun and trying cool, wacky, unpredictable things during the game, just [doing] something entertaining.”
