Reporter/Times Herald Area Boys Volleyball Preview

Boys volleyball is back, with an extra level of appreciation for the sport.
“I am so excited that these guys get a chance to play this year, especially the seniors,” Souderton Area coach Luke Pinto said. “Our mindset is how grateful we are to have this season. That has been driving the hard work and great atmosphere for the players.”
There is plenty of potential on the court at Souderton.
“We have a super talented group here, but missing a year, there are a lot of gaps in experience,” Pinto said. “A normal goal would be to improve on the record, win the league, or the district. However, the pandemic has given us a different perspective. Our goal is to compete all season and never take a moment for granted. I see the joy these kids have to step out on the court after questioning if they ever would again, and that is the only motivation we need.”
The right side is a particular strength for the Indians.
“We have a stud right side, Aidan Wunderly, who will be playing at Alvernia University next year,” Pinto explained. “In addition, we have the Brown brothers, Nate and Andrew, who have some awesome chemistry on the court. We also have great senior leadership and play from Luke Hess, Tate Kreiser, Grant Anderson. We are excited for the season, and just happy to be out there.”
With the season back, so too is the postseason. And as always, high expectations.
“We always strive to be able to compete with the best teams in our league and district,” Pennridge coach Dave Childs said. “We hope to make it to the final four in districts and have a chance to earn a spot in the state tournament.”
Jason Eisele has a nice mix of experience and youth over at La Salle.
“We had a strong junior class last season before it was cancelled, so they return this season as seniors with a drive and conviction to make the most of their final opportunity to compete,” Eisele said. “Better yet, they are helping teach our newer players so the tradition continues.
“Losing last season has created a chasm between our starting group and the next men up. The challenge is to develop the players we need to step up this year when needed, and then to help them realize their fullest potential to fill the void when our seniors graduate.”
Added Eisele: “We’re in the hunt to maintain consecutive Philadelphia Catholic League and District XII Championship runs, and on the brink of not just qualifying for States but moving past the first round.”
Kirby King returns as head coach of Dock. He guided the Pioneers to several postseason runs in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.
“We need to learn fast the varsity-level play, find roles and positions, and continue to get better at the rhythms of the game,” King said. “I look forward to this season and enjoy working with this crew. They are great people as well as great athletes.”
Following is a team-by-team look at the area.
Central Bucks West
Coach: Todd Miller (11th season).
Key returners: Drew Hauben, Jr., L; Trenton Mileski, Jr., OH; Oliver Hu, So., OH; Alex Deatelhauser, Jr., OH; Ben Kerskey, Jr., S.
Coach Miller says: “CB West finished third in the American Conference in 2019 and lost in the first round of playoffs to Pennridge. West graduated 13 seniors, including six starters, during the COVID-shortened season and will have one returning player with varsity experience. Even though this may be a challenging year, the coaches see potential for growth and are confident that this team will become competitive as the season progresses.”
Dock
Coach: Kirby King (first season; also head coach from 1992-2006).
Key returners: Jacob Schreiner, Sr., OH; Ray Ramos, Sr., S; Logan Gillespie, Sr., MB.
Others to watch: Alex Yoo, Jr., L; Anthony Bernardo, So.; Sean Gillespie, So., Lane Bergey, So.
Strengths: Athleticism, willingness to work hard, and height/net play.
La Salle
Coach: Jason Eisele (fifth season).
Key players lost: Jack Herberger, MB.
Key returners: Ben Herron, Sr., OH/DS; Riley Forchetti, Sr., OP; Brandon Curran, Sr., L.
Others to watch: Jake Barton, Jr., S; Mike O’Connor, Sr., MB; Josh Hohenleitner, Sr., OH/DS; Nick Kennedy, Sr., MB/OH.
Strengths: Versatility and drive.
Question Marks: Depth.
North Penn
Coach: Tim Moyer (first season but with over 10 years as head coach or volunteer assistant).
Key players lost: Evan Rothman, Ryan and James Stewart. Evan was a four-year varsity player and currently playing at Arcadia University. Ryan and James Stewart were both three-year varsity starters and are playing soccer in college. So experience and ball control will be missed without those players.
Key returners: Billy Dooney, Sr.; Jacob An, Sr.; Brian Landes, Jr.
Others to watch: Aidan Greene and Vedant Patel are two up-and-coming juniors that missed out on a lot of touches with not having a season last year due to the pandemic but that would have made some key contributions. First-year junior player Aaron Foulke will also make an impact as he is arguably the most athletic player this season and learning quickly, and sophomore Sion Yeo will start for the Knights and brings some good ball control skills at a young age. Seniors Ryan Heng and Jeff Park will compete for Libero and bring some speed and athleticism to the position.
Strengths/Question Marks: “Missing last season means most of our players haven’t been able to play in almost a year so catching back up on ball control skills like passing and defense will take some time as well as advanced skills like blocking where timing with players next to you takes time to master,” Moyer said. “Strength and weakness kind of balance each other out to start the season as we have some great experienced leaders but also lots of youth that needs to get caught up. This means I expect a roller-coaster ride, good play and bad, until we learn to balance both and be consistent overall. We have a great young setter in Brian Landes, so I expect him to make us look better than we are sometimes and two talented senior outside hitters that can put the ball away pretty consistently when we can get a ball to Brian.”
Outlook: “It’s too soon to tell how we will stack up as most team in the conference are in are same boat having missed last season and having limited number of kids able to play club volleyball or touch a ball this past off season. I would hope by mid-season we are competing to be middle of the pack or higher. We have plenty of potential but a long way to go compete and beat the top teams with so many talented teams in our conference.”
Pennridge
Coach: Dave Childs (16th season).
Key players lost: Andrew Bergey, Tommy Cassel, Chris McKinney, Pat Mehlbaum, Zach Vaneman.
Key returners: Ryan Benscoter, Sr. OH.
Others to watch: Dan Detweiler, Sr., Libero; Bryce Muller, Sr., OH; Skyler Ammon, Sr., OH; Riley Kilodidek, Jr., S; Nick Smith, Jr., MH; Tyler Johnson, Jr., MH; Alex Derk, Jr., D; Thomas McKinney, Soph., OH.
Strengths: Offense, experience.
Question marks: Consistency.
Souderton Area
Coach: Luke Pinto (third season).
Key performers lost: Jimmy Wert, Will Nase.
Key returners: Aidan Wunderly, Sr., Right Side; Andrew Brown, Jr., Middle; Luke Hess, Sr., Outside Hitter.
Others to watch: Nate Brown, So., Setter; Tate Kreiser, Sr., Libero.
Strengths: Senior leadership, offensive attack, close-knit team.
Question Marks: Inexperience, depth.